50's and flying high!

53 yr old female; been making successful changes over the past two years to lose the fat, learn better eating habits and get my parts moving - and enjoying a few laughs along the way!

Hoping to meet positive, like minded women who have similar goals and are learning to work around the challenges we face at this stage of our life, dealing with such things as family/work balance, the "joy" of menopause, etc, all with a sense of humour and a willingness to stay positive and learn from each other, while encouraging and supporting each other in our goals.

Bonus points if you agree a glass of wine counts as a fruit! (kidding .. just kidding!)

Replies

Snooozie

Morning all... !! and hope all who celebrated TG yesterday in the group had a lovely day with family and friends!

Vail - thanks for the awesome post.. and yes.. sorry I get lazy even in typing sometimes so ST did refer to strength training lol... like you I spent my first few weeks on here reading and reading...and reading... and so many peeps on MFP are willing to share their knowledge and experiences (I also learned to weed out the stuff that didn't make sense to me lol).. knowledge is power for sure! and my doc told me to start some ST for exactly the reason you stated.. to keep the muscles and other stuff from wasting away! Also as you said, was told if you don't do em right, don't bother cause you'll just hurt yourself. That's a great idea about the DVD's to start; will also check my library as they carry a few but might be quite old... I have 4 basic beginner bodyweight moves I was given instruction on ... and time to stop talking the talk and doing the walk - or the crawl I suppose lol... so I'm pledging today that I will start doing them on the sched as directed, til the end of the year wthout fail. Baby steps maybe, but I gotta start somewhere, so that's my goal for Dec.
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Snoring Cat - wowsa!! The C25K accomplishment is awesome - doubly so since you hadn't done any since school days?? Congrats!!

Ahoy - was sipping my coffee when I read your line about "feeling my vertebrae compressing just thinking about it" - keyboard didn't really need the bath it got!! LOL

NextP: fab idea about the you tube vids too.. thank you!

Joanne - so sorry you lost all your friends!! I think there's a search thing on the site where you can put in parameters i.e. female, 40-50 etc.. maybe you could use that to find them again if you know a bit about them?

Owl - I will TOTALLY be trolling your diary and recipes... !! (oh.. and yes I'm a troller of diary ladies.. but not to see what your cal counts are or whatever.. but because I hate cooking (mainly because i'm a terrible one) and I get great meal ideas from looking at others diaries; things I would never think of

)

Donna - re your comment about working hard to be active every day (I thought of you this morning when I got outta bed btw lol... a little stiff was I!) would you mind sharing what activities you try to do, cause I need some ideas too. specially with winter here now!

Hope everyone has a good day; look forward to hearing how everyone's doing!)

BWBTrish

Well be my guest Snoozie

Added a new one in it. Mushroom soup from scratch It was lovely and even lost a pound over TG dinner

Now i decided i want to go back in dancing again. So today i will add a total of a 30 minutes body-robics to my daily training/walking program. see where that puppy ends up..... When i am not here tomorrow i will be in bed with all my muscles aching like crazy hehehe

Snooozie

LOL @ OWL! remember... be GUMBIE (the little stretchy cartoon guy) !! let us know if you need a rescue st Bernard sent in the morning! But FAB idea on how to burn some extra cals and have fun too! I may just pop on a CD when (and if) I start my cleaning around here and join in!

PeachyCarol

52 Here and just found this thread. Fairly new to MFP and looking for friends. Lovely to find a group facing hot flashes and aching joints!

As an aside, I saw mentioned from briefly reading through a concern about squats and knees. I have psoriatic arthritis and my knees are pretty messed up. I can safely say that squats done with proper form are just fine for your knee joints. You feel them much more through your hips if you're doing them properly. I'm still doing them with just dumbbells, but I'm looking to start lifting heavier and hope to start working with a trainer soon.

Snooozie

Hiya Mamapeach and welcome!! Yup, we're all here finding our way to get (or stay) healthy and share a few laughs and commiserations o'er some of the challenges at this stage of the game - while staying positive and forward moving to our goals! awesome (and inspiring!) to hear your comments about the weight training in spite of the arthritis.. well done YOU!!

PeachyCarol

Thanks Snooozie! My diagnosis was my wake up call. I felt to young to let it get to me. My doctor cleared me for everything but running and high impact aerobics, so bring on the weights! I just started out walking (with a cane at first!) in August and now I can do 3.7 mph with a 7 incline on the treadmill.

I also have Hashimoto's disease (that's the thing about autoimmune diseases, they rarely travel alone, I have fibromyalgia and celiac disease too) and worry about osteoporosis. Lifting will help my bones as well.

My ultimate dream with lifting is to get back some of my lost strength. Every year on our family vacation, we used to rent bicycles in ride on the boardwalk. I lost so much strength that I couldn't control the handlebars and wasn't able to ride a bike anymore. I want to be able to ride bikes with my kids again.

Snooozie

Who knew??

Vailara

Thanks for that, Snoozie!

Snooozie

Welcome to December everyone!!

Snooozie

wow.. not much posting going on in here.. guess the idea for a group support system didn't pan out.... hope everyone is doing well and have a great December all! Cheers!

seehe

Love love love the posters Snooozie! I saved the images- thanks!

BWBTrish

Still here

and reading

librarydebster

I'm 58. Been through menopause and it was just a blip, some hot flashes but nothing major. I'm determined to lose more weight this month and next year til I get to that point of comfort. Total loss this year is 68 so far and it's made a huge difference in my life. I will never go back. I feel more adventurous and I love being active. No more couch potato. Add me as a friend if you'd like.

CariJean64

I just found this thread! SOOOO glad to hear that hot flashes burn calories! :-) My husband calls them my "personal tropical vacations."

I'm 50 with a lot of weight left to lose, but I've managed drop 86 pounds so far this year. I'd be glad to give and get some support!

MargaretSobers

Wow!!! Nice discussion, I also believe you should be happy at every moment. And yes, you should develop more healthy eating habits, but counting wine as a fruit, awesome thought.

Snooozie

Good morning everyone - and a warm welcome to Library Deb, CariJ and MargS (or if you're in the midst of a hot flash.. a cool welcome??)

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Library

huge congrats on your superb accomplishment in the weight loss - well done YOU! and I totally agree... it's not about the actual "poundage" loss anymore at this stage, altho the numbers are still important but it's more about getting to where I FEEL good!

Cari - yeppers.. haven't figured out exactly the calorie count for a hot flash, but by god they count!! So does shivering btw

LOL @ the personal tropical vacay - does hubby bring you a frozen margarita during those times to assist?? HA1 also mega congrats on your weight loss - that's fabulous! What a tremendous accomplishment - total kudos to you!!

Margaret - yup wine absolutely counts as fruit... in fact I considered going on an all fruit diet once (grapes only in liquid form.. ha! kidding!!) but makes ya think of the "juicing" theory in a whole new way, eh?

I could totally get into that!

I saw these posts on another thread and freely admit to cutting and pasting them to copy here (I don't think I infringed on any copyright laws by doing so)... but these are a couple of posts by menopausal or post menopausal women and when I read em I thought.. omg.. yup... that's me sometimes!! so thought i'd share in case it resonates with anyone else.. kinda nice to know we aren't actually losing our minds some days??

:'(

$:\$

Topic copied from another thread:

Resiliency. This word keeps popping into my head during this transition. My husband asked which symptom bothered me the most, and I said it wasn't so much the individual symptoms, but rather that I just feel less resilient than normal. Perhaps it's the lack of sleep. Perhaps it's the random hormonal changes themselves. But yes. Smaller things set my teeth on edge. Slights hurt more than they should. I just feel less resilient. And with that in mind, I move forward! cheers!

For me, what I hate most is the fact that so many physical and emotional aspects of daily life are now no longer within my control, or situation-dependent... they are controlled by wayward fluctuating chemicals streaming around my body.

Slights hurt more than they should. Lol. I can take gentle teasing and twist it into a grievous insult of epic proportions. When I'm "not in my right mind" that is. I hate not having my normal emotional responses. It's like aliens took over the body.Not being able to sleep, even though I am completely exhausted and yawning my head off. Grrrr. But.... moving forward also!

:'(

$:\$

aspenbound

I'm in... I'm 53 soon to be 54 and nothing is working for me.. Trying to find the right balance of proteins, carbs, and fats... Menopause hit me a couple of years ago like a ton of bricks and since then it's been a struggle losing the 40 pounds I gained... HELP

Snooozie

Hiya Aspen and welcome!! There's no question at this stage of our life it's way more work and effort to lose the excess weight - but it truly CAN be done!! I don't think I actually believed that myself when I first came to MFP... but surrounding myself with other women my age who WERE doing it, and the support, encouragement and laughter along with learning about nutrition and the importance of moving my parts, helped tremendously and once the weight started coming off, I realized I really could do it - I honestly think that's a big part of it is believing deep down inside you really can do it. That said, my first month on here I almost packed it in because I was SO frustrated because I was doing everything right (so I thought) and nothing was happening... my friends talked me off the ledge thank goodness.. and I finally stopped flipping out and just got down to basics and eventually my body learned to trust me again.
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I hit my goal weight at the end of last year - about 45-50 lbs gone in total... but this year I regained 18 lbs.... and I let a lot of the old bad habits and vicious mind games come back. I convinced myself as the regain was happening that it was only 5 lbs.. then only 10lbs... the fact that I was starting to look like a sausage about to split open on a BBQ in my clothes was still a sign I chose to ignore... and began consoling myself with a bunch of crap and then of course, would feel bad and console myself again.. well ya'll know the cycle...

Anyway... a few days ago I finally got up the guts to get back on the scale and reality slapped me in the face.. and the belly.... and pretty much every other part in between!!
So now is enough. I refuse to end this year feeling crappy about myself mentally and physically. I know I can't lose it all before the end of the year that's completely unrealistic, but I can start making those changes and going back to basics today, and that's what i'm gonna do.

Congrats to you on making the decision to get healthy Aspen - we really CAN do it.. and we'll be here for ya!!

marsellient

What a lovely, positive attitude in all of these posts! I've been on MFP coming up three years, and while I'm not at goal (too much "fruit" doesn't help), I haven't regained any of the 40+ I've lost over that time. I'm much more active and I found an awesome trainer in my community who does small group strength training classes. I go once a week and have found it tremendously helpful in keeping some of those middle age aches and pains at bay. I go to the local gym on other days, but need to get more consistent with that.
I think the major reason I'm still here, and plan to be for a long time, is the support on the friends' list. If any of you would like to send a friend request, I'd be most happy to have more people to support in this, and to support me!

Snooozie

Welcome Marsellient! LOL @ the fruit.. yep... I hear ya! huge congrats on maintaining AND such success on your loss; you've done awesome! Love the idea of the small group training.. and I agree about the support factor - thanks for joining in!

aspenbound

thank you for the warm welcome..... Now lets talk diet, percentages and what to stay away from.... What is the percentages everyone is sticking too? Does anyone have a sample menu?

Snooozie

Because im a type 2 diabetic, my ratios are set to lower carbs and higher proteins AB... I've just started logging again today.. but if you go to my diary and in the bottom left corner run a report for say jan-july 2013, it will come up on the screen showing the breakdowns if that's any help... ?

PeachyCarol

aspenbound wrote: »

thank you for the warm welcome..... Now lets talk diet, percentages and what to stay away from.... What is the percentages everyone is sticking too? Does anyone have a sample menu?

I have my macros set to 40-30-30, but rarely hit them correctly except for the protein one. I try to keep my net carbs lower than that and really should tweak the numbers to something more like 35 carbs, 35 protein, 30 fat, I think.

My boring diary (I eat the same thing pretty much every day for breakfast and dinner) is public. I eat a different dinner than my family because of dietary restrictions I have that they don't and because I like eating my main meal at lunch, not dinner time.

I am a vegetarian, so that does effect my macros a bit. I'd probably take the carbs lower if I weren't, but I need some wiggle room for beans and yogurt.

My trainer told me that I should be aiming for 75g of carbs, so according to him too many are bad for us of a certain age. I'm thinking that's net carbs. I come above that, usually 80-100 net, but again... beans and yogurt.

Phew! This turned into a ramble!

marsellient

aspenbound wrote: »

thank you for the warm welcome..... Now lets talk diet, percentages and what to stay away from.... What is the percentages everyone is sticking too? Does anyone have a sample menu?

I have mine set to 40/30/30 as well, and usually come in around that. I don't think it matters much unless you have particular health reasons or triggers to use certain percentages. I stay away from breads and have cut back on pasta a lot, I'm not a big fruit eater, preferring vegetables, in fact should probably have more fruit (and not the liquid kind...lol). I can't really provide a sample menu, but usually have oatmeal for breakfast, use unsweetened almond milk to boost calcium because I'm not fond of drinking milk or eating yogurt, salad and protein, or soup at lunch, and whatever's going for dinner. I've put a lot of my recipes on the recipe builder here, and watch portions. We try to eat meatless a couple of times a week, and have cut back on red meat quite a bit over the last few years. Some tweaks: I use tzatziki instead of mayonnaise, make my own salad dressings and soups, and most important, use my digital kitchen scale a lot.

Now I'm rambling.

Hope you can find something in all that that could be helpful!

BWBTrish

My diet is simple
I do the same as 25 years ago and lost 60 pounds ( gained back about 20 the last 5 years)

No added salt, no added sugars
I try to keep my salt and sugar intake low ( for my BP and sugar levels)

Grain products are in a high moderation level. Also patato, pasta, alcohol etc. But i do eat them..ones in a while.

I can eat everything but just keep counting and weighing and keep it in my allowance.

I am a real rabit and could eat veggies the whole day i love it. But also fruit and meat.
For the meats all is allowed. But we eat at leas 2 times a week fish. but lean ground beef and chicken breast and pork too. About everything.

Now cheese

For a nation that has so much ( the US) i as Dutchie can say honestly...YOUR CHEESE SUCKS!!!!!! lol sorry for that. But first of all a lot of salt in the cheese over here. and the kind of cheeses is really a minimum. I love cheese but used and spoiled by the Dutch cheese taste. Really hundreds and hundreds to choose from and.....lower in salt.
Same with Yogurt. In Holland normal yogurt ( so not even the skinny one) has NO sugar at all. Here the lowest is 6%. And that is not the fruit one...Just the plain yogurt.
Funny to me. And i am not a real sweet eater so i taste it right away. Yogurt and kwark (kinda thick yogurt) in Holland just have no sugar and the skinny yogurts have less fat too. Same with a lot of other foods here, everything has a lot of sugar and salt.

I am surprised about the recipies here on the blog of MFP Most of them have the 1 tsp of salt in it...... why not leave it out and under the recipe do optional add salt. or write it behind it. After all it is a health site. And adding salt to your food is bad. The amount of salt for a healthy person a day is 2300mg. When you eat a healthy diet/menu here in the US the food contains so much ( not added) salt naturally that you get that amount easely. Without adding that teasppon of salt in the recipe.

People dont seem to realize how much problems they get in the long term because of all this added salt.

So dont get me wrong you can have salt and sugar what is naturally in the food. But adding is a nono for me.
I read every label here to get used to what is in the product.
We eat organic/fresh as possible no processed food. And can eat everything. But moderation is the key together with counting calories how much you eat.

Next to that and that is important ( not for my weight loss) is getting fit. So i work out. Running/walking is "the thing" at the moment for me. But i love working out and use to teach body-robics. Would love to set up a program again. But we will see.

For now i feel great and going strong

Snooozie

Good morning everyone!

I imagine it's getting to be a crazy busy time for everyone in this group - among all the other hats we wear, the holidays present their own special challenges, don't they? As much as we may look forward to getting together with our friends and family and the celebrations, most of the prep work for it all (including becoming the social director LOL) falls on us - sleep goes down, stress goes up, and throw in an occasional hot flash or an emotional hormone raging thru us meltdown, and it's no wonder we may turn to (insert comfort food of choice here) now and then! So just wanted to say hang in there ladies! and take care of yourselves too during this time, if nothing more than to just stop and breathe now and then if you can, and try to work in a few laughs during your day.. it not only burns calories, but releases the happy endorphins - and may just keep ya sane TOO LOL!

Snooozie

oh.. and if all else fails?

Snooozie

Now that you've (hopefully) had a chuckle for the day.... I happened across an article on the web this morning - I know most of us have already learned much of this, but thought it seemed like a good "refresher" for me at least while trying to get back on track and reach my goal so thought I'd share..

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by Manuel Villacorta

Every calorie counts once we reach our 50s. But most of us tend to keep eating like we're 25. That's a problem because our metabolic rate has decreased ... as much as 5 to 8 percent every decade. To lose weight, we have to adjust to this slower metabolic rate. That doesn't mean counting every pea, but it does mean every calorie counts.

Another concept Baby Boomers need to embrace is healthy eating doesn't equal weight loss. If you're thinking, "I have cut out all processed food. I eat organically and I mainly eat salmon and olive oil, but I'm not losing weight." You could be organically growing your waistline.

It's important to note that a serving is a serving. A half cup of brown rice is the same as a half cup of white rice when it comes to measuring portions for weight loss. Will the brown rice pack more power in terms of fiber and other benefits? Absolutely! But will it make you lose weight faster? No. And can you eat more of it because it's healthier? No.

This is an essential concept to grasp because so many people assume eating heart-healthy foods like salmon, olive oil, avocado, brown rice and sweet potatoes means free rein to eat unlimited portions. But it's all about portion control, no matter how heart-healthy, low-fat, organic, gluten-free or low-carb that food may be.

Outsmart Your Hunger Hormone: A hormone called ghrelin controls hunger and drives our appetite. If we don't understand,monitor and control our ghrelin, we can forget about losing weight. Ghrelin is one of our bodily survival tactics--a hormone secreted in the stomach to ensure we eat. Research now shows that ghrelin spikes due to lifestyle behaviors like delaying and skipping meals, lack of sleep, after exercise (especially in females), avoiding carbohydrates and the act of losing weight. To keep ghrelin in control and lose weight, remember to:

· Eat breakfast within an hour of waking. It's the most important meal and drives your entire day. It determines how much you're going to eat at 4 p.m. It will control ghrelin and set you up for success.

· Do not skip meals. You need to eat every three to four hours to control ghrelin, so depending on how many waking hours you have, you may need four meals or you may need six.

· Try to combine carbohydrates and proteins at every meal or snack. This way, you get the optimal blend of nutritional elements to fight cravings, control hunger, gain energy and stimulate fullness. Protein increases your metabolism while carbs lower ghrelin, help with brain function and decrease cravings.

For lunch, try a salad with chicken or fish. Add a carbohydrate such as quinoa, garbanzo beans, lentils or brown rice. Snack on an apple and a piece of turkey, low-fat cheese or a hard-boiled egg.

· Don't focus on the time you stop eating. Instead, follow the 70/30 rule, which means you should eat 70 percent of your calories before dinnertime and 30 percent at dinner, whatever time that may be. Just make sure you have 90 minutes to digest so you can sleep comfortably.

· Stay hydrated. You've heard it a million times, but drinking water is essential for keeping energy up, aiding metabolism, burning fat and more. It's the fluid your body needs for life, and it's an instrumental part of weight loss. Other fluids can be useful, but water is obviously the best choice because it is calorie free.

But you can forget the whole eight glasses a day thing. Just relax and remember to have a healthy amount of water whenever you think of it. Thirst can confuse your sense of hunger so make sure you stay hydrated.

Many women tell me they're eating healthy, staying active, doing very well in general yet they're gaining weight. It's easy to put on a pound a year during peri- and actual menopause, which often adds up to 10 to 15 pounds in the midsection.

There are a few reasons this happens. On average, women tend to become less active during this time. Metabolism and muscle mass decrease, and hormones change. Of course, your body's hormones have a direct impact on your appetite, metabolism and fat storage so weight gain during this time is more likely caused by hormones rather than overeating.

In your younger years, you may have gained in the hips and buttocks, but now you'll notice you gain in your waist, which has to do with low estrogen. So what's the solution? Typically, you have to eat less. On average, menopausal women need to eat about 200 fewer calories a day.

To give you enough carbs to fuel your brain and prevent sugar cravings, I recommend a 45% carbohydrate-30% protein-25% fat formula.

If you're approaching menopause and haven't yet gained, start cutting 200 calories a day from what you're used to eating, and that will help you maintain the healthy weight you currently enjoy. The tricks described above can help you outsmart your hunger hormone. Also, begin weight training to build muscle mass because muscles break down as we age. Remember muscle mass drives your metabolism so if you keep it strong, your body will regulate your weight as an added bonus.

If you've already gained weight because of menopause, It's a little more challenging at this time, but if you increase everyday activities like walking and taking the stairs, you'll find it much easier to achieve your goals.

While it's possible to lose weight simply by cutting calories, it may not be what I call quality weight loss. You may decrease muscle mass and bring on depression, hunger, cravings and unsustainable behaviors.

To give you enough carbs to fuel your brain and prevent sugar cravings, I recommend a 45% carbohydrate-30% protein-25% fat formula. By carbohydrates, I mean whole foods, like fruits, grains, quinoa, brown rice or legumes, and sweet potatoes ... not processed foods. This formula also delivers enough protein to prevent muscle breakdown, keep your metabolism going and control ghrelin. It also ensures you get the good fats you need for your health and that you enjoy what you eat.

marsellient

This looks EXACTLY like the list I have now that I'm back from a week away. I have to say, I'm really trying to get down it without resorting to the method in Snoozie's second post.

Oh...cleaning the house is not on that list!