Fat Man Needs Running Advice

:wavey: Hi Brian, welcome to the forums and CONGRATULATIONS on the weight loss!! Walking is a great way to lose weight. I lost a bunch of weight that way also. But I did find I needed to ramp it up after awhile.
My advice is just go slow. I started jogging short distances and t hen walking again. Gradually, as the fitness comes, increase the intervals you are jogging. Before long, you'll be jogging most of your route instead of walking it.

:wavey: welcome :wavey:

great job on the weight loss brian.

kimba has good advice, jogging for longer distances in between walk breaks should get you started moving on a consistent jogging pace when you can jog a mile or two nonstop.

the right running shoe is very important. go to roadrunnersports.com. check out their "running advice" page; it should help with what kind of shoe to buy; they may even have some on clearance. shoes can be expensive but it's been a worthwhile investment for me. i'm not positive you have to spend more than $50 if you are in the right place at the right time!

good luck. keep up the good work.

Welcome Brian.

I know where your comming from bro. I am a former fat boy and have really gotten into and love running. Last March, I weighed 257lbs and started running and really watching what I take into my body. Today I am 185lbs and training for my first marathon in Feb.

This is how I started running.........I would run 5 minutes and walk 5 minutes. Gradually, I would increase the running and decrease the walking. I am to a point now were I run all the way on my short runs (5 to 8 miles). During long runs 13 to 20 miles I will run a mile and walk for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

The main thing is to build your aerobic endurance. On your diet really watch your intake.....stay away from processed flour....try to eat whole grain foods.

Hope this helps!

I can't recommend a shoe because it is typically different for most people, but when you find out what shoe (or a couple different kinds of shoes), try to find it online. I got my pair on ebay for $35 because I was broke and my old shoes were causing me more injuries than I could log miles.

Tell ya what Brian. Like Pug says, Ebay is the undiscovered gem of running shoes right now. I expect in the next couple years, it is going to change, but for more than a year now, I've been getting my shoes from Ebay for under $30/pair. I've only gotten a couple 'lightly used' pairs, which really did turn out to be excellent, but other than that, I've gotten about four pair brand new for 1/3rd of what I'd pay off the shelf of a store, shipping cost included. What I'd recommend is to get on Ebay and set up a search function for New Balance 470. And then when a pair comes on Ebay, you'll get an email. You can then put a bid and try to get them. What I've done is I have about ten searches going for the models I like and then plunk down my cheap-skate bid when my size comes up and even though I lose 9 outta 10 bids, I do eventually get my riduculous low price. That way, I also keep a pair or two in the closet at home ready to throw in the rotation. I rotate 3-4 pair because I leave a pair at the gym, one at home and one at work. Then I also keep a pair of flats and trail shoes in the mix for those types of runs. All in all, my Ebay habit has worked ideally for a penny-pincher runner that eats through a bunch of shoes each year.

Thank you guys for the great advice, and the tip about ebay.

Bill_Serv, it's stories like yours that keep me motivated.

Now if only the snow would stop falling and melt :x

Brian,

You got some good advice here.

One thing I would like to re-emphasize...especially for heavier runners, is that shoes make a big difference, and that you need a good pair of shoes. $50 might not cut it. If you can find a good pair of shoes that are an old model or something is your best bet.

I was in the same spot - a few years ago, I weighed 300 lbs, height 6'4", and started walking it off. When I got to 265, I started running. At first, I thought I'd die. As others have recommended, work up to it, use short intervals of jogging, walk in between. Get some good shoes for support.

Let me stress the importance of warming up. Some folks recommend stretching exercises. That's probably a good idea, but I haven't tried it. I walk for 3-5 minutes before I do any running. Keep as relaxed as possible. When I run, I check to see if I feel tight anywhere. I try to stay nice and loose. If I'm tight, I slow down and walk for a while. Otherwise, I get stiches in the side or back. Thinking back, I actually warmed up for 15-20 minutes - I walked a mile to the gym. Why drive when you can walk?

One more thing - as I was starting out, I could sense that some muscle groups were working pretty hard. I added weight training a few times a week to boost my leg strength, and it seemed to help with the running.

I'm down to 235 now, my body fat was just measured via some inductive gadget, and they claim I'm at 16.5%. I can run 4 miles now, at a nice relaxed pace, and hope to go for 6 or more.

Whenever I reach a plateau on my weight loss, I find a way to ramp up the effort. Interval training; dancing; a long hilly walk; a game of volleyball; aerobics - anything at all that burns calories in a different manner than you are accustomed to.