arussell134 Member

If you were to run consistently 4-5 times per week, I bet you'd find some of that variation would die down. That is, if you enjoy running and want to pursue it more! As the others have said, lack of sleep, feeling stressed, not enough food/water, and sometimes just having an "off" day happens. However when I look at my…

I not only got to my goal weight I've maintained for over a year now by including all my favorite foods. As others have said, it's making sure to plan for them as part of your overall calories. So yes, it can be done. And honestly, I think this is WHY I was successful this time versus other times - because I did not…

You can totally do it! (Source: I lost about that amount of weight in that amount of time.) Keep logging, be HONEST about what you're logging. If you're able, make sure to keep at exercise. (I greatly attribute discovering a love of running as one of my top reasons I've maintained over a year later.) Another tip that…

I HATE wearing water belts, but I found a small Nathan 10oz handheld that works awesome! I only take it on runs of 10 miles or longer, otherwise I run without a thing. Sometimes I will wear a small belt to tuck in some energy blocks or a key/ID on longer runs. I definitely am of the mind the less stuff you can bring, the…

Awesome, good luck!

Amazing work! I'm proud of you, and I don't even know you!! :) I remember my first 5k SO vividly... I think I cried pretty much the entire way, lol. I've done many races since. The excitement never gets old. So, will you be signing up for another race? ;)

As a runner, I'll take your 10K example. I was fit enough to run my first 10K years ago. I finished around an hour and a couple minutes. In the last year, I've decided to work on my speed. After a year + of putting down mileage and adding some speedwork & strength, I brought that time down to 54:00. Obviously, that takes a…

Oh man, I remember being there. I woke up one day and realized, shoot! I'm at my heaviest weight! Honestly, I had a good cry about it, then laced up my sneakers and got to work. I did things in a REASONABLE and sustainable way - just ate at a slight deficit, started working out at my fitness ability and plodded ahead. I…

To be honest, I think anyone that comes to the gym - fit, overweight, or anywhere in between - is worthy of respect and kindness for just showing up!! :) Also, I'm usually more focused on what I'm doing to worry about anyone else. If anyone reading this is nervous to come to a gym because they're obese and/or worried about…

I'm a believer you can run the whole thing!!! For me, part of the feeling of accomplishment is knowing I ran the whole thing. Plus, I'm with @chelciebrown07 - once I have to stop and walk, it's very very difficult to get started again and the soreness starts to set in.

I was running 6 days a week, so most of those consecutive, until I had a knee issue. I've had to slowly work back up and P/T now has me running no more than 2 days consecutively. That seems about right, for now!

This was my hope & goal. I am sooo amazed by what a year of just showing up did not only for my weight/fitness, but my running times and general outlook on life. I hope I can encourage other people to get out there, too!

That lady was really kickin' my butt in the last mile! I made it my one goal to beat her and I did... but barely! :)

It sounds like you want to, and I swear that's really the first, biggest step!! Be patient with yourself and set reasonable goals. I like setting short-term goals (ones I could reach within a few months, say) as well as long-term goals (that may take some real work and maybe 2-3 years to get there). Good luck - you can do…

I agree with Slainte831, everyone is different. Plus, "good" is subjective. Last year, I decided I wanted to try to improve my 5K time. Previously, I'd run in 33-34 minutes. So, I trained hard and then on race day, ran 100% of my ability. I was able to run in about 26:30. That became my benchmark. I decided to pick a…

I'm 5'7" currently 131-133 pounds and 20% BF. I need about 1700 calories to maintain. On workout days, I often eat about 2000 calories.

First off - congratulations! Now you're at the part where the real fun begins - figuring out how the rest of your life is going to work. In answer to your questions.... 1. Your best advice for keeping slim. Weigh yourself daily. I really believe this simple act each morning reminds me to make good choices for that day. You…

Thanks everyone for the reassurance! I think that's what I needed to hear. ;)

I think the biggest difference this time? I STOPPED RELYING ON MOTIVATION. Don't wait to be motivated to do it. Just do it. Motivation is fickle. No one feels motivated 100% of the time to eat right and exercise. This was a HUGE HUGE key to my success. The other thing, I decided I wasn't going to worry about having…

I chose the weight I was before kids - 135. I now weigh between 131 - 133 on any given day. Over the past year, I've decided I wanted to run at a more competitive level, so I've decided to slowly work my way down to 125-127. I'm in no rush. ;)

I just want to say - you have a really, really great shape! I like christinev297's answer of 20-25 lbs and take it one step further: aim for something thereabouts as an initial goal, and then see how you look/feel. After being at my initial goal weight for awhile, I decided I wanted to be even lighter (I'm a runner). The…

The other glaring difference: an obese trainer has the option of becoming a thinner, fitter one. A male OB/GYN doesn't have the option of becoming a female OB/GYN (well, not without surgery...and even so, I don't believe will be able to experience birth). Apples and oranges, bad analogy.

Well if it's any consolation I thought you were roughly my same age based on your profile pic. ;) My slogan at my profile is this: "it's never too late to be awesome." Go get it!

I would say weighing every day is one of the top 2 reasons I've been able to maintain my weight loss for going on 8 months now. It's a simple, quick step that I do first thing in the morning that is a gentle reminder to make good choices for the day. I don't log all the days and I do allow for some general fluctuations…

Oh you are talking my language! This was SO me. I ran 5ks up through full marathons (with my slowest at over 6 hours!). Then I didn't do anything and put on a bunch of weight. Last year, I lost the weight and decided I wanted to challenge myself by running faster. I'd already btdt on the distance and I wanted to challenge…

Yes, all the time! I don't worry about it at all. I know that lots of things can impact my performance. If I'm having an off day, I'll listen to my body, slow down a bit if I need to, and come back stronger the next time.

My weight sometimes goes up a tick after a super long or hard run. I've heard it has something to do with water or glycogen. You are certainly not gaining 2 lbs of muscle or anything like that following a run. ;) It should shake out in a day or so with plenty of water & rest. Keep running!

My 5k PR is 23:31 and I hope one day to run a sub 20 minute 5K. Here's what I'm doing: hiring a personal running coach who can run a sub 15 minute 5K to help me. ;) It may be that you need some targeted advice and could benefit from something like this.

For a short bit prior to my MFP days, I saw a nutritionist. She put me on a GF diet (I'm not celiac BTW) and recommended a bunch of supplements. Makes me mad now b/c I'd specifically told her I didn't want to see her if that's what she was the path she was going to head down! The last time I saw her she mentioned she…

Depends what you want to achieve with your 5K. Just running it for fun? Pretty much pick up and go, the way you would for any training run. I've lately started racing 5Ks more competitively. For this, I like to get there early and warm up for a half mile or so easy running. Then do a little stretching. I try to pick a good…