55-65 year old women's success?

1Nana2many

How is everyone doing today? Happy Independence Day to my U.S. friends! It's been quiet here lately so thought I would chime in a little. I recently did something that I haven't done for years...I got my hair cut in a new style. Short, I mean REALLY short. It was the first time in a couple decades that I decided to reach outside my comfort zone and I didn't have to seriously think about how it would look with my double chin! I have a neck! Who knew it was hiding there! Not too shabby for a sixty year old! I realized this morning there are so many, many things I let my weight determine about me! I don't want to do that anymore and it feels good to know that no matter my age, I can still redefine who I am. What has your overweight body been defining for you? What are you going to do about? If not now, when? You're NEVER too old and it's NOT too late! You ARE WORTH IT!

mk2fit

@1Nana2many I do love you! You tell it like it is and take no prisoners! I love having a neck...and bones! Go get those grandbabies, my friend!

raleighgirl09

So thrilled to have found this thread - and sent some friend requests in response! I am around the 85 days of logging mark, yay! Have lost weight at a happy enough rate - did note that in May I lost 2.5 pounds but in June, 7.8. Seems my cals, both actual and net, were appreciably lower and my exercise was up in June. Now I am thrilled to enter July with stats and a choice; pace it and lose some weight, pour on some more effort and see a bigger benefit sooner. I've been in the weight loss game a long time, am 54, and my all time high at 36 or 37 (I actually don't recall exactly!) was about 300 and a size 26. I'm now hovering right at the 200 mark and wearing a size 14. I've lost 30ish pounds since last July but it's only since Feb 2017 that I have gotten serious again, for a good stretch of time. I want to lose another 20 pounds...maybe 25 or 30. 170 was my all time low but it was hard to maintain at the time, seems I wasn't able to eat much to do it. It was a while back - about 42 years old at the 170 mark - yes, it took that long to lose 130 pounds!

One thing that age has brought is more patience, a better outlook and realistic expectations of myself. These are some of my mottos, not new but more ingrained and easier to live by. The world does not end if I eat something I don't usually eat. Food is not bad and neither am I. Whatever I do most consistently, in either direction, will be the results I show.

griffinca2

Happy 4th to all and agree w/Nana, mk2, and welcome raleighgirl!!

1Nana2many

Welcome Raleighgirl09! You sound like you have your stuff together! I agree that aging does have some bonuses! Remember the old book "I'm OK, You're OK"? I find myself sometimes thinking why didn't I GET THIS sooner! It is amazing how much we can achieve when we take the pressure of outside opinions off the table. I finally stopped worrying what anyone else thinks about what or how I do things and it has really freed me to make progress . I AM OK as long I continue to move forward toward my own goals. Who knew!?!!!

ryenday

Hi, I'm 53yo, 5'4" achy, hot flashy and generally grumpy. HW 195, CW 180, GW 145 (will reassess then). I've been on MFP for around 90 days.

I hobbled out of bed one day this spring, realized I hurt all day long every day and that my weight exceeded my husbands. Dr said lose weight, get exercise but otherwise my numbers were normal so no obvious reason for overall pain and aches. Also, I'd been miserable from hot flashes on top of pain and decided I'd get healthy.

Started with nutrition. Wow I didn't realize how poor my diet was. Most everything was packaged, and OMG the sugar! And I don't even have a sweet tooth problem. Some challenge elimination diets later and I now know I feel much better with no wheat, very little other grains, and minimal dairy. So I replaced those things in my diet with veggies (a challenging task as I am a bitter "supertaster" and strongly dislike the taste of many vegetables). Results: Some aching pain goes down along with a little weight.

Moved on from nutrition to portions and calories. Man, it is totally unfair how little short, older woman can eat. I can stick to my calorie goal only by pretty much eliminating breakfast and upping protein. Thanking my lucky stars I'm not a sweet craver, that I don't binge eat, but I am spending way too much mental time trying to figure out how to afford the calories for a baked potato now and then. Results: some slow (S L O W) weight loss but at least my weight is once again less than husband.

Exercise next focus. Had already started 30 minute cardio 5 times week, but been hating every second. Told nurse friend that exercise seemed like the ultimate scam to me. I could feel no benefit to exercise other than now I could exercise a bit harder or longer before being overcome by tiredness. Great, now I can be miserable longer. My friend was appalled, obviously. Problem is I find anything that makes me sweat miserable. And, after a sweaty workout I am always tired, depressed, uncomfortable hungry and achy. How I envy people who rave about how good they feel, how much energy etc. working out brings them....

Exercise found! In my youth I liked swimming, but an ear operation when I was a young adult put a halt to all swimming. So I went to the otolaryngologist and we worked up a custom earplug. I can only do breaststroke (I must not let ANY pool water in my ear and have found that only swimming breaststroke with earplug sealed in place with vasoline + swim cap + swim headband manages that) but I don't hate it! As a matter of fact, I feel overall more energy etc. and instead of stopping the second 30 minutes are up, I'll swim 45 or 60 minutes happily!. So, next Wednesday I have personal trainer session to work out a strength training plan in the pool! Results? I now have some caloric breathing room (swimming for an hour is a nice big chunk of calories burned - so I'm using 1/2 those to pad my calorie allowance on swim days) so I guess we'll see.

So for the first time I'm hopeful. Maybe I CAN do this. Getting old IS better than the alternative... but maybe it can be more than just better than dead ...

mk2fit

@ryenday lol, you do have to work at this for it to work. For some of us, just cutting calories is enough, tho for most of us, we need some kind of exercise. I think you will find that exercise will be a huge plus in many ways. Obviously, it will help with weight loss. You will also feel great all day after a half hour or so of take your pick exercise - swimming, walking, weight training, etc. Your blood pressure will go down. Probably more stuff, but I just want to say I am not a professional anything so...
Tall, short; 10# or 100#; 20 years old or 50+. None of this makes a difference. I lost over 70# in less than a year. I have maintained that loss for nearly 2.5 years. I am 58 yrs old.
No excuses. We've got your back. Oh, yeah, and welcome

debtay123

To all the new girls- Welcome- we KNOW we can do this- it may take longer- but we have all the time in the world- just keep plugging away and the pounds will slowly go away....

Shron123

@ryenday - re vegies. We have become olive oil snobs after doing research on the oil available in most grocery stores. We get ours straight from Italy now and I love all vegetables, any vegetables saluted in olive oil w some salt and/or other seasonings. Was never a huge fan of many vegies esp cooked, but this method works wonders for me. Good luck on yr journey.

pkotterman

I can totally relate to the struggle to eat healthy and control portions. I'm not a terrible eater, and I love to cook- so portions and eliminating carbs and sweets are my real challenges. I have cut out most wheat-but it's so hard!

Eleted

Pkotterman:: I can relate to what you are saying. I too eat very healthy and cook most meals at home but it is the extras that I cannot get control over. Sweets and sugar are my addiction! I have been struggling with some low blood sugar episodes every time I cut calories. Arggghhh. So then I resort back to regular eating in an effort to feel well.
I also am care-taking for my 91 year old mother and have been putting my needs on hold. The stress gives me permission to eat high sugar foods!
I am really struggling to feel well and energized.
But... I have been successful before with MFP and IT WORKS! Now I need MEP ( my emotions pal) as a companion app! ☹️

Shron123

I started LCHF July 3rd. So far down 11 lbs and feeling pretty good ie not hungry or tired BUT really have to watch my elites especially potassium otherwise I feel horrible. That means about 1/2 to 1 1/2 tsp of No Salt per day (gag) depending on my macros but it seems to be helping. Anyone else here doing thus type of program/lifestyle?

pkotterman

Eleted wrote: »

Pkotterman:: I can relate to what you are saying. I too eat very healthy and cook most meals at home but it is the extras that I cannot get control over. Sweets and sugar are my addiction! I have been struggling with some low blood sugar episodes every time I cut calories. Arggghhh. So then I resort back to regular eating in an effort to feel well.
I also am care-taking for my 91 year old mother and have been putting my needs on hold. The stress gives me permission to eat high sugar foods!
I am really struggling to feel well and energized.
But... I have been successful before with MFP and IT WORKS! Now I need MEP ( my emotions pal) as a companion app! ☹️

@Eleted that's a lot to cope with. I am on week 2. The fist week I lost 4 lbs- the second I just stayed the same. It's how it always seems to be with me. But I'm determined and not giving up this time. Too many aches and pains and a general tired feeling- and these are already improved. I tried a one week challenge and that helped. Now I am beginning the August Fitness Challenge and am on week 1 of a 12 week walking program. It's starting slow, and making time for myself. Patience and en encouragement- that what we need! Good luck!

awebster2

Current age is 59 in Sept. March 2014 I was pushing 180 at 5'2". Started nutritionally then started hitting the gym to lift weights in April. Loved how the aches and pains seemed to just disappear. Lost forty pounds by August and then was diagnosed with breast cancer (losing the weight let me find the lump). Stuck to my nutrition plan and trained as I could around restrictions. Now three and a half years (and seventy pounds) later, I just competed in my second body building competition and am now nationally qualified! I really try to stress to people that it is never too late to start and weight training is HUGE! Age is just another excuse to be overcome. My aim next year is to be the most bad*ss sixty-year old around!

awebster2

middlehaitch wrote: »

Luluinca, thank you so much for detailing your progression. Yes, you and most people are bigger than me, I must have been a pixie in my past life.
It is the size of me that worries me, my age a bit, but I think I am approaching it correctly by working up to it, while still challenging myself, I just get a bit thrown by all the lift heavy, start with SL 5x5 etc. Heavy to me is 20 lb. it's all relative I suppose, and one has to acknowledge ones starting point and limitations.

What a great group we have here!
Even though I am maintaining, I still empathize with all who are losing, and the thread will help keep me focused on the exercise side of things- I really don't want to be a 'fall and can't get up' nana.

Cheers, h.

On some stuff I only use ten pound dumbbells and I've turned into a bodybuilder lol. Don't be afraid of weight but you have to work up to things. When I started I was doing body weight squats against a ball against the wall and bench pressing the bar itself was a challenge for the future. Baby steps. Just shoot for improvement each time, even if by one rep. When you can max out your sets, time to move up.

1Nana2many

@awebster2 Congratulations on your achievements! It is very impressive and a reminder that age doesn't have to be a barrier to anything if we are willing to put in the work! Thanks for sharing your success story! It's very inspiring! You are living proof that we are never too old and it's not too late if we just believe we are worth the effort!

fleapowder

I am 62 I originally started on MFP a couple of years and ago, I did lose about thirty pounds and then gained it back. Now I am back with a vengence so far I have lost about 9 pounds and I am keeping my intake at 1200 cal to 1600 cal. I am going through some emotional problems (separation) right now so it is easy to lose the weight. I feel so great with just that loss but expect to reach my goal of 135 from 229. Let the journey begin.

Shron123

Hey good luck on yr journey and very sorry for yr troubles. Hope yr Road smooths out

mk2fit

Been a while, just thought I'd pop in and say Hi. Still running and "bouncing" to videos. Maintaining my weight. Losing and maintaining are not too hard, just remember CICO.

griffinca2

Same here; probably will stop logging my food (on here anyway). Pretty much have the eating down. May still log the exercise though; still working on doing heavier weights.