Is there easy-to-find support and programs for a person like me?

pversten1

I'm 57 years old and had a triple bypass four years ago but I'm doing fine other than roller coaster weight gain and loss. I'm finding that most of the blogs, marketing, tips and techniques on My Fitness Pal seem to be aimed at people in their 20s and 30s, especially those who are already fit. If someone like me attempted the fitness moves and routines I see promoted here, I would be injured and out of the game, thereby defeating the purpose. I need to mix high heart rate for an extended time, with some weight loss/control exercise and realistic nutrition lifestyle programs. Where is the marketing and inspiration for someone like me? I know I'm not alone, and have a feeling this is a growing market. Anyone out there want to capitalize?

lemurcat12

Do you really want to be marketed to? Yuck, although I am sure you can find that easily.

What is it you are looking for? Advice on workouts? When I started (healthy, but WAY out of shape, obese, and 44), I mostly just walked a lot and gradually increased it, rode on the stationary bike (it was January of a very cold winter), and swam some. I then started adding in some weight work (initially used New Rules of Lifting for Women, but the whole series is great).

For weight loss I looked at what I was eating, cut back in ways that seemed unlikely to be missed (less added fat, smaller portions of starchy carbs, cut out snacking), made sure my protein was at a good level for weight loss (I think .8 g/lb of goal weight is a great goal, especially when one is older and more concerned about muscle loss, a category in which I'd place myself), and focused on getting vegetables and protein as the centerpiece of every meal.

The great thing about MFP is that it makes it easy to tailor an approach to your own preferences. I'd hate being told to eat 6 times a day or a specific meal plan or to do specific exercises that I didn't care for, and I ignore the MFP blog since I find it mostly similar to recycled women's or fitness mag stuff, not particularly well supported.

If you want more structured support, maybe find a challenge that is starting that sounds appealing. Those can be fun. Lots of people here are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

French_Peasant

I am 44, and after 10 years of being sedentary and raising two young children, I now am far healthier than I was in my active 20s and 30s, and probably healthier/more athletic than a goodly majority of people that age today....all without special marketing/programming aimed at me, specially, in particular. I just came on here and figured it out (with the caveat that I paid for a professionally designed, customized lifting program).

On these forums, there are must-read articles at the top of each section, and this is an excellent place to begin: to get your bearings and learn the basics.

The weight loss portion is pretty easy, in theory. Just enter your stats here, decide how much you want to lose a week, and stick with the calorie budget it gives you. Just be very accurate and honest with your tracking--log everything, weigh just about everything, don't sabotage yourself by estimating weights and selecting random "homemade" options from the database that conveniently happen to have the lowest calorie count.

For the nutrition aspect of it, it's hard to go wrong with a diet built around lean meats and 8-10 servings of fruit and veg a day. Remember to get enough healthy fats (nuts, avocado, dairy, olive oil, etc.) to hit your daily minimum for that macro, make sure you hit your protein macro because it is really crucial for preserving muscle, and remember carbs are not the devil, but many people here have found it helpful to scale back on emptier carbs--picking whole grain bread/oatmeal over Wonder Bread, for example--and many more have dramatically cut most carbs and had success. You will have to figure out what mix best satiates you, gives you energy, and keeps you going.

For fitness, you can always start with good, long, brisk walks. What is going to be a challenge for you and push you a little? If you can't walk a block, push yourself to walk a block, then two blocks, then three. If you can easily walk a mile, push yourself to walk 2 miles at a brisk pace. Start with something simple (swimming, biking, gardening, whatever you like) and build on it. Do it 5 days a week for half an hour. At some point, walking will not be enough--you might be ready to try running. Look up the Couch to 5K program, which is wonderful. You should also incorporate a progressive resistance program sooner rather than later to help preserve muscle and position yourself for health decades in the future--there are many, many programs out there, but one that I have used and liked for an absolute beginner is 30 Day Shred. You might not be able to do all the exercises when you start, but if you stick with it, practice good form, and don't push yourself to the point of injury, you will make steady progress. Once you master level 1, you can do level 2 and 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pc-NizMgg8

Joining a gym and taking classes or working with a personal trainer is another option, and will help you in learning proper form, not pushing too hard, etc.

But you can always just start with walking, and it gives you a little extra padding for calories, because MFP is designed for you to eat back at least part of your calorie burn.

beanz744

myfitnesspal is a tool for any age n like u i m 57. i have used the program on and off for 6 yrs n it works as long as u r consistent enough with the tracking of food intake. IMHO, u need to

1. setup MFP with ur profile so u know how much calories u need to keep under, eat 80% unprocessed food, try to hit ur daily macro n nutrients.
2. join a gym and start with non impact exercises like swimming or ellipticals or light weight training with machines. u can also get a trainer if u like.

take it one step at a time n u will feel completely different in 3 months. good luck!

tinkerbellang83

There are some great free low impact Youtube workouts aimed at those who are older or have had medical conditions. I used HASFIT.com's seniors videos when I started out (I am only 33 but had a very bad back last year) and built up to the beginners programs.

http://hasfit.com/workouts/seniors/

astrampe

You don't need anything special - as long as your GP is happy with your health and program, you can use this like anybody else of any age.....

dejavuohlala

I'm 69 but it doesn't stop me trying and keeping at it. You can do this too, there's no rush. Good luck

Obeah1

I'm 65 and I find that two things work for me: eat less and exercise more.