meredithfp Member

Thanks so much for all of the encouragement. I guess I do need to recognize my success and not dwell on the fact that things aren't changing as quickly as I would like. Seems like over the course of a month I drop a few pounds then bounce back up, stay the same for awhile and then drop some more. I do think that for my…

Seems like there's not much action on this board, but I am really struggling and hoping to find some answers. I'm 45 and went through early menopause a few years ago. None of the uncomfortable side effects -- just no more monthly cycle. Now I'm trying to lose weight and even though I'm eating 1200 calories or less, the…

Portland, Oregon. Wish there was some way to search this thread!

Hey there, Kat. You've had a tough couple of years. I'm so glad you're here and working to make a difference. Keep coming back to these boards and find support and encouragement. I'm just getting back on plan after too long away. I'm determined to do it right this time! We can do this!

I'm considering it too and would love to see responses here.

Hey all, I want in on this thread too. I've got about 90 to lose and I really want to make sure it happens this time. I'm a 43 year old single mom of 3 teenagers and I teach 6th grade. Hard to find time for myself, but I've got to do it! Please friend me and let's support each other!

Hello all. I've been a part of this group for awhile, but I've been on a bit of a break from myfitnesspal, and boy, does my scale show it! I've got to stick with it this time and at least lose some before the summer! I've got a long journey in front of me but at this point I'd be happy to see the scale drop even 5 lbs! I'm…

Hello all! I've been working at this on mfp since january and though I've lost 12 pounds, and I'm happy about that, I know I could do better. I'm a 41-year-old mom of 3 (17, 14, 11) and teacher. Things are super-busy but I started running in October and I'm loving it. I'm a very slow runner and I'm working on building up…

Hello all. Glad to have found this group! You can put me in the "working on speed" camp. I started C25K in October and did most weeks twice, and took a week off, so I finished a couple weeks ago. Just in time for my first 5K race -- the Shamrock Run in Portland. It was super fun and I felt like I could have done the course…

I just started active.com's 5Kto10K program tonight. Now that I can run an entire 5K, my goal is to increase my speed. Though the run/walk intervals drive me crazy, I hear that inserting intervals of walking will let me make the runs faster. That's what I'm hoping for, at least.

Yay me! I graduated last week and completed my first 5K race today. So. Much. Fun. And I was disappointed when it was over! Now I'm on to improving my speed!

I'm in the same boat. Just finished week 9 and now looking to improve my speed. I don't really want to go back to the intervals, though. I'm super-happy I can run 35 minutes and stopping and starting throws me off. I just have to get faster -- so the race walkers quit passing me! I'm checking out Runner's World. Thanks for…

I always listen to audiobooks or podcasts while I run. My two recent favorites were The Time-Traveler's Wife and Wild by Sheryl Strayed. I actually found myself looking forward to my run so I could hear the next part of the story. I tried Run Zombies for a little bit, too, but I just didn't really get into it. I have…

Great job! I hate when my phone dies along the way. So far it's only happened twice and it was near the end, so I ended up pretty sure about my time. I've been kinda surprised at how much my run sucks my battery. I suppose it's because I have Audible, Runkeeper, Fitbit and C25K all running at once.

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure there are plenty of runner's resources -- shops, clubs, etc -- I just haven't looked into it. I really love my run, but I like it for the solitary experience that it is. Not sure how I'd feel about going out and running with a bunch of other people regularly. Running a race is a little…

Nice to see there are so many of us around 40 on here. I've found a few friends here on MFP but am always looking for more that I have lots in common with. If anyone else is looking for friends, add me!

You can totally do this. I'm 41, quite a bit heavier than you and on week 6 of the program. I'm loving it! The trick is to find a regular rhythm to your workouts. I do my run at night, after I put my kids to bed on a track nearby in my neighborhood. Part of what helps me is that I take my dog along and now it's such a part…

I'm doing each week twice. I kind of have in mind that the first time through is just to complete it, the second time I work a little harder to increase my speed.

Thanks so much. All of these answers are helpful. I am hoping to build up to a half marathon at some point before the end of 2013. Jsilva, do you have the name of the program you used that you describe in this post? And I'll definitely look into RunDouble. I figure that once I finish the C25K program I'll switch from…

I love steel cut oats! It's actually my indulgent breakfast. I put a couple teaspoons of brown sugar and 2 T of peanut butter mixed in. So good! I like the nutty crunch of steel cut but not so much rolled oats. When I'm not feeling so indulgent I call it good with a banana.

That's awesome! I had the same experience -- I felt like I could keep going. I'm repeating each week, so I'm doing W5D3 again today and looking forward to it! I never knew there was a distance version of C25K -- I'll have to look into it!

Fridays are my weigh-in day, but I peeked today and found 228. That's .6 down from my weigh-in (but .4 up from my last peek -- I think I need to stop peeking mid-week.)

I recently asked the same question. The feedback was to avoid running but there are other things you can do. I usually go for an easier but longer walk. I've thought swimming or Zumba would be good.

I'm Meredith, a 41-year-old divorced teacher and mom of 3 (17, 14, 11). My job has always kept me really busy, logging 60 hour weeks, but I'm starting to feel that my experience (this is my 8th year teaching) is starting to make a difference and I don't have to work quite as hard. I've struggled with my weight since high…

Yay! I just did w5d3! Way better than I thought it would be. Super slow, but done!

Best of luck to those of you who are starting. My best advice is to run slowly. I found that running on a treadmill I always pushed myself to run too fast. By myself out on the track I'm not really aware of my speed and as a result my endurance is building much better. As for shoes, I always thought Asics were the best but…

I have WAY too many hobbies. My family always teases me about how I need to quit my job to have enough time for my hobbies. The one I am most obsessed with is knitting. I have a weekly knitting group and I can't imagine a day going by without knitting at least a little bit. I also love reading, blogging, photography,…

Awesome! Keep that positive energy going!

I'm doing the C25K program and tomorrow is my dreaded week 5, day 3 run. I'm actually kinda excited to get to it. I just downloaded a new running app (recommended by an MFPer) and I can't wait to try it out. I think I'll use it when I take my dog out for a walk today.

I'm hoping the longer runs will be okay because I'm also finding the longer running stretches preferable to stopping and starting. Whenever I start one of the longer stretches I think "Oh, if I'm really tired I'll walk halfway through," but by the time I get to that point I've totally hit my stride. It's just easier to…