*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***

[Merlin5]

Knocked it out of the park today (well, while in the park ). Thanks for the advice Andy about almost walking pace, that's an invaluable tip for me. Because I found that around 13:50/ml allowed me to sustain jogging for about 2 minutes. I fluctuated a lot though, I did spurts of faster jogging, around 9/ml which I can sustain for 20 to 30 seconds, walking, and the slower jogging. I'll try and keep around 13:50ish tomorrow. That said, I enjoy short bursts of higher intensity, it makes me know I'm working hard. I hit the same amount of calorie burn as yesterday in less time, about 25 minutes instead of 38 minutes, and ended up doing a 51 minute session and 653 calories burnt. \0/
I hope the watch is correct!

So I'm happy with that result. I can feel it in the top front leg muscles, mild aching, but it's fine. I had a bowl of porridge with some dried apricots and a tablespoon of honey half an hour before jogging, and two small slices of high protein low carb bread with peanut butter and banana after the workout.

 

[AndyCr15]

ended up doing a 51 minute session

That's great. I think I said earlier, better to make the sessions longer but slowing down and making it a sustainable pace. Nice.

I had a spur of the moment run myself yesterday afternoon. Did 10.4k in about 1hr 8 mins. Not an amazing pace, but I didn't really push, I just wanted to get 10k done. (One of my goals this year is to do 10k if I run and 40 miles if I ride) Like you, my quads are quite tight today, so I've given myself the day off It's too cold for cycling (well, I have done in this temp, but figure I don't need to, so will have a rest day) Sunday is also my cheat meal, so will push the boat out on dessert this evening with some order out cheesecake and milkshake

 

[Merlin5]

That's great. I think I said earlier, better to make the sessions longer but slowing down and making it a sustainable pace. Nice.

I had a spur of the moment run myself yesterday afternoon. Did 10.4k in about 1hr 8 mins. Not an amazing pace, but I didn't really push, I just wanted to get 10k done. (One of my goals this year is to do 10k if I run and 40 miles if I ride) Like you, my quads are quite tight today, so I've given myself the day off It's too cold for cycling (well, I have done in this temp, but figure I don't need to, so will have a rest day) Sunday is also my cheat meal, so will push the boat out on dessert this evening with some order out cheesecake and milkshake

Yep, absolutely, slower and longer. I'm glad I did it before it started raining. By the way Andy, this running belt I bought from Amazon works fine for me, it doesn't move around at all under the hoodie, and holds my phone and car key. It's got a partition, so I put key in front part, phone in back part. Also quite tricky to remove the phone as the pockets are tight. Good belt, pretty thin, £7.50. I didn't have any problem with my jogging pants slipping down either although the string came undone once. Couple of t-shirts on and the zipless hoodie over those is warm enough along with thin merino wool glove liners. Actually, my hands only got warm after 20 minutes of jogging.

10.4k in an hour! I can only dream of doing that at the moment. Well done. Cheesecake and milkshake, nice!

Should I be jogging everyday, or around 3 times a week or every other day?

 

[ik9000]

Not every day. Your body needs rest and recovery. Two big runs a week tops and start short working up over several weeks. Don't just go big your body will suffer. Pulling your hamstring or itb or Achilles tendon will put you out for months. Best way is to do core and weights in between the running days if you want to do more exercise. And above all stretches and warm ups, warm downs and cold showers. Look after your body etc etc

 

[Shadowness]

Don't over run or you'll really pay for it.
I'm a very experienced cyclist, and a couple of years ago I decided to take up triathlons. My fitness was at a level I easily run 10ks quite regularly, but my legs/joints really were not!
I really knackered my knee by over doing it, took months to get back up to health.
They say you up the mileage about 10% a week, if that.

I would also say a regular stretching routine will really help. I also had problems with my left IT band at one point. I started doing yoga and other stretches regularly and I haven't had a issue since.

 

[AndyCr15]

When I started cycling, I would do it every day. I wasn't bothered about 'form' or anything, I was just trying to burn calories, and it worked fine. But running is a different matter I think. There's a lot more pressure and impact involved. I think even now, I will usually have at least one rest day between runs. I try and mix things up in winter. Cycle one day, run another, gym/workout another. Summer is more like cycle, cycle, run to the gym, cycle...

 

[Merlin5]

Thanks guys. Ok so based on what I'm doing at the moment, 2.5 to 3.5 miles jogging and walking for 40 minutes to an hour at the moderate paces I've been doing, and since I did that saturday and sunday, maybe I should rest tomorrow and go out Tuesday and either wednesday or thursday.

Edit: oh yeah, I can now tell I overdid it. Leg.muscles feeling quite sore now all the way from near the groin, a little uncomfortable to walk. Definitely need a day's rest.

 

[ic1male]

@Merlin5 You really need to get the NHS Couch 2 5K app if you're a new runner and follow that programme for 9 weeks. It will get you from doing nothing to jogging 30 minutes continuously. Worked wonders for me. Yes, my pace is horrendously slow but I can do 30 minutes (and sometimes even longer) without walking.

Or... if you want my advice if you've never run before - don't bother.
Just do intervals. Less stress on your joints but apparently the same effect on CV health.

https://runrepeat.com/sprint-interval-training

 

[Merlin5]

@Merlin5 You really need to get the NHS Couch 2 5K app if you're a new runner and follow that programme for 9 weeks. It will get you from doing nothing to jogging 30 minutes continuously. Worked wonders for me. Yes, my pace is horrendously slow but I can do 30 minutes (and sometimes even longer) without walking.

Or... if you want my advice if you've never run before - don't bother.
Just do intervals. Less stress on your joints but apparently the same effect on CV health.

https://runrepeat.com/sprint-interval-training

Thanks ic1male, oh I've run before but not for ages and never consistently. This is my first proper effort that I want to stick with.

I recently heard of the NHS Couch app, my nephew mentioned that he tried it. I'll download it. If it gets me jogging continuously for 30 minutes that would be great. Would 30 minutes continuous jogging burn off the same or more than the 650 calories I burnt yesterday in 50 minutes with jogging and walking?

About the interval training. Definitely interesting.
Week 1, is that two workouts a week and four sprints a week, or basically two sprints per workout? So if it's two sprints (presumably as fast as I can go) per workout at 10 sec per sprint and 4 minutes rest, the whole workout is 4 minutes 20 seconds? How many calories would that burn compared to jogging? But I'll have a read through that article that you linked. My muscles are aching today all the way up to my hip area but feel better since sleeping. Although I won't today, I could actually jog without discomfort.

 

[ic1male]

Thanks ic1male, oh I've run before but not for ages and never consistently. This is my first proper effort that I want to stick with.

I recently heard of the NHS Couch app, my nephew mentioned that he tried it. I'll download it. If it gets me jogging continuously for 30 minutes that would be great. Would 30 minutes continuous jogging burn off the same or more than the 650 calories I burnt yesterday in 50 minutes with jogging and walking?

About the interval training. Definitely interesting.
Week 1, is that two workouts a week and four sprints a week, or basically two sprints per workout? So if it's two sprints (presumably as fast as I can go) per workout at 10 sec per sprint and 4 minutes rest, the whole workout is 4 minutes 20 seconds? How many calories would that burn compared to jogging? But I'll have a read through that article that you linked. My muscles are aching today all the way up to my hip area but feel better since sleeping. Although I won't today, I could actually jog without discomfort.

I'm not really sure about the calorie burning part in terms of figures. If you have the time, then the 50 minutes you do now is going to burn the most as your heart rate will be higher for longer. Mine is about 350kcals in the 30 minutes but then I continue to burn more as my heart rate is sky high when I've finished and it takes time for it to come back down to normal. So whether this is actually using energy or Garmin thinks I'm doing more activity because my HR is above normal, I don't know.

The interval table is a bit confusing - week 1 is two sessions with four sprints in each session. Sprints/session would be a more accurate table header.

 

[Merlin5]

I'm not really sure about the calorie burning part in terms of figures. If you have the time, then the 50 minutes you do now is going to burn the most as your heart rate will be higher for longer. Mine is about 350kcals in the 30 minutes but then I continue to burn more as my heart rate is sky high when I've finished and it takes time for it to come back down to normal. So whether this is actually using energy or Garmin thinks I'm doing more activity because my HR is above normal, I don't know.

The interval table is a bit confusing - week 1 is two sessions with four sprints in each session. Sprints/session would be a more accurate table header.

Thanks, yes, that table looks like it's saying 4 sprints a week instead of per session. Tbh, at the moment I have the time and am happy to do about 45 to 50 minutes two or three times a week. I'll try the sprinting, seems to be about a 15 to 20 minute workout. Though kind of depends if I can find anywhere with clear space ahead of me. There were too many people out in the park yesterday walking along the path I walk/jog along which hindered me. How dare people be in the park when I'm there.

About your heart rate, what sort of maximums are you hitting and are they within what your maximum should be? Apparently, the formula for max BPM is 220 minus your age, so that puts me at 159. I was hitting 175 at some points. I don't know if that's dangerous or not. I'm pretty healthy but even so, I don't know if a doctor would say, nah, it's fine to occasionally hit that, or not.

 

[ic1male]

About your heart rate, what sort of maximums are you hitting and are they within what your maximum should be? Apparently, the formula for max BPM is 220 minus your age, so that puts me at 159. I was hitting 175 at some points. I don't know if that's dangerous or not. I'm pretty healthy but even so, I don't know if a doctor would say, nah, it's fine to occasionally hit that, or not.

It's my biggest worry to be honest. My Garmin watch reports an average of about 160bpm for my 30 mins but at the end (last 5-10 minutes) it's averaging about 185bpm. My max, according to the old formula, should be 175. At 180bpm I feel absolutely fine, it's only when it starts nearing 190 that I can tell I'm over-exerting myself. Yes, it has been as high as 192 if the session ends uphill!

I would love to talk to a cardiologist about it and see whether it is indeed dangerous.

 

[Merlin5]

It's my biggest worry to be honest. My Garmin watch reports an average of about 160bpm for my 30 mins but at the end (last 5-10 minutes) it's averaging about 185bpm. My max, according to the old formula, should be 175. At 180bpm I feel absolutely fine, it's only when it starts nearing 190 that I can tell I'm over-exerting myself. Yes, it has been as high as 192 if the session ends uphill!

I would love to talk to a cardiologist about it and see whether it is indeed dangerous.

Me too, I'd love a cardiologist's take on it. Let me know if you find anything out. 192 does seem high, but then again, who knows, it might be ok for short bursts. I know what you mean about feeling when you're over exerting yourself. I feel that around 172+.

 

[Merlin5]

Alright guys, it's been two days since my last jog. My quads still ache a bit. Should I go out today and jog and push past the aching (which I'm happy to do) or am I meant to wait until the aching is completely gone? Also, will muscle ache go completely or get less the more I jog?

 

[Shadowness]

If you've just started, yes it will go eventually (assuming you're doing similar distance/pace etc). I remember doing my first 10k years ago, and I was hobbling around for days. Now, I can get one done in the morning before work and not feel a thing after (unless I push).

I guess you'll have to see how your body gets on, everyone's different. Aching etc, is just a part of running, it never feels fully comfortable. As long as you don't feel proper pain in your joints, then you should be ok.

Oh.....and if you do feel something and immediately think, that doesn't feel right......stop running! Don't try to nurse it home.

 

[Merlin5]

If you've just started, yes it will go eventually (assuming you're doing similar distance/pace etc). I remember doing my first 10k years ago, and I was hobbling around for days. Now, I can get one done in the morning before work and not feel a thing after (unless I push).

I guess you'll have to see how your body gets on, everyone's different. Aching etc, is just a part of running, it never feels fully comfortable. As long as you don't feel proper pain in your joints, then you should be ok.

Oh.....and if you do feel something and immediately think, that doesn't feel right......stop running! Don't try to nurse it home.

Thanks Shadowness, in that case, I'll try and go for a jog today or at the very least a brisk walk and try and burn 300+ calories. I just didn't know if any muscle ache meant doing damage and needed full recovery first, but I'm sure I'll be fine. You can do 10k in the morning and then go to work? That's impressive!

 

[Shadowness]

Thanks Shadowness, in that case, I'll try and go for a jog today or at the very least a brisk walk and try and burn 300+ calories. I just didn't know if any muscle ache meant doing damage and needed full recovery first, but I'm sure I'll be fine. You can do 10k in the morning and then go to work? That's impressive!

A 10k is a 'short' run. Trying to get nearer 8-10 miles in these days, as I'm building up my longer distance stamina ready to run a marathon.....after cycling 112 miles (and swimming 2.4 miles!)

 

[Psymonkee]

If you've just started out then it'll be DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Keep jogging/training and it will pass. Obviously stop if you feel as though something is actually wrong.

I'm not looking forward to that when I get back to the gym though.

 

[ic1male]

Anyway, started week 3 of my 1,580 calorie diet today and it's going well. I'm averaging slightly under 1,580 per day, I've not been over 1700 on any day.

Oh, one thing I was going to say - don't try to restrict your calories to the same amount every day as your body will get used to it and then your weight loss will slow or stop. Put your figures into this excellent calculator and it will give you a "ZigZag" plan which mixes it up a bit.

https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

e.g. two days a week you eat at your upper limit, five days somewhat less.

 

[Merlin5]

Oh, one thing I was going to say - don't try to restrict your calories to the same amount every day as your body will get used to it and then your weight loss will slow or stop. Put your figures into this excellent calculator and it will give you a "ZigZag" plan which mixes it up a bit.

https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

e.g. two days a week you eat at your upper limit, five days somewhat less.

Thanks, very interesting, I didn't know I could plateau with the same calorie amount. I thought I'd always lose weight as long as I burn more calories than I consume.

Well that's cool, it means I can have an extra chocolate bar or a piece of cake now and again. Cool calculator, this is what it gave me based on light activity (I'm assuming that would be about right to include my jogging). But according to that, anything under 2247 I'll lose weight, and I've only been consuming 1580 to 1700'ish.