Trouble Jogging and Breathing

I am 30 yo, male, about 200 lbs, 5'6", so according to most (or all?)
standards, I guess I'm considered "overweight". I try to go jogging about once a week (I know it's way below the recommended), but after about only 5 minutes of slow jogging (about 4~5 mph), I find myself out of breath! So I end up just walking.. Is it normal to be out of breath after jogging for such a short time? I'm certainly not in my best shape, but isn't this a little ridiculous?

I thought maybe I should try harder (physically and mentally) and go a little more, but then I get dizzy! Does anyone have similar experiences?

I'd greatly appreciate informed advices!

see your doctor. now.

I know people who are your height, heavier than you, but are champion lifters, very muscular, and low in bodyfat. The first thing you ought to do is get your bodyfat measured. If you need help doing that, just ask - there are several ways you can do it yourself, your doctor can do it, and you can also likely get it done at your gym or health club. Without knowing more about your body composition, it's hard to say if you're fat or not.

Start slowly, build up gradually, and try to follow the 10% rule - don't increase anything more than 10% per week. That means distance, intensity, and anything else.

Very few people can make progress walking or running by doing it only once a week. 3x/week or even more will yield better results, and walking or running every day isn't out of the question as long as you vary the effort and have several easy days during the course of your week.

I don't know if I'm "informed," but I'm 49 years old, thin, strong, have good endurance, and hold a couple of different trainer certifications. None of those things matter, especially on the Internet but, hey, you asked.
More about me on my web site, http://www.kbnj.com

In the meantime, get out there and walk twice this week, and three times next week.

-S- http://www.kbnj.com

I am going to assume that you are overweight not knowing any of your body fat measurements and that you are more out of shape than you think.

Assuming that you have no medical problems, you are trying to do to too much for your current level of fitness. You may not get sore legs from your once a week jog but you apparently do not have the cardiovascular fitness to jog for five continuous minutes.

You don't mention what your heart rate is after your five minute jog but
I bet it is pretty high. Going out once a week is better than nothing but a minimum of three times a week is recommended for improving fitness levels.

Try going out for ten minutes three times a week and keep your heart rate at 95 - 115 beats per minute (50-60% of a theoretical maximum heart rate of 220 - your age. Very crude estimate but probably good enough for where you currently are.) That will almost certainly mean walking rather than jogging. After you have done this for about a month, you can start increasing your target heart rate zone and the duration of your walk / jog.
You will find that you will not be exhausted and out of breath but you will be making steady progress.

There are many good books out there that give comprehensive walking / jogging / running programs. "Fitness Walking for Dummies", Walking Fast", and "Precision Heart Rate Training" are just a few. They all start with complete beginning programs and work themselves up to competitive levels.