Losing Some Weight

Today I finished the 4th week of the Couch-to-5K running program and have lost around 18 pounds since the beginning of the year. I've made losing weight and getting in shape one of my highest priorities for the year, and for the first time in my life I've actually become serious about it.

It all started earlier this year when Maria and I got hooked on watching "The Biggest Loser." Maria started watching the most current season and then we found older episodes online and went on a watching spree and burned through all 8 prior seasons and even started watching some of the international versions (currently watching Biggest Loser Australia.)

I've been aware of "The Biggest Loser" for several years, but always believed it was a show where fat people learn how to get less fat. I had no idea until watching it that the people on the show come out physically transformed from morbidly obese to fit model physiques. I've always seen people dieting and losing weight here and there, but I've never known a fat person who actually became skinny--other than a few who had serious surgery.

The biggest lesson I have learned from watching the show, and reading books from the people involved in the show, is that with proper diet and exercise, anyone can lose weight and go from obese to fully in shape if they apply themselves. Maybe not as quickly as those on the show who work out as a full-time job, but eventually they can get there.

So for the first time in years, I bought myself a pair of gym shoes. Then, I actually bought workout clothes -- the first time since gym class in high school. Maria and I investigated some gyms, but I decided I would rather have some equipment at home and do things there where I could work out while watching "The Biggest Loser" or other shows. Next, I organized a weekly volleyball night at our church. Then I got some Biggest Loser workout DVDs to exercise to. We also went out and hit some yard sales where we found an elliptical and an exercise bike. For my birthday Maria got me a treadmill. I've also tried to find more active activities to get involved with including playing disc golf semi-regularly.

One of the biggest helps in my efforts was discovering the Couch-to-5K running program. My sister Sharie inspired me with her own training for a marathon. In looking for running plan that I could implement myself led me to the Cool Running site which had a 9 week running plan to go from couch potato with no running experience to running a full 5k (3 miles). Each week in the plan builds up increasing length of running with walking intervals.

Along with that program, I found an iPhone app called "Get Running" which is an implementation of the Couch-to-5K running program. I just turn on the app along with some music or, more usually, a podcast, and a voice-over coach tells me when to run and when to walk with occasional encouraging messages along the way. It has really helped me with the program and I've surprised myself each week in being able to accomplish the increasingly lengthy runs.

I started my first run when I was in Utah at the end of April and I just finished the 4th week today, June 14th. That's closer to six weeks, but that's because I struggled with the 2nd week and re-ran it a few extra times until I could do the full run. Also, I've been alternating outside runs with this program and inside training on my treadmill. I don't count the treadmill runs as part of the Couch-to-5K runs. Instead, I use the treadmill to increase my pace while using outside runs to increase my endurance. When I started the treadmill in April, my time for "running" a mile was over 17 minutes. Earlier this week I ran it in under 15 minutes. So I've improved over two minutes, and I intend to continue to improve that time.

Anyway, the running and exercise has really been helping. I've gone from barely being able to run minute stretches to running several rounds of five minutes. By the end of next week I'm supposed to be able to run 20 minutes straight. Maria says my pants are looking baggier. I've already worn out my first pair of running shoes (they were the cheapest pair at Wal*Mart). The first 10 pounds seemed to take forever, but recently I've seen the weight loss starting to increase a lot more rapidly. I'm now under 300 pounds, and have lost the equivalent of two gallons of milk. I'm feeling much stronger, though I still don't feel any skinnier.

It's still too early to post any before or after pictures--I've got a ways to go before that, but I'm trying to recognize and enjoy every milestone I can along the way.