Run Run Away

Question:

I was in the same boat a few years ago.  One thing that helped me lose fat was weight training.   Squats helped immensely with my running / biking. Biking might be an option if you have knee problems.  For shin splints, you can try strengthening the shin muscles and making sure your calves are stretched out.  I had some plantar facitis problems ( basically pains in the heel and bottom of foot after running) which I have all but eliminated by using arch supports in my shoes and taping the foot.  This was done after being reccommened by a podiatrist friend.  I can now run almost pain free (the pains I feel are just my legs/lungs wanting to stop.)  If you are really serious about losing fat, get on a stricter diet and examine everything you are placing in your body.  Find out how many calories you need per day and stick to it.  As for exercising, start slow and don’t try to progress too quickly.  I used to be the one that started exercising and always quit soon after.  I have been weight training now for a solid 1 to 1 1/2 years, and have been cycling regularly (at least 2-3 times a week in good weather) for the past 10+ years.  You have to find something that motivates you to continue.  For me it is seeing results in the weight room and especially the mirror. If you decide that weight training is something you want to try you can find lots of information and ask questions at : alt.sport.weightlifting   or  misc.fitness.weights Good luck. Dave H.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.  I used to exercise a lot right up to a couple years ago and was in decent shape, and now I find myself quit in the opposite position. Anyway a started exercising again (yesterday in fact. <g,  which is rather a huge step seeing I have hardly lifted a finger the last couple years. One thing I have noticed though is my body doesn’t quit move the same way my brain remembers it too.  I need a plan!  that won’t result in injury such as knee problems and shin splints(both of which is what stopped me a couple years ago). Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it. Thanks a lot. John

Response:

Touche!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Nonsence, most bull shit is composed of hay and grains and is very high carb. It is the whole diet thing of low carbs/high protein that is crap, but boy does it make $$$$ for the authors AGREED! Amen!! =) <<Bullshit on the low carb thing for the most part (sorry I feel pretty strong in this area).

Response:

I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.

There are lots of good ideas in this thread and I didn’t know where to lodge my comment — but I’ve been where you are and am now where you want to go. This voice of experience agrees with several ideas in this thread, and I have added a few thoughts of my own: 1) Exercise is as important as diet to sustain weight loss 2) Know the math.  3500 calories is a pound.  If you eliminate 500 calories per day, or add 500 calories worth of exercise per day (or combine both), you can lose a pound a week.  This is a reasonable goal. 3) Monitor your progress but not slavishly.  Keep a written record, of weight and exercise levels, over time. 4) Start exercising slowly, but you must build up to a reasonable distance if you choose to run.  Running will get you about 100 – 120 calories, and at 3500 calories per pound that is a lot of miles — this is why diet is maybe more important to losing weight, even if I maintain that exercise is more important to maintaining weight. 5) I won’t get into the protein / carb debate, but exercise burns carbs and requires them.  I went low fat / hi carb. 6) It worked for me.  I lost 35 pounds in year one, went from running / walking a mile or two a day to running (ok, jogging) three or four a day and more on weekends.  Year 2 I lost an additional 20 pounds, of which I have gained 10 back over the next three years.  I need to lose the ten I gained back, but they are "better" pounds. 7) I went from varsity couch potato to racing (I like 10k’s, have done one marathon and want to do more) and triathlon (2 Olympic Distance events and several sprints).  Exercise is now a critical part of my life and a priority. Good luck. Email me if you want more advice / thoughts. Sam.

Response:

… I ended up getting the machine because of knee pain.  I figured my flat feet and knees would keep me from running, not asthma.  While I Nordic Tracked for a few months I also investigated running shoes, foot mechanics, training schedules, etc. and found I could run pain free if I was careful.  Now I run 15-20 miles/week.  Its one of the most enjoyable things I do. Anyone want to buy a Nordic Track?

What a great story!  These are all great stories!  Keep up the good work.  Slow and steady wins the race, no matter what the race is (that is to say, persevere!)… — Josh Steinberg

Response:

My one-word piece of advice:  Persevere! My quick story:  I’m 39.  I have exercise-induced asthma.  Running was always the thing that I could not do.  4 years ago I decided I wanted a Nordic Track. I told myself if I got up every morning for a month and went for a walk then I’d get the machine; proving it wouldn’t go unused. I ended up enjoying the walk so much I didn’t buy the machine.  Then I started running the last 2/10s of a mile.  And so on….  Pretty soon I was running the entire 3 mile route. I ended up getting the machine because of knee pain.  I figured my flat feet and knees would keep me from running, not asthma.  While I Nordic Tracked for a few months I also investigated running shoes, foot mechanics, training schedules, etc. and found I could run pain free if I was careful.  Now I run 15-20 miles/week.  Its one of the most enjoyable things I do. Anyone want to buy a Nordic Track? Jim

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.  I used to exercise a lot right up to a couple years ago and was in decent shape, and now I find myself quit in the opposite position. Anyway a started exercising again (yesterday in fact. <g,  which is rather a huge step seeing I have hardly lifted a finger the last couple years.    Hi:    Great. You can always read up on the technical subjects, but I believe the most important thing you can do is make exercise a part of your life.    Start slowly by walking a lot. Get off of the bus sooner and start hoofing it. That’s how I started when I moved back to the city. I started walking home from work, 7.2 km. After about six months of this, I started running.    Making time for your health is the chief thing to do. Otherwise, you will have to make time for ill-health to-morrow.    The other time factor is to admit it will take time.    Your body will do what you ask. If the last few years, you have asked it to do some unhealthy things. It will take time to un-do that.    Don’t look at the scales every day.  One thing I have noticed though is my body doesn’t quit move the same way my brain remembers it too.  I need a plan!  that won’t result in injury such as knee problems and shin splints(both of which is what stopped me a couple years ago).    Well, your spine, hips, knees and ankles are load bearing joints. This is why obese people can suffer from problems in those places. Take time. Start by walking and set a six month goal and a one year goal.    But goals that are not weight number related. For example. ‘In six months, I will walk for an hour, four or five times a week.’    What? No bathroom scale numbers?    No.    Keep wobbling. Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it. Thanks a lot. John

Response:

AGREED! Amen!! =) <<Bullshit on the low carb thing for the most part (sorry I feel pretty strong in this area).

Response:

Nonsence, most bull shit is composed of hay and grains and is very high carb. It is the whole diet thing of low carbs/high protein that is crap, but boy does it make $$$$ for the authors – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – AGREED! Amen!! =) <<Bullshit on the low carb thing for the most part (sorry I feel pretty strong in this area).

Response:

As others have already said, start easy (proably even easier than you think you should), and PERSEVERE – you’re in it for the long run. With major lifestyle changes, it’s easy to become discouraged and slide back to the old ways.  Two things that have worked for me: take up activities that you really enjoy (running is  good, so is biking, swimming, hiking, and on …); and try to find a supportive group who are going at the same general level of activity.  There’s nothing like getting out for a run or a ride with friends to keep you coming back. An easy "learn to run"  clinic can get you on the way to a lifetime sport. Layton Before you buy.

Response:

I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.  I used to exercise a lot right up to a couple years ago and was in decent shape, and now I find myself quit in the opposite position. Anyway a started exercising again (yesterday in fact. <g,  which is rather a huge step seeing I have hardly lifted a finger the last couple years.

   Hi:    Great. You can always read up on the technical subjects, but I believe the most important thing you can do is make exercise a part of your life.    Start slowly by walking a lot. Get off of the bus sooner and start hoofing it. That’s how I started when I moved back to the city. I started walking home from work, 7.2 km. After about six months of this, I started running.    Making time for your health is the chief thing to do. Otherwise, you will have to make time for ill-health to-morrow.    The other time factor is to admit it will take time.    Your body will do what you ask. If the last few years, you have asked it to do some unhealthy things. It will take time to un-do that.    Don’t look at the scales every day.  One thing I have noticed though is my body doesn’t quit move the same way my brain remembers it too.  I need a plan!  that won’t result in injury such as knee problems and shin splints(both of which is what stopped me a couple years ago).

   Well, your spine, hips, knees and ankles are load bearing joints. This is why obese people can suffer from problems in those places. Take time. Start by walking and set a six month goal and a one year goal.    But goals that are not weight number related. For example. ‘In six months, I will walk for an hour, four or five times a week.’    What? No bathroom scale numbers?    No.    Keep wobbling. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it. Thanks a lot. John

Response:

Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it.

Many, many of us but at least at 24 you are starting earlier than others. Take a look at http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/ and see "getting started". — Caveat Lector!

Response:

Yeah, I am doing the exact same thing.  I was suprised how it was to try to move this new heavier body.  Last year, when I started to try to run again, I went out too hard, and my atrophied muscles were strained.  I pulled both calf muscles.  This year I have taken a different approach that works.  For 2 months I just walked every day.  Gradually my legs toned up a bit.  Then, recently, I have started jogging and walking.  I am starting to feel much better, and, together with watching my calories (not starving myself, just not eating unless I’m hungry), I hope to see the difference. BTW, I’m 23 and it hit me when I was 21, just out of college.

Response:

Bullshit on the low carb thing for the most part (sorry I feel pretty strong in this area).  Also the question pertains to exercise, the person does not seek diet information. Get a physician okay although at your age that should not be an issue. Start slow and work your way back in.  I would suggest walking 30 minutes a day every day for a couple of weeks. Then alternate 3 minutes of running (jogging if you wish) with 3 minutes of walking each day for a week for the same 30 minutes.  Then over time slowly increase the length of the run segments to 4 then 5 then 6 then 7……. Soon you will be running the entire 30 minutes.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.  I used to exercise a lot right up to a couple years ago and was in decent shape, and now I find myself quit in the opposite position. Anyway a started exercising again (yesterday in fact. <g,  which is rather a huge step seeing I have hardly lifted a finger the last couple years. One thing I have noticed though is my body doesn’t quit move the same way my brain remembers it too.  I need a plan!  that won’t result in injury such as knee problems and shin splints(both of which is what stopped me a couple years ago). Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it. Thanks a lot. John Check out alt.support.diet.low-carb DARE To End The War On Drugs

Response:

Also, try to have lots of patience with yourself and don’t go looking at the scale all the time. It took time to gain weight, it takes time to lose it, too. I’d also suggest varying your activities a bit so exercise stays interesting. Swimming is great to alternate with jogging.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.  I used to exercise a lot right up to a couple years ago and was in decent shape, and now I find myself quit in the opposite position. Anyway a started exercising again (yesterday in fact. <g,  which is rather a huge step seeing I have hardly lifted a finger the last couple years.  One thing I have noticed though is my body doesn’t quit move the same way my brain remembers it too.  I need a plan!  that won’t result in injury such as knee problems and shin splints(both of which is what stopped me a couple years ago). Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it. Thanks a lot. John

Check out alt.support.diet.low-carb DARE To End The War On Drugs

Response:

I’m a 24 your old guy, and about 40 to 50 lbs. overweight.  I used to exercise a lot right up to a couple years ago and was in decent shape, and now I find myself quit in the opposite position. Anyway a started exercising again (yesterday in fact. <g,  which is rather a huge step seeing I have hardly lifted a finger the last couple years.  One thing I have noticed though is my body doesn’t quit move the same way my brain remembers it too.  I need a plan!  that won’t result in injury such as knee problems and shin splints(both of which is what stopped me a couple years ago). Is there anyone out there that has woken up one day and found themselves in the same position I am in, and successfully done something about it.  If so please shed lite on what I have to do and how much I have to do it. Thanks a lot. John

Response: