Couch to 5k.....come join me!!

[renewedhope 4]

I didn't run today and my knee feels much better tonight. I did the 10 miles in 2 seperate runs and much slower than normal, but I really think it was too much. I am hoping to run tomorrow. I will at least walk. I don't think I am injured, I just think I over did it. I go to the Dr for a fill in the morning so I will talk to her about it too.

[thatDEgirl 1]

I think it depends on your goals. My goal is to be able to run a 5k so I wanted to get to the point where I was running 25 min. straight and then adding on every week by 10% until I was doing the whole 3.1 k at a run. I got to this point last week.

I found if I followed the program intervals, I progressed all the way through the program. Sometimes, if I felt I had more to give, I'd do an extra interval on the end, but I alway run the amount they say and walk the amount they say. If I don't do this, then I get stuck on a particular week and can't get off. I also had to do 3x a week minimum and couldn't do 2x a week like I tried in the beginning.

I followed the program on as well but added more intervals on at the end too. I'd typically do anywhere from 2-5 more intervals.

[annecolorgreen 0]

Has anyone used Polar heart monitors? I am doing a program through work (Virgin Health Miles) and one of the add-ons that gets you "miles" is to use a Polar monitor when you work out. Dh is checking them out for my birthday and said it looks like they all require a chest band in addition to the wrist monitor. I don't want to deal with a chest band!!! This program only works with Polar btw.

Also, what is the best type of material to look for to help with "wicking"?

Thanks!

~~anne

[renewedhope 4]

Let's just say today has ben an eye opening day....Went to the Dr this morning for a fill. Her scales tell you % of fat, muscle, etc. Well, I was up 7 pounds since my last visit. I've been running like crazy so most of that must be muscle. Right?? Wrong. It was fat. Yes, all 7 pounds. How do you run like I have and gain so much fat? That is exactly what I asked the Dr. I love my Dr. She is so honest yet not judgmental. She basically told me that it's my diet. Not rocket science, but I needed to hear it. I have been playing the "I ran 5 miles today, surely a hot creme brulee won't hurt" game. Well, it hurts. You just have to keep making healthy choses no matter how tired of it you become. Hopefully some day it will become second nature, but if it doesn't so be it, I still must do it. She gave me a fill of 0.5cc, which is a lot at this point. I now have 9.1cc in my 10cc band.

So, I leave the Dr office with this new lease on life. REady to go. It's lunch time and I never follow the liquids for 24 hours after a fill rule. I haven't had much restriction in so long I just eat normally. We went to the chinese food place for Soup and an egg roll (what is wrong with this picture). Well, I ate 1/2 cup Soup and 1/3 of an egg roll, pb'd 3 times and left to come home.

So, here's what i learned.

1. Restriction is such an awesome tool, and one that i will probably always need. I forgot what it feels like to really have restriction. I am not hungry. I hope this lasts.

2. Exercise is not an open door for poor food choices. The two must happily coexist to make this thing work.

3. It is ok to be human. It is ok to fall off the wagon. However, I must acknowledge it and move on.

The reality of this whole deal knocked me in the face today. Weight loss is not the hard part. Maintaining it is. I am not at the maintenance point yet, but it is very clear to me now that even with the lap band I can slowly creep back up to morbidly obese if I don't use my tool and make good choices.

Sorry to have rambled. I needed to get al of this out. Yall are the best. Get ready to watch my ticker start to drop.

BTW, I am having a small revision of my tt on Monday. Not a big deal. Just a little pooch that the dr wants to correct. Fun Fun!!

[georgia girl 35]

Renewed....I hear ya! I didn't lose any weight last week. I'm sure a big part of that had to do with not being able to exercise, but none the less, my ticker didn't move.

Congrats on acknowleging the problem and doing something about it! I'll be your support if you'll be mine. Let's get it together and finish this! I have managed to stay on track yesterday and so far today. Let's strive for a BIG weight loss next week!!

I'll be praying for you on Monday. Will you be put under for this? Is it at the doctor's office or at the hospital?

[annecolorgreen 0]

Hi Renewed:

Hope this helps. I found it quite interesting (especially #2--I had the same mindset).

9 Cold, Hard Weight Loss Truths: What the Diet Industry Won't Tell You

By Brie Cadman of DivineCaroline.com

Even if you’re not trying to lose weight, chances are you’ve seen some ideas on how to do so:

“Eat what you want and lose weight!”

“Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”

“Finally, a diet that really works!”

“Lose one jean size every 7 days!”

“Top 3 fat burners revealed”

“10 minutes to a tighter tummy!”

But these claims are readily rebuked by anyone who’s tried to lose five, 10, or 100 pounds. Losing weight ain’t that easy. It’s not in a pill, it doesn’t (usually) happen in 30 days, and judging from the myriad plans out there, there is no one diet that works for everyone.

Looking past the outrageous claims, there are a few hard truths the diet industry isn’t going to tell you, but that just might help you take a more realistic approach to sustained weight loss.

1. You have to exercise more than you think.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week; this includes things like shoveling snow and gardening. And while this is great for improving heart health and staying active, research indicates that those looking to lose weight or maintain weight loss have to do more—about twice as much.

For instance, members of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR)—a group of over 5,000 individuals who have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for five and a half years—exercise for about an hour, every day.

A study published in the July 28, 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine supports this observational finding. The researchers enrolled 200 overweight and obese women on a diet and exercise regimen and followed them for two years. Compared with those that gained some of their weight back, the women who were able to sustain a weight loss of 10 percent of their initial weight for two years exercised consistently and regularly—about 275 minutes a week, or 55 minutes of exercise at least five days a week.

In other words, things like taking the stairs, walking to the store, and gardening are great ways to boost activity level, but losing serious weight means exercising regularly for an hour or so. However, this doesn’t mean you have to start running or kickboxing—the most frequently reported form of activity in the NWCR group is walking.

2. A half-hour walk doesn’t equal a brownie.

I remember going out to eat with some friends after a bike ride. Someone commented on how we deserved dessert because we had just spent the day exercising; in fact, we had taken a leisurely 20-minute ride through the park. This probably burned the calories in a slice of our French bread, but definitely not those in the caramel fudge brownie dessert. Bummer.

And while it’s easy to underestimate how many calories some foods contain, it’s also easy to overestimate how many calories we burn while exercising. Double bummer.

Even if you exercise a fair amount, it’s not carte blanche to eat whatever you want. (Unless you exercise a ton, have the metabolism of a 16-year-old boy, and really can eat whatever you want). A report investigating the commonly-held beliefs about exercising, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, concludes that although exercise does burn calories during and after exercise, for overweight persons, “excessive caloric expenditure has limited implications for substantially reducing body weight independent of nutritional modifications.” In other words, to lose weight, you have to cut calories and increase exercise.

3. You do have time to exercise.

If you have time to check email, watch a sitcom or two, surf the Internet, have drinks, coffee and dinner with friends, go clothes shopping, and on and on, then you have time to exercise. Yes, sometimes you have to sacrifice social, TV, or leisure time to fit it in. Yes, sometimes you have to prioritize your exercise time over other things. But your health and the feeling you get after working out is well worth it.

4. Eating more of something won’t help you lose weight.

The food industry is keen to latch onto weight loss research and spin it for their sales purposes. A prime example is the widespread claim that eating more dairy products will help you lose weight. However, a recent review of 49 clinical trials from 1966 to 2007 showed that “neither dairy nor Calcium supplements helped people lose weight.”

This idea—that eating more of a certain type of product will help you lose weight—is constantly regurgitated on supermarket shelves (think low-fat cake, low-carb crackers, whole grain Cookies, and fat-free chips), but is in direct opposition to the basic idea behind weight loss—that we have to eat less, not more.

5. Calories in = calories out?

There is a fair amount of controversy over the basic question of how people gain weight. Is it simply a matter of energy intake being greater than energy expenditure? Or is there more too it; do the type of calories we eat matter and can avoiding certain types help to lose or prevent weight? The various low-fat, low-carb, and glycemic index advocates can’t seem to agree on which it is.

However, most can agree, and logical sense would tell us, that drinking 500 calories of soda is not equal to eating 500 calories of fruits and vegetables. One is simply “empty” calories—those that provide no real nutritional benefit and don’t do much to combat hunger. Whether you ascribe to the simple idea of trying to burn more calories than you take in or focus on avoiding certain types of calories, you want to minimize intake of empty calories, and maximize nutrient-dense calories.

6. Your body is working against you.

Most people have noticed that it’s hard to lose weight, but easy to gain it. This is a relic of harder times, when food was not as abundant as it is today. Our genetic taste buds made energy-dense food desirable because it was necessary to pack away calories so we could make it through the thin times. We feasted when we could, in preparation for the famine.

But now that we live in a time of abundance, that system predisposes many of us for weight gain and retention. And for obese dieters, this system is even harder to overcome; after weight loss, they become better at storing fat, making it harder to keep weight off. However, this isn’t to say that many haven’t lost weight and kept it off successfully. It just means you have to be diligent.

7. Our cultural environment is also working against you.

Let’s face it, modern society does not make it easy on those trying to eat healthfully and exercise. According to Linda Bacon, associate professor of nutrition at University of California at Davis, “We get a tremendous amount of pressure to eat for reasons other than nurturing ourselves, and over time, people lose sensitivity to hunger/fullness/appetite signals meant to keep them healthy and well nourished. It’s hard for people to come to a healthy sense of themselves given the cultural climate, and nutritious and pleasurable options for healthy food are not as easily accessible as less nutritious (ones).”

That doesn’t mean this can’t be overcome, but it does require maybe putting other parts of your life on a “diet.” TV would be the biggest culprit, since many food advertisements, especially for children’s junk food, come during this time. Other areas to put on a “diet” are chain and fast food restaurants (where portion sizes are distorted), a bad-influence friend, or driving, which may help increase walking and biking.

8. Maybe you don’t need to lose weight.

Some feel that the medical problems associated with excess weight are exaggerated. Gina Kolata, a New York Times science writer questions the notion that thin is a realistic or necessary objective for most. In her book, Rethinking Thin, she asserts that weight loss is an unachievable goal for many, and that losing weight isn’t so much about health as it is about money, trends, and impossible ideals. Recent research also challenges the idea that being overweight is bad. A study in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that being 25 pounds overweight did not increase the risk of heart disease and cancer, and may even help stave off infections.

It’s true that people can be fit and healthy and not necessarily be thin, just as it’s true that thin people may not necessarily be healthy. Good health, rather than weight, should be our focus; too often, it’s not. Striving for an unhealthy level of thinness may be detrimental to our health, but understanding the health repercussions of obesity is also critical.

9. This is not a diet; this is your life.

The diet industry would have us all think that we can lose weight fast, and that’s that. But most people who maintain their weight understand that eating and exercising are not temporary conditions, to be dumped once a pair of jeans fit. Instead, they are lifestyle choices, and ones to be made for the long haul.

[renewedhope 4]

Sounds great Georgia. Let's do this. My Dr said not to plan for more than 1/2 to 1 pound weight loss a week. Yuck!! But..at least I know what to expect.

She is doing my revision in the office and I won't be put to sleep. It will take about an hour and I will have some stitches and probably some swelling. No heavy lifting for 2 weeks. It will probably be sore, but not a big deal I don't think!

I am giogn to really work hard this week at reestablishing good eating habits!! Here we go!!

[renewedhope 4]

Thanks Anne. That is a really good article. I just need to get back to the basics. I have fallen into the #2 trap as well. I used to think people were crazy for doing that. Strenuous exercise is too hard to waist it on empty calories. Thanks

[thatDEgirl 1]

I've been making crappy choices too, all because I feel like if I ran, I can eat dessert. It is amazing that we will probably always have to battle the head stuff.

I also had a blonde moment today...went to run and left my Nike+ sensor at home. Had the ipod and the shoe dongle...they don't help though without the other part...LOL! So, my run today didn't get logged into the challenges :thumbup:

[renewedhope 4]

Oh, Degirl that bites. You ran them so add them in your mind!!

[MacMadame 81]

I started on Week 7 but sans the tapes. Oh, it was so nice to listen to Oingo Boingo when I ran!

I didn't quite get 3.1 miles into my 45 (actually 46 minutes) either. Bummer.

[renewedhope 4]

well, it's official, Whosya has left me in the wind. I just can't keep up with that much running. I did what I normally do. I went great guns until I just crash. So, here I am crashed. I haven't run in several days. I will log a run today, but I won' be catching up with Whosya. Yes, this is me admitting defeat. :tongue:

On another note, I am reading a book called "The Eat Clean Diet". It is by Tosco Reno. It is REALLY good. It is all about eating clean and healthy. I am not to the exercise regimen yet, but whatever it says, I am goign to do it. I am going to quit trying to kill myself, and instead I am goign to establish a reasonalble workout schedule that I can stick with. I know she is big on lifting weights as well as cardio. I have only been running, so I am guessing that I will run less and add some other things to my exercise regimen. I will fill yall in on my plan as I establish it. Anyway, the book is really good. Lots of good info!!

[georgia girl 35]

I CAN RUN AGAIN!!!! YIPPEE!!

I ran yesterday and today and my ankle is still doing fine. I am still wearing my wrap and it's working great! I'm so happy to be running again!!!

[Kathybad 0]

Georgia... Yeah!!! Congrats on running again! Now, next time you're outside, don't trip on the cracks!!!!

Renewed... reality bites, but its good to get a full dose of it once in awhile to bring you back around. Sorry you've conceeded defeat!

I've been out of town since Monday morning, so have just now caught up on everyone. I used the hotel fitness facility to run Tue & Today, and it was nice.

NSV to share... ever go to the hotel and they have small bath towels and those plush housecoats that are "One Size Fits All". It was always very frustrating for me cause the towels were too small to wrap around me and the housecoats would never fit me... Well now they do!!! After my shower I wrapped the towel around me and it OVERLAPPED! Then I cozyied up in the housecoat, and it was too big!!!

I get to fly on Feb 1st, which is the first time since very early banding days (about 85 lbs ago), so I'm excited to see if I fit in the seat comfortably now???

[georgia girl 35]

Georgia... Yeah!!! Congrats on running again! Now, next time you're outside, don't trip on the cracks!!!!

Hahaha...DH says I'm not allowed to run outside anymore, lol. I think it will be a little while before I attempt that again. Clumbsiness runs in my family...

I've been out of town since Monday morning, so have just now caught up on everyone. I used the hotel fitness facility to run Tue & Today, and it was nice.

NSV to share... ever go to the hotel and they have small bath towels and those plush housecoats that are "One Size Fits All". It was always very frustrating for me cause the towels were too small to wrap around me and the housecoats would never fit me... Well now they do!!! After my shower I wrapped the towel around me and it OVERLAPPED! Then I cozyied up in the housecoat, and it was too big!!!

I get to fly on Feb 1st, which is the first time since very early banding days (about 85 lbs ago), so I'm excited to see if I fit in the seat comfortably now???

Great NSV Kathy!! Must feel absolutely fabulous! Welcome back, we missed you!