50's and flying high!

mulecanter

Hi gals,

I'm 55 and while not menopausal per se, my wife is 49 and perimenopausal so I can sort of relate. I've been on MFP for about two years and I've lost about 60 pounds. My experience is that MFP is a great tool, it offers (in my opinion) the right diet advice and data and probably more importantly, social support. After yo-yo dieting, I finally was successful when I engaged socially here while becoming a bit anal about logging calories from food and exercise. I was at 248 and could no longer run because of my knee. I was walking and after losing 25 my knee got better so then I started running again and the virtuous circle began. I also got more serious about weight training--I've learned that to get the body shape you want, you have to build muscle--male or female, no exceptions. I'm now in the 180's and struggling to lose that last 10 pounds just to hit the goal I set a long time ago. At our age I'm finding that getting in shape takes time, getting out of shape takes 90% less time so you have to stick with it. Also, it's easier to injure yourself so you have to be careful and moderate. But, I feel like a new man and I'm better shape than when I was in my 40's. It's worth the effort.

While I'm definitely in my 50's, I'm not one of the girls but add me as an MFP pal if you like. And by the way, if wine is a fruit, then I'd like to add hops as a vegetable please.

seehe

Hi there ladies and gent! My name is Susan , I'm 58 and I've been in MFP for about two years now. I lost 40 pounds the first year, plateaued the second year, then gained 8 pounds from some summer vacations, so am now diligently working on getting those back off and continuing onward to reach my goal. I have found at this point the only thing that helps me to break through plateaus is to eat a lot of protein, like 30% of my daily calories.

Wow, some interesting stories here!
theowlhouse- I had no idea that there were countries without so much processed food like we have here in the US. I have found supermarkets that carry more organic , non GMO healthier more natural unprocessed foods. I used to go out to eat a lot, but now mostly eat at home... Not as much fun but definitely healthier !
- Mulecanter, I couldn't agree with you more about how it takes 90% less time to get out of shape than to get into shape! I also have to be careful about listening to my body to avoid stirring up former injuries as well as respect the neuropathy in my right foot and arthritis. But I still manage to get in some walks and yoga and resistance at Curves when my motivation is there lol.
- Hi Snooozie! Thanks for starting the message board

ahoy_m8

Good day to you all. Inspirational C25k story, Snoringcat. Thanks for sharing it. NextPage, I'm impressed with your heavy lifting. Squats, bench press, rows--I can see all that but deadlifts intimidate me. I almost feel vertebrae compressing just imagining it. I wonder about squats, too, re: the knees. I've justified giving myself a pass on lower body ST because I'm a runner. Maybe it's better to say I prioritize core & upper body ST since I'm weight bearing on cardio. The promise of more strength with fewer reps is alluring, though. I imagine deadlifts are awesome core builders. Did you have concerns about protecting your back? Or knees?

Have a great day, everybody!

Snooozie

Have to admit I'm loving all the resources of info from you ladies (and gent LOL)..

AND MC - absolutely you get to count hops as a veggie.....!!!!! fair is fair LOL
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Feeling good about getting back to the basics again.. feeling more in control too and inspired by hearing from everyone.. will catch up later but hope everyone else is having a good day too!

PS Susan - lovely to see ya! (Seehe was one of the afore mentioned friends who helped me enormously with support and encouragement during my journey to a healthier me (and still does!)

PPS Ditto on the friend requests.. sent out a bunch but if I somehow missed someone feel free to add me!

NextPage

ahoy_m8 wrote: »

Good day to you all. Inspirational C25k story, Snoringcat. Thanks for sharing it. NextPage, I'm impressed with your heavy lifting. Squats, bench press, rows--I can see all that but deadlifts intimidate me. I almost feel vertebrae compressing just imagining it. I wonder about squats, too, re: the knees. I've justified giving myself a pass on lower body ST because I'm a runner. Maybe it's better to say I prioritize core & upper body ST since I'm weight bearing on cardio. The promise of more strength with fewer reps is alluring, though. I imagine deadlifts are awesome core builders. Did you have concerns about protecting your back? Or knees?

Have a great day, everybody!

Deadlifts are great core builders but they are also great for the hamstrings and glutes. Since it wasn't an exercise I did regularly until recently I'm just adding a bit of weight at a time so that I don't hurt myself. My cardio is spinning so I find that I am more quad dominate and deadlifts help with balancing the front and back of my legs. I totally get what you are saying about your running - we all have to look at what we are doing right and add in what is missing for a well rounded program. I'm definitely not one of those cardio vs. weights folks - I personally like the mix of both and get different things from each. Mentally, cardio helps most with destressing and giving me energy and weight training makes me feel like a strong ninja goddess who can take on the world.

Snooozie

NEXT PAGE WROTE: " I totally get what you are saying about your running - we all have to look at what we are doing right and add in what is missing for a well rounded program. I'm definitely not one of those cardio vs. weights folks - I personally like the mix of both and get different things from each. Mentally, cardio helps most with destressing and giving me energy and weight training makes me feel like a strong ninja goddess who can take on the world. "
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NP - I just wanted to say I love that paragraph you wrote; sums up a wonderful attitude AND a great philosophy on incorporating some of everything into a healthier us.. many thanks for sharing that!

Vailara

I've recently hit my half century, and suddenly everything seems more difficult! I don't know if it's hormones, aging or what, but exercise and diet is so much harder than it was a couple of years ago. I do think we have different issues to deal with as we get older. I've sent a friend request. If anybody else on the this thread wants to add me, feel free! I don't have an open diary, I'm afraid (I don't calorie count all the time), but I do log in every day. I used to do heavy lifting and loved it, along with dance classes, but unfortunately finances dictate that I do "free" exercise at the moment. I still do some weights at home, but not as heavy as I used to do at the gym. I'm having to be creative! I've spent the last couple of years trying to do a chin-up and have a chin-up bar at home, but I still haven't got there yet. But never say never! I was delighted when I managed to do my first ever proper pushup as an obese, middle-aged woman! I lost around 60lb a while back, and I'm now maintaining.

Snooozie

Vailara - welcome and thanks for the lovely post! I totally agree that its harder now; metabolism is changing and activity slowing, and the fluctuating hormone levels have to play a part in that I think.. because they definitely mess with the emotional side of me so I have to think they affect my physical aspect too… hot flashes HAVE to burn calories right?? if sweat really is fat crying, then the spontaneous combustion happening during a hot flash has sweat dripping from my temples lol… so I think maybe I should welcome a HF as a calorie burner instead? hmmmmm…..

I have to say that i’m quite surprised (in a very good way!!) hearing about how many of you my age are doing ST in some form - some experienced, some just starting out or back at it.. and its made me think perhaps part of my resistance to getting started with any has been a small part of my brain that deep down believes it’s too late for me to start.. I KNOW I can lose the weight because I’ve done it.. and surrounded myself with other women my age while I was doing it, who were ALSO doing it and succeeding.. and seeing it could be done by them helped me believe I could do it too… so you sharing your stories is really helping me start to change my mind set.. that perhaps it’s not quite as intimidating as I have convinced myself it will be. So thanks to all for being so open and for all the tips and resources you’ve shared!

Going to take a quick read of the post for some replies… today’s menu will include food for thought for me!!

Vailara

Oh, I never thought of hot flashes burning calories! There's a positive! I'm OK in the day, it's the nights that get to me. By ST do you mean strength training? I think it's almost a fad at the moment, but a good fad. I did loads of reading around the time I started dieting, and it seemed to me to be very important for older (over 40) women in particular to do some sort of strength/resistance training, because our muscles are literally wasting away bit by bit. I'm also convinced that the deadlifts cured my back pain! I do think you have to be very, very careful and do them properly, but I found deadlifts by far the easiest lift to do, the easiest to progress and the most enjoyable. (Don't talk to me about overhead press - what a nightmare!). I still do little ones at home - only 40kg, but I still feel they're doing something for me.

But I don't think it absolutely needs to be heavy lifting. Bodyweight exercises like pressups/pushups are still good. I do DDP yoga as well (which includes pushups). I balked at the price of the DVDs for ages, then bought then when they were on sale. They ARE expensive, but I have used them more than any other exercise DVD I've bought, so I feel I've got my money's worth. Or maybe I'd spent so much that I felt I HAD to use them! Which is still good.

The main thing I was trying to say is that I feel strength training is MORE suitable and important for women our age than it is for younger women or for men.

Snooozie

While i don't normally count "day to day" activities as calories burned from exercise...i'd just like to clarify here and now both hot flashes and snow shovelling count as calorie burns - its in the rule book (kinda like wine and hops are fruit and veg!!)

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!