55-65 year old women's success?

1Nana2many

@calmandpeaceful: Everything I have been reading says that muscle burns more calories than fat and so toward that end I am working toward more walking and adding some lifting to my routine. I live out in the country and I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't make the effort to drive 25 miles one way to a gym and frankly, I am too cheap to pay for a membership! Over the weekend, I ordered two books from Amazon that both had good reviews: Smart Girls Do Dumbbells and Muscle Your Way Through Menopause and Beyond. I bought the used versions of both and including shipping, they cost a total of $8.00. I am determined to find a way to move more every day. I have struggled with my weight since puberty lost more battles then I won, but since January 4th of this year, when I made a commitment to myself to log every bite and stick very closely to my calorie level of 1200 per day, I have lost 18.2 pounds. I'm still getting too much sodium and sugar in my diet, but I'm still moving forward and believe me, if I can do this, so can you! Hang in there!

Speleobabe

Hi! I'm Pam. I am 56 years old and I lost a lot of weight about 8 years ago. It was hard but doable. I gained some of it back, but was doing ok. When I broke my ankle 3 years ago, I gained the rest of it back and then some. I'd sure appreciate support in this endeavor and will certainly support others in return!

1Nana2many

@speleobabe: Hi Pam! Every day is a new day! You did it once, you can do it again! Start every morning as if it's a fresh new start and keep moving forward! I've only been doing MFP since Jan 4th, but I have found some very encouraging stories on this thread. Bookmark it and keep coming back! I too once lost 50 pounds and then gained it back because I let life get more important then being healthy, so I know I can do it as do you! The key for me this time is to make a promise to myself to log every bite every day, whether or not I stick to the calories in my allotment. No more out of sight, out of mind eating. No one can "make" me eat anything I don't want to eat! If I can't be honest with myself, then I'm not ready to do this. So far I have been logging daily for 40 days and I have lost 18 pounds. You don't have to be an exercise maniac, you just have to move a little more today then you did yesterday. Silly as it sounds, I read that people who are fidgeters weight less then people who are not and since I have a grandson who NEVER sits still and he is extremely thin, it sounds plausible to me so even when I am sitting down to crochet, I have started rocking in my rocking chair to add a little more movement to my life! Laugh if you want, but it is activity! Of course, I've also added more walking and a little strength training to my life. I honestly feel like I may have to log daily for the rest of my life, but it does keep me accountable to myself. Hang in there!

griffinca2

Hi Pam (and welcome)! I broke my right wrist back in Dec (I'm right handed of course). I now have a metal plate on the radius and seeing a physical therapist to get the use of my hand back (it's been tough). Although I didn't gain any weight I lost a lot of the muscle gains I had made in a local gym to inactivity; it's hard to exercise with your arm on a stack of pillows. As soon as the doc gives the OK I will be back in the weight room. I'll be back at square one, but at least I'll be back.

For Nana, You should be able to pick up used weights; check on-line or your local throw-away paper. And don't be afraid to lift heavy; but remember good form is better than a heavier weight.

Good luck to you both!

calmandpeaceful

Thank you for your help! Yes, I really do need to lift weights and increase my muscle mass. I've been doing a lot of yoga, but it's not muscle building enough. I do have a standing desk at work - but I know that doesn't burn many calories. So, I will commit to lifting weights. I've got some small ones at home - a good start I guess.

Thanks for your support - I was pretty down last night. I appreciate it. We are on this journey together.

AnnPT77

griffinca2 wrote: »

And don't be afraid to lift heavy; but remember good form is better than a heavier weight.

Just wanting to add, because I've seen this misunderstood in other threads: "Lift heavy" means "lift weights that feel heavy to you and are challenging but possible to lift". It's an achievable standard for almost anyone, not something that's only for some kind of special "strong people".

And a stronger body may also help to put more years between today & assisted living, besides. Worthwhile on many levels.

kacmac1992

Hi, all. I've been reading these posts and they are so motivating. I am 44 years young and have just started MPF (well, for the 2nd time). My goal is to lose 30 pounds this year (or however long it may take). I refuse to "diet" - I want to eat real food in moderation while trying to make healthier choices. I just need to know that I'm on the right path with that thinking! Is it as easy as calories in/calories out - and can you still or do you still eat the things you love within moderation?? Love hearing whats working for others! Again, thanks for the encouraging posts.

AnnPT77

Welcome, kacmac1992! I'm 60 y/o, 5'5", hypothyroid (controlled with meds) and have lost 62 pounds since April 2015. Now I'm trying to find my correct maintenance calories around my current weight of 122-ish pounds - a weight I haven't seen since the 1970s, and never thought I'd ever see again.

For me, it's been all about meticulous food logging (with digital scale) and calories in < calories out (CICO). I've been vegetarian for 41 years (got obese, stayed obese) and very active for over a decade (got fitter, stayed obese). By getting CICO in line, I'm now at a healthy weight, my bad knee (torn meniscus) is much less painful, and my cholesterol & blood pressure have gone from high to solidly normal.

I pretty much kept eating foods I like, but - by looking over my MFP food diary & thinking things over - I have gradually shifted the quantities and proportions somewhat, because I came to understand that some foods just didn't give me enough satisfaction or nutrition for their caloric "cost". One of the great things about CICO, IMO, is exactly that learning process about how to eat forever - in contrast to some gimmick "special diet", where you don't really have the learning opportunity.

My overall eating pattern is at least as satisfying to me as it ever was - maybe moreso.

1Nana2many

kacmac1992 wrote: »

Hi, all. I've been reading these posts and they are so motivating. I am 44 years young and have just started MPF (well, for the 2nd time). My goal is to lose 30 pounds this year (or however long it may take). I refuse to "diet" - I want to eat real food in moderation while trying to make healthier choices. I just need to know that I'm on the right path with that thinking! Is it as easy as calories in/calories out - and can you still or do you still eat the things you love within moderation?? Love hearing whats working for others! Again, thanks for the encouraging posts.

I can only speak for myself, but my plan is to continue eating foods I like every day and so far that is exactly what I have done. I've only been on MFP since Jan 4th, but my body seems to be getting used to the reduced serving sizes and if I push the limits on amount of food I eat in one sitting I find myself feeling a little over-full. I don't eat ice cream for dessert every night any more, but I do have an occasional bowl of really good ice cream, but I make sure it fits in my calories for the day. When I know I'm going to some event like the baby shower I attended last weekend, I pay closer attention to the rest of the food I eat that day so I don't have to pass up whatever I know they'll be serving. Sometimes I have to guess about calories in those cases, but it's doable and MFP makes it pretty easy. Make the commitment to yourself to log every bite every day. Pay attention to those serving sizes. Get a food scale and weigh the food you eat so you really know how much you are putting in your mouth. Once you start doing this every day, every meal, you will see what works and what you need to change a little. One of the things that was hardest for me was to start drinking more water and I will tell you that has had immediate benefits for me. I have not made it up to 8 glasses a day, nor do I really think I will, but I DO nurse a glass of water all day long. I pay attention to how much I am drinking and when I start feeling a little hungry I drink water first to see if that will satisfy me. If it's time for a meal, then I will eat, but drinking the water first has really helped me avoid the desperate feeling of wanting to graze and I now know what actual hunger feels like. I can have one chocolate kiss instead of five...I'll savor that chocolate as long as I can, but I still get to have it. ;-) Hang in there and you will work it out. YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT!

Triplestep

1Nana2many wrote: »

Start every morning as if it's a fresh new start and keep moving forward!

Some of the best advice ever! (Right up there with "log everything starting out to see where your calories are coming from.") After a decade of "I'll start over on Monday" (even if my slip-up was on a Tuesday or Wednesday of the previous week!) I have adopted this attitude with good success. Once you get into the groove, it gets harder to make bad choices, but easier to recover from them after the fact.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Just wanting to add, because I've seen this misunderstood in other threads: "Lift heavy" means "lift weights that feel heavy to you and are challenging but possible to lift". It's an achievable standard for almost anyone, not something that's only for some kind of special "strong people".

I also want to add this: I work out with a trainer twice a week, and sometimes I want to second-guess him if the free-weights feel too heavy the first set of an exercise; I feel like my form is bad. But by the second and third sets, I feel my form is much better. So don't dismiss a weight as "too heavy for you" right off the bat. Don't lift to the point of injury - but don't assume your form won't improve over the sets that day.

Triplestep

Ladies, please tell me there is help for turkey wattle . I've lost 22lbs and have about 65 lbs to go. I have noticed loose skin on my neck/under my chin that has become very pronounced. I actually have one of those neck/chin exercisers I bought years ago on a whim, and now wish I'd been using it. (Don't laugh! I know an actor with very good facial skin tone, and he exercises his facial muscles religiously.) I guess it couldn't hurt.

Yes, yes - I know I should just accept it; embrace it even. It's just that I am 52 and have at least 15 more years in the workplace. Being seen as "ready to put out to pasture" is hard to get over in an office environment.

griffinca2

Also, if you're trying to go to a heavier weight but still have trouble with it; try to a couple of reps w/the heavier weight and the finish the set with the lower weight. Keep this up and you will eventually be able to do the whole set w/the heavier weight.

1Nana2many

Triplestep wrote: »

Ladies, please tell me there is help for turkey wattle

This one made me smile. I have no idea if it works, but I remember many years ago watching the Richard Simmons exercise show and one of the exercises he always included was a face exercise that was simply repeating the vowels "A...E...I...O...U..." in a very exaggerated way, the U being pronounced more like ooh [glue - gl]. I did a google search about facial exercises and found this article: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/fitness/2011/01/cheeks_of_steel.html
Form your own opinion. Good luck. I figure they're muscles, couldn't hurt. ;-)

griffinca2

T, the neck/chin exerciser does work (although not as quickly as before). I had one and it disappeared so I bought a new one. I had just started to see some (small) results and had take the rubber band off it when I fell & broke my wrist. I finally got the band back on it and have just started using it again. It takes longer to see results as you age, but you will see them--it just takes longer. Good luck!

AnnPT77

Triplestep wrote: »

Ladies, please tell me there is help for turkey wattle . I've lost 22lbs and have about 65 lbs to go. I have noticed loose skin on my neck/under my chin that has become very pronounced. I actually have one of those neck/chin exercisers I bought years ago on a whim, and now wish I'd been using it. (Don't laugh! I know an actor with very good facial skin tone, and he exercises his facial muscles religiously.) I guess it couldn't hurt.

Yes, yes - I know I should just accept it; embrace it even. It's just that I am 52 and have at least 15 more years in the workplace. Being seen as "ready to put out to pasture" is hard to get over in an office environment.

I believe one could think of this as one of the loose skin effects. The end result varies by person, but loose skin does shrink, it just does so rather slowly, and the results may differ based on one's genetics, age, general health, etc. So don't give up hope!

lyssa1210

Hi ladies. I turned 54 in Dec. would love to get some support and help my motivation level. I feel tired a lot and need more energy. I just started working out again with light weights inside since I was on a break when I hurt my back twice in two months. So now want to lose 20 lbs would love to lose 30 but im trying to be realistic. I am 5' 4" 1/2 and weigh around 163.

AnnPT77

lyssa1210 wrote: »

Hi ladies. I turned 54 in Dec. would love to get some support and help my motivation level. I feel tired a lot and need more energy. I just started working out again with light weights inside since I was on a break when I hurt my back twice in two months. So now want to lose 20 lbs would love to lose 30 but im trying to be realistic. I am 5' 4" 1/2 and weigh around 163.

You can do this!

It may require a bit of an energy investment up front (I know that's hard!), but your workouts should help with your energy level and tiredness after a while. Given those, I'd suggest a less aggressive (more patient) calorie deficit at least initially, so you're fueling your energy level adequately.

If your energy doesn't pick up, and you haven't already done so, it might be worth a trip to the doc for basic blood work-up.

I'm older than you (60), 5'5", and down from 183 to around 121 since April 2015, so it can be done. One plus we usually have compared with younger women in the weight-loss process is that we know ourselves better, and have experience getting hard things done!

calmandpeaceful

Being seen as "ready to put out to pasture" is hard to get over in an office environment.

....I am living this right now. How can I be considered "old" at 55?? Is it all about my neck?

Do3w7

has anyone tried the every other day diet.

Triplestep

I didn't mean to imply it was all about our necks! But I think it's part of the whole picture, don't you? We can't just be competent, agile, good at our jobs. The assumptions about older people not adapting to new technologies and new ways of doing things can easily be attirbuted to us - deserved or not.

Part of the reason I'm working hard to lose weight is because I want to wear more stylish clothes at work. (Yeah, I said it!) I decided to stop coloring my hair because it was getting too dark for my complexion; Now I'm committed to keeping up the style and cut every four weeks in an attempt to look "together" rather than like I just gave up. I can't throw a rock in my office without hitting a slender 40something in a pencil skirt with long blonde hair .

For the record, my boss is a woman, and my three teammates are women. My team just merged with another, so my bosses new boss is a woman, and her team of three has two women. I kind of feel sorry for that one dude!