I"m glad i'm not alone in feeling like that. I usually go about 3.2 mph and that is a fast walk for me, I'm hoping that once I lose a little more weight I won't look so strange, or I could try just jogging around the block too, once the weather warms up, that wouldn't scare me as much bc I wouldn't be in such close proxsimities (sp) :)

:lol: Traci.....me too!!

There's already been lots of great advice in this thread, so I won't repeat it. I'll just say this:

If I can go from being a person who can't run for 30 seconds to being a person who coaches running and can run for 2 hours and 30 minutes straight (that's how long my half marathon took), then anyone can run. I'm taking a break from running now because I'm pregnant and the doctor advised walking instead, but I really really miss it! It was very hard for me at first (I started at around 250 pounds), so I did a program like the couch-to-5k one (basically my own version of that). If you incorporate short running intervals into your walks and gradually increase them, you'll get to the point where you're running miles and miles every week and absolutely loving it. Just don't worry about speed for a long, long time.

Lisa?? Do you attribute most of your weight loss because of the running? Did you notice a huge weightloss when you began? I have been stuck for four month now..currently trying South Beach..but would really like to start running, to see if it helps with the weightloss?? I want to get preggo too!!!

I attribute my weight loss to both running and counting calories (well...I counted Weight Watchers points, but it's basically the same). If you just run and you still eat too much, you probably won't lose weight (obviously). So running helps, but so would any other exercise you choose. Running does burn tons of calories, though, because it's more intense than many other exercise options. Also, it appears to be highly addictive!

As for the pregnancy, I attribute that to my weight loss. I tried to conceive for years, went on Clomid, etc. Clomid didn't work. I had problems with ovulation, and I seriously didn't relate it to my weight. I'm not sure why I didn't -- I just assumed my weight made me generally unhealthy but didn't actually affect my ovulation. I certainly wish my doctor had set me straight on that or I had figured it out on my own, because I may have been motivated to lose the weight earlier. I don't blame the doctor for it, but I do wish I'd seen things differently a long time ago. I'm not saying overweight people can't get pregnant -- I'm just saying that my particular ovaries didn't work when I was obese! I don't think it's a coincidence that after trying to conceive for YEARS, I met my weight loss goal in one month and got pregnant the next. My body was finally healthy enough to ovulate (and to carry a baby). Now that I've made that connection, I always like to make sure everyone else understands it, even though it may not apply to everyone.

Someone I work with is a runner (I'm a jogger) and she ran throughout her whole pregnancy. In fact, when she was around 32-34 weeks, she did a 5K. I jokingly asked someone else in the office if he beat her and he said yes, but only by 5 seconds! :) She is very dedicated and runs everyday. From what I have heard from other friends as well, they said that any activity that you would normally do for exercise when you are not pregnant should be safe to do when you are pregnant (considering this isn't anything that might actually cause harm to the baby - getting thrown around or falling like in some martial arts, etc). Maybe you should talk to your doctor about it again. Was it your OB/GYN that said that to you?

I believe that doctors and midwives *generally* advise against sports where a bad fall could happen. That would include downhill skiing, my guess would be running and ice skating as well, and probably a few others. I'm sure it depends on the level of risk a particular woman carries.

most exercise IS safe, however...as long as you check it out with your healthcare provider first. :)

After hoping for a baby for sooo long...I would not be doing anything to risk my precious baby.

Maybe Midwife could chime in here???

I'm SO happy for you, Lisa!!! And also very jealous :lol:

:hug:
Linda

Wow! I know you are on cloud nine then..if you have been ttc for years, as I have. I was told by my RE at my first visit everything you are speaking of. I had already lost 50 pounds at that point..so he just encouraged me to keep going. I am six months now with my cycles being normal range of 25-29 days. When I got to 265 they normalized?? It really is funny how the body works..because I know when I hit 280 that is when I started immediately having irregular cycles, thus indicating I was NOT ovulating. I hope with me cutting the carbs that it will only be a matter of time before it happens for me too!

Goal for me now is to get to 2 4 9 and start Walk/Running. I think I can do it! CONGRATULATIONS Lisa!!!! May you have a long, healthy NINE months!!!!:D

I started jogging around 245lbs and it is a pretty good but short story. One day, I was feeling so bad about myself and thought life at the rate I was going wasn't worth living. I piled on some clothing and took of running down the road crying. I went about .4miles then walked fast and jogged and walked and jogged and walked (about 1.5miles) until I returned home exhausted. The next day I had the worst shin splints and abdominal muscle pains I've ever had... however, I found a love for jogging at night.

I can not run at all. I have asthma and I feel like my lungs are burning and my heart is going to crack into pieces...:(
So, all I can do is walk or bike.

Well what I said in my previous post about doing any exercise while pregnant that you would normally do (barring certain aspects of martial arts for me) was the advice of my OB/GYN to me when I thought I was going to TTC, as well as others I know who did conceive. You should always check with your doctor beforehand, though!

I have asthma as well and was once in your position! This is what I did when I started jogging (run it by your doc first if you'd like to try):

Take inhaler about 10-15 minutes before exercising
I started off with 15 minutes of walking, 1 minute of jogging and repeating. I expanded until I could jog the whole time. Sometimes I still need to slow down to a walk to catch my breath. It used to be that when I did that I also had to take my inhaler, but not anymore.
Bring water with you! Take a few sips when you slow down to catch your breath. I don't know why, but this REALLY helped me a lot.

As for running during pregnancy, I had every intention of doing that. In fact, I did in the first few weeks. I had two scares, though, when I bled after running only 3 miles (a 3-mile run is very short to me now). The doctor said running probably wouldn't CAUSE a miscarriage, but she thought I should switch to running just to be safe, and she reminded me that if something happened I would always think it was my fault for running. I'm just not taking any chances. If it had only happened once, I may still be running. But twice? Nope. I can walk for now.

Yea, Chela!!! :carrot:

I agree with everyone in the thread about exercise and pregnancy. There are a few medical conditions in which women should definitely NOT exercise, but for the most part, women can continue whatever they have been doing....as long as they don't injure themselves. Me and a bike would be very bad, for example! :cool:

I also agree with Lisa's doc about switching to walking right now. There are no studies that would indicate running (or working, or sex, or etc. etc. etc) causes miscarriages, but most women are scared by first trimester bleeding and try to control what they can. So, taking it easy helps emotionally and mentally, and doesn't hurt in the short term.

Swimming, yoga, walking, exercise bike, easy ellipicall-ing (is that a word?) are usually totally cool the whole time (barring pregnancy complications), but I'm glad Lisa is taking it easy for now. It gives me time to catch up to her in the running department. :devil:

Heehee! I'm not too hard to catch! I was getting a little faster (I was working on it anyway) and I had this whole plan to run a marathon this year AND to run a sub-25 min 5k. Ah well...2009?

My plan right now is a 30-60 minute walk at least every other day and prenatal yoga DVDs at least 3 times a week. Pretty laid back...