55-65 year old women's success?
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Welcome, @beaglady!
On the stiffness/flexibility front, I found a few minutes daily of stretching/yoga to be very helpful, when done patiently over a long-ish period of time (saw results over a few weeks). For me, 5-10 minutes every day accomplished substantially more than did an hour once a week. Others' mileage may vary, though.
Finding out I was hypothyroid & getting treated helped with stiffness in a different way, but I suspect that's not as likely a common reason.3 -
Welcome beaglady! Sounds like to have a variety of things you do regularly to keep fit. I have heard that the after effects of Lyme disease can linger for a lifetime. Just keep moving forward every day! You have got this!0
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@beaglady, I used to have an office job (i.e. glued to my desk); I am now retired, but what I would do (as often as I could--once an hour or so) was to get up from my desk and take a short walk. Just around the office or to the restroom, that way you're not sitting all day. I had folks in another building and would walk over to it at least once or twice a week. It doesn't have to be a lot; every little bit helps. Good luck and welcome to the group.
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Sweetest mommy saidsweetestmommy wrote: »I am 59 years old and a few years into menopause. I have recently joined MFP after months of binging on high sugar and carbs. As a recovering alcoholic (for 21 years) I recognize this addictive behavior know where it is going=quote]
Yup. Right there with you. Slowly fighting the sugar ever since I dropped the booze. Worse in the six year since lat baby. I think some us are genetically predisposed to sugar addiction/alcoholism, and it's in the body chemistry. So I am cutting lower on carbs. I'm only on day 6 but committed. You're inspirational to me!1 -
Hello, I'm Ann-Marie and I'm 59. I have the old story: overweight all my life save for a couple of brief shining moments when a commitment to WW or Atkins brought the numbers down substantially. Neither one lasted because they were diets, not the lifestyle change that actually sticks.
I've been on MFP for more than a year, but only in the past month have I started to admit that the lifestyle change has got to start for real now. I have a fairly recent diabetes diagnosis that I'm resisting with all my strength (I can't even say the words "I have diabetes") and I'm on Metformin for it, plus high blood pressure that I take two more meds for. I'm a gifted couch potato, and am convinced I have a slug somewhere in my ancestry. I want OFF the meds, OFF the couch, and OUT of the dieting mindset!
HW: 334 (June 2016)
CW: 295
weight lost so far: 39 lbs.
GW: dunno. 170? I'll decide when I get closer. Haven't been there in a while.
In the past few weeks I've been logging my foods faithfully. I'm limiting my sugars and starches because of the diabetes, and keeping my calories at or below 2000. In that time I've already noticed that my arthritis pain (knee and shoulder) is almost entirely gone, my energy is significantly up, and I sleep through the night without waking up three or four times. The fact that the aches and pains are so much less is making me get out and walk more, and the fancy-schmancy bike I bought 18 months ago in an excess of optimism is in the process of being cleaned up for riding. (I've had a real fear of my right knee seizing up while riding and causing a bad accident. I don't feel that way so much any more.) There will be some weight training, and I'm starting with bodyweight exercises. I think I have enough bodyweight to make it a real challenge!
I don't just want to lose weight this time. I want to be a Success Story.
It's great to meet you all!
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Love your story and the way your express our, Ann-Marie. You've got this, and we're here with you!2
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wow beaglady, you sound so active. I enjoy keeping busy. I joined a HILT class this week, I wasn't sure I can do it, but with a few modifications (mostly not doing push up types cause of my wrist) I can do it! I'm so surprised, I even jumped rope! looking forward to class tonight. Plus I've been stalled in loosing for a while & this got me going again3
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Welcome to all the new girls, love all your stories!
Just remember we're all different, with different limitations and strengths. Find what works for you and know, it's a life changing event as opposed to a diet. I think that really made the difference to me. I've been on diets before, and when they're over and I've lost the weight, I get a little cocky and think I'm in control, when really the food and lack of exercise are still controlling me.
I keep teasing my husband about taking all these biological age tests and some say I'll live to 114 and others to 97. Of course, it's not a given.....lol, but it's encouraged him to try to keep up with me.
One of the best aspects of this journey is that my "success", such as it is, has inspired others in some way.....it doesn't get much better than that!
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Hi all
I'm fairly new to MFP - about 1 month and am so happy to find this string.
age: 63
SW: 145#
CW: 140#
GW: 132# ish
I have crept up from 132 to 145 over the last 3 years and am not happy with the flab and lack of tone. How did that happen? Not only to I want to feel and look better but I want to think clearer too. I work in tech with mostly young people and I want to keep my edge. Clean healthy eating helps but I have occasional run ins with my arch nemesis sugar and bread. I'm also a vegetarian and struggle at times with hitting my optimal protein intake.
I enjoy being out for walks or my bike best though I try for strength training 3x week.
Reading your posts is a great motivator for me. thanks for your posts everyone.4 -
Thank you, Birgit! It's funny, sometimes I have trouble finding my words when I speak, but I do a lot better when I write.
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Welcome newbies! I so agree with Luluinca! Start where you are at and just keep moving forward! Be kind to yourself! Value yourself! You are worth the effort! I recently went to the town I was the postmaster at for many years to help my former co-worker celebrate his own retirement and as I was leaving another business in town an old man that works there yelled at me and said "Hey, you've lost weight. You're looking good." It was not a come-on, it was simply a statement and boy did it make me feel good. My answer was "Yes I have. It was time. I feel better." A lot of people won't or are afraid to comment when you lose a significant amount of weight, but those simple words sure made me feel good. You can do this people! Find your motivation to be the best you can be and then be your own best project! I used to think the aches and pains were just a part of getting older, now I think I can control most of it if I just control how much I put it my mouth. I'm never going to be twenty again, but I feel a lot better than I did at forty! It's a good feeling to feel like you're doing the best for you. Today's a great day to start.8
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Agree w/Nana 100%!! 3
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Hi All! I'm a return MFPer who lost 86 pounds in 2 years by strictly following the plan. I was maintaining for another year. Starting six months ago, a series of setbacks left me without any motivation:
--My brother and sister-in law suddenly passed away. They were in their early 60s.
--We moved to New Mexico and ate out a lot. The food in restaurants is delish, but deadly (especially if you are not tracking).
--I had serious altitude sickness for over a month because we moved from the lowlands to 6000 feet
--Buying and selling a house and downsizing and moving is really difficult at age 68!
So I left the plan. You can guess what happened. I gained back 28 lbs. Before MFP, I probably would have gained all the weight back, and more. I would not know of any plan that really worked (I've tried plenty others). Now I'm back trackin' and lost 4lbs. It truly works and it's not that hard. I CAN reach my goal!
I look forward to reading the 100s of posts I missed from this blog. Thanks for all the support.
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Agree w/Nana; welcome! 1
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Hello everyone. I'm Sue, 57, and ready to get serious and add to your lists of successes!
(Giving myself a much needed pep talk here. :-). )5 -
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Thanks for the welcome!2
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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!11
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@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!2
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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.9 -
Happy 4th to all and agree w/Nana, mk2, and welcome raleighgirl!! 3
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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!?!!!3
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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 ...9 -
@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
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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....4
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@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.3
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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!3
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