Progress: over 50, obese to normal

PennWalker

This is a progress post. Other people's stories have inspired me, so hopefully I can give back and inspire someone else, too. Thanks, MFP!

I'm over 50, a 5'4" woman, and went from obese to normal weight in 4.5 months. I don't have a goal weight. I plan to continue the same lifestyle and see where my weight ends up. I also want to become a healthier person, not just lose weight.

Before, July 2016:
177 pounds
Overall cholesterol 290
High blood pressure 150/86
My doctor told me I was at high risk of a heart attack or stroke.

December 2016
143 pounds (normal)
Overall cholesterol 170 (normal)
BP 93/65 (normal)

Unfortunately, I didn't take a Before photo, but the two photos below show the jeans I'm wearing now (size 8/10) and the jeans I wore this summer (12/14).

iris2811

What a great job! well done you!

nowine4me

Nice job. Fantastic progress.

KhadijahOwos

Amazing! You're an inspiration!

belledeboskoop

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing, it is encouraging for all of us.

starfruit132

So amazing that your health stats went down in good way so much. Hope mine does too for the same reasons. Thank you for posting this inspiring success!

keodell1966

Great job! I just turned 50 myself and have been on this journey for just over a year. Congrats on your progress! So glad to hear others our age that have success!
Keep it up!!!

butterflylady86

Congrats on your success.

PennWalker

starfruit132 wrote: »

So amazing that your health stats went down in good way so much. Hope mine does too for the same reasons. Thank you for posting this inspiring success!

Everybody, thanks for your comments.

About my health stats, my doctor's warning that I could have a heart attack or a stroke really scared me. I also don't want to take pills if I can change my health myself.

I love walking so that's the exercise I chose. I joined a gym so I can exercise in bad weather.

For my food, I'm a longtime vegetarian who ate a lot of sweets, high fat cheese, and sugary Greek yogurt. I'm not a purist about sweets, but I've faced the fact that I have a medical problem. I cut out 99 percent of the food I thought would affect my cholesterol. I added oatmeal, more leafy greens, and other food I read would help. I've also read that food doesn't make that much difference with cholesterol, but in my case changing my food, losing weight, and exercising turned it around.. I'll get another blood test in the spring to see where I stand.

smile_laughter

Hi Penn! I am so happy you posted your story. You are definitely an encouragement for me.

PennWalker

smile_laughter wrote: »

Hi Penn! I am so happy you posted your story. You are definitely an encouragement for me.

Hi, smile_laughter! I couldn't figure out how to post this in short form on my newsfeed, so I shut my eyes and posted it here. You're a great encouragement to me, too.

IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt

You look great, well done!

grammageegee

Impressive. Your journey seems so fast. I have been logging for over 130 days, joined a gym and go at least four and sometimes 5 days a week for an hour and in 4+ months have lost 20 lbs but have not noticed any change in the way my jeans fit. That is my measuring tool. Hoping for results like yours before July.

PennWalker

grammageegee wrote: »

Impressive. Your journey seems so fast. I have been logging for over 130 days, joined a gym and go at least four and sometimes 5 days a week for an hour and in 4+ months have lost 20 lbs but have not noticed any change in the way my jeans fit. That is my measuring tool. Hoping for results like yours before July.

Thanks. We're all different people. The important thing is we're all trying and will get there when we get there. It's all positive.

vlnielsen519

@grammageegee if you aren't already doing it, look into into strength training. I have started and am amazed at the difference it made. There are a bunch of posts about strength training on MFP and tons of programs on the internet you can use.

fit4itall

Amazing!

sijomial

Well done young lady - remarkable health transformation. :flowerforyou:

vikinglander

Thanks for your inspiration!

woznube7

Fantastic!! Thanks for sharing!!!

mrsbmw2

Great inspiration! Thanks for sharing!