Reaching goal and soul searching

LivingtheLeanDream

You've had some thoughtful and helpful replies OP. I don't think any of us are ever happy totally with our bodies after loss - we expected a miracle perhaps.
I just wanted to wish you all the best for maintenance - I've been at my goal for 5 years now and still have things about my body I'm unhappy with but I don't let that get to me, I think of what I have accomplished and how good I feel .

Be proud of achieving a healthy weight and plan to stay there.

jrwms714

I am 72, and blessed with genes that make me look a lot younger. However, I have the inevitable sags and bags even with a lifetime of exercise. Weight loss merely helped me to FEEL younger. Maintenance, as others have said, is just the same thing as dieting with more calories to play with. BUT maintenance is also far more freeing once you know that it's forever. You know what to do, and you do it, and then, when you veer from it, you yank yourself back. That being said, it takes a while to get to this point. I'm heading into my fourth year of maintenance and I still have times when I worry about gains outside of the range I set for myself. For those of us who are aging, we have to accept that we are not 20 and that our bodies, no matter how fit, will never be as firm as they were in our youth. However, we have so much more wisdom, our lives are in a good place, and if we are healthy, we own the world! p.s. Our health, a lot of times, is in our own hands. And that's a truly good reason for continuing to maintain our best weight, exercise routine, etc. A full and healthy life beats a firm skin!

elisa123gal

OP.. you really make two points. One is..as we get older we realize we need to lose the weight for good for health and longevity reasons. When I was younger, I lost weight to look good..then life would happen and I'd regain, thinking ?? well not thinking really.

Being older, I realize it is time to get it done for good and it is silly to keep doing the same stupid thing over and over.

As for the condition of your body? I think it will improve with time, it will just take longer because you're older. I just lost about 40 pounds... I had some issues too...but as I go along I see my legs toning and looking ten years younger as of late. When I first lost they had rippled fat left on them that I'd never seen before in my life. My neck is improving too..that really looked bad for a while. The worst are my arms...but I read an article where a reporter got rid of her bingo wings in 6 weeks. She took tips from a trainer who even works his magic on 82 year old clients I plan on doing that routine and see if I can fix that..which would be amazing.

So, keep with it.. please don't let self criticism lead to self sabotage. That is what our younger selves allowed.

jrwms714

@elisa123gal , I'd love to see that article. Do you have a link?

MadisonMolly2017

PHOTOCHAP wrote: »

All I see here is an A-team of like minded people who have each decided to "do something" and for the most part have accomplished significant achievements in healthy living through weight loss or strength management and now just need to appreciate just what a beautiful job we did by looking at our new bodies and ultimately saying "great job - you look fab!" Ladies and gents.. what you see in the mirror is SUCCESS! We ARE fixing our bodies and minds by doing this and at our age we're probably benefiting much more from the whole process than when we were young whippersnappers and didn't give a damn about it all.
So grab your success by the loose bits and just laugh at them.. we don't care about you! We're here, we're better for being fit and we're just gonna keep on going! (Duracell bunnies or what?)

This!!!! ^ 🎉

beaglady

I’m in a similar situation. I lost 50# over a year and a half. In a perfect world, I would like to drop another 20 or so, but life ‘stuff’ has gotten in the way of being active enough to stay at a deficit.

Since January I’ve maintained, which wasn’t a conscious choice as much as it was counting but adding indulgences more often than I should. I felt like a screw up for a while cause I wasn’t losing, til I realized that I’ve maintained just fine.

I turn 60 next month, and was able to get off of BP meds with the weight loss and have avoided the family disposition to diabetes, so that’s a win.

lorrpb

I am thrilled that at 63, after being grossly obese for decades, I'm at the most consistent weight and in the best fitness shape of my life. I really don't care about a little tummy or arm flab. I can do things I couldn't do at age 15 or 20! 150 lost, 2 years into maintenance.

middlehaitch

jrwms714 wrote: »

@elisa123gal , I'd love to see that article. Do you have a link?

I think this may be the article.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2192158/Im-proof-CAN-rid-bingo-wings--bear-chocs-live-lentils-lift-weights-youre-chatting-phone.html

Cheers, h.
ETA: Just the common sense- reasonable deficit, adequate protein. Lift weights.

jrwms714

@middlehaitch Thanks so much! BTW, I always love your posts - here and in the Petites group!