Well I will shamfully say that I went from an 6-4 215 athlete, to 6-4 300 pound slob in 4 years. I hate it, and please dont put anything mean on here I want and I am ready to change. I need help though, I have not even been near a gym in a year and a half, and have not ran at all in a long time. I recently started changing my diet and cut out the soda and started eating more fruits and veggies. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. I want to start running and my question is, is it safe to run at my weight? I was used to running several miles at a time 4 years ago, would it be safe to even try a mile right of the bat? Again, please dont be mean, I dont need that, I am trying hard now. By the way I am 24. Thanks for all the help!!

i would start out by walking and then jogging or using the elliptical at the gym. then after you can do a good work out effectively you should start running and could probably get your endurance up quite a bit.

I usually run 5 times a week for an hour each time, and I'm wondering whether I could replace my runs with having a game of squash or tennis? If I were to play a sport 5 times a week versus running 5 times a week, what effects/differences on weight loss would there be?

I probably know the answer to this question but I'm getting bored of running..

There are a couple of points here.

Ill do the weight loss thing first. You loose weight by using more energy than you consume, 1lb for every 3000kcal differnece - but I guess you know that all ready. So if you want to loose weight you have to get that balance right - do less exercise and eat less, do more and you can eat more. So if your overall exercise regime means fewer calories used then you should reduce your calorie intake.

Every hour of squash playing uses more calories than an hour of jogging (less then 10mph), so replacing running with squash is a good substitute. Tennis uses the same amoutn as running at 5mph. So it depends on the intensity of your running really what the effect will be. Of course you have to find a partner who can match your fitness and skill level.

The squash and tennins might actually help your running, short burst of energy and using different muscles, and adding interest can make your running better too. Try a mix of all them for a month and see what effect it has then you will be able to tell if it makes a difference or not

I lost 22 lbs in 12 weeks mainly running 3 miles 5 times a day and controlling my diet. I got a bowflex and dumb bells and now I mix up my routine. Running almost every day and lift about 3 days a week. I gained 3 lbs over the weekend. People tell me it is muscle weight. I don’t think 3 lbs in 2 days is possible. Is this normal? Can i expect to gain and lose now that I am weight training? I weigh 207 now and I want to get down to 190. Can it still happen if I stick to my plan? Oh, I got a 60 lb bag that I punch for cardio as well. Thanks.

Weight fluctuations from day-to-day are completely normal, and one of the reasons why scales are so unreliable. So don’t worry about it. Congrats on the weight loss!

Is 3 miles of running on the treadmill (followed by a healthy diet) enough to lose weight?

yes. Drink lots of water and no soft drinks and you on it girl. Moderate exercise and proper diet. works every time

almost every part of your body … the major areas being … abdomen, waist, thighs, bums ….. and the cheeks,neck also feel reduced. The key is running regularly.

I am trying to lose weight, I enjoy running, but I really LOVE rollerblading- as uncool as it is. I just feel like running is a much better workout. How many miles/minutes a day would I have to rollerblade to lose some weight? Or to equate to running? I am 24 female 125lbs and eat healthy for the most part.

If your rollerblading fast enough then its really good for you it uses alot of muscles. Its very similar to running. I find rollerblading alot funner than running for exercise, but running will probably help you burn the most calories. Then again if you don't like to run that much then you won't have the motivation you would if you were don't something you liked to do so you might end up burning more calories rollerblading anyways. It would probably take maybe 30 to 60 minutes of rollerblading to really take an effect on you, but then again it depends on how fast your going.

I'm a little overweight but am otherwise in excellent health. I'm 5'11" and about 195 pounds and would like to lose 10-20 pounds. I eat a pretty healthy diet and just recently stopped drinking soda pop. Therefore, I've cut my daily calorie consumption to about 1600, which consists almost entirely of yogurt, nuts, fruits, veggies, oatmeal, organic eggs, and green tea. In addition to cutting back on calories, with the snow almost all melted, I'm trying to run about 4 miles a day (which feels great, both during and afterwards).

Anyway, I know it's possible to damage muscle tissue if one's diet doesn't match up with their exercise. So, what can I do to make sure my diet allows me to lose weight while not hurting muscle tissue? Does it matter how fast I run? Basically, how do I make sure I'm burning fat when I run rather than stealing protein that muscle needs? I'm not too concerned with building muscle and speed right now, just losing fat.

First, congratulations for taking the first steps to living healthier and dropping some extra pounds.

Actually, you are always damaging muscle tissue, every day. There is no getting around it. Anytime you walk, run, or perform any type of activity, you create tiny tears in your muscle tissue referred to as microtrauma.

The key is what you do AFTER your activity. If you provide your body with adequate nutrition and rest, then your body will compensate by repairing the tissue (and possibly even overcompensating, resulting in muscle gain). So the issue isn't running to avoid damaging muscle, but having the proper nutrition and rest to recover.

You will burn fat if you are dropping weight. The only way to ensure you do not lose muscle mass is to engage in some resistance training. You are not going to gain a lot of muscle mass if your calories are so low. However, engaging in some resistance training can actually help you burn more fat and retain the muscle tissue you are hoping to hold onto.

There is plenty of research to suggest that the combination of training with weights and cardio is superior to cardio by itself for burning fat.

See my source below - adding resistance training can triple your fat loss!

Jeremy Likness

Running burns more calories, gets your heart rate up higher and uses your whole body.

So running.

If I am eating healthy, and I run 3-4 times a week, am I guaranteed to lose weight continually?

There are no guarantees. If you are running you are burning calories. The more you run the more calories you will burn. If you eat, you intake calories, the more you eat the more calories you take in. Assuming you are really eating healthy, I would assume that the calories you burn would exceed the calories that you absorb, so theoretically you would lose weight. It is possible however that you are gaining some muscle mass in your legs from running, since muscle weighs more than fat, you may not lose weight, but will reduce fat.

If I'm starting from scratch, never been a runner/jogger and have a good pair of running shoes and a heart rate monitor, will jogging/running produce weigh loss combined w/a good diet?

Just a little background, want to lose 50+ lbs, generally in good shape but I know running will kill me in the beginning. Just want to run a mile without stopping, and in a decent amount of time as my secondary goal. Should I try this or stick only to weight training to shed pounds?

The plan is good nutrition , cardio and strength training that is the key. I might suggest a walk/run approach to your running at first. Meaning run 3-4 minutes and walk a minute and repeat for the first couple of weeks.A mile goal is great. I would look further down the road .Here a great training schedule

The Couch-to-5K Running Plan
Our beginner's running schedule has helped thousands of new runners get off the couch and onto the roads, running 3 miles in just two months
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml