My new life starts here

heather11tg

Hi, I'm 57 and I've been in denial about my weight gain for a while but I really have to address it now because my blood pressure is getting high.

When I was 40 I lost loads of weight and exercised every day doing weights, combat, running, pilates, gym, cycling, swimming and walking and I stayed slim for many years. Then the menopause hit and I started to gain weight, plus I had to take medication which also made me gain weight. My drinking habits became very bad during lockdown and haven't changed which doesn't help. Last year I twisted my knee very badly and haven't been able to exercise much although I can now walk and have just started swimming again. I also have moreton's neuroma in one foot so I can no longer do any exercise classes or use most gym exercise machines. Even though I can now walk with special insoles, I can only walk for about an hour or so, nothing like the 9-10 miles I used to be able to do.

So it's all been very frustrating and depressing for the past year but as I know from the last time I lost weight, the only person that can help me, is ME. And today is the day that I have to start turning everything around.

AnnPT77

Hi, @heather11tg - welcome to the MFP Community!

I joined MFP at about your age (59), in menopause, at an obese bodyweight. I was able to lose weight without materially increasing my activity level, just by managing better on the eating side of things. While I'm lucky not to have all the physical challenges you face, I did have high blood pressure, high cholesterol/triglycerides, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism (treated), and at least one torn meniscus. I'd started being more active a few years before, and kind of picked my way through figuring out what I could do without aggravating any of those issues.

It sounds like swimming may be that sweet spot for you, as a thing you can do without increasing current problems. That's a great exercise!

I did find that weight loss alone made some big improvements for me: It got my BP and lipids solidly into the normal range, and carrying less weight improved joint pain and such by a surprising amount. Conditions that were (probably) aggravated by systemic inflammation also improved.

I do think there's hope at any age, even with some health conditions in the picture. Your approach of taking the reins and using things you can control to make improvements, that's pretty perfect IMO. I'm over here cheering for you from the sidelines: I hope you find much success!

TicTacToo

Fellow swimmer here. I found working to a program helped with motivation as well as getting fitter faster.... maybe find out if your local pool has some coached sessions you can try? Also apps like My Swim Pro have free trials... that one has a Couch to 1K schedule for swimmers just getting back into it, as well as a variety of programs to improve speed/distance/technique. All the best!

Sinisterbarbie1

And dont discount stuff like other water based exercise like water aerobics/calesthenics especially with resistance added in and done in the deep end. It is not just for little old ladies anymore, although i will say that the little old ladies who do any kind of exercise must be doing something right so they are not to be scoffed at !

In reality though, you will lose weight mostly by moderating your eating and drinking. If you drink a lot of calories, cutting back there is a great place to start because it will also reduce your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and improve liver function, besides reducing inflammation and helping with nerve damage to quit alcohol in particular. I stopped drinking a while back after cancer recovery and nerve damage from chemo and a variety of other medical contraindications. I was initially resistant to the idea because I loved cooking and drinking wine with meals, but it ultimately didn’t work with the medicines I was on. Now, a few years later more and more reports are coming out saying that alcohol consumption is harmful even at the super low levels previously stated as OK for adults.
I am glad I quit because It helped immeasurably with weight loss, and I don’t miss it at all now, mostly because there are so many sober curious people who choose not to drink these days for various health reasons that there are lots of fun and interesting options when I want to celebrate or unwind that are low calorie and alcohol free. If you don’t plan to quit, make sure you are honestly counting all the calories in the alcohol and any mixers you consume (that you plan for the drinks in your calorie count, that you don’t forget to write down drinks, or overpour, and that you remember to write down any snacks you have with the drinks - it is easy to lose discipline when drinking too),
Good luck - you can definitely do it!

lkitambrose

Hang in there! This is my first day as member. I am 66 and struggling with the nutrition side of things. I lose weight really slow and I exercise 40 - 50 minutes a day x 5 days. But today I hit my goals almost perfectly so I am excited to have available the additional nutritional info.

AnnPT77

Afterthought: If alcohol consumption is something you want to manage better, there are a couple of threads here where people focus on that. One is more sobriety oriented, the other more moderating oriented. It's a thing to consider.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10846412/sobriety-matters#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10872772/less-alcohol-september-2022-one-day-at-a-time#latest

There may be some private groups in the Groups part of the Community, too, but I haven't researched that. Truth in advertising: From time to time during the pandemic, I've drunk more alcohol than I'd prefer, but so far have been able to pull back to a reasonable level, haven't used those resources here. They're on my radar, though.

Best wishes!