[Kitkat1990]

The day before yesterday I went to the gym and managed to run 2.5k, which is further than I have in years (about 20 minutes of running - yay!). I felt so good afterwards, but at night time I couldn't sleep because my legs ached so bad

I ended up not sleeping for about 24 hours and just playing video games (I don't normally!) and therefore having about seven meals in a day :'( Stupidly, I weighed myself and have gained 2lbs.

Trying to get back on track today (historically, if I mess up one day, I tend to continue to mess up all week and then get off track).

Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks x

[Rhiko]

Congratulations on your goal!

Yeah, your legs will probably hurt for a few days. I would suggest using some anti-inflammatory cream or pain medicine (we have panadol and ibuProfen in NZ).

As for the food plan: take every day one step at a time. I eat during all-nighters (especially while I was studying) and a 2lb gain is, in my experience, nothing to worry about. It should go in a day or so.

A 'bad day' won't see you keep the weight you gain. I typically find that after having a block of chocolate over a 8 hour period sees my weight go up by 1 kg (2lb?), and 2-3 days later I'm back to normal.

[Kitkat1990]

Thanks for the support

I managed to drag myself out of my flat and make the gym again today and actually quite liked it. I'm just learning to let one bad day just be one day!

Yeah, I also used to overeat when I studied.. in fact, I was in pretty good shape in my 3rd year of uni, until around exam time, when I stopped going to the gym and spent 12 hours a day in the library. Haven't been in very good shape since!

x

[AM02135]

Congrats on the running achievement! That is great!

The biggest thing for me so far has been remembering to let go of the bad and celebrate the good. Don't let one day of bad eating define you. Accept it and start over again. Focusing on goals I have achieved and letting go of any bad days has really helped me stay motivated!

[faiora]

2.5k is awesome and you haven't destroyed any of that hard work by eating more after. Eating badly or too much doesn't take away from what you've achieved, and I bet you're going to be able to do 3k before very long (once your legs recover and your training is back on track, of course).

Congrats on the hard work that got you where you are. Binge days are no biggie. Just don't let it make you forget everything. You're doing awesome.

[Palestrina]

Cool, that's a big distance!

Yeah, the aches and staying up because of exercise sucks. But there are ways to cope better. Firstly I would suggest not exercising at night, that always always keeps me awake.

Secondly, make sure you cool down and stretch well after your run.

Potassium is your friend. Bananas have plenty so be sure to stock up on running days. Potassium works as a relaxer on muscles (I'm not a scientistic or anything but have witnessed the benefits of it myself).

Food - please realizing that the more energy you exert the hungrier you will be. You want to eat plenty of nutrient rich foods plus carbohydrates when you're running. If you don't give your body what it needs it will start to look for it elsewhere (ie, carby junk food) which will send your cravings through the roof.

[Kitkat1990]

Thanks, everyone, for the support!

Yes, you're right wannabeskinny - I definitely need to start exercising in the morning, not late afternoon (I just quit work so am enjoying the lay-ins still!) and will try to load up on potassium.

Faiora - I managed not to let it turn into two bad days (it was a mental battle) and have now managed 3k running (just!) yay! The 10k I signed up to run on March 1st is starting to look like a slightly smaller mountain...

[rabidstoat]

I think if your exercise more than usual, your tired muscles cause you retain more water, though it's temporary.

I don't know where (or if) I read this. I'd look it up, but the only thing it'd change is maybe prove me wrong, and I prefer to live with this belief, even if it's misguided.