55-65 year old women's success?

Trina2040

joy4strength wrote: »

I have a question for all you ladies that exercise regularly. I am 56 years old and my whole life I have been active. I regularly walked 4 miles a day. When I was 49, I started running, which I love to do. I have done a number of 5ks and well as a half marathon. But lately, I can't seem to be consistent in my exercise. My goals are to run 3 days a week, lift 2-3 days, walk my dogs 2 miles a day. I have the motivation, but I don't seem to have the energy I use to have. Example, Monday I ran 2 miles and lifted for 30 minutes, but yesterday I could not move. My question, how do you keep going? I think I eat sufficient calories to fuel the workouts. Do you schedule more rest days? I feel like a failure when I don't accomplish my goals. Any suggestions would be appreciated, even if it is to just suck up and do it.

I'll second what @AnnPT77 said. Have your doctor check your iron and thyroid levels. Just reading your post made me tired. Are you sure that you're fueling your activity properly by eating enough calories? Is your deficit too aggressive? You say that you think you eat sufficient calories, but are you weighing and measuring everything with a food scale? Are you trying to change too many eating/lifestyle habits too quickly. Many people take a couple of rest days by alternating heavy exercising (running/lifting) with active rest days (walking or just moving about).

I've found that even without formal exercise (gym/lifting/running) I can still maintain my 50lb loss (close to 3 years now) by just walking and staying active (20K per day). You don't have to do everything every single day. You are not a failure by any means. If you're losing weight at an acceptable rate you're winning. Slow and steady as you go.

griffinca2

ColleenRuns, You might want to add weight training to what you are already doing. It will help w/retaining your muscle (which burns calories) and you may be able to add some back (you lose muscle as you age). Start out small and do exercises you enjoy; don't worry about how much you can lift, just make sure you use correct form. There are all kinds of places to look (Bodybuilding.com, etc). Terrific job on your success! And my sister's name is Colleen!

joy4strength

AnnPT77, tammierlewis and Trina2040, thank you so much for your responses. I will take your advice and have blood tests done when I have my physical in March. I don't sleep well after a hard day of exercise, so I think I am going to try to get in a routine before bedtime to help me fall asleep. And I may be dehydrated as AnnPT77 suggested. I will make an effort to increase water consumption. And thanks AnnPT77 for saying that I am too young to be feeling this way. I try to blame my age, but then I see all you awesome women on this forum that are my age and you are "killing it" so I can't use that excuse. Thanks again

Trina2040

joy4strength wrote: »

AnnPT77, tammierlewis and Trina2040, thank you so much for your responses. I will take your advice and have blood tests done when I have my physical in March. I don't sleep well after a hard day of exercise, so I think I am going to try to get in a routine before bedtime to help me fall asleep. And I may be dehydrated as AnnPT77 suggested. I will make an effort to increase water consumption. And thanks AnnPT77 for saying that I am too young to be feeling this way. I try to blame my age, but then I see all you awesome women on this forum that are my age and you are "killing it" so I can't use that excuse. Thanks again

I wish I was your age!

jeanniebeanie59

luluinca wrote: »

Wishing all of you a very Happy Hanukah or a very Merry Christmas.............let's just celebrate!

Some of you know we moved my sister in with us over the Labor Day Weekend, she has cancer and is now on Hospice. It's a very sad moment in time for me but as things seem to work according to a more divine plan, we welcomed our new little grandson into the world 3 weeks early on Thanksgiving Eve.

My goal is to remain strong AND healthy for him and my daughter. They live in CO and I live in CA so lots of airplane trips back and forth are in my future as well as mountain hikes, it's what we do........LOL

Sharing a couple of pics just because he's so cute and so appreciated!

so so cute... happy 2018!

debtay123

ladies, we CAN do this- age will NOT be an obstacle to us setting and meeting reasonable goals. We are smart, strong and courageous so we WILL succeed. Remember every step forward COUNTS!!!!!!!

Evamutt

I've been sick since 1/4, ugh. Can hardly wait to feel well enough for exercise again

Healthy67Chick

Bump

Skyweigh

Thanks, Healthy67Chick --- I thought everyone had moved over to the young crowd at menopausal women. They do have some good posts, too, but now I am in my 60s, I want to know more about women around my age who have lost, or are losing weight. 2018 has been a slightly rough on my will to exercise, as I had flu for 2 weeks, my husband was in hospital last week, and we are actually having a "seasonal" winter here for the first time in a few years, meaning lots of snow and very cold .... Nonetheless I am determined to improve my health and stick with MFP and see what happens. Also, I decided to do Dry January this year, and now think I want to try this alcohol-free experiment for at least 3 months. While I wouldn't have described myself as a problem drinker, it certainly makes losing weight a problem for me, as I would have lots of snacks with wine. So far this year, I've lost 7-8 lbs. without too much difficulty. However, to ease into things, I did not set myself at a calorie deficit. Instead, I set my limit for maintenance calories for a woman of my ideal (healthy) weight. I figure that ultimately, as long as I don't go over, my weight has to adjust, and I'd have maintenance built right into my dietary habits by the time I get there, lol! Nonetheless, I have been eating, for the most part, at an average 300 calorie deficit, because my activity level is not that great so far. Got to get to work on that! Best wishes for success, everyone!

griffinca2

Skyweigh, Great job!! Thing of it is to make small changes you can live with and not try to change everything at once. It's a journey, not a "diet" w/an end date. Hope you & your hubby are doing better.

1Nana2many

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all staying warm and toasty and flu-free! Skyweigh: Hope you and your husband are on the mend and feeling fit soon!

It has been very quiet here of late and I must admit I have been somewhat reluctant to post because I have made some serious changes to my diet and that of my husband and mention of even thinking of doing so brought some strong opposition here and made me uncomfortable. If anyone remembers, my husband was diagnosed as diabetic in October. His fasting blood glucose came in at 127 which is the bottom number at which you are actually considered diabetic. His triglycerides were 199 and his HDL was 31. So began my journey into the care and feeding of a diabetic and since cholesterol has been a family issue for him, I also started reading about that. I can highly recommend the book DR. BERNSTEIN’S DIABETES SOLUTION written by a man who was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at the age of 12. I recently sent a copy to my nephew and his wife. He was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic the week after their wedding a year ago at the age of 24. Their lives changed drastically that week.

To make a long story shorter, my husband and I have indeed embarked on a low carb, high fat diet. Call it ketogenic, call it whatever you want. What that means if you are unaware is that we have eliminated sugar and grains from our diet and started including more fats. I will tell you that my mind really struggled with the very idea of giving up bread, because OMG I wasn’t at all sure I could live without bread and what about rice or potatoes? There goes a whole lot of recipes I love to eat! My husband is a crackeraholic...and what do you mean no more croutons on my salad? Ultimately, the changes have not been all that hard to make, but they did take a lot of label reading in search of eliminating carbs. I make him crackers from almond flour now that he loves just as much and he even throws a few on his salad in lieu of those croutons so he still has his crunch. I have started adding a few olives to my salad and leaving off the raisins I love. Full fat salad dressing for both of us.

Bottom line is this: On January 8th, my husband had more blood work done. His A1C was 5.5(normal); his triglycerides had dropped from 199 down to 87 and his HDL was starting to climb; all good things. His blood glucose is now just barely over 100 here at home. All pointing to non-diabetic and better heart health. Oh and he’s lost about 15 pounds. Please keep in mind this was during the food holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas where I know he ate a few cookies and a couple pieces of pie and we were still learning about this whole process and continue to do so. He’s not counting calories because he just doesn’t want to deal with it but I do believe he’s getting healthier and that is the entire goal. As for me, I had put back on ten pounds of the over 80 I had lost because I was absolutely starving all the time trying to maintain my weight loss. I have lost about 5 of those regained pounds and I am never hungry. Even being stressed doesn’t make me want to go raid the kitchen because my body is not telling me I’m hungry all the time now.

I’m not saying this is a diet everyone needs to follow, but for us, this is working and in this case, the proof is in the blood work. I’ll take it.

Wishing you each success as you move forward in your journey to good health. You CAN do it! And I fully believe you ARE WORTH THE EFFORT!

griffinca2

Congrats to you and your hubby on the changes. I know a couple of other folks on here that use the ketogenic diet. I believe whatever works for you and don't judge. My hubby was diagnosed a couple of years ago w/type II and uses a low-carb (no potatoes, bread, grains, etc.) diet. And BTW, the Sugar industry sponsored the research that associated fats w/heart disease and other medical problems.

luluinca

@1Nana2many, I would never judge another person's journey here. There are lots of roads to the same destination and whatever works for you and hubby is unique to the two of you. I would love it if my husband would do something proactive about his health, so to be honest, I'm a little jealous that you've been able to have an impact on him with your research and willingness to experiment with him.

Hope everyone else is having a great beginning to this year. I'm doing alright.............still taking care of my sister but it gets a little more difficult every week. Thank goodness for Hospice and a great nurse.

I started a 10 week session with a favorite trainer whom I worked with for over a year between 2014 and 2015 so that's good motivation and accountability for me. He's helping me with some mechanical issues and a few minor injuries I've been fighting. He's a former Marine and a hard a** so he keeps me honest....LOL

Enjoying the new grandson from a distance but my daughter is bringing him here at the end of the month for a visit so we're looking forward to that in a big way.

Stay Strong everyone and keep fighting for what you want! It's all attainable!

1Nana2many

Thank you for your kind words. Luluinca: I know you are going through a lot of stress while trying to care for your sister. I was in that same place last year with my brother, so please know you are in my thoughts. Wishing you both comfort. Your grandson is absolutely adorable! We are expecting number ten next summer and can’t wait! Blessings!

babbsann

Hi everyone, I’m new to this so I hope I’m posting in the right place. A little information about me: I’m 60, going to be a first time grandma any day now, my son is getting married in September so I’ve got much to look forward to. I’m married, recently stopped working, and have about 60 pounds to lose. I’ve joined weight watchers and am having difficulty losing weight with their new program. I’m hoping to lose 20 pounds at least before the wedding and wondering if that is a realistic goal. Any advice welcomed. I don’t want to shop for my dress until I lose a bit. My daughter was married 2 years ago and when I look at the photos I am saddened by the person I have become. I never had a weight issue until about 15 years ago when I became ill. Life dealt me many difficulties since then, emotionally and physically and I’m often surprised by my strength to push through. Food was my comfort. I need to be in control of my life now, not life controlling me. Am I wrong to believe that I can lose 5 pounds a month at my age?

AnnPT77

babbsann wrote: »

Hi everyone, I’m new to this so I hope I’m posting in the right place. A little information about me: I’m 60, going to be a first time grandma any day now, my son is getting married in September so I’ve got much to look forward to. I’m married, recently stopped working, and have about 60 pounds to lose. I’ve joined weight watchers and am having difficulty losing weight with their new program. I’m hoping to lose 20 pounds at least before the wedding and wondering if that is a realistic goal. Any advice welcomed. I don’t want to shop for my dress until I lose a bit. My daughter was married 2 years ago and when I look at the photos I am saddened by the person I have become. I never had a weight issue until about 15 years ago when I became ill. Life dealt me many difficulties since then, emotionally and physically and I’m often surprised by my strength to push through. Food was my comfort. I need to be in control of my life now, not life controlling me. Am I wrong to believe that I can lose 5 pounds a month at my age?

I'd need more information to answer confidently, I'm afraid. There are a couple of rules of thumb people here often use about safe/sensible weight loss.

One is that one should lose no more than 1% of body weight per week. The other is that, when you get within about 50 pounds of ultimate goal weight, it can be good to slow things down, say to 1.5 pounds/week at 50 remaining, 1 pound at around 25, 0.5 pounds at about 10 - something like that.

A sensible weight loss rate is especially important for women our age, so even those guidelines may be aggressive. Losing too fast risks higher levels of muscle and bone loss, and those are harder/slower to regain for us, but ultra-important to our well being.

I lost 60 pounds initially in just under a year (at age 59-60), and for a short time unintentionally lost too fast - got fatigued and weak. Fortunately, I corrected as soon as I realized, so there don't seem to have been long-term consequences.

You can certainly lose enough by September to make a very material change in your appearance and vitality, and improvement will be especially good if you include an effective exercise program. Strength training tends to give the most rapid appearance improvements the most quickly, and as a bonus helps with bone health and other issues that can profoundly affect our well being over the next couple of decades of our lives.

You can do this - best wishes!

griffinca2

babbsann, I agree w/Ann and would like to add the following: You're never too old to make changes and lose the weight. I would say make small changes (that you can live with) over time rather than trying to follow a "diet" plan like Weight Watchers or ditch all the foods you love to eat (eat them, but in moderation). Once you have lost the weight you want to be able to maintain the loss and not gain it back. I still splurge (pizza, cake, hamburger/fries, etc.), but don't do it often. I'm over 60 and my 11 lb loss (I was aiming for abt 8 or 9) happened after I passed 60 (took less than abt six months). Agree w/Ann that you have enough time between now & September to make changes to your appearance & vitality.

bikecheryl

@babbsann first congrats on your soon to be first grandchild!! Our first grandchild is due In April and I also have a son getting married this fall.

babbsann

Thanks bikecheryl congratulations to you as well. Exciting times.

debtay123

Hello Ladies.
first off- I have been taking care of my 93 year old mother who had to spend some time in the hospital-(heart troubles) we have finally got them sorted out a little- please pray.....
1nana2many- first know that I am so happy that the changes made to your husband's diet has been effective- we are not going to judge you or anyone for your choices- Keto is very effective for some people- Yay- that you found what works- Health is the most important thing.
babbsann- I think you can lose weight(whether with weight watchers or whatever plan you decide on ) and make effective changes as well- just do your best- most of all enjoy the wedding with your family . When you decide to buy a dress choose one that makes you feel attractive and remember it is an awesome occasion- and do not let weight loss or lack of it- "spoil it" for you-
So glad this thread is ressurrected it.