Brief bio and a couple specific concerns.

pepperpat64

(OK, I should be able to actually finish the post this time. LOL.)

Hello all. I've been using MyFitnessPal for about a week and am really happy with it so far. I was primarily looking for an online source that would allow me to easily track my workouts, measurements, goals, and so on. I wasn't originally that concerned about tracking what I eat, but it's so easy with MFP that I'm taking advantage of it. I also wanted a site without really irritating pop-up ads. It's not the ads I mind, but the ones that would appear right while I was trying to log data!

Anyway, about me: I'm 49, female, 5'0", 142 pounds, in generally good health, perimenopausal, but my weight has slowly increased over the past 10 or so years, while my energy level and general mental attitude about my body has gone the other way. I consider myself about 20 pounds overweight. I've also found myself stuck with the "stubborn middle-aged belly fat" problem. In the past when I've gotten a bit out of shape, it was because I'd slacked off the regular exercise and gotten into bad eating habits; once I rectified those, I got back to where I wanted to be relatively quickly. But not anymore. My waist hasn't shrunk as much as I think it should have by now, and I weigh even more than when I started! LOL. I discussed this with my doctor and she said this type of belly fat can often be harder to lose, but to stick with a good diet and exercise and I'll get there. I hope she's right.

My typical exercise week includes 30-45 minutes of some type of cardio 6 days per week (either cycling, brisk walking, or swimming laps) and 2 weight workouts per week of about 50 minutes each. I have a job in which I sit most of the day, but I try to get up about once an hour to take a quick walk around the building. I've always worked out but sometimes go through phases where I slack off. Currently, though, I've stuck with the above exercise plan since the beginning of April. As far as diet goes, I primarily follow Phase 2 of the South Beach diet, which is lots of veggies and fruits, lean meats, low-fat dairy, healthy snacks, and whole grains. I do love my desserts and usually have a sweet treat every day, but try to keep the servings small. I rarely eat fast food, junk food snacks like potato chips, and stuff like that.

I've done all these things in the past and have never had a problem getting my weight and shape back to where I wanted it to be, or at least pretty close. But lately it's been different. Granted, I've only been working out regularly for 2 months, but based on past experience, I should have seen more results by now. In fact, I'm doing cardio more often this time around, in the belief that it would help me shed weight faster. Yet, I started at 140 and now weigh 142, and while my clothes are fitting a tiny bit better, there's not as much change as I feel like there should be. The last time I lost a substantial amount of weight and size was in 2010 when I was on Herbalife for several months, but it was pretty expensive and I had a hard time remembering to take all the pills required. Besides, I'd really rather just eat actual fresh, healthy food.

As I've been reading different info on this site, I have a feeling my problem may be that I'm not eating enough! I've never tracked caloric intake but started doing so since it's so easy to do on MFP. When I set up my account and answered all the questions and put in my goal, MFP says I shouldn't eat more than 1200 calories a day. Well everything I've read, including posts by MFP members, says that's far too low for most people. Most people seem to recommend using TDEE, so I'm figuring out how to tweak my data to make it more realistic. I'm using this article as a basis:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

This explains it pretty well, but I'm still figuring it out, since I've never accounted for TDEE, BMR, etc. in any fitness plan I've followed. However, just a quick scan of the forums here revealed many knowledgeable people, so I'm sure I'll be able to find the info I need as I read more. :-) Whatever plan I do end up with, it will have to be simple, because I have ADHD and find it hard to stick with anything too complex. So far, though, MFP has been super easy to use, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

I know reaching a specific fitness goal requires patience and perseverance so I'm not expecting overnight changes. I guess I'm just a bit frustrated, not to mention confused, because I'm doing pretty much everything that has worked in the past, but doesn't seem to be working now.

Anyway, this has been the first chapter of "Probably Way More Than You Wanted to Know About Me." LOL. I look forward to learning from all of you and getting some encouragement toward my goals. I'll do my best to encourage others to reach their goals as well.