55-65 year old women's success?

etremoi53

Just found this thread. 56 yrs old here. The issues are just different when you are past menopause as you all have noted. Over the summer I upped my exercise a lot and hiked 18-24 miles per week. I felt and looked more toned but did not lose a pound! This really speaks to the need to do portion and caloric control in order to lose actual poundage. I have been on MFP for several years and found a group I like but I have not found the will power necessary to log consistently and to commit to every day caloric restriction. Until I can do that, I can see I will not be successful. I don't know what it is going to take to get me motivated to do it.
I bookmarked this thread. Perhaps it will help. It is good to see some success happening with many of you.

ReJoyceDP

Hello all! I am 61 and at least 80 pounds overweight. I am also a weight loss surgery failure! That is a long story and I won't bore you with all the details. I have renewed commitment to getting a minimum of 60 pounds off. I would appreciate friend requests and support. I have gently moved myself back into healthy eating mode, with my first step being giving up all soft drinks and increasing water intake. Happily that has spurred me quickly on to starting to log my food today. I plan to tackle exercise this week also, so this week's goals are to exercise at least three times and log everything I eat and drink. I will have weekly goals that are related to behavior rather than pounds lost. I know if I make the right choices the weight will begin to go down, even though it will be slower than when I was 20 or even 40 years old. Anyone that wants to friend me is welcome to do so and I welcome all feedback and encouragement. I will do likewise with you, but should caution that I am in the midst of a divorce and have recently started my own business. The divorce has some emotional stress, but not that much. It is as friendly as any divorce can get. The business on the other hand is very demanding, some days I may not have time to comment on your posts or diary entries. I will do my best to respond to everyone at least twice a week. Another thing to keep in mind is that due to having had gastric bypass surgery, I do have specific ways I need to eat to keep healthy. Basically the formula is to eat protein first, veggies second and complex carbs last. My protein count should be between 70-80 grams daily and my carbohydrate count should be less than 80 grams. I'm happy to have found this discussion group and would welcome some friend requests. Happy losing! Joyce

snowflake930

I am 63, I joined MFP on 3/12/12. I was morbidly obese @ 290#. Wearing size 24W (which was tight). I am a size 10 (some brands size 8) now, and have been maintaining @ about 130# for 14 months. It wasn't easy, but it is not easy for anyone, no matter your age. I tried many times over the years, but very rarely made past a few days. Maybe once I made it to two weeks. I totally bought into the premise "it is hard to lose after 40", and simply gave up. When I started here, the success stories gave me hope, and the confidence, that I could do this too. Especially the success stories of those over 40, but really everyone's success gave me the incentive to keep going. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without becoming out of breath. I did not begin to move more until I had been on MFP for about 7 months and had lost 90#. For the past year, I have been getting 18,000 to 20,000 steps daily on my fitbit. I truly think that the major difference for me was using MFP.

I think that losing weight is doable for anyone, at any age, without any health issues that will limit their ability to do so. You just have to want it, and persevere, and it will happen. The hardest part of this for me has been maintenance for the past 14 months. Losing was easy compared to maintaining. I will be one of the people that has to continue to monitor and log for the rest of my life.

One thing I want to mention, is I have been doing this with my doctors approval and help. I have done it strictly through counting calories, and moving more. No fad diets, pills, or surgical procedures. Some older people do not need as many calories as younger people, and this is something that I have found to be true for me as well. With my doctors approval, I am eating at maintenance about 1500-1800 calories per day. For me, if I go above this amount, I begin to gain. For exercise, I mostly walk/hike, use the treadmill or elliptical, and work out with light weights. I do not do heavy lifting.

SbetaK

sodakat wrote: »

So great to read posts from DETERMINED women instead of women with excuses. Thanks so much for detailing what keeps you going everyone! I'm excited to see what I can accomplish in 2015.

Agree with you, sodakat. Excuses, no matter how valid they sound, just delay your progress. Somewhere else in these forums was a quote that said "the only thing keeping you from success is yourself". I put it above my computer to look at every morning.

luluinca

@ snowflake............you're what MFP is all about. Congratulations on your success and maintaining. I agree with you about the success stories...........I'm inspired everyday and I completely agree with your "no fad diets, pills, or surgical procedures" prescription.

Good luck to everyone just checking this thread. I think we're one of the hot topics on MFP this weekend.

<<ETA, finally put up a current pic from today!

bluesdivaca

Hello to all-

I am happy to find all of you. I am 54 and will be 55 this year... please... don't boot me out!

My history is so long I am not going to bore any of you with it. I am committed this year to moving at least 10 minutes daily. Of course I usually move more, but sometimes I have to play games with myself to change my thinking and behaviors!

MFP links with my iPhone and syncs with all of my devices so this assists my nerdiness and keeps me honest. I am committed to making this year as successful as 2009 was for me. I lost weight, got fit and maintained that until 2013-14. Sometimes we have bad years because bad things happen. I chose to cope with ice cream.

Happy NY to all - and I look forward to finding success with all of you.

maryellendeen

snowflake930 wrote: »

I am 63, I joined MFP on 3/12/12. I was morbidly obese @ 290#. Wearing size 24W (which was tight). I am a size 10 (some brands size 8) now, and have been maintaining @ about 130# for 14 months. It wasn't easy, but it is not easy for anyone, no matter your age. I tried many times over the years, but very rarely made past a few days. Maybe once I made it to two weeks. I totally bought into the premise "it is hard to lose after 40", and simply gave up. When I started here, the success stories gave me hope, and the confidence, that I could do this too. Especially the success stories of those over 40, but really everyone's success gave me the incentive to keep going. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without becoming out of breath. I did not begin to move more until I had been on MFP for about 7 months and had lost 90#. For the past year, I have been getting 18,000 to 20,000 steps daily on my fitbit. I truly think that the major difference for me was using MFP.

I think that losing weight is doable for anyone, at any age, without any health issues that will limit their ability to do so. You just have to want it, and persevere, and it will happen. The hardest part of this for me has been maintenance for the past 14 months. Losing was easy compared to maintaining. I will be one of the people that has to continue to monitor and log for the rest of my life.

One thing I want to mention, is I have been doing this with my doctors approval and help. I have done it strictly through counting calories, and moving more. No fad diets, pills, or surgical procedures. Some older people do not need as many calories as younger people, and this is something that I have found to be true for me as well. With my doctors approval, I am eating at maintenance about 1500-1800 calories per day. For me, if I go above this amount, I begin to gain. For exercise, I mostly walk/hike, use the treadmill or elliptical, and work out with light weights. I do not do heavy lifting.

maryellendeen

Thanks for sharing, I am new here and stories like yours are very encouraging.

sun_fish

PianoRun wrote: »

Looking for some inspiration. I lost my "chronic" 40 lbs of overweight with reasonable ease at age 45, and maintained for a couple of years. However, my motivation at this age is different, and is my ability to exercise with the same intensity has also decreased. Now, i don't want to hear all that stuff about how "age is just a number" -- There are many physical and emotional differences between women who have passed through menopause and those who are in their youth or who are pre-menopausal.... perhaps as many as between girls before menarche and teenagers who are growing into women. Anyway, I would be really interested in hearing from post-menopausal women who have lost significant weight and their experiences with that. Congratulations and high-fives to you all and your efforts!

I haven't read all the comments, but the ones I did read sound like you have a great dialogue going on with a lot of inspiring success stories. I thought I'd add my own experience.

While I am not in the age bracket your post states - I did lose 68 pounds while going through and reaching menopause (age 50-52, I am now 53). I was overweight on and off my whole life, finally reaching my highest weight which put me in the obese category before getting serious and making drastic habit changes in regards to food, both eating and my beliefs surrounding food.

I believe there is some decrease in metabolism as we age, but I think for me the bigger problem was that I had habits that were solidly established for decades. Those habits were extremely difficult to change, in fact I am still working on it after 3 years. Also my beliefs surrounding food was very much all or nothing - so eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without regard to nutrition or calories, OR a restrictive diet that was not sustainable for very long and viewing foods as good or bad, which would lead back to overindulgence. I lost by eating sensibly, paying attention to calories and macros, while allowing myself "treats" and learning moderation with those.

You're welcome to check my profile page for before/after pictures.

middlehaitch

It really is lovely reading everyone's stories.
Those who have struggled all their lives,
those who have made incredible strides going from morbidly obese/ obese to normal BMI,
those who have discovered exercise, cardio, and strength,
those who were suddenly challenged by middle age spread,
and those sidelined by health problems, but overcome.

Peri, menopausal, and post, we are all committing to being a better version of ourself, and helping others along the way.

I am not a big 'friend' person, and as some of you know, I have never had a severe weight problem, but I have lost my 30lb, and maintained it for 5 years.

I am 61yo, 5'1, maintain at 100-105lb, and do both cardio and weight bearing exercise.
SW 130, at a menopausal 55, GW 105, achieved at 56, now maintain.

If you would like a friend who believes that commitment is what it takes to achieve ones goals, please feel free to add me.
( mention this thread or I probably won't respond)

Biggest revelation: lift heavy means; lift what is heavy for you, and build on that.

Cheers, h.

cathy120861

i have been so inspired by reading this discussion and am wondering if we should turn it into a group. This would have the advantage of making it easier to organize discussions of specific topics (like lifting, for example) and allowing us to do searches. it might also make us easier to find. There are already groups for 60 year olds and for near/post menopausal. This new group would have a broader age range and would not use menopause as our defining factor.

Let me know what you think, please.

lovesretirement

cathy120861 wrote: »

i have been so inspired by reading this discussion and am wondering if we should turn it into a group. This would have the advantage of making it easier to organize discussions of specific topics (like lifting, for example) and allowing us to do searches. it might also make us easier to find. There are already groups for 60 year olds and for near/post menopausal. This new group would have a broader age range and would not use menopause as our defining factor.

Let me know what you think, please.

I'm in. I would like the support and sharing of ideas/strategies of what works for different people. Connection to others is what could have been missing in my efforts when I first began MFP...that and just being tired of the struggle.

Connie

cowleyl

I'd like to join. I'm 62 and have lost around 23 kg and would like to lose another 18 or so.

trina1049

I'm in also!

PianoRun

Good idea to make it a group -- maybe that would make it easier to maintain continuity with each other. I started this thread pretty much as a look-see, because I hadn't seen a lot of success stories that I could identify with now.

dianeEESI

I don't know how to join a group but would love to ... Please post the how to's:)

sodakat

Has anyone figured out a way to search the groups? I'm concerned no one would find us and in my experience groups that don't have constant chatter fail quickly. The reason so many of us posted on this thread was because we could find it, right? I mean whenever someone posts it goes to the top of the recent discussions list, and also bumps up in the sub forum its in.

I'm so appreciative of those who have achieved their goal and kept using MFP in maintenance years, adding to this thread. Although its hard for me to *really* imagine being at goal weight, I know I will get there because counting calories works for me. Maintaining a weight loss is something I've never done for any length of time. I think I have the tools to do it now however.

eyegirl777va

46Phil wrote: »

I'm 56 and have 100lbs to lose. I am inspired by all these posts. Please feel free to add me as a friend--just let me know that you saw me in this thread.

cathy120861 wrote: »

i have been so inspired by reading this discussion and am wondering if we should turn it into a group. This would have the advantage of making it easier to organize discussions of specific topics (like lifting, for example) and allowing us to do searches. it might also make us easier to find. There are already groups for 60 year olds and for near/post menopausal. This new group would have a broader age range and would not use menopause as our defining factor.

Let me know what you think, please.

teeseeytopcat wrote: »

Hello PianoRun! I'll be turning 60 in a few months & have lost 30 pounds since joining MFP in April. Slow but steady & even though I see lots of folks reporting incredible amounts of weight loss in short periods of time, I believe us more mature gals experience weight loss at a slower rate & that's perfectly fine with me.

Add me as a friend if you'd like!

All the best.

PianoRun

Golden Globes 2015 older women

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 53
The Good Wife‘s Christine Baranski, 62
Helen Mirren, 69
Jane Fonda, 77

luluinca

I'm happy just leaving this the way it is (if you bookmark it by clicking on the little yellow star at the top of this post you can find it whenever you want in the community section by clicking the little grey star at the very top of the page) unless someone really wants to begin a new group. If you do, once you join you can just go to the community heading at the top of the page and then click on "groups" and the ones you're a member of show up automatically.

I've hesitated mentioning this but I'm the moderator of a group called "Fifty, Female and Fun" which we started a little over a year ago. We have a little over 170 members but only about 10 of us participate daily or weekly.

I didn't want to appear as though I was hijacking this thread but if anyone wants to join I think you can just join, if not I can send an invite I think. I didn't start the group but somehow I've become the one in charge............LOL, not my original intention.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/18105-fifty-female-and-fun

Otherwise, I'll be happy to continue on here the way it is or if someone wants to begin a new group I'll particulate that way.

We do weekly weigh ins, a monthly nutrition and fitness challenge (of our own individual choosing), a monthly chat post and then anyone can just start a post of whatever subject they want as well. But again, I'm not trying to move everyone from here to there. I just felt I should put it out there.

luluinca

@ PianoRun, those are some really stunning women.

PianoRun

Also, debneeds2beskinny mentioned an existing group for 60 plus women, so I guess there couldbe a lot of overlap -- I'm not sure what the commitments are for joining a group, but I just requested membership in that one, being newly 60. So far, maybe because this post is still new, we're getting some good action right here on the message board (thanks, Ladies!)

cathy120861

luluinca wrote: »

I'm the moderator of a group called "Fifty, Female and Fun" which we started a little over a year ago. We have a little over 170 members but only about 10 of us participate daily or weekly.

I didn't want to appear as though I was hijacking this thread but if anyone wants to join I think you can just join, if not I can send an invite I think. I didn't start the group but somehow I've become the one in charge............LOL, not my original intention.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/18105-fifty-female-and-fun

We do weekly weigh ins, a monthly nutrition and fitness challenge (of our own individual choosing), a monthly chat post and then anyone can just start a post of whatever subject they want as well. But again, I'm not trying to move everyone from here to there. I just felt I should put it out there.

I love the idea of having this thread meld with an already existing group -- much simpler and more organic. the only problem is that more than half of the folks here are in their '60s and it wouldnt be right to exclude them. thoughts?

luluinca

@ Cathy, it's for anyone over 50 or close to fifty even. We're pretty open. I'm 64. We all have at least similar issues, menopause not being the only one of course.

Whatever everyone wants to do is fine with me.

grandmamere

PianoRun wrote: »

Golden Globes 2015 older women

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 53
The Good Wife‘s Christine Baranski, 62
Helen Mirren, 69
Jane Fonda, 77

Saw Jane Fonda last night and my mouth dropped. I mean really she looks stunning PERIOD.
Then my thought went to "Has she had any kind of surgeries(s)?"
I kept looking at her neck and wondered how she kept it froming looking"old"'
Then I stopped my thoughts and was still impressed with her appearance!

fatcitizen

I think making a group would be great....

FishyK

I just joined the 50, female, fun group and will continue following this thread. Thanks!

middlehaitch

I have no experience whatsoever in groups, I am happy to find a group of people of a similar age though.
Whichever way we go, I will follow.
Cheers, h.

happyloser58

I'm almost 57 and need to lose 70 lbs. like many of you, I have battled weight all my adult life. Ready to get fit and healthy!

karen0214

I found this thread yesterday and I'm so glad I did. I haven't had a chance to read everything yet, but will be back to do so. It is great to find others who are in my age group who are dealing with menopause and other similar issues. I am feeling very inspired!