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dawnastep

Hi, I just turned 60 in December. I lost a ton of weight due to cancer in 2019-2022. I have gained quite a bit of my pre cancer weight back and need to drop 20 pounds. I would love to hear any stories that will motivate me and hope to motivate others.

mtaratoot

Welcome, and Happy Birthday; welcome to your seventh decade!

You can lose 20 pounds. It will serve you well to take it slow, maybe a half pound a week. Set a good calorie goal, then use MFP to track what you eat and your activity. Log completely and honestly. A year from now, you'll be at your goal weight.

The sad truth is that you can't rely on motivation. Instead you have to develop habits. Motivation will leave you. Your habits won't. Many liken this to brushing your teeth. Most people aren't motivated to do it, yet many people still do.

Check out the "Success Stories" section for inspiration, but not motivation. All you can do is act in the current moment; that's all you have. The most important thing aside from developing good goals and strategies to achieve them is to just keep sticking to it.

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome!

I'm a cancer survivor, too . . . but of a type that often has people gain weight during treatment because of the exact chemotherapies and such involved. Honestly, though, my weight didn't change much, because I was sometimes not able to keep food down, and because I tried to eat in a health-promoting way and be active when I could. (Don't take that as a criticism of what you did. For any of us, just getting through treatment and out the other side is a huge victory, regardless of things like weight changes that IMO are minor compared to the value of simply still being alive. Alive is a good start on any other personal goal that may come next, I think.)

I'd agree that will only 20 pounds to lose, going slowly and learning/practicing new habits (eating and activity) is the way to go. I'm sure 20 pounds doesn't feel like "only", but it is a level that makes moderate loss a healthy choice, whereas someone at a body weight that's in itself a health threat may need to go faster for healthiest results.

Personally, hedonistic aging hippie that I am, I don't have a big budget of motivation, willpower or discipline, so I tried to find methods that didn't rely on any of that. I did a "remodel your eating habits" approach**, and used enjoyable forms of movement (official exercise and daily life stuff) to increase my calorie needs. For me, that worked pretty well.

When I was experimenting with a new potential habit, that sometimes took a little willpower or motivation temporarily, but if it was a good strategy for me, it fell into place after that adjustment period, and could continue almost on autopilot thereafter. Experiments that didn't work out were just things to learn from, and know I should try something different.

As long as you keep experimenting, trying things, discarding what doesn't work (that learning experience thing), then keeping what works as new habits . . . you'll succeed. Only quitting the effort fails.

** More about that eating approach here, in case that sounds appealing: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

That won't be perfect for everyone - no one method is - but it worked for me to lose 50-some pounds at age 59-60, and stay at a healthy weight since, now age 68.

Best wishes for success!