Hi Hopeful!

I'm so happy to hear that you completed not only day 5 on this diet but 4 miles plus more work and abs! Congratulations! That is fantastic!

To answer your questions..a little background...I've been on a low-carb regime on and off for years. I tend to do really well, fall off and then "reward" my behavior with days worth of eating nothing but crap. It's a nasty cycle but I am at a point where I am feeling stronger with my runs which leads me to want to be a healthful eater. Lowcarb naturally...that is the type of diet where I actually feel more energized!

Now, I started running regularly last April. I was at about 163 then and desperately wanted to lose weight, train and run a marathon in the fall. I lost almost 20 lbs just by running and eating somewhat of a low carb diet. It was more similar to maintenance on Atkins. Suddenly I was injured...I couldn't run and sometimes I could barely get to the gym. My training was off and I put on about 3-5 lbs. Now I am back in to training and working very hard at getting a healthy perspective on eating.

I find that this program will be a bit intensive with the low calories. I am certainly going to do things by the book but if I find myself starving, if my runs are affected or if I feel positively depleted...then darnit, I'm going to add more veggies or add a bit more fish to my meal during the day. My approach is balance...yes, I want to lose another 20-30 lbs but I also want to complete my half marathon in 6 weeks (it's in Boston actually). I will not sacrifice my training in order to lose extra weight. I will push harder during runs, harder during the cardio sculpt and be watchful on my diet according to David's recommendations.

Now that was a mouthful! I understand your frustrations with beginning a running progam again. Just remember...during the first week or two, your body will be screaming at you! It will hurt to run, your stamina might feel weak but if you push through, listen to your body and rest if needed you will be very surprised with the results. The body is an amazing machine..it will adapt to whatever you put it through. I remember when running 2 miles took all I had to complete. Now, 8 miles felt good today. Stamina wise...you will get there! Just stay positive and look to others for advice and support.

I hope this helps! You are doing a fantastic job Hopeful! Everyone on this site is doing wonderful! It is very motivating for me.

Take care! Sorry to ramble so much.