New here.

Ariliz23

What a treasure trove! I've been looking over threads and learning a lot. This is good stuff!

I'm in my 50's and trying to lose 20 to 30 pounds on recommendation of my doctor. My attitude is that any progress is progress but I do get discouraged when I stall or gain. I'm finding that this journey is not about perfection - there's a learning curve. I absent-mindedly ordered a piece of lemon pound cake at Starbuck's thinking it'd be about 350 calories. It was SOOOO good. And nearly 500 calories and probably had 3 sticks of butter in it! Next time, I need to share it with three friends!

I started tracking my food a few months ago, totally fell off the wagon around the holidays and gained a bunch of weight. Got back on the horse February 4th. I'll meet with a nutritionist next week for some tips. I can't figure out where all the sugar and fat is coming from but I do eat some fruit, avocados, nuts and so forth, so there's that. But I could use some help.

My main concern is health. My blood pressure has gone up and is threatening to get higher. I'd like to get it down naturally and exercise is the best remedy. I've hit the gym to walk on the treadmill or in the pool 6 days a week for the last four weeks. I started with 20 minutes and am adding 5 minutes each week. The goal is to work up to 70 minutes/6 days a week. Love weight lifting and once I'm up to 70 minutes and tolerating it well, I'll add weights. We have a fantastic rec center with lots of free classes too so I'm fortunate there.

One of my difficulties is arthritis and bursitis that a lot of folks my age are dealing with. I need to find exercises that will be gentle enough on my joints yet fun and good for me. I can work with the arthritis but the bursitis needs rest to heal - I have it in my hips and shoulders but it's behaving lately.

I'm joining this community to learn, and to offer and receive support. Between the rec center and My Fitness Pal and my family, I have all the help and support I need. Now, it's up to me.

Nice to meet y'all.

4legsRbetterthan2

Sounds like you are off to a great start and you have a wonderful, positive attitude, that will take you far on this journey

Have you discusses good exercise options with your doctor? Swimming is the first thing that comes to my mind, but I think you should talk to professionals who are familiar with your case before taking anything up.

You sure can learn alot on these forums, in case you haven't found these gems yet; they are my favorites for all beginners:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

The first covers accurate logging and some of the tools in MFP to help you make things easier. The second discusses caloric needs and setting goals. This one is a little heavier but if you take the time to digest it there is alot of very valuable information there. These two posts completely changed my MFP experience and helped me be much more successful, so I hope they do the same for you.

~best wishes for your journey

Ariliz23

Thank you so much! Terrific links. I will speak with the nutritionist soon as I am confused on calories. I may be measuring wrong as one of the links suggests, but I must be eating more calories than I'm recording. Looking into different exercise as well. I LOVE Pickleball but my body isn't really interested in working with me on that goal!