55-65 year old women's success?

lovesretirement

Hi ladies...I definitely agree with all that’s been mentioned about weight lifting/strength training. My why is simply staying mobile as I age, and lifting is empowering! Hasfit.com has great workouts for every fitness level (senior to advanced and even chair)to include strength training/weight lifting, cardio, rehabilitation, and high/low impact workouts on YouTube. I supplement these workouts with Zumba and water aerobics, but they could easily be your entire program as they frequently add new workouts a few times a month. Check it out!

amazsplendor

Thank you for the suggestions @lovesretirement!

marjtrewin

Hello ladies, how many calories do you allow yourselves per day. I tried restricting to 1200, not always doable.

AnnPT77

marjtrewin wrote: »

Hello ladies, how many calories do you allow yourselves per day. I tried restricting to 1200, not always doable.

My goal is 1850 + exercise but actual maintenance is 2000 or so + exercise. (Right now I'm trying for a slow loss to make up for over-indulgence in recent months, but my general maintenance strategy is to eat a little under most days in order to indulge on occasional days).

Most of my initial 50 pounds or so loss was at 1400-1600 plus exercise.

Evamutt

My maintenance cal is 1700, which I have been living on since last Nov but decided to start eating at a deficit again started last Monday, so it's 1440 for 1/2 lb/wk. Did great the first 3 days & yesterday I was just hungry. I did lose almost 1 lb this week tho. I also got sick again & finished another round of antibiotics so I'll be working out again soon

bikecheryl

Hi.... I was at 1350 for the last 11 months and lost 100 lbs.

I've recently taken it down to 1250 to rid myself of the last 30lbs to goal.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole "when you weigh less you don't need as many calories per day" along with the "you weigh less so you don't burn as many calories doing the same exercise".

I am so looking forward to maintenance.

griffinca2

Agree w/the above; you don't want to under eat for your body's needs. You may want to re-adjust your cals up some (depending on your height, etc). Read on some fitness sight that you don't want to set your cals too low when first starting on a program; doesn't leave much wiggle room when you get closer to your goal and need to cut back more to lose the last few lbs. I'm 60+, in maintenance and eat close to 1700 cals a day; but I lift weights three days a week. Experiment and see what happens. If you're hungry a lot may mean you're under eating. Good luck.

tlawsonlpn3

Is this group still going? The posts look old. I am 55 and and BEYOND frustrated with trying to lose #. I have never had a weigh problem but I can not manage to get these 15 pounds off.been trying for 2 years. As of Feb started really working out and tracking cals. I am now running 2-4 miles daily, keeping cals at or below 1200 (other than cheat days) and nothing!!! I am more fit and energized now but this is rediculous. 150 lbs does not seem unreasonable, just appearantly, imposible. Thanks ladies for sharing!

kjurassic

I check in on this group from time to time. The less you have to lose, the longer it seems to take. You seem to be doing the right thing. Just keep at it - it WILL happen!

adotbaby

I just started MFP 2 weeks ago and lost 5 pounds already. At 55, 5'4", I need to lose another 60 to my ideal weight. It's definitely more challenging to lose weight now compared to when I was 25. Tracking is vital; it really boosts my motivation. Reading these posts has been all the difference tho. All of us have struggled with weight, but not feeling alone is the real prize. So many don't appreciate good health until they have health issues. I want to stay healthy, but improve my health by losing weight. Thank you, ladies, for the inspiration and solidarity. Keep up the good work.

AnnPT77

tlawsonlpn3 wrote: »

Is this group still going? The posts look old. I am 55 and and BEYOND frustrated with trying to lose #. I have never had a weigh problem but I can not manage to get these 15 pounds off.been trying for 2 years. As of Feb started really working out and tracking cals. I am now running 2-4 miles daily, keeping cals at or below 1200 (other than cheat days) and nothing!!! I am more fit and energized now but this is rediculous. 150 lbs does not seem unreasonable, just appearantly, imposible. Thanks ladies for sharing!

Welcome!

The thread started a long time ago, but the most recent post was only 2 days ago: We're still here.

Don't be discouraged: The last pounds are more challenging for many people.

In particular, for those using calorie counting, the margin for accuracy gets tighter, especially if we're (sensibly) trying to lose the last few pounds at 0.5 pounds/week or slower. Not knowing how new you are to this, I'll add some particulars that I (and others) have noted:

* Normal daily weight fluctuations (mostly water weight) can mask a slow loss rate. A weight trending app can be a help (Happy Scale for iOS, Libra for Android, Trendweight).
* Cheat days or meals can easily wipe out other days' calorie deficits. Eating over routine goal on some days can be a hrlpful strategy, but logging it, even if estimated, can help reveal the impact.
* For those not already doing it, weighing food, when practical, is a good source of insight. Once you know the tricks, it's also quicker and easier than measuring cups, and definitely more accurate than either cups or eyeballing.

If your running routine just started in February, you could still be holding onto a bit of "new workout routine" water weight. This is as perfectly normal and healthy thing, but as I mentioned earlier, it can temporarily hide your far loss from you.

Best wishes!

Evamutt

took me months to lose 2 lbs (8 more to go)

Skyweigh

I am 63 and have been back on MFP since New Years. By the end of February I had lost 10 lbs. This probably was due to losing extra holiday weight gain -- not to mention, I decided to do Dry January, and then just kept going. Not being a heavy drinker, it did not seem necessary to make this change before, but now, even though I thought I enjoyed my wine o'clock times, I find the AF (alcohol-free) lifestyle is preferable. Decided also not to eat at a deficit, but at maintenance for my ideal weight (1800 calories). However, I was very inactive for several reasons, and did not eat up to that level most of the time, but generally was around 1500 calories or less. Now, the scale hasn't shown any loss for the last 3 weeks, but there have been a lot of poor dietary choices that would account for that.

Nonetheless, I have been logging faithfully as possible, and I think it helps to keep things from going too far out of control. I am inspired -- again! --- by the ladies above, and finally walked my *kitten* to the gym! Before that -- again, for many "reasons" -- I was at a point of thinking I should cancel my membership because I wasn't using it. However, the rate is very good, and I enjoy it when I'm there, but it was necessary to go after a hiatus and break the ice again. Glad I did.

spande345

I am amazed by all your stories. I can't seem to lose a single ounce of weight even with deliberate tracking.
I think it is the home made Indian food which contains 15 ingredients and I am not sure the food entries I make are accurate. Help!!

bikecheryl

spande345 wrote: »

I am amazed by all your stories. I can't seem to lose a single ounce of weight even with deliberate tracking.
I think it is the home made Indian food which contains 15 ingredients and I am not sure the food entries I make are accurate. Help!!

How much are you wanting to lose?

Sometimes just cutting out certain foods or cutting back on portion sizes can help.

Skyweigh

spande345 wrote: »

I am amazed by all your stories. I can't seem to lose a single ounce of weight even with deliberate tracking.
I think it is the home made Indian food which contains 15 ingredients and I am not sure the food entries I make are accurate. Help!!

We eat a lot of Indian (Pakistani) food, but I modified the way it is made it for the sake of my husband's heart and cholesterol issues (not to mention my own overweight!).

If you do make it yourself, then try frying the onions with less (half) the oil you normally would use, and use the recipe builder on MFP. I realize these foods need oil/ghee to carry the deliciousness, the flavour of blended spices, garlic, ginger, etc. In some ways, this food is very economical budget-wise and calorie wise, as you can use minimal meat, and increase the vegetables of all kinds, and a small amount can be satisfying. Of course, one does have to minimize or cut out the deep fried samosas and pakoras, but these can also be prepared with less oil and baked. I think all this food will sit better with most people with greatly reduced amounts of fats used.

You can check for recipes online for healthier versions of your favourites.

However, if you are not satisfied with the versions of Indian food modified for calorie control, or if you do not cook it yourself, or cannot ask the person cooking it to control the amount of oil used, then you need to minimalize portion sizes -- of course, best to always be mindful of portion sizes. I know that I can do with less of most things and still be satisfied, and this is something I really have to work on myself!

mreichert59

Hi all. I am 64 years old. I started on MFP June 15, 2017. I have lost 60 lbs since i started. I must say doing this program was very easy for me. I was surprised. I do not go hungry at all. I sometimes have problems eating enough to get up to at least the 1000 calories a day. I have not given up any of my foods. As long as i program everything in it is easy to follow. When i started the program i didn't like to excercise and i still don't but what i do like is to walk which is still excercise but not real assertive. I started out slow and worked my way up from one mile a day to 5 miles a day. Now that it is winter i do not go for walks. I do not run or jog i just walk. This coming summer i plan on getting a season pass for the pool and when i am done working for the day i can walk to the pool do some swimming and then walk home again. The thing i found that was very helpful is i eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I also have a snack at night. By starting to eat in the morning i found it gets the metabolism going and i think that was one of the main reasons i started loosing. It is great. I eat plenty throughout the day and i can say i do not go hungry. When i started on MFP i was 200 lbs. I am now 140 and i went from a size 16 pants to an 8. I have done it in 9 months. That is what is so fantastic. I was totally thrilled this past Saturday when i met up with a group of people i used to go out karaoke with. They have not seen me in two years. What really was fantastic is when they saw me and realized it was me they actually asked where the other half of me was. Once you set your mind to it you all can succeed like i did. I am happy with my weight as it is right now. If i get to 135 that would be ok but if not i am totally thrilled with my accomplishment. Hope all of you are as successful as i have been. I am here if you need incouragement. That helps a great deal from all the MFP friends.

spande345

thanks for all your replies: mreichert59, skyweigh and bikecheryl. I am at 152 and only 5'.1". I need to lose 30 pounds to feel good about my weight. I am maintaining it by logging what I eat and water aerobics 3 times a week plus walks around the neighborhood. I want to find a more accurate way of what the recipe counts for. Ex. cauliflower and potato subji ( Indian) made with a table spoon of oil) should have how many calories say for a cup?
Can anyone help me with that? Much appreciated.

Skyweigh

spande345 wrote: »

thanks for all your replies: mreichert59, skyweigh and bikecheryl. I am at 152 and only 5'.1". I need to lose 30 pounds to feel good about my weight. I am maintaining it by logging what I eat and water aerobics 3 times a week plus walks around the neighborhood. I want to find a more accurate way of what the recipe counts for. Ex. cauliflower and potato subji ( Indian) made with a table spoon of oil) should have how many calories say for a cup?
Can anyone help me with that? Much appreciated.

I think there is a thread that will help explain further how to do this. In addition there is a recipe thread/food and nutrition section.

You have to determine the number of servings ... so if you make 4 cups at a time (4 servings) you input everything in the manual entry for Recipes on this site under the food tab -- I don't know if you can do this on mobile -- I use desktop for it.... You can also import recipes but it never works for me; I just use manual entry, and carefully look at the "matched" ingredients, and replace them when necessary.

As a for instance: For your Subji, I input 1 large cauliflower, 3 medium potatoes, 1 T oil, 1 medium raw onion, 5 cloves garlic (I forgot ginger, but not too many calories in ginger!) and garam masala (most spices aren't high in calories, but you can add whatever you use)..... Calculated on 4 servings --- it comes only to 183 per serving --- not bad, but if you use tomato paste, or Patak's paste or whatever, you add that in too. One tablespoon of oil for 4 servings is very modest; it can still be good, but you could add more.
Then you calculate for your rice or naan.

As I said, there is more helpful info elsewhere on MFP about using these features, but the above is just an example. The more accurate you are, the more accurate your calorie count. It takes a bit of time, but I have found it really gives insight into what we use in our cooking.

spande345

Thanks so much Skyweigh!! I am feeling encouraged. Maybe I will try to find recipes that tell me the calorie content and make them exactly like that. Nowadays, we don't always find recipes with calorie content.