After a year of lurking, a first (and grateful) post - Goodbye Menopause Middle
fsfgardener
Posts: 4 Member
Today I celebrate my 1 year anniversary logging. I've lost 52.2 pounds (every tenth of a pound down is noted and cherished!), going a bit past my original goal, and I owe my success to this MFP approach and to all of you in this community who kept me buoyed and committed to change.
This was the easiest 'diet' I've ever been on. I call it the Honest diet.
Usually, at my yearly check up when I stepped up on the scale, I stuck my fingers in my ears, lest the nurse say the number out loud, and closed my eyes. Last year ... I looked. I almost fell off the apparatus. Good gravy!
I shouldn't have been surprised. My size 16 jeans had certainly lost some of their bagginess. Ugh, ugh.
On the way home I bought a digital scale. I found MFP, started reading the posts in this community forum, took inspiration from others' successes. I began. I bought the necessary food scale and started logging, even going back in my memory and figuring out just what I'd *been* eating in a day. That was an eye-opener, and even so I was surely underestimating. Yikes!
Being honest with myself was the ticket. My diet wasn't really unhealthy choice-wise, just unhealthy portion-wise. I retired from a physically active job – an organic market gardener and cut flower grower. I cared for my mother during her last years. Throw in menopause and things got un-lovely fast. I knew I had to get some of the mid-section weight off my internal organs if I wanted a healthy, active retirement.
And thanks to you all – your own journeys, your encouragements, your straight-talking – I did it. I've been in maintenance mode for two months, trying to find the proper balance because I'm still losing, in part, I think, because I feel so much more energetic these days, I hit the ground every morning excited for the day. I'm more eager to try new things. I move more. I'm just happier.
Of course there were some down days along the way. Here and there I felt sorry for myself (I'm married to Mr. Metabolism). Here and there I wanted chocolate layer cake with a milkshake chaser. But knowing I can do what I decide to do is empowering. MFP and this forum gave me the tools and showed me the way. I won't be surprised by my weight ever again – I plan to keep on logging.
Height: 5'8"
Age: 60
SW: 176.6
GW: 126.6
CW: 124.4
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
CW
At my recent appointment, I told my gynecologist I'd finally lost my pregnancy weight; it just took 30 years to do it. :-)
No before pics! If the camera came out for a group photo, I always moved to the back row.
This was the easiest 'diet' I've ever been on. I call it the Honest diet.
Usually, at my yearly check up when I stepped up on the scale, I stuck my fingers in my ears, lest the nurse say the number out loud, and closed my eyes. Last year ... I looked. I almost fell off the apparatus. Good gravy!
I shouldn't have been surprised. My size 16 jeans had certainly lost some of their bagginess. Ugh, ugh.
On the way home I bought a digital scale. I found MFP, started reading the posts in this community forum, took inspiration from others' successes. I began. I bought the necessary food scale and started logging, even going back in my memory and figuring out just what I'd *been* eating in a day. That was an eye-opener, and even so I was surely underestimating. Yikes!
Being honest with myself was the ticket. My diet wasn't really unhealthy choice-wise, just unhealthy portion-wise. I retired from a physically active job – an organic market gardener and cut flower grower. I cared for my mother during her last years. Throw in menopause and things got un-lovely fast. I knew I had to get some of the mid-section weight off my internal organs if I wanted a healthy, active retirement.
And thanks to you all – your own journeys, your encouragements, your straight-talking – I did it. I've been in maintenance mode for two months, trying to find the proper balance because I'm still losing, in part, I think, because I feel so much more energetic these days, I hit the ground every morning excited for the day. I'm more eager to try new things. I move more. I'm just happier.
Of course there were some down days along the way. Here and there I felt sorry for myself (I'm married to Mr. Metabolism). Here and there I wanted chocolate layer cake with a milkshake chaser. But knowing I can do what I decide to do is empowering. MFP and this forum gave me the tools and showed me the way. I won't be surprised by my weight ever again – I plan to keep on logging.
Height: 5'8"
Age: 60
SW: 176.6
GW: 126.6
CW: 124.4
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
CW
At my recent appointment, I told my gynecologist I'd finally lost my pregnancy weight; it just took 30 years to do it. :-)
No before pics! If the camera came out for a group photo, I always moved to the back row.
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Replies
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What a great post! Congrats on your success. I am 61, and know how hard it is to lose. I wished I had come here to MFP a long time ago! I still have a way to go, but I must say this WOL and WOE has struck home for me!
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Congrats. Your success is impressive. Being honest is key, I am finding that to be challenging myself. Good luck on maintenance!0
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Congrats on making it to your goal. I laughed at the baby weight comment - when I started on this, I told someone I was looking to lose the baby weight. My son is a junior in college...0
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wow. what a great first post! You sound awesome, just went about your business and got it done! I always say the same thing...twenty years for my baby weight!0
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Great to see someone in our age group do so well! Congratulations! Had the opposite problem. I'm 63, and it's been really hard to lose because my job was very sedentary, long hours, very demanding. Now that I have retired there'd so much more time to exercise. Now I have no excuses
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Wow - you must be a skinny minnie at 5'8" and 124 lbs! Congrats on your terrific results I'm 5'6.5" and I plan to stop at 135 I think - only 3.4 lbs to go - I can't wait to join you in maintenance. 0
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Love your story ! Good job !
I wanted to respond because our stats are quite close.
Except you did it much quicker than I did. Spent four years trying on my own with some success and found MFP two years ago which got me to my final goal. I have been maintaining now for seven months.
Height. 5'7.5
Age. 57
SW. 183.4
GW. 136
CW. 135.2
Portion sizes were the key for me also.
Have learned so much about nutrition...and the numbers involved to feel my best.
For me that is lower carbs, sodium. In other words, steer clear of processed foods or as much as possible anyway.
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Good for you. I am trying to log everything that goes into my mouth but it is hard to do, especially when it's something that pushes my calories or carbs over what they should be. Congratulations on your success. You are a strong woman!0
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Congrats0
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Way to go!0
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Congratulations! I've been at this for 16 months (I pretty much maintained for six months after my mom died), and have lost a little more than you, with three pounds to go. It only took me 24 years to lose my pregnancy weight, ha! Just goes to show: better late than never!0
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Brilliany. Really needed some inspiration and I'm so glad to find your post and this thread. Thank you0
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Congratulations! I needed this inspiration today :-)0
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Inspirational! Thank you.0
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Good for you! Stupid menopause really messed me up too and it's taken me some trial and error to figure out how not to gain weight. Never had much trouble before.0
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I needed to read this today - thank you and congratulations! I'm in my 50's and am having a hard time losing anything! I came lurking for motivation and you have helped!0
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Way to go fsfgardener!!! My stats are almost identical and I am close to maintenance also. I find that just tracking everything everyday keeps me on track also. The best of luck is sent your way. Thanks for sharing your success.0
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Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I haven't talked about the weight management much, not the numbers of it. It's nice to be able to with others who don't hear it as bragging, but as milestones of a shared journey. My small family and closest couple of friends are happy for me and supportive, but the issue of weight can be a mine field.
Oddly enough, my being successful makes some people out there say some strange things. (I'm not talking about those who quietly and compassionately inquired about my health, worried that I was ill. They were so sweetly relieved that I was well and then asked how I did it and listened.) Some folks carrying extra weight wouldn't believe it was Simple Unemotional Math - I think they wanted something more magical. One person commented with a sort of bitter dare in her voice that the trick would be to keep it off - and while I would agree, I inferred from her tone that she expected - or would be willing to bet - that I wouldn't.
A couple folks mentioned I was too skinny and ought to gain back a few. This made me think. Was it true? Skinny isn't a term I'm used to hearing in the same sentence with my name, but I am - finally - realizing and believing I'm thin now. And thin enough. Or was it said because they needed to lose, but didn't want to commit to the changes necessary, to the cut-backs, the recognition and moderation of indulgences? Or ... Again ... Was it true? Can I have an objective body image? I've been known to stick my head in the sand, both for better and for worse ...
Looking back at this journey toward "the light" (light-er!), I'm realizing what mental focus it required. Some creative projects were put on hold - not necessarily on purpose, but that is how it turned out - as I needed the full force of my will and dreams to fix this.
Now, to turn some of that committed energy toward new enjoyments without going backwards ...
Again, thank you all for sharing so much.0 -
Congratulations, you've done great. Now you can retire and be active and have a fun and healthy rest of your life. I am so happy for you. Now just maintain and love life.0
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I love this post! You described me
Congratulations!
How many calories did you go by? I found I couldn't lose anything at 1200.
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I love your post. There's such a maturity and tone of common sense in this post. I'm going to bookmark this and come back and read it.
I'm way younger than you but I'm struggling to get rid of my baby weight. I gained weight while breastfeeding
Anyhow, I'm 11.6 lbs down, I really want to lose another 35 lbs or so. My husband thinks I should stop at 25. But I'm going to go as far as I want to go to really love my body. 0 -
Well done and thanks for the inspiration.0
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Great post! Love hearing the success stories!!!0
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Great job!0
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Wonderful, thoughtful post. Thank you for sharing and congratulations!0
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Your first post impressed me (and made me laugh) but your second post really made me admire you. I'm also struck at what a heady journey this is. Like you said, the math is easy, but the focus, I've come to realize, is never-ending. I am 4.5 pounds away from no longer being "overweight." That is going to be wild. I haven't been a "normal" weight since I was in high school. People like you are what make this site so valuable. Thank you for sharing your story and for knowing that this is the place to celebrate your commitment. Your posts made my day. Best of luck to you.0
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Great job, this made my heart so happy. We're the same height and start weight exactly. You've motivated me so much. Xxx0
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Congratulations! This is so inspiring!0
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I think I cried a little. Thanks for sharing 0
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Thanks for sharing. Great job!! I'm 56 and have lost 30lbs so far. I've kept it off, still need to lose 50. You give me hope✌️0
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