Have any of you tried the couch to 5k program, and if so does it work?? I would LOVE to be able to jog a 5k. I know I need to approach it slowly because I have bad knees (even though I am not even 29) and when I was on my 6mo pre-op diet I was trying some jogging and ended up with 5 stress fractures in my foot and a cast for almost 2 months :cursing:. I know that being able to jog will help so much with the weight loss....just not sure of the best way to approach it. Any insight will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks everyone for all of your help and advice! Bought shoes today...now to start lol

Stacie-

I really recommend getting the OK from your doctor-- or an ortho with the knees and the stress fractures. Have you been walking? If walking isn't pain-free, running will be worse. The impact from running is many times that of walking.

I think it's great exercise- but if you bust your foot again, you'll be doing nothing.

Not trying to be a downer-- I just don't want you to get hurt!

That said, I just started C25k today-- I used to run, then had injuries and stopped for over a year. Lovin' it!

I started with a friend from work last week. I've always wanted to be a jogger and now I'm making it happen! I've lost about 30 lbs and I'm feeling pretty good most of the time and much more confident than ever. Were taking it slow and that's good. She's on the small side but admits to being out of shape. I'm 284 today and out of shape and we did it at the same pace!for the first time today we ran at the gym and it was so much easier on the treadmill. I really enjoyed it so much more and we decided to continue using the treadmill until we feel more comfortable w/ running. I felt more in control and I could run faster at a consistent pace. We are going to pace ourselves and are committing to run a 5 K in September for my 40th birthday. Happy Birthday to me.Good luck everyone! Loryn

wow! can you believe i'd never even heard of this program til i saw this post? i just googled it and checked it out and it looks like a really cool program. and it seems like it would be simple enough in the beginning for folks like me who soooo are not used to running. i'm barely two weeks post banding so i'm not sure how my doc feels about me running but they did tell me to step up my exercise. i just tried "jogging" around my house and it hurt my port incision a little bit. so i think i might wait a little longer to start this program, but i am definitely gonna give it a shot. even see if my husband wants to do it with me! til then, i guess i'll just step up my walking!

I'm an addict! :-) I ran my first 5K on March 13, and my next one is April 17th.

I definitely recommend it, and I definitely recommend asking for support and guidance as you journey through.

I have learned a lot, and changed a lot because of my running.

"It doesn't matter how slow you go, so long as you do not stop." - Confucius