Losing weight via Running while heavy!

[TheAnswer]

Hey all,

Im a 23 year old, smoker (i really should quit) and I went to the gym over the last two months (while i was working interstate). However Im back to studying and with no job, and a gym too far away I decided to try and lose weight via running.

However, I find that when I run, i only last a minute or two. I never considered myself THAT fat, im 5'11", 215 lbs and I can play some sports like cricket and soccer and im okay. However when I try and go for runs, it just doesn't work.

BUT, if I go for walks I feel it does absolutely nothing. I never break a sweat!

Im trying to think of ideas how to lose weight here, should I try things like sprints on an oval (since i seem to sprint better than long distance running).... or what would you suggest?

Thanks in advance~

 

[Steve]

First, you say something like "I'm trying to lose weight by running."

Losing weight is a function of being in a caloric deficit over an appreciable period of time. If your exercise actually puts you in a deficit, great. If it doesn't, losing weight will not be one of the benefits you derive from said exercise.

Moral of the story: Nutrition is the primary factor at play here. And it's not all about calories either when it comes to looking and feeling great. What comprises those calories is also important.

As for your specific questions, you have to ask yourself what you're looking to get out of your exercise. If you're simply looking for it to aid your quest to be in a caloric deficit (lose weight), breaking a sweat isn't a prerequisite. Sure, hard word tends to be more calorically expensive, but walking is a great form of exercise. There are members here who have lost hundreds of pounds and most of their exercise was comprised of walking.

Should you sprint?

Probably not. There's a time and a place but when you're having trouble running for over a minute, I think you'd be better served building a baseline of fitness before moving to higher intensity modes.

You might try interval training where you run for 1 minute, walk for 3 or whatever. Has your conditioning improves, you can slowly ramp up the run times and reduce the walk times.

As with everything, this is a process.

 

[dwwise83]

I agree with everything Steve said.

In regards to the running and the length of time you can maintain a constant running pace, my advice is to start slow.

You said that you can run 1-2 minutes at this point, and while you may want to run more than this, it actually is a great start. What I would suggest is to run intervals, just as Steve suggested. Run for 2 minutes, walk for three. Do this for a week and then increase the amount of time you run and decrease the amount of time you walk. Eventually you will 'close the gap.'

I've been doing the same thing and when I started I could barely run for 5 minutes at a time. Every week I pushed myself a little harder and added a little time and now I can run for 25 - 30 minutes... but it has taken me since the beginning of the year to reach this point.

I also suggest researching the couch to 5K program (free, you can even download a podcast to run to). It's the same interval theory, just broken down week by week.

 

[MacSeth]

I agree with what the other posters said. I am in the third week of the couch to 5K program and I ran for 3 minutes (twice) today for the first time since I was probably 7 years old. I am also a smoker as well and when I started, running for 1 minute even totally kicked my butt. I couldn't finish the first day of 1 minute intervals. But, I was able to the next time and since then have made it through each day doing what the program tells me to do. Interval training is totally the way to go IMO and experience, not that I'm an expert just because I can run for 3 minutes lol. Just saying that it has worked for me so far. My brother, who got me started on the program (and who is heavier than you at your height) started before I did and he's now on week 6 and has ran for 20 minutes at a time like a champion!