Starting to run again on keto
 

I have been low carb for just over a month now and have gone from 370 to 329 and have recently picked up running to speed up weight loss.

The problem I have been having is first time I ran I was able to do 4mph for about 2 miles. Then the next time 4mph for 1 mile. After 2 weeks of running I feel like I can only run 1/4 of a mile at 4mph before my legs feel like lead. I know it's generous to call 4mph hour running as it's more of a power walk or slow jog for most.

I usually jog as much as I can at the start of the workout then I'll often do a power walk and jog mixture for the rest some times doing 6-9 miles in a day 4 days a week.

The interesting thing is I don't feel like it's my cardiovascular system that's slowing me down as I still have my breath and my heart isn't racing as it typically would when I run.

Can anyone offer me advice on jogging/running on keto?
Am I just trying to start out with too much too soon and not giving my legs time to heal or am I missing something?

You have lost a LOT of weight in a very short time. All of your muscles and connective tissue needs to snap into place. I have been losing weight very, very slowly and it impacts my performance a lot. I think you just need to go very slow on the running until your body has adapted to the lower weight. You aren't just losing fat - you are losing minerals, blood, muscle, etc. And you have lost a LOT very quickly. You are just depleted for now until your body adjusts to the lower weight.

DaveSS, congrats on such an amazing start!

If you’ve only started low carbing a month ago, your liver has not yet learned to make ketones in the quantity you would use to run around like usual. It takes an average of 6 months to really feel normal again during exercise (and better than normal).

As an aside, I would really wait until you’re closer to 200lbs to start running, so as not to stress the joints. A fast walk like you’ve been doing is actually better!

Good work on staying healthy!

<3

Congrats on losing that so much weight, I would advice to take it slower though, because you will also lose muscle mass which is very important to keep note and maintain while losing weight.

Great job!

I think it is best if you don't go too hard on yourself. It's much better if you consistently workout without killing yourself, compared to going all out running faster and for longer but only once a month for example.
Try to think of this as finding a sustainable solution. It's not likely that you will exercise consistently at a high intensity for a couple of years. It is much more likely that you can workout a fair amount every day, with a couple of exceptions, and maintain this schedule for many years to come.
Hope you find this helpful.