Couch to 5K progress

I thought I'd give a little update on my progress so far...or lack there of. I had a really hard time doing week 3 which included a 3 minute straight jog mixed in with walking, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't breathe at all and I ended up stopping early to avoid dying and flying off the back of the treadmill which caused me to burn less calories than if I were to just repeat week 2 again...and again and again. So I'm going to continue to do week 2 for probably a long time because it seems to be enough for me for now. It's easy enough to keep me motivated but hard enough that I feel like I'm getting in shape. The goal for all this wasn't to actually run a 5 k (though that would totally kick ass) but to just get off my ass and run.

But I did loose 5 pounds since starting. It doesn't seem like a lot but I feel a difference in my stomach. And my face (especially my double chin which was driving me nuts) looks a little more like normal again. I'd like to loose another 6 pounds to make it an even 10 lost but I'm happy with anything.

C25K progress: Thoughts on weeks 1 and 2

Why does my android's camera quality suck so much?

I finished week 2 last Friday and am starting week 3 of couch to 5k tonight. Here's some thoughts on my progress thus far.

Before - Just to have a starting point for where I was at before I started c25k:
-Before I started the program I was totally sedentary. A big fat lazy bum. I sit all day at my job and sit at home after work and crochet, and I still do sit most of the time because who the hell has time to run around all day? I outgrew most of my clothes and I ate whatever I wanted and really started hating myself. And with plans to have a baby in the future, I didn't want to have to gain more weight on top of what I already gained in the last few years being unemployed.

My diet currently:
-I am not counting calories because I really freakin love to eat, but I have cut out junk food and random snacking for no reason at night (However, I will NOT give up a few small pieces of Dove chocolate after dinner or I will become one hell of a mean bitch). I'll have a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, a yogurt mid afternoon to get me to lunchtime (or I get low blood sugar), a salad or soup for lunch and a normal home cooked dinner. I'll also eat fruit and almonds when I feel hungry in between meals at work instead of one of those delicious granola bars with chocolate layered on the bottom oh, God. I've found that running before dinner helps to stave off my ravenous appetite for a few hours too. My stomach is also getting used to smaller meals which is awesome.

Week 1: Brisk 5 min warm up, alternate 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes.
-I like that you start off  super easy.  You can run as fast or as slow as you want. As long as you try to keep running without stopping  in the  allotted time frame (which really isn't that bad -- yet)  you are doing it. Realizing that you can do it, feels really damn good and makes me want to keep pushing myself.

-I've been running 4 days a week instead of the recommended 3. I figure as long as I'm up for it, go for it. So I usually run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday right after work before I even sit down or I know I won't do it.

-On my treadmill I have a huge MPH display where I select my speed. On the very first day of week 1 I walked at 3 and jogged at 4. I know I looked pathetic but that's why I have a treadmill so I don't have to do this publicly! When I realized my heart wouldn't explode, the next day I walked at 3.5 and ran at 4.5 where I maintained that for the remainder of the week.

Week 2: Brisk 5 min warm up, alternate 90 seconds jogging with 2 minutes walking for 20 minutes.-I know I don't have to keep increasing my speed, but I wanted to try and push myself so I tried walking at 4 but it was way too fast for my short legs. I will have to keep the pace at 3.5 for walking, but I ran at 5 the first 3 days and the last day I ran at 5.5. I was dead afterwards but the best part was knowing that I could do it.

C25k app:
-I've been using the free version of this app for the first two weeks and it's pretty cool. A lady's voice comes on to tell you when to start running and when to start walking so you don't have to keep track in your head, because who the hell can do that when you're huffing and puffing for your life? You can play the app over your Pandora radio too, it temporarily lowers the volume when she talks so you can hear when you can stop killing yourself, I mean running.

Thoughts:
-Now, I don't know if it's all in my head, but almost immediately after week 1 my stomach started feeling tighter already. Even if it is in my head, that's what matters though right? How I feel about myself even if it's not true haha.

-I'm scared for next week because week 3 includes a 3 minute jogging portion. I might have to repeat week 2 if I can't do it.

I'm doing Couch to 5K - Who's comin with me man?

I finally reached my breaking point with my weight and how uncomfortable I feel in my own skin. To be honest and blunt, I feel like a short fat sausage and at times I look like I'm 4 months pregnant. Now, before I tell you my weight, please know that this is totally personal and I am hoping not to upset anyone who might think, 'oh gee, she weighs this and she thinks she's fat? What must she think about me then?' Or 'what the hell is she worried about? Her weight isn't even bad.' No. That is not my intention. This is my own personal situation. I am 5'3 and 142 pounds with most of my fat in my ass and stomach (oh, and my new boobs which are actually the one good thing about this extra weight). Crap, I can't believe I just shard my weight online. But I have lived most of my life at or around 125-130. I used to be a ballerina so I was skinny once! So this extra weight (I call it my unemployment weight - since 2011) just doesn't feel good. I can't even put my sneakers on without using a bench or something to lean my fat leg on. I'm just really uncomfortable. I don't fit in any of my clothes anymore. I am rocking a muffin top.  Yes, a delicious chocolate chip muffin top, just because chocolate chip muffins are my favorite. Just Monday, I had to buy a pair of Dockers in a size 10 so I could button the waist shut without it digging into my stomach, causing said muffin top.

So! Now that you know where I'm coming from...

Once we bought our treadmill it was game on. I am going to do the Couch to 5K program and hopefully stay motivated to finish.

I have to say that at one week in (I officially started day 1 on September 9), I've been really enjoying it so far. What's most surprising is that for one, I am doing it. I am actually running and not dying. I have NEVER been a runner but the way the program works is you start off really easy with mixing jogging and walking and slowly you increase your running time. And at the point I'm at right now, each workout is 20 minutes so I really don't have any excuse not to do it.

I found that the trick to actually doing this is I have to jump on the treadmill as soon as humanly possible after I get home from work because if I find my way to the couch, it's game over. I know myself well enough that I won't want to peel myself off the couch to make myself a sweaty mess and leave my precious Farmville Facebook game once I introduce ass to couch.

There's two things I'm worried about:
One - I'm worried that I'm not going to lose any weight. I've read lots of articles about how runners gain weight because of building muscle, but I can't possibly be any worse off than I am right now without having any exercise in my life at all. If that does end up happening, at least my heart and endurance will benefit. I'm not really concerned about the weight right now though. I'm just focusing on keeping with the program and not quitting. But for the record, I am actively trying to eat better too.

And two - I have pretty bad scoliosis so I have a hard time with breathing and catching my breath (hence the reason why I've never been able to run). Like, that really deep satisfying lung filling breath you take when you yawn deeply...I can't get that full lung feeling while running so during my walking section, I kind of have to hunch my shoulders forward a little to be able to do this. It fucking sucks but tough shit. It's time to woman up.

But if I do end up losing weight I'd like to share some before and after pics if I have the guts to share, (or if I don't have the gut, if you know what I mean) but I am NOT promising anything!

Would anyone like to join in with me? We can keep each other motivated. The program requires you to run 3 days a week for 9 weeks. Click here to see the C25k running plan. And if you are going to do it on a treadmill, click here to see the running plan with the times written out.

And here's a fun little article about C25K on How Stuff Works because I love the podcast.

Who's coming with me, man?