My journey so far

Hi there, I've been on a weight loss journey for a while now. Back in September of 2020, I was 311 lbs. Currently, I'm at 237. Beginning in August of this year, I spent 9 weeks in the 240s, and recently 2 weeks in the high 230s. In other words, I've hit a plateau. At first (through about October) I was just walking, sometimes up inclines. Recently, I started to add in some low-intensity interval training: 1 minute of jogging + 30 seconds of walking recovery. I was only doing the LIIT for about 20-26 minutes each session (the rest being walking). I've read I need to do LIIT for 60 minutes or so to get good results.

My goal is to get down to 200 lbs in a safe way as soon as possible. Any advice? I've read about Crossrope, and it looked like a viable option to add on to things.

P.S.: I've been thinking a lot about running form. As a new runner, I'm not sure if it's what it should be. If anyone has any advice in that regard, I'd appreciate that too. Have a blessed day!
 
Hey Self-discipline and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on losing 74 pounds, that's awesome! I definitely agree that form should be the most important thing when you start any kind of new exercise. About the plateau: it's possible that you just reached the point where your smaller body burns so much less energy than the larger one used to that what used to be a deficit is now maintenance. Or maybe you've been doing this for so long you've become a little less precise with your portion sizes. Small miscalculations can add up quickly
I've read I need to do LIIT for 60 minutes or so to get good results.
What exactly do you mean by that? Number of calories burned? Improvement in cardiovascular output? Better technique? Strength? If you're doing an hour but getting sloppy on technique after 40 minutes the added 20 minutes aren't going to do you much good anywhere except perhaps on the calorie front (although at the cost of raising your risk of injury). If you can do an hour without too much trouble and remember to take your rest days: go for it!
 
Hi, self-discipline & welcome to the forum :) Congratulations on losing 74 lbs so far. What is your daily "diet" like? Are you counting calories, eating low carb, doing IF......?
 
What exactly do you mean by that? Number of calories burned?
Thanks, it's good to be here. My goal is 2lbs of weight loss per week consistently (maybe 3 sometimes). In order to achieve this, I mean I'll need to do more than 20 minutes of interval training within my session.
 
What is your daily "diet" like? Are you counting calories
If anything, it's quite low in calories. Which is weird, since I had been at a plateau with exercise. I used to be a snacker. Now not really. I eat healthy 99% of the time.

Thanks for welcoming me. It's good to be here.
 
How could I find out if my form is good?
If you want to be sure you'll have to find an expert. But in general starting out slowly is going to be helpful. Listen to your strides: are you landing lightly? Do both sides sound and feel similar? Is the tension in your knees the same on the inside and outside? Is anything sore or unpleasant? You're starting running at a relatively high weight so you'll have to be careful and build it up slowly to avoid injury. I saw you got some feedback from Trusylver in another thread which ir great because she really knows her stuff in all things exercise.
 
But in general starting out slowly is going to be helpful. Listen to your strides: are you landing lightly? Do both sides sound and feel similar? Is the tension in your knees the same on the inside and outside? Is anything sore or unpleasant? You're starting running at a relatively high weight so you'll have to be careful and build it up slowly to avoid injury. I saw you got some feedback from Trusylver in another thread which ir great because she really knows her stuff in all things exercise.
Thanks, I'll keep this in mind. A long time ago someone told me: "Don't jog. It will mess up your knees." This doesn't seem like complete advice. I imagine form, shoes/insoles, frequency, and floor hardness play a role. Also just the health of our knees.
 
True. Decent shoes, softer substrate, good form, and low to moderate speed can go a long way toward protecting your knees. Of course all else being equal running while heavy is undoubtedly harder on your knees than running while light but if you don't overdo it (no more than 3 times a week, not too long at a time - especially at first) and it helps you achieve long-term weightloss the benefits for your knees probably outweigh the risks.
 
Ok, what does this limit apply to? Just jogging, or also walking and jump rope?
There really are no hard rules but in general: anything strenuous for the same muscle group. For me walking 2 hours isn´t strenuous so I can do it every day without days off. But if I run I need at least one rest day. On which I can still walk or do upper body strength training - because the former isn´t strenuous for me and the latter loads other muscle groups - but jump rope would be out because it´s straining the same muscle groups.
How long? And what about walking?
Again: it depends on what´s strenuous for you. Some people run ultra marathons. For them a 10 km run isn´t strenuous. Someone who´s just starting out might be done after 5 minutes and still need a rest day. Are you tired right afterward? Do your legs feel heavy a couple of hours later or the next morning? Do you get muscle aches? I know it can be frustrating to not get a straight answer but people really are very different.
 
So no more than three sessions per week of something strenuous to me involving the same muscle group.
Yup, that´s a decent guideline.
It doesn´t really have to do with heart rate, it´s to do with how strenuous it feels for your muscles. As I said:
Are you tired right afterward? Do your legs feel heavy a couple of hours later or the next morning? Do you get muscle aches?
 
But in general starting out slowly is going to be helpful. Listen to your strides: are you landing lightly? Do both sides sound and feel similar? Is the tension in your knees the same on the inside and outside? Is anything sore or unpleasant? You're starting running at a relatively high weight so you'll have to be careful and build it up slowly to avoid injury.
I've made note of this and will assess these next time I run.
 
That's definitely an option. Lifting doesn't burn a lot of calories but keeping up your muscle mass while losing weight can really help with the amount of calories burned at rest in the long run. Swimming might work if you build it up slowly. If walking isn't strenuous for you walking's fine.
 
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