langurmonkey

It did seem like a reasonable bit of psychology. I am definitely in the feaster category, I can eat the whole house full of food especially after a few drinks, so I think knowing a few tricks to mitigate that impulse is good. And I don't identify with the other two categories at all, so that at least (for me) gives it a…

I am finding using TRX straps is really good for supporting you doing exercises that require balance and flexibility. So you could (if your gym has them) grab the TRX with both hands and lower into the squat position, and it will support you. Do that a few times and I bet you will limber up in no time.

That sounds like more than enough. Your running speed and thus the benefit to fitness will improve just by sticking with the program. I think weights twice a week sounds fine, and is probably easier to fit into a busy schedule than a class.

My ribs show and I still have a belly. It's very frustrating, but I am resolved to lift more heavy weights to develop upper body muscle and hopefully still eat at a deficit to get rid of the belly.

Party at night, swim in the pool by day?

Great post! I hope you don't wear the medals out with overuse :-)

Signing up for something is really good motivation. I did the Couch 2 5k just for exercise, but then I got talked into a 10k and entered that without knowing what to expect and I got hooked on distance running. In terms of training I did three runs of 5k to start with per week, then added 1km to one session per week, so…

If you don't want positive feedback then I have some ;-). You probably want to both cut fat and do a lot of chest resistance work to flatten out those moobs.

Gradually increasing calories is the way. Alternatives to sit-ups are things like leg raises, planks, crunches, bicycle abs.

Just to chime in on this - I was about 120kg when I started the Couch 2 5k program. I stuck with it and now I am around 80kg and run marathons :-). Like any sport you do get injured, but as I read before on this site it's better to spend some time on the physio's table than the cardiologist's table. In terms of pain to…

I quite like Maximuscle Cyclone chocolate flavour. One tip that comes in handy with a lot of the protein shakes is to leave it for five minutes or so after mixing it up, it's a lot less powdery that way.

Running has been good for me in a lot of ways other than burning calories. I tend to eat them back, but I am pretty much maintaining now, and want to actually get better at sport, so I have to eat. I went from a 130kg unfit person to a 80kg long distance runner in about 2 years. I've made a lot of new friends along the way…

Just to add another app into the mix - I quite like Strava. They have one for running and one for biking. If you have any friends that use one or the other of these I would go with their choice as you can compare workouts etc.

Some great advice already! If you hate something you won't keep at it. In general we "hate" things that we are not good at, and running is no exception, with the extra bonus that you get to feel pain. I can only echo the Couch 2 5k advice, although I am not sure you need to invest in an expensive pair of shoes to do the…

I also get that if it's cold out. If you are the sort of person that has cold hands, then it's likely that your feet will be prone to that feeling when cold.

I like a banana with low fat yoghurt on it (plain Greek like Fage or Activia Vanilla are my favourites). Also, Cadbury's Freddo bars are just enough chocolate.

Fellow geek checking in - I love Pathfinder and D&D and boardgames. I have also found running and hiking to be a good way of geeking out while exercising as there are lots of gadgets and other fun stuff involved (GPS watches, geocaching etc.)

Just chiming in - I started the program in Oct 2012, and in Oct 2014 finished my first marathon. On the way I have joined a running club and made a load of new friends and got a lot fitter! One thing that might be good when you get towards the end is to see if there are any parkrun events near you. They are a timed 5k run…

I drink litres of diet coke and other diet drink and have lost 50kg, so yes.

I stick with it. I run when I am way - you don't need any gyms for that! Calorie counting is obviously only going to be a rough guide if you are eating in restaurants, but my goal is usually not to put on weight while away, rather than lose. Airports and plane flights are the trickiest, as you typically have very little…

Great job starting off! My advice is to get into the habit of doing *something* exercise related every day. Jerry Seinfeld suggests that if you want to build a habit that you get a calendar and mark off the days when you do whatever it is you are trying to do. In his case it was writing, in our case it's doing some…

It sounds like you are not tired enough in bed if you are lying there not sleeping. Have you tried a bit of gentle exercising in the evening, like going for a walk, running or whatever?

I had my gallbladder out and it's been fine losing weight. It was also explained to me that a diseased gallbladder is not doing what it should be anyway, so it may as well not be there from a digestion point of view.

Jacked.

Couch 2 5k worked wonders for me. I can take off down the road running like you are dreaming of! Think of it as a short apprenticeship - it doesn't have to be that thrilling to work. After week 4 you are running longer distances anyway so don't need to track the intervals. If you have a smartphone then there is a game…

It's a big psychological barrier that first 20 minute run. You will be ready for it if you can manage to do the other two. Just take it easy and smile!

That is a great reply! I really needed to read it. For me, MFP has been the gateway to healthy living: I have got into running, stopped drinking so much booze and stopped eating junk almost completely. I still have the occasional blowout, but the joy of the MFP approach is that it's ok, you haven't done anything bad, maybe…

Log everything and try not to feel shame. Hard I know.

Personally I like using runners in front of me to "pull" me along so that I go faster, and hopefully pass them. I run much faster in races because of the competitive atmosphere. It's always nice to beat your friends :-)