What did you weigh when you started running?

[funky_monkey800 247]

I started at about 150 lbs, i am also 5'5.....i tried when i was heavier but my knees seemed to be hurting all the time.Its only been about a month and a half to 2 months and i can run up to 5 miles...sometimes i do 2 or 3. My knees actually feel great and i kinda enjoy running make sure to warm up/stretch propperly before and after and there is a nike app that i use to track my runs. I love it. Good luck

[jess9395 5,449]

I started as soon as I was cleared for exercise, maybe 250? I'm 5'6". Couch to 5k. Now 2.5 years later I've run two marathons and countless other races. I often win my age group!

[summerset 5,265]

I will start running again soon with Couch to 5k. Did the Couch to 10k about two years earlier but had to stop after an accident (bumped the kneecap really hard and had problems with the quadriceps tendon for over four months or so) and somehow never got into it again (did Freeletics and other kinds of HIT instead) but I'm looking forward to start running again now.

Still feeling kind of weak though and it's like I got no strength at all. Ok, I'm only 2.5 weeks post-op, so...

BTW, I'm 5'6'' as well and I did the C210K at about 220 or 225 lbs.

[Diana_in_Philly 1,426]

It really depends on your knees. I'm 256 right now and tried starting couch to 5k last week and thought I was going to die -- as in I needed narcotics for my knees after the first C25k 30 minute session. Now, I have bad knees to start and am staring down bilateral knee replacement, which is part of why I'm walking this path -- every 1 lb down is 5 lb less pressure on the knees. I'm pre-surgery. I don't think I'll try jogging again until I'm under 200.

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

I know I will have to exercise to keep my weight off. I'm really out of shape so have started walking but am hoping someday to be able to run. I was in track 38 years ago and jogging is the only exercise I remember loving to do. I'm wondering at what weight it would be safe for me to start running without causing an injury to my knees or feet. I realize I will have to work up to it but it would be helpful to have a goal to work towards. I am 5'5" and female.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I started around 200 lbs. As I know others have said, shoes are critical. I went to a running store that has a treadmill in the store, they fit you with a couple of different types of shoes and watch you run. That same store offered a free running clinic where they evaluate your gait, posture and foot positioning. I learned a lot from that and was able to make changes that were helpful. I was never a pronator before WLS, but I am now. Who knows why, so the shoes that are appropriate and most protective for me now are different than what I would have worn 10 or 20 years ago. I love the brand Mizuno, they provide the anti-pronation support I need while still feeling light and flexible, not like the "foot jail" that many brands do! Good luck and see you on the trails soon!

[Chrystee 838]

FOAM ROLLING. The best advice I ever got was to get a good quality foam roller and use it before and after runs!

[fatgirlsvelte 217]

Have always been a runner—but it's also the reason I've elected for Bariatric surgery. At 386 pounds...can't even explain the looks I'd get in before starting the 5ks, but finishing in the middle of the pack was never an issue once I had built up after training. Though "admirable..." HOWEVER, I did serious effing damage, and have only ran once () since starting to reduce my weight because the doctor said I needed to stop immediately—until my body mass was reduced. The wear and tear on my ankles and left hip was too much, and he said I may have already done irreparable damage (). I'm 29-years old.

When I ignored the doctor's orders and went on a five mile run a few months ago after not training for six months? I had to call out from work the next day from the pain, and I was sore for almost ten full days.

I've taken off fifty pounds pre-op (I hope to lose another 34.5 before going under the knife), and even when I get sassy and run up/down the stairs, my injuries make themselves known right away. I've been doing yoga/strength training/swimming daily, but there is NOTHING like the Runner's High. I'm welling up actually typing this right now.

Just remember that no matter where you start, how you start, how slow you are, what you look like... you're a runner.

Humans were made to move.

All love. Good luck.

Build up strength in your legs and flexibility in your joints if you start a bit heavier, and everything will fall into place.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Edited July 10, 2016 by fatgirlsvelte