Introductions

SueSueDio

Quiet in here, isn't it?

I'll start, then...

I'm Sue, I'm 52, and I joined MFP in January of 2016. I'd been laid off work a couple of months previously, and joining this site gave me something to focus on and helped stop the depression taking too strong a hold. I didn't want to end up even fatter than I already was because I sat around all day stuffing my face in misery!

I was 217lbs when I joined, and had probably lost a couple of pounds or so in the weeks since I was laid off because my previous employer had had an in-house cook who provided not only delicious meals (there IS such a thing as a free lunch!) but also tasty cookies and treats at least once a week. She cooked healthy meals with plenty of lean meats and veggies, but I had no idea of portion sizes and was undoubtedly eating too much - plus I would come home and eat another big meal in the evening with my family! I'd been heavy for years, but I definitely put on a few extra pounds while I worked there.

I'd heard about MFP from a friend a couple of years before I joined - he and his wife had used it to lose a lot of weight, and I found it hard to believe that I really could still eat the things I loved and lose weight. I wasn't ready to commit. I'd tried meal-replacements in the past and lost more than 20lbs, but as soon as I stopped taking them all that weight and more crept back on. I know now that it was because I learned nothing about portion sizes while using them.

I became convinced I was one of those people who was "destined to be fat", and I honestly didn't think I was eating too much - I thought it was "the wrong things", and that to lose weight I'd have to give up chocolate and treats and things like bacon and pizza. Any diet that required me to cut out the food I loved was not going to last very long!

When I finally decided to give MFP a try, and got my food scale, weighing my portions was an incredibly eye-opening experience. All of a sudden I could SEE why I'd put on so much weight over the years! I wasn't eating "the wrong things" at all - I was just eating too much of everything. It has been a very freeing feeling, learning that I can eat whatever I want as long as I don't always eat as much of it as I want.

So here I am, two years later and 70lbs lighter. I take lots of "diet breaks" (although I prefer not to think of myself as being on a diet), which is great practice for future maintenance and lets me enjoy holidays and special occasions with a bit more freedom, as well as giving me a mental rest from restriction. I still weigh and count my food, I just have a higher allowance for a couple of weeks or so.

I really wish I had known it could be this simple years ago. (Not always "easy", but definitely "simple".) I can jog upstairs without holding the handrail, when a couple of years ago I was at the stage of using the rail to pretty much drag myself up. I can walk briskly and hold a conversation, when a couple of years ago I'd be breathless within minutes. I can wear my wedding ring again - I've been married for almost 29 years and wore my ring for maybe five of those years. I can fit into my wedding dress, and another dress I've had since I was 18. I'm currently the same weight as when I got married, and aiming to lose just a few more pounds. My husband is happy that I can fit into the sexy lingerie that I've kept all these years "just in case"...

So anyway... what I really want to say is that age, menopause or anything else is really no barrier to losing weight. Health issues and so on might make it a bit more of a challenge for some people to figure out what their calorie allowance should be, but it's not impossible. You don't need apple cider vinegar or a paleo diet or to go vegan, or anything at all that Dr Oz endorses... All you need is patience and a willingness to stick with "the plan".

Oh, and a food scale!

Jcc2018

Hello! Thanks for starting us off, Sue. I'm Jan, 57 years old, gained & lost a multitude of pounds over the years and finally just want to find the balanced path to weight loss and the health maintenance. I joined MFP again this year and have lost 19 pounds by counting calories and using the diary on MFP. I'm looking for other likeminded individuals in this crazy endeavor to maintain a healthier weight loss and healthy maintenance with friendly open minded support through accountability and friendship. Anyone else? Hope to hear from more of you!

SueSueDio

Yay, someone else posted!!

Hi Jan, nice to meet you - and congrats on your progress so far!

mxwheels

Hi Jan and Sue,

I'm Pauline, 55, been in the menopause for a year or so. Like you Jan I have gained and lost many times. I now exercise a fair bit and have managed to hit a healthy bmi and keep it there for a few years but I still struggle with maintaining it.

I want to lose this bit of fat around my middle. I haven't much to lose but it is very STUBBORN!!!

Accountability and friendship sounds great to me Jan. Shall we do this together?

Jcc2018

Have to admit I've been a bit lacking on "self-care" during the past couple of weeks & not eating my breakfast as I need to. This in turn, has led me to be less than faithful in my journaling in my MFP diary... one problem leading to another. So, that is on my goal list--get back to my routine of a breakfast. Now that I've admitted it out loud, I guess it's official... I must correct this!

Jcc2018

Thanks for keeping me honest!

mxwheels

Let us know how you get on Jan! I'm working on writing it all down, such a dull task but I believe it is the key.

SueSueDio

mxwheels wrote: »

I want to lose this bit of fat around my middle. I haven't much to lose but it is very STUBBORN!!!

I know how you feel - I'm starting to be proud of my new and improved shape, but there are still days when I look in the mirror and all I see is the Buddha Belly! I've lost a lot of inches around my stomach but it still feels so fat in comparison to the rest of me. Some days, if I don't make any effort to hold it in, I'm sure I look a few months' pregnant!

This thread is full of great advice - very little of which I've actually followed, I have to admit. I'm lazy! I know I need to do strength training, but I find it difficult and uncomfortable so I keep putting it off.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

Perhaps we can encourage each other to have a go? I'm honestly scared to try lifting weights on my own in case I hurt myself (I have/had a weak back), and a gym membership or personal trainer is out of the question right now, but I could try bodyweight or resistance bands.

Accountability and friendship sounds great to me Jan. Shall we do this together?

Let's do it!

SueSueDio

Jcc2018 wrote: »

Have to admit I've been a bit lacking on "self-care" during the past couple of weeks & not eating my breakfast as I need to. This in turn, has led me to be less than faithful in my journaling in my MFP diary... one problem leading to another. So, that is on my goal list--get back to my routine of a breakfast. Now that I've admitted it out loud, I guess it's official... I must correct this!

Breakfast seems to be a contentious subject on the main boards - you get some people who insist it's "the most important meal of the day" and others who say you ought to skip it and just have coffee or something.

Personally, I couldn't skip breakfast! I feel queasy in the mornings if I don't eat soon after I get up. I'm a little envious of those people who can go without, since they get more calories to eat later in the day, but I just can't do it.

But yes - logging is important. I eat pretty much what I want, as I said in my first post, but I log it all even when I go over my limit (which I've been doing a lot lately). It helps to keep things in perspective - sometimes I see that what I ate wasn't really as bad as I'd thought, and sometimes it's a little kick to remind me not to go overboard.

And it does get easier the more you do it, because you start to build up your favourites and frequently-eaten foods in your own lists so it becomes faster to find them. If you weren't aware of it, you can also save groups of foods that you often eat together as "meals", so that you can log the whole lot with one click and just adjust the quantities if needed. Very useful!

mxwheels

Quick visit - I've filled in the diary so far today - you guys are keeping me motivated! Will pop back later after work x

mxwheels

I like that article - thank you for posting the link. I can't lift weights due to tendonitis in my elbow but I think I'll have to try something. I'm lucky enough to have gym membership so I will see what I can do. I disagree about the cardio. I have an evening job delivering food by bike and I'm fitter and thinner since doing it. It definitely helps me keep weight off.

I do a lot of guessing when working out portions/calories.
However I do think trying for perfect is where I often fall down, logging every last cherry tomato and that sort of thing. Because I don't have all this fat round my middle because of too many cherry tomatoes do I?! So for now, I'm happy to guess a bit, it is better than obsessing and then having to give up because it's unsustainable. One step at a time.

SueSueDio wrote: »

I log it all even when I go over my limit

That's what I'm going to do. I'll start with just logging it all and not worrying too much about precision. That can be the next step.

SueSueDio wrote: »

you can also save groups of foods that you often eat together as "meals", so that you can log the whole lot with one click and just adjust the quantities if needed. Very useful!

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that too.

Pauline x

SueSueDio

Yep, try not to worry about "perfect" and just go for "good enough". I don't worry too much about vegetables, since most of them are fairly low-calorie other than stuff like potatoes, peas and corn. But I do weigh the dense stuff like cheese, salad dressings and chocolate!

I'm pretty poor at eyeballing my portion sizes, which is why I love my scale! But I'm trying to practice that more, because it's really helpful to be able to guess at the weight of things if you're eating out.

Jcc2018

Sorry I've been missing in action. A busy week, which in turn has resulted in poor dietary choices and poorer diary logging. I declined to step on the scales this morning and beat myself up. I am thankful for the new day & the new beginning. I have found skipping my breakfast results in over indulgence later in the day & poorer choices. Days where I start out with a protein shake (simple & sweet) I seem to regulate myself more easily the whole day through. I try to be accurate with my portion size for "red light" foods (those with high calorie counts, high fat counts, low nutrition value, etc) because those are the ones I tend to have a blind eye about and underestimate the "cost." I never get into trouble with those tomatoes, either! I don't exercise as I should or want to... as the weather warms perhaps that can be added as a goal-- just walking in the evenings or such. Noce to touch base with you all. Looking foward to reading your next posts! ~Jan

Jcc2018

Woke up to 3" of snow over ice this morning! Yuck! Hazardous roads, but I made it to the office. Cancelled my road trip, tho. Better safe than sorry! Had just enough time to grab a couple of protein shakes and some carrots before leaving the house. I am relatively full and satisfied, but haven't had enough calories to keep my body from going into 'hibernation mode.' Does anyone else have thoughts on this? (Keeping calorie intake high enough to keep metabolism burning that fat, but not high enough to store any!) I've enjoyed reading some on Eat More 2 Weigh Less, but don't buy into the whole philosophy (phases, etc). Thoughts? Just want a sustainable future... Jan

Jcc2018

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/4-signs-youre-eating-little-trying-lose-weight/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MFP_Newsletter_Main_20180312_NO_WL&os_ehash=55@sfmc:109822474

SueSueDio

That article sounds a bit like it's promoting "starvation mode". There's certainly an element of adaptation that can take place, but as far as I know that needs very low calorie intake over a long period of time for it to occur. Most people who claim they can't lose weight because they're eating too little - at least on the main boards here! - seem to have only been undereating for a matter of weeks, so it's unlikely to apply to them.

I know there are people who are completely convinced that once they started eating more they began to lose weight, but I really don't believe that it's because they "weren't eating enough to lose" before. What I do think might be possible is that when people don't properly fuel their bodies, they get tired more easily and are probably generally more lethargic. They'll move more slowly or less often, won't fidget as much, won't exercise with the usual intensity (if they exercise at all), and so on.

Some of this might not even be noticeable to them, but it'll be burning less calories than they used to burn. So they may have reduced their CI, but their CO has subconsciously reduced as well - hence they don't lose weight like they expect.

There are also those people who are adamant they're eating a certain (low) amount of calories but they aren't logging accurately, or they're forgetting to include things like oils, condiments, drinks, etc., or they're not mentioning the Saturday night booze-and-snack-fests on their "cheat days" because that doesn't count, or other things of that nature. Most people are poor at estimating their intake by eyeballing portion sizes, too, so unless they weigh and log everything they can't be sure how much they're really consuming. (I'm certainly no paragon of accuracy here, by the way, but I also don't claim to be eating less than 1200 calories and not losing an ounce like so many on the main boards do... )

At the end of the day, using MFP as it's intended works for thousands of people. It might take some experimentation and tweaking to figure out how accurate your CI and CO estimates are, and things like medical conditions, age and body composition can have a small effect on them, but if you eat less than you burn - by whatever method works best for you and your lifestyle - then there'll be no fat storage regardless of whether or not someone thinks they're "revving up their metabolism".

Jcc2018

Hmmm. I went back & clicked the article link to make certain I hadn't mis-posted...
The article is written by a Registered Dietician and actually the source was MFP. I usually start reading an article backwards... asking myself "Who wrote this? What's their education? Who supports their ideas?" and then look at the information through that lens. I find this author, source & information credible.

SueSueDio

I did notice that, yes! Highly educated people can still fall for some of the common myths so it's no guarantee, but definitely worth checking. And that may not be what they were really trying to say, but that's how it came across to me.

You asked for thoughts, so I gave mine. But - as I'm sure I probably already said somewhere - everyone has to find what works best for them as an individual and what makes weight loss and maintenance sustainable over the long term for them. Experimenting with different ideas and methods can help with figuring that out, but it's still the overall calorie deficit (however it might be achieved) that causes the weight loss.

EDIT: Glancing over it again, I think it was point 4 that I disagreed with more - "Plus, this won’t trigger your body to go into self-preservation mode the same way, drastically restricting your intake often does."

Much of the rest of it is fine, especially about needing to adequately nourish our bodies for whatever amount of activity we do.