Introduction and question

Mdgmwarden

After retirement in 2017, and during covid, I blossomed to about 350 lbs (I always carried a bit of weight while in uniform (being 6'6"/300 lbs, I rarely encountered someone that wanted to fight), but the downside during covid I went on a baking spree (I do like to cook), supplying the guys I hunt with all types of goodies (yes I did sample them also). Finally in 2022, I got fed up with my weight, and at the direction of my family doctor, I was sent to the local hospital bariatric weight loss clinic. Found out there wasn't an easy way (bariatric, surgery or weight watchers) to lose the pounds that I had acquired over the course of my employment and subsequent baking forays. I met a doctor (who must be at the most a size 4 (women), and she placed me on a high protein/low/no carb diet. Somewhere in the vast expanse of my brain, something clicked, and I dove into this diet like my life depended on it (which in reality it did!). Since 11/2022, I have lost 130 lbs. Granted I have changed my attitude towards food. My goal weight is 195-200 lbs. I have yet to reach that, being stuck at 205-210 for several months. I went hunting in northern maine back over labor day weekend (a full week), eating just salad at the lodge, since most of the food served was pre-made lunch/dinner was not on my "diet"!. Breakfast was suitable (eggs/bacon), no honey buns and other delicacies that are found at a hunting lodge for quick energy and able to be stuffed in the hunting coat. I did manage to stay at 205, but no lower. I am still trying for my goal weight, but to be honest, I rarely drink water (except in the summer), I drink several cans of seltzer water and coffee (leftover from the military).
I might add at my age (73), I don't do a lot of walking except for doing work around our small farm. Medically I'm in fair shape, yes I see a cardiologist for AFIB, my knees are shot (torn meniscus in both knees) and several broken bones in both legs (military). I do plan on walking a bit more come spring, but where we live (Maryland), not a big fan of walking in the snow. I do walk a bit deer hunting, but mostly sit on my butt in a deer stand. My previous occupation prior to retirement was that of a game warden, and either walked several miles a day or beat and bounced in a 19' Boston Whaler (hence the destroyed knees).
My question to the group(?) which one not sure, what can I do to hit my goal weight, and stay there, without starving myself.
Thanks for the help in advance and sorry its such a long introduction.

durden

Welcome @Mdgmwarden! Not an expert in any capacity, but I want to try and help given your very thoughtful introduction if I can. For what it's worth, it sounds like you're doing great and overall just want to more deeply advance in what is already a pretty tremendous success. 130 lbs lost is amazing.

So like, scientifically you'll lose weight if you expend more calories than you consume. That's an oversimplification, but is absolutely a valid way of operating and looking at things. Getting more exercise, or any sort of movement, into your daily routine will make a difference- primarily in just giving you more wiggle room in what you can eat. That's a great place to start.

Maybe keep this in mind, too; the fact that you're stalling in weight loss might not mean that you aren't making progress. weight itself is not a bad thing. Is your body shape changing? Are you happier with how you look and how you feel? Personally I find that way more important than what the number on the scale says.

As far as keeping to your goals without starving yourself; absolutely, A hyper strict diet that you're miserable keeping is far less likely to work than one of moderation. I'm not sure what your exact goals are, or what your doctor/nutritionist has prescribed, but unless you're on a very low bariatric-level diet you should have at minimum 1500 calories a day as a man- and very likely more than that. If you eat a ton of processed foods that can add up really quickly, but being smart about your food choices and choosing nutrient-rich, filling options can go a long way. Beans, lentils, broccoli, asparagus, there are tons of veggies out there that are filling, nutritious (without being calorie dense) and can be easily seasoned and cooked in a way that are enjoyable without compromising your goals. You don't have to only eat salad- unless you want to!

Again, not an expert and I don't want to prescribe; but there are absolutely answers and very knowledgable people here and I wanted to get the conversation rolling. I'd definitely take a peek around the Getting Started, Food & Nutrition, and Recipes categories and see if anything piques your interest to start.

AnnPT77

Hello, and welcome!

I'm close to your age (69 F), and have some of the same physical complications (in my case, torn meniscus, osteoarthritis in knees and elsewhere). What I don't have is your impressively big weight loss history: Kudos on that! I started weight loss at class 1 obese in 2015, but needed to lose only about 50 pounds to be at a healthy weight. I've been at a healthy weight and in the same jeans size for 8+ years since loss.

I think viable exercise is somewhat individual, even with same-named conditions. By cautious experimenting, I found that things involving impact or torque on my knees tended to make things systematically worse. However, I can do things that involve straight-line hinging motions of my knees, even with fairly high pressure (but minimal impact). Some of them hurt mildly at the time, but don't seem to worsen overall status. For me, running is off limits, and I even keep walking to a moderate level. (I don't usually walk for exercise, but try to keep doing enough to stay conditioned so I can do fun things like art fairs, music festivals, or chores like yard work without great difficulty.)

These days, my main exercise activities are rowing (on-water in Summer, machine in Winter) and cycling (same kind of seasonal split, trails on my bike in Summer, stationary bike in Winter). Yes, rowing boats is a leg exercise, because the boats have a sliding seat similar to rowing machines, so we can use our legs for most of the power.

Many people find water exercise of various kinds easy on the knees, but I don't love it, so I try to do a small amount of pool swimming in Winter so my skills are adequate for rowing safety, but that's it. It's a good option for those who enjoy it.

As far as losing the rest of the weight, I think that's all about calorie balance. Eat fewer calories than we burn, lose weight. Since you have so little left to lose, slow loss would IMO be a good plan, like half a pound a week at most. That's maybe frustratingly slow, but - speaking as someone who's done that to lose a few pounds that crept on over the first 4 years of maintenance - it's pretty painless. Since you've been maintaining, small changes should do it.

I assume you came here planning to log your eating. That should be a help, if you hadn't been doing it already. For me, and some others have said likewise, once logging it's common to have some relatively easy cuts jump out at a person, things that don't seem worth their calories once the calories are obvious. That doesn't necessarily mean putting any food off limits, maybe just reducing portions or frequencies of some calorie dense thing(s).

On the activity front, manageable exercise increase is an option, but sometimes there are daily life things we can add pretty painlessly, too. There's a thread here whether other MFP-ers share ideas about that:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

I'm sure not all those ideas would suit you, but maybe some might.

Regardless, congratulations on your huge weight loss so far, and best wishes for shedding those last few pounds and keeping them off, too. If I were a betting woman, I'd bet on your success!