A New Start

Since I'm on a treadmill, it's easy to keep an even pace. My regular walking pace is about 2.7 mph, so I warm up at 3 mph. When I first started in June, I would increase speed to 4 mph for the jogging segments. This time I'm jogging at 3.5, and only the final jog is at 4. Being back at week 1 is tough, I really thought I would have completed the program and run my first race by now. Tomorrow is day 3, so we'll see what happens!

Sorry, life got in the way for a bit It's a combination of my legs hurting (have to be careful with a bum knee) and feeling more winded than I should after only 3 minutes. I'm seeing my 3rd endo in 2 years - finally found a female who actually listens rather than the good ol' boy (and his partners) who blew me off. She seems puzzled as to why the weight isn't coming off, but is taking more of a whole-person approach. We're working on meds, meeting with the CDE/dietician, and of course I'm trying to stick with C25K. I get up with my hubs (5:30 am) so I can get exercise in before the munchkins wake up. If I'm lucky they sleep long enough for me to run, shower, and get coffee down the hatch. But I'm a SAHM, and fortunately have plenty of flexibility in the schedule. It may be time, however, to look into alternative medicines. Anyone have experience with acupuncture or TCM?

I've been on thyroid meds for nearly 6 years, and was on and off Metformin for years (for fertility treatments), but have been on Met steadily for 5 years excluding my two pregnancies. Everything I've read says those two meds should be helping me lose weight. The CDE/nutritionist at my endo's office told me that 90g of carbs is the minimum for brain function, but the scientific community is still debating that topic. I don't feel any different than I did when I started the c25k program in June. I'm tired all day, sleep poorly, no measurable improvement in just about any category I can think of. Even after doing week 4 over and over, I can barely get through the first running segment and frequently speed-walk instead. This isn't a problem I can solve on an internet forum, but damn I'm tired of being tired. At least someone out there seems to think this is fixable.

I'm hypothyroid - diagnosed and medicated since 2008. My thyroid and A1C are checked quarterly, and my endocrinologist tweaks the meds occasionally. At 37 years old I don't harbor any illusions about being 160 pounds again; I just want to be able to keep up with my children.

I'm the diabetic from the "Do you follow a Food Plan?" thread. I track all food and exercise with MFP, take my meds as scheduled, follow the running plan and chase a three-year-old and 19-month-old on the "off" days. The only time in my life I've ever lost weight was immediately following the birth of my now-3YO. I gained only 8 pounds during that pregnancy (used insulin the last trimester) because I was eating only 180 carbs and 1600 calories. The day I delivered her I was 240 lbs., and a month after her arrival I weighed 190 lbs. I've been unable to keep the weight off or get back down to that number despite all efforts. It's *bleep*ing frustrating and depressing. The doctors have no clue what's going on.

Silicone mats - the "name" brand is Silpat, but there are a few others. I have a Silpat somewhere in the toolbox I used as a culinary student. That thing saved my butt when we made grated cheese crisps and pulled sugar designs!

Measurements AND photos. ZERO progress. Zero weight loss, still don't sleep well, can't get through week four. After three months of this SOMETHING should be happening.

Luckily I'm controlled by diet and Metformin. (I'm what used to be considered a "borderline" diabetic, good sugars but a mildly elevated A1C.) As for picky eaters - I have a 3 year old who prefers as many carbs as possible, and a husband who feels the same way. Neither cares for veggies or fruit. Thank god my 19-month-old is a walking trash compactor and eats everything. Never seen a kid eat meatloaf as fast as my son does! I love stir-fry, crock pots, even my old George Foreman grill. Meat roll-ups, romaine leaves instead of taco shells, I've even found a super low-carb tortilla for fajitas and quesadillas. Beef, black bean soup, chili, pulled pork or chicken all make it on my favorites list. I'm rapidly approaching the "two choices" method for dinner - take it or leave it, I'm tired of making everyone a separate dinner because they don't want what I cooked. I never think of hard-cooked eggs, thanks for the reminder! I used to make chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad in 50-pound batches for work, that should all be OK on top of mixed greens or as vegetable dips, right? Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it Kelly!

I can't get past week 4 (5K), so I totally understand. But I also haven't lost any weight so it's very discouraging that I'm failing where so many others are succeeding.

Hi Kelly, I'll definitely be checking your website! I'm a Type II diabetic with other long-term issues (I'm a metabolic mess), and am restricted to only 90 carbs a day. Needless to say C25K and MFP are my friends. I'm having a very difficult time getting enough lean protein, and to be honest, I'm tired of cooking for my picky family simply because I'm the only one who has had to completely change eating patterns. Could you help me think outside the box a bit? Thanks! Michele

Hi! I'm another one on week 4 - but I'm stuck thanks to this lovely respiratory infection. Once I can breathe again, it's back to work!

I'm absolutely clueless - what should I search for? "Running store"? "Running shoes"? I bought my sneakers at a department store.

I've had to repeat week 4. But I'm also in my late 30's, significantly overweight, and have a bum knee so I need to be careful. I made it through days 1 & 2 of week 5, and since I was in pain I figured it was safer to go back and repeat week 4 until I could do it without pain.

I had to log out of MFP, reboot my Galaxy S3, and then let C25K run a complete workout. At the end, I could tap the MFP logo and sign in. Hope this works for you!