Posts by munrori

I know that this might sound odd but I have to remind myself when I get down that I deserve to be successful.     Don't let anyone, including yourself tell you that you don't deserve to be successful.   Good luck!

I find that running does make you hungry, especially the day after a long run.  When I was training for my first marathon, I had to basically focus on eating maintenance calories the month before the race. 

Original Post by dplatzer:

thanks everyone!  Munrori, did you do the Chicago marathon?  If not, which one did you do? 

 I did my first marathon at a very small race (135 runners) just outside of Ottawa, Ontario Canada Called the Ottawa **** Fall Colours.  I completed the race in 3:26:02 which is good enough for me to qualify for Boston.  I just got my registration confirmation for Boston last week. 

pgeorgian: your right about "results not typical" but it if it can happen to me (former over weight, smoker who had not athletic inclination) it could happen for others. 

I should have also mentioned that I started running in hopes to get my goal of walking 7km done faster.  If running isn't your thing,  Walking is just as good for weight management and physical exercise. It just takes a little longer.

I can't say enough about doing a running program.  I started September 07 by joining a running clinic to learn to run.  By December I was able to do a 5km race, by May I did  1/2 marathon and by October this year I completed a full marathon. My finish time was good enough to qualify me for the Boston Marathon in April 09. 

Running will definitally help with losing and/or maintaining weight.  The other major benefit is the improved fitness that helps to truly change your life. 

Good luck with your C25K program, it has the potential to change your life.  I know it did for me.

It can be done,  check out my bio by clicking on picture.  Good luck, you have the power to amaze yourself.  

Hi dplatzer: Congratulations. I watched the race on tv add it looked like an awesome race. Sooo many people.  I agree with you, if anyone is considering doing a marathon they should do it.  The feeling of accomplishment after the race is so worth it.  I did my first marathon on the 12th of October, it was an experience of a life time.  

Just think how pathetic their life must be if that is how they get their entertainment. I feel sorry for them. Remember they are the ones who are flawed not you.

Keep up the great work.  I bet your running in public has inspired many people you don't even know. 

heart:  I agree with everyone that 800 calories is wayyyy to low.   Your body needs/deserves proper nutrition.   As for exercise, I was very successful with losing weight when I was on a balanced meal plan and walked 4.5 miles per day.  To complete 4.5 miles every day, I broke up my walking into chucks.  I walked a mile in the morning, another at lunch and then 2.5 miles after dinner.  I also tried to walk as briskly as possible.

Once I got under 200 pounds and felt stronger, I started adding small periods of jogging to my walks.  The main reason for the jogging was to help cut down the time it took to complete my daily routine.  Each day I added more jogging until I was able to jog a mile without stopping.    Eventually I transitioned from being a walker to a runner.   I owe my maintenance success in part to running.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you need to be active every day for good health.  Live can get busy and makes taking time for yourself hard.  Even after a year, I still have to remind myself that taking time for exercising is one of the most important things I need to do for myself and family.  

Good luck with your journey. 

Hi Jess,  I used  www.runningmap.com to plan my routes when I first started.  I now have a Garmin watch which has a GPS tracker that is quite accurate.  I have used both on the same ran and found they had very close results.  (less tha .5% difference) 

I also recommend a couch to 5k program also known as C25K. I am in Canada and we have Running Room stores which provide different clinics. www.runningroom.com    It was the best thing I ever did.  The clinic consisted of in-class sessions and then a training run after.  The in-class sessions covered clothing, nutrition, running, shoes, gate, safety, injury prevention and more.   If you go to their web site they have on-line versions.  It might give you ideas as what to look for.  There is a price but it got me started and I am now going to run my first full marathon this weekend. 13 months ago I couldn't run 300feet without being out of breath.

Last winter was my first time running in cold weather.  John is right, you always want to dress as if it is 10c/15f warmer.  It is really important to dress in layers so that if you get warmer or it gets colder, you can adjust by taking off/putting on a layer.   My best piece of winter clothing is my running jacket.  I is bright yellow with under arm zippers, longer back tail, and reflective tape. 

In the winter you may also have to deal with darkness.  It is really important to have bright and reflective clothing so people can see you.  In December I even have a small flashing red light that clips to my jacket.

The most important piece of advice I can give is to make sure you get fitted for a proper pair of running shoes.  The good news is you are in the US so you can purchase really good shoes at a much lower cost than I can here in Canada. (Every time I go to the States I usually bring back a new pair of running shoes haha)

As for food I would say that you should always try to eat well. Running takes energy and food provides that energy to your body.  For runs under 10k/ 6mils all you need is water.  For longer runs food plays a role but you first want to work on keeping hygrated.  

As to know how much and how soon before a run you can eat is a personal thing.  For me I don't like to eat 2 hours before I run.  The best thing is to start out not eating before running and try eating closer to your run each time.   You will find that there are many things to experiment with when training.  I am still learning how to drink and run at the same time. (not as easy as people make it look )

If I learned anything over the past year that is running is a fantastic sport and it changes people's lives for the better.   Good luck

When I started running last September I ran 4 days per week but I always walked every day.  My goal was walk/run 7 km every day. 

It is really important to listen to your body.  As your body gets adjusted you will be able to run 5 days a week but don't push it.  Your body does need time to recover. 

At the peak of my training for the marathon, I ran a maximum of 5 days and walked on the other 2.  Now I am in my taper before the marathon and it is driving me nuts.

Hoping to be a marathoner next week.

I wish you the best.  Running has helped transform my health and body.

sorry second post!

I started maintenance last December.  Until then I had never been successful losing all the weight I wanted to, much less keep it off. (92 pounds)  I still use CC to track my food, activity and weight because it has helped me keep real with myself and not fall back into my bad habits.  My plan is to keep this up until my new eating routine becomes my good habits.  (as much as 1 year I think) Then I plan on  moving to a week on and week off CC and go from there.  Losing weight is an accomplishment. Keeping it off is also an accomplishment.  For me my maintenance is what I am most proud of. 

My approach is most likely extreme for your situation but I believe the idea of tracking for a period of time during maintenance is important to make sure you don't return to your old eating habits.  

Good Luck.

Hi ladies, I just wanted to add a male point of view if that is ok.

I have lost a considerable amount of weight and many people commented on how thin I am.   The reality is that I am just 3 pounds from being over weight according to the bmi charts so I know that I am not underweight.  Non the less there has been a dramatic difference in my overall appearance.

Some people have even went so far as to ask about my health given I lost weight so quickly.

At first the comments would frustrate me because I was working so hard to become healthy.  After careful thought, I realised that the majority were expressing genuine interest / concern so decided I would thank them for the interest and then assure them I was working hard to improve health and that was making great progress.   It helped that I started running and training for races, as people generally perceive runners as being fitter/thinner. 

I agree with many others who say peoples perception of  "normal weight" is  in fact most times "over weight".  H*ll I was one of them just 14 months ago!

Remember, you are doing this for the right reasons and people will get use to the new you.  Now that I have been at the same weight for about 9 months people have stop making comments.  

Good luck in your journey

Good Luck momof2kd. 

I found the first 4 days the hardest.  After that it got allot better.  

Congratulations on making a committment that will change the rest of your life.