55-65 year old women's success?

Mnwalking

Hi I am 65 and have been retired 1 year and have gained 15lbs. I am 5' 3" and weigh 217. I joined the Y and need some help and support.

marjtrewin

Hello Ladies, do any of you have huge stomachs (pouches that hang down/aprons) I am experiencing lower back pain and know my stomach probably contributes to the pain. I am 64yrs old - has anyone been successful in trimming these tummies at our age

perris101

Thanks for ALL encouragement I am female 63 yrs old weigh 180 5.2" at 1350 cal logging everything makes me more aware stopped my cokes etc I REally need to lose for my health etc. what else do u suggest t try to walk 4 days per week 20 min. CANT LOSE I feel like my stomach went down though

perris101

FEMALE At 63 yrs 1350 cal per day at 180 lbs want to get down to 140 At least I walk 20 min per day 4 times per week what do u suggest am I doing right thing how long will it take me to get to 140 lbs.....ANYONE have suggestions PLEASE I appreciate it ☝

djwar9858

I'm 56 years old and was always too thin, so the idea of "being on a diet" is new to me. It's like I turned 55 and....boom, I gained and gained...40 lbs!! ( couldn't possibly be my new gorgeous Italian boyfriend who is an amazing cook). Joined MFP. Now I realize it's not a "diet" , but a lifestyle change. I tend to be too hard on myself, but reading the threads and the encouragement I've already received is priceless.
Couple of things I've already learned:
Track it all- everything that passes your lips
Get moving
Forgive yourself if you mess up...just brush yourself off and keep going.
It's not linear- you may lose nothing one week, .25 one week, then perhaps 3 lbs one week.
Just hang in and keep moving forward. Love yourself and this community is here for support. You're not alone your struggle.

retirehappy

perris101 wrote: »

FEMALE At 63 yrs 1350 cal per day at 180 lbs want to get down to 140 At least I walk 20 min per day 4 times per week what do u suggest am I doing right thing how long will it take me to get to 140 lbs.....ANYONE have suggestions PLEASE I appreciate it ☝

Try to walk at least 5 days a week. Outside, with a DVD, or youtube video, at the mall, where ever you can do it, break it down into 10 mins. at a time if you have to, work up to 30 mins. Add a minute a day. As Nike says, "just do it". You are worth the effort. Take care of yourself. I started out where you are only at 65. I am within 15 lbs of my goal weight, it has taken me two years to get this far. I did back slide when I upped my calories, then family issues curtailed my exercising activities, I was up to 5 hrs. per week. But last summer I got back on track relost the few lbs. I had put back on and these last ones are VERY SLOWLY coming off. I only do some strength training with dumbbells to supplement my walking. I have found I lose more when I cut back on the starchy carbs, sugar, potatoes, pasta, and bread. I have lost during this two years eating those but I am not nearly so hungry all the time when I switch to no starch and sugary stuff and I do not feel deprived at all. You can do this, just commit to yourself and your health.

AnnPT77

perris101 wrote: »

Thanks for ALL encouragement I am female 63 yrs old weigh 180 5.2" at 1350 cal logging everything makes me more aware stopped my cokes etc I REally need to lose for my health etc. what else do u suggest t try to walk 4 days per week 20 min. CANT LOSE I feel like my stomach went down though

You can do this! How long have you been at it? It's definitely a "slow and steady wins" thing. Keep up with your walking, and add speed or additional duration as you feel up to it. You may not necessarily see a loss on the scale right away: Changes in eating and exercise can hold on to a bit of water weight that masks gradual fat loss. Just pick a calorie goal you can stick with, and stick with it. Give it a small number of weeks (say 3-4) of consistent practice before you decide you're not losing.

If you want to fully commit to the MFP method, be sure to log your eating accurately. It's tempting to choose the low-ball entries in the database (among comparably named items), and easy to forget to add small but important things, like a dab of mayo on a sandwich, or the oil in the pan when cooking something. Accuracy is helpful. Weighing food at home can add accuracy, if you want to pin things down as much as possible (weighing is easier & quicker than measuring cups, too).

I started losing at 59, around your weight (SW 183), though a bit taller (5'5"), and was able to get to goal weight (120, I have a slight build) in less than a year. Patience, consistency, and persistence is key.

You can make it work, and it's so worth it!

mk2fit

Welcome, ladies! I, too had a BIG stomach. Fortunately, that kind of fat is the easiest to get rid of. Walk, walk, walk. And count your calories in and out. If you can exercise more than walking, do it, whether videos, stair climbing, running, swimming - it doesn't matter. Just move!
I gained a pile of weight after I quit smoking - most of it in my belly (though, in truth, it was everywhere). I lost 70ish pounds in about the same amount of time I gained it. CICO works; doesn't matter your age.
Stick with it

griffinca2

Welcome all newbies, Totally agree w/mk2fit!! There is no "quick fix, or "diet" w/an end date; it is a lifestyle change. Exercise, track your food, and most important; don't deny yourself. Have the piece of pizza, cake, etc. (just once & a while & watch the portion size). Also agree w/Ann on the patience, consistency, and persistence. Good luck to all.

marjtrewin

Mk2fit -- thank you, it's all about discipline isn't it.

Well done on your weight loss - you have shown me, don't make age an excuse

AnnPT77

marjtrewin wrote: »

Mk2fit -- thank you, it's all about discipline isn't it.

Well done on your weight loss - you have shown me, don't make age an excuse

Minority report: Discipline is a big factor, for sure, but experimentation and thought are good supporting players.

When I first started losing, I felt hungry, and could see that I wasn't getting ideal nutrition by eating exactly as I had, but with lower portions - even though my fat-Ann way of eating was mostly healthy foods.

By experimenting with what I ate, and when, I was able to find strategies that left me feeling pretty satiated most of the time, usually only feeling hungry when I was getting close to a meal time.

Satiation is different for everyone. Your big variables are what you eat, and when. "What" could mean, within a healthy range of each, getting relatively more protein, or fats, or high-volume/low-cal veggies. "When" is about all those choices like big breakfast or no breakfast, 1/2/3/5/6 meals or snacks, whether to save some calories for evening snacking, which meals are bigger (or maybe they're all the same), etc. So, you can try some experiments to see what works best for you.

Your MFP food diary can be a help in this. If you have a particularly "crave-y" day, review your diary and see whether you can tell why. Sometimes it's about eating (perhaps even the previous day's eating!). But you can also think about other factors that could have an influence: Exercise, stress, boredom, triggers for habit-based snacking, poor vs. good sleep, etc.

Using my diary thoughtfully really helped me gradually improve my nutrition and satiation, so that the weight loss part became easier, and required less tooth-gritting discipline (which is good, because I'm kind of a flake - discipline is not the best tool in my tool-box. ).

If you find that non-food factors are influencing hunger or cravings, you can also work on strategies to improve those, like picking up a hobby (ones that require clean hands are particularly good ), or substituting a more productive habit for an unhelpful one.

Good luck!

mk2fit

^^YES!!! What Ann said!!!

griffinca2

Concur!!

goodreadsgal

Cannot seem to post more than a couple of lines here. Will try later

goodreadsgal

Hi there will attempt again. No did not work!!!!!

Ming1951

Hi ladies, just an update on me. Still walking my 10,000 steps though not at once. I am down in labs more again my states were 65 years old. 5'6", sw 224 and now 166.4 . Feeling better about myself. Another 17 lbs to my 1st goal. Gee that sounds more doable than when I began this journey. The one thing I have learned so far is that each day I will have to log and count calories. I don't want to gain this back. I have not scheduled my knee surgery but its getting closer I want to be pretty healthy when I do. I keep losing this thread might be nice if we make a group, not sure how to do the though, or maybe just friend one another. Feel free to add me maybe put in 60's and over?

goodreadsgal

Hi 4th attempt at posting. Lose 90percent of post????? Anyone else experience this? Love this group you ladies are very encouraging and welcoming. I have not had success yet But I will just joined MFP challenge of 1000 miles in 2017 of exercise. My stats are : 253.2 Feb 13/17. Ultimate Goal: 150 Ming1951 congrats. I too maybe facing a knee replacement down the road so not losing the weight is not an option. Please feel free to add me as a Friend. I have tried this
Post without using the Return Button and see if that works

goodreadsgal

Yeah it worked. I guess not hitting the Return Button is the key!

Ming1951

Yes once you post you have to click or hit return on the reply button.

Hoppymom

Hi! I will turn 60 in August. I joined 5.5 years ago and lost 70 pounds in 15 months. I wasn't working so I could go to the gym when the mood struck. I logged every bite. I quit drinking soda and haven't had any since. (I had a five cans of Diet Coke a day habit.) When I went back to work the stress and the commute time killed my gym time. Then I went back over the summer and lost some and the injured my knee at work and have gained back all that I lost plus 11 pounds. Since Christmas I've lost that 11 and then gained back two after a recent trip and lots of eating out. My sugar addiction is a big problem that I am working to over come as it causes so much pain due to inflammation. I haven't been to the gym in a year and I haven't logged regularly since I started working four years ago. I am trying to get back on track with both. Good luck to everyone. Friend me if you like. I log in almost every day. When I don't it's an oversight or because i am somewhere out of data range for my phone. I give lots of support but only hit the like button for days logged in unless you are hitting some big number.