55-65 year old women's success?
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I'm 62 and lost 50 lbs 2 yrs ago. I regained about 15 lbs which Im working on. I follow a strict low carb plan and practice portion control, thank you mfp. My body just cannot handle carbs anymore; bloating, joint pain, weight gain all occur. I bought a treadmill which I use 2-3x a week - would like to do some strength training, which I did during my weight loss and got away from. I work a sedentary job as an analyst.2
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Thank you!!!!!2 -
Wow, so very nice to see so many new peeps on this thread. Welcome! The best thing about this thread is everyone is non-judgmental and very supportive! Stick with us, ladies, and you will agree.1
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Welcome new faces! Think of how the world has changed in our life-time! These days we can google ANYTHING and here we are to get a little support on our journey to better health. This is something our parents never had. I was just filling in my food diary and noticed I have been logging now for 414 days. It made me think about some of the things I have learned or perhaps reaffirmed since being an active participant in my own health. Like most of you, I started out pessimistically hopeful when I decided to give MFP a try. I have been overweight to some extent since puberty hit and definitively since giving birth to four children! I just never seemed to have the time to devote to putting my own health or a healthy weight anywhere near the top of my "important things to do" list. My way of dealing with stress was to feed it, smother it with sugar or snack it into submission. I still struggle with this occasionally, but I am getting better at valuing myself enough to know that if I want to be around to enjoy these "golden" years, then I need to take care of myself. A few of the things I've reaffirmed since starting MFP:
You CAN have your cake and eat it too...as long as it fits within your daily calories! Eat foods you love, but in amounts that fit into you daily calorie goal. Balance a heavy meal with a light meal.
An old dog CAN learn new tricks...(though I don't really consider myself either old or a dog) just know that you CAN learn to control how much food you are putting in you mouth and balance the day.
Use it or lose it is particularly true when you get into this age range...do something physical everyday to avoid losing muscle mass...don't sit around and vegetate if you want to stay mobile and limber...use those muscles or lose them!
Rome was NOT built in one day...it took a while to gain the weight, it will take a while to lose it...your own dedication to staying within your daily calorie goal will determine your rate of success.
If you fall off the horse, get back up, dust yourself off and get back on...every day is a new day to start eating healthy...every meal can be the new beginning. Just keep showing up every single day.
Get your head in the game...this is not about will power in my opinion. It is about "me power". I finally told myself that only I have the power to do something about my weight. That something for me was to value myself enough to know that I am worth the effort every day it takes to get and stay healthy. I raised my children on the phrase "value yourself enough to not just go along for the ride when others make bad choices". I'm a little angry it took me until I was nearly 60 years old to value myself enough to get my own eating under control. I feel and look so much better since I dropped 80 pounds of comfort fat that was making me miserably uncomfortable. So get your head in the game and it will make a huge difference. Love yourself enough to want to do your best to be the best you you can be. YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Anybody else want to add to my list of cliches? I'm sure others can be more creative than I am!
I am now optimistically positive that MFP can be a great tool to use and if you are honest with yourself about what you are really eating and log it all, you can lose weight and gain a new outlook on the role food plays in your life. In the mean time, just keep logging away...
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I'm 62 and lost 50 lbs 2 yrs ago. I regained about 15 lbs which Im working on. I follow a strict low carb plan and practice portion control, thank you mfp. My body just cannot handle carbs anymore; bloating, joint pain, weight gain all occur. I bought a treadmill which I use 2-3x a week - would like to do some strength training, which I did during my weight loss and got away from. I work a sedentary job as an analyst.
You might want to check out this group:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
It is restricted because some people would join and bash the low carb eating style, not helpful to anyone. If you are interested in learning more about low carb, that is the best group to join.0 -
1Nana2many wrote: »(much goodness snipped by reply-er, for length)
Anybody else want to add to my list of cliches? I'm sure others can be more creative than I am!
I'd add:
Try stuff. Anything you've always wanted to do, but thought you couldn't (or shouldn't).
And this: Persistence and effort make up for talent, big time.
Leav room to surprise yourself. You will! 3 -
To all of you who may not have read @1Nana2014 's post...go back and read it now. She is spot on!2
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Menopause has kicked my behind. I just started and it is so hard. The weight is tough to get off but I am not giving up!5
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Agree w/Nana, Ann, & mk2fit; do what works for you, not some meal plan from some magazine (or online), etc. that have you eating five or six times a day. I eat three meals a day w/one small snack between lunch & dinner and an extra snack on the days I workout after I get back home from the gym.
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Pamela2234mfp wrote: »Menopause has kicked my behind. I just started and it is so hard. The weight is tough to get off but I am not giving up!
@Pamela2234mfp : Hang in there! Those hormones can do a number on your body and in your head! It does get better! As does the effort to lose weight. The first couple weeks were the hardest for me, but if you stick with it, the logging gets easier because you start building up a database of your frequent foods and the feeling of being starving starts to dissipate as your stomach starts to get used to the smaller meal size. After about three weeks, if you go back to the old large meal, you will feel a lot fuller than you want to feel. Keep that glass of water handy for a while to sip on when you start to think you're hungry. When I first started, I adopted the strategy of having a drink of water and waiting thirty minutes before I ate anything if it wasn't meal time and it really helped me mentally to know that if I was still hungry in thirty minutes I could go eat something then. Usually it was actually time to eat a meal when that time was up. The hardest habit for me to deal with even now, is not to snack myself through the rest of my daily calories. When you know you only get so many calories in a day, you really start to value what is worth having as a snack and what is not. Hope this makes some sense! You can do it!3 -
Adding to nana's list:
Best is best. If you are not perfect that is no excuse to stop. Just do it, and do your best. If you can't pick up a dumbbell that weighs 8 lbs. pick up a 2 or 3 lb. and work your way up. If you can't walk a mile, start with around the block, do what you can do. If you can't eat perfect every meal, just do it this meal. And keep doing your best until you arrive at the best you can be.7 -
Work up to three days of strength/power training along with 4 days of cardio(45 minutes per) forever. Baby steps and small wins lead to big changes! I'm 61 and I am in the best shape of my life. It is a lifestyle, a cliche but true.Pamela2234mfp wrote: »Menopause has kicked my behind. I just started and it is so hard. The weight is tough to get off but I am not giving up!8 -
Shiny, You are so right; it is a lifestyle, not a project or "diet" with an end date. And if you mess up, tomorrow is another day. Good luck on your journey and we're here for you!! 2
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I agree! Menopause has kicked my butt too ! I am in week 3 of my lifestyle change. Cardio has become my best friend and frenime. Each day is a victory. Day by day.4
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@Landofkim Just keep showing up every day and you will keep moving in the right direction.3
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So nice to meet all of you! My name is Birgit and I just turned 62 last week. I'm 6ft tall, weighed 305 when I started MFP last April. Over the past 10.5 mos I lost 101 lbs, simply by eating healthfully and tracking calories. When I started, I could barely move. After I lost maybe 15 lbs, I started walking. And kept on walking and walking and walking. My Fitbit is my best friend. Well, along with my dog who accompanies most of those walks. And my husband who always cheers me on, pushes me out of bed in the mornings when I don't feel like walking, and often researches and suggests new hikes in the woods for us to explore. I feel good and strong and healthy - a year ago I could never have imagined myself to be at this place! Life is good!15
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Brigit, Wow; congrats on your progress!! Keep at it and you'll reach your goals; and if you mess up (and you will)--tomorrow is another day. 3
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Great work Birgit! I like the way you stated that "simply by eating healthfully and tracking calories " That is exactly how I feel about it too! This is not rocket science! Sometimes I think we are on information overload! There are so many people telling us to eat this way or that way but mostly I still eat the same foods I ate when I was gaining the weight...I just eat less of it now. And I move more now. And I don't mean by exercising myself to death! I just make sure I am moving more. Congratulations on your success and best wishes as you continue to move forward.2
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Congratulations! Birgit..and so many others. MFP along with fitbit has ben a great motivator for me too. I started back in Sept. on Nutrisystem, I have days when I eat whatever but I can now manage to stay within my calories. I stated with a weight of 223 and as of this morning 160. I have 10 lbs to go to reach my original goal weight. Oh and I'm 65..WE can all do this!6
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Congrats Birgit and Ming! And, actually, all the ladies here! This is a good, safe place where we can share ups and downs, encouragement and shoulders.1
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Greetings from Michigan. This site was recommended by a nutritionist that's part of an orthopedic group. The surgeons found that many patients who needed surgery had a BMI that was too high to be safe and added her to their program. So here I am, aching knees and all! Keeping a food diary is easy and very helpful so my slow-but-sure weight loss plan is taking shape with accountability. By the way, my 65th birthday was last month and it sure would be nice to be healthier when I retire in a year! I'm looking forward to reading your tips and hear about your journey.2
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Rosa, Welcome!!! 1
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Thank you, Ladies - for the kind welcome and the good wishes. It feels great to be part of a supportive community. @rosayoder - when you mentioned the aching knees, I was reminded that I was in the same boat when I first started. Funny, I almost forgot because now, 100+ lbs lost later, I don't have that problem anymore. But for several years my aching knees and painful feet stopped me from doing much of anything. Lack of activity did a number on my head, made me feel depressed, made me eat, and I just got fatter and fatter. Then my husband had a very serious stroke in April 2015. Recovering, he worked so incredibly hard to regain his mental acuity and physical strength. He is now probably 95pct back to who he was before. Absolutely amazing!!! At around the same time my dear friend was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a chronic back condition, and a host of other health issues. And yet, she was out there every day walking or finding some way to get exercise in daily, doing all she could to get healthy. And it made me think, what's my excuse? I didn't have a stroke, and I don't have serious chronic conditions. All I've got is aches and pains - and for an overweight woman in her 60s, that's hardly unusual. So I decided to simply ignore the knees and the feet. I told them (the knees and feet) that they're no longer in charge - I am! Lol. Somehow it worked! At first I only walked a little bit 5mins, 10mins, 15. Over time the walks got longer and the pounds came off, and the knees stopped hurting. The feet are still a problem for me and will always be - but they're still not in charge ;-). Funny tho that I'd completely forgotten about the hurting knees... Hope the same may be true for you some day because it sure is not fun! Best wishes!
@1Nana2many - yes, I too eat basically whatever I want. I'm no cook! Don't enjoy it, don't like thinking about having to cook, don't like any part of it. And my husband is even more hopeless in the kitchen - altho he can fry up a mean set of eggs :-D. So we eat pre-made foods. Rotisserie chicken and turkey breast is our best friend. And cold cuts. Plus tons and tons of frozen vegetables. Oh, and fruit. We really eat fairly healthfully, but if a meal can't be thrown together in 5 mins or less, it won't come out of my kitchen. As long as the calories fit into my food plan, I'm good with it.
@Ming1951 - you've made fantastic progress. Congratulations!3 -
Hi, Birgit & Rosa (and any other new folks my short attention span missed )!
Knees: I lost only 60-some pounds, but the reduction in knee pain is very, very dramatic (I have some arthritis, torn meniscus, some random other cartilage nonsense). It's now occasional discomfort, used to be consistent discomfort and relatively frequent pain, some severe enough to interfere with sleep. Since I'm a "delay/avoid surgery as long as possible" kind of person, this is a Great Thing. I wish I'd done it years ago - especially since it turned out to be so simple (not always easy ).
Rosa: I'm in Michigan, too, but over near Lansing.
Birgit: Speaking as a rower, I envy your height - it's an advantage in this sport! (My main rowing double partner, female, is a 6'1" 66-year-old, but I'm only 5'5"
and 61.) 0 -
Brigit, your experience is just what I needed to hear; thanks! You know what, I can walk for 5 minutes and I'm going to start doing that even though it will initially cause more pain. That's okay... it won't kill me!
Ann, I have a son in Lansing and one in Owosso. Often I meet my daughter for lunch in Lansing since it's roughly halfway for both of us. Nice area.2 -
Hi. I've been lurking. I'm a couple months into being 60 and two weeks into being serious about reversing years of weight creep. Today was week two weighin, and I've lost four pounds total. I hope hope hope I can keep losing two pounds per week until I like what I see again.6
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Hi. I've been lurking. I'm a couple months into being 60 and two weeks into being serious about reversing years of weight creep. Today was week two weighin, and I've lost four pounds total. I hope hope hope I can keep losing two pounds per week until I like what I see again.
Keep going you can do it, maybe you'll fall off the wagon but don't give up1 -
Thank you, Spikey. I'm committed.1
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Hi, Birgit & Rosa (and any other new folks my short attention span missed )!
Knees: I lost only 60-some pounds, but the reduction in knee pain is very, very dramatic (I have some arthritis, torn meniscus, some random other cartilage nonsense). It's now occasional discomfort, used to be consistent discomfort and relatively frequent pain, some severe enough to interfere with sleep. Since I'm a "delay/avoid surgery as long as possible" kind of person, this is a Great Thing. I wish I'd done it years ago - especially since it turned out to be so simple (not always easy ).
Same issues for me, and after cutting starchy carbs like bread, crackers, and such, knee pain/inflammation all but disappeared which makes exercise so much easier. My weight loss has been excruciatingly slow (52 pounds/2years) but I am so glad I did not give up or give in. I have about 25-30 more to lose and hope to make that by the end of the year. It is doable!3 -
Welcome Rosa and Julia! This is a safe place here on MFP with lots of helpful, friendly women.1
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