sarafil Member

What has worked for me is strength training. Lifting heavy weights. A book that a lot of people follow is "New Rules of Lifting for Women," I strongly recommend it. There is a group on this site for women that are following its approach. Good luck!

Intervals are the way to get faster (speed work). But honestly, I wouldn't worry about your pace at this point. You need to build an endurance base, which you are doing an excellent job at...although as your friend advised, I would not be running six days per week. Try some cross training every other day (cycling, strength…

Yes, I take rest days, typically two per week. I am training for a half marathon, and I think rest days are extremely important for preventing injury!

Training your mind is a very important part of running. I find music helps me a lot, as little mind games: I will do a "body scan," concentrating on how each part of my body feels as I run (is my head in good position? arms and shoulders relaxed? My feet under my hips? etc). That usually eats up some time. Mantras are good…

can you adjust the speed in which you are walking, to make it more of an interval work out? For example, walk five minutes normal pace, then five minutes as fast you can go, then slow it down again, etc. Or, if you are up for it, you could always add in some jogging intervals? Another suggestion is to throw in a block (or…

Have you been taking consistent rest days?

I'm not sure about actual weight, but you could get your body fat measured, and then you would have an idea of how much lean muscle you have....if your body fat percentage is normal/low, then you would know you have a lot of muscle! I don't believe in on-line calculators for body fat measurements...try to get your…

Just be careful with speed work; most running coaches will say that new runners should not really attempt speed work until they have a good 6-12 months of solid running experience under their belt. Just building your endurance is the most important thing at this stage, and faster times will come. I would just keep…

there have been some studies linking low carb diets to low T3 syndrome. Low T3 syndrome can mimic hypothyroidism in terms of symptoms. I would ask your doctor if there are any dietary guidelines; I would assume you should just eat well (clean foods, appropriate macros, probably not low carb, but talk to your doc). Good…

In a nutshell, I started running this past January. First run out, I ran 5 minutes and felt like I wanted to die. I thought I was in reasonably good shape, I could do the elliptical for an hour, etc, but running always felt so much harder. Fast forward to today: just ran a long run of 8 miles with no stopping, and I'm…

I wouldn't force myself to eat if I truly wasn't hungry. It is a cumulative effect, not something that is determined by one day of not hitting your macros/calories. Typically on a day I exercise hard, I find I am not that hungry....but then want to eat more the following day. That is a pretty high calorie burn you have; of…

I had thyroid cancer and they removed my thyroid surgically, followed by cancer treatments....took awhile to get my tsh levels back in good range with levoxyl. I have lost 60 pounds since my cancer diagnosis and subsequent removal of the thyroid. Without a thyroid, I am about as hypothyroid as anyone can be!! If your tsh…

Even with weight loss, you will have enough time. Very important thing is to not overdo it...the fact that you are following a structured program (I think you said c25k) is great. I have always used programs to increase my distance, and I think it is really helpful. Also, try doing some cross training activities on days…

You will have plenty of time! I went from never run before to a 10k in four months, and now I will be doing a half marathon in September, which will be my 9th month of running. You've totally got it, have fun!

I actually think your 30s are an awesome time in life!!! I know for myself, my 20s were very chaotic...still trying to figure myself out, what I wanted in life, who I was, etc....etc...lots of fun times, no doubt...but lots of drama, too. Now in my 30s I have confidence I didn't have in my 20s, a happy marriage and kids,…

You could go to a gym and see if a trainer can measure you with calipers; once again, not a perfectly accurate measurement, but typically better than the measurement you get from those scales you can by. The hand-held aren't that bad, I don't think....I know our cardiology department at work uses them, so they can't be…

I am almost 5'9" and I currently weight about 144. I think I look the best when I am at 135, but I'm not really focused on weight at this point....just building muscle and trying to look lean. I am small framed, and pear shaped! I typically wear a size small in tops and 4-6 in pants and dresses.

great job!

You are in luck...I work in Ob/Gyn! According to the doctor sitting right behind me, usually your first day would be the day that you notice a change (brown spotting would be your first day, for example). If, however, you have like four days of spotting before your full-on flow, that could be a different story....

If you are well hydrated before your run, you do not need to carry water for that length of a run...typically I don't carry unless I know my run will be longer than 45 minutes (when it is the summer months and hot, in the winter I go about an hour before I feel I need to carry water). When I do bring water, I use a…

If your tsh is .65, you are at a pretty low range (making you closer to hyper than hypo); hopefully it will just take a little more time and you will feel back to normal. Good luck!

If your levels are good, you would think you wouldn't have trouble with weight loss, because you are no longer hypothyroid. What is your tsh level like now? Is it maybe too high for you, even if it is in normal range?

Honestly, I haven't had to change my life at all to accomodate not having a thyroid. I lost my thyroid after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It certainly took awhile to feel "normal" again (had to go through cancer treatments, and I could not take thyroid hormone replacements during that time, so my tsh levels were…

Sorry you are feeling this way, it is a difficult place to be. But the reality is there is no one you can really turn to, except yourself. YOU have to want to change, and you have to find the strength to do it. We are all here to support you, but ultimately you have to want it enough to make the lifestyle change. You can…

If this makes you feel any better, I just did an on-line calculation of my body fat, and it was not accurate....I know my true body fat % because I recently got measured at the gym....

I really don't believe the on-line calculators are an accurate way to measure body fat AT ALL. Don't use them! Try to get your body fat measured by a professional (if you use a gym, the trainers can often do it for you, with calipers). Seriously, all the progress you have made is amazing and DO NOT go off of this body fat…

If you love to run, then run! What I would recommend, though, is try some cross-training that is known to be good for running (ie, cycling, swimming, etc). Also do a TON of core work. Everyone needs rest days from running, but you can do other activities that will enhance your running, so you will still feel like your…

I don't know what kind of exercise you are doing now, but I found when I got to maintenance weight I liked doing mainly strength training; didn't seem to take as much time as cardio and kept my metabolism up, and built muscle (which keeps me looking lean).

You do not need to gain a pound a week in pregancy...typically towards the end of pregnancy you may see gains like that, because that is when the baby is gaining the most weight. Really, there is no secret: eat healthy foods, eat something if you feel hungry, indulge a little when you feel like it, drink a ton of water,…

SoVictoRRious, yes....you look confident and strong!