Older woman determined to get fit again

MeredithDeVoe

Hello to all! I'm 51 and over the last 3 years have lost control of my weight and gained almost 40 lbs. I live and work in a high-stress environment and need to stay healthy and strong to deal with it better! For the last 6 months I've been exercising regularly; walking, jogging, Pilates and yoga (Yogea ArtFlow is my favorite and it helps with back issues stemming from a car accident last June).

I normally live in Africa and tempting foods are limited, but have been on furlough in the US since June and gained another 13 or so lbs. (Ice cream is my downfall!!) I've been ignoring the weight gain and focusing on getting strong, but now I'm ready to get my weight back under control. I will say that although the exercise has not helped me lose weight, I do look and feel better than if it was all fat.

I'm a size 16 currently and about 180 lbs (I don't own a scale so I jump on one when I see one). Would love to get back to a 12 or even 10, which looks great on me; about 142 is ideal.

It's hard to stay encouraged when so many people who are losing weight are in their 20s and 30s, or losing baby weight (been there, done that-- lost 65 lbs after each baby!) and have hormones on their side. I've been through the change, and have to work a lot harder to lose than I did when I was in my 30s!!

I would love to connect with other ladies in my situation and we can encourage one another! Blessings, Meredith

KANGOOJUMPS

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!

simbersea

Hi Meredith,
I am exactly where you are I've been pretty good about working out, but as I recently read on this site - exercise doesn't fix a bad diet. And I have portion control issues. And in my late 40's (48), the weight seems to latch on faster and come off slower than in the past. So I started here a couple days ago, to make me more accountable on my diet. I'd love to have a friend on the site I the same boat, so I'll send a friend request through...Karen

auntiebabs

I was 48 or 49 when I started here.
I still touch base here once in a while to keep on track with maintenance.

I took the low and slow approach to losing and it's worked pretty well.
Coming from Africa maybe you don't have any of the usual U.S. food hang-ups but this is what worked for me.
A bit long-winded... sorry.

The good news is you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be better.

++Track for a week or two before worrying about losing. This way you'll see where you really stand odds are it is different than where you thought you were, which is actually good news...

++Be scrupulously honest... you can lie to your friends, you can lie in your diary, you can lie to yourself, but YOUR BODY KNOWS EVERYTHING YOU EAT. So you might as well be honest in your diary (keep it private if you like) but you need that info because you can't get where you are going if your are not honest about where you are right now.

++See where you can make small changes on things that aren't so important to you.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

++Focus on what you should eat not what your shouldn't.
Eating your nutritious foods first. Your body will be more satisfied and have less cravings.

++Small sustainable changes.
Every couple of weeks see where you can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort, sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves. Also rather than having to think about everything all the time. You only have to think about a 2 or 3 new things to focus on.

++Rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. (I swear this saved my life.) I was happier once I gave myself a range:

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.

---

(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

---

++Only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Forget I *NEED* to lose 20, 30, 50, 100 lbs. I'm only worried about 1 lb the next one. I'll worry about the others later.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )


Food is not the enemy. You need nutrition to fuel your body and make it strong.

Most vitamins are fat soluable... so remember to include plant and fish based fats (HAPPY FATS) so you can access the nutrients in your food.

All of your foods fall into 1 or more of 3 macro nutrient categories
FATS • CARBS • PROTIENS ... I personally think it's unwise to severely restrict any one of these categories.
Instead of eliminating or limiting quantity focus on the quality...

HAPPY FATS (Plant and fish bases)
COMPLEX CARBS (un or minimally processed)
LEAN PROTEINS

Oddly enough, on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time, now the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

GiGiBeans

You're where I started out when I got serious about losing weight, instead of throwing in the towel when I'd reach a plateau 10 lbs later. It took me about a year to lose 40 lbs. The key is not giving up. You need to find what works for you. For me it was low carb and gradually increasing activity as my energy level improved. As I exercised more a lot of my hormonal issues went away and I was able to slowly raise my carb levels back up.

Yes, age and hormones can make it trickier and take longer but don't give up. The time goes by anyway, so really, who cares in the scheme of things if it take a longer!

MeredithDeVoe

Thanks so much for the support and encouragement!!!

lighteningjeanne855

Welcome!
AuntieBabs gave you some great advice.

I'd like to add this:
Look up the 'elimination diet', and follow it for a while. It helps one determine to which foods one is allergic.
Food cravings and inflammations, such as arthritis, can be caused by allergies to some foods.

Best wishes!

celtbell3

You can do it - there are many women on here who have gone through the change and were able to successfully loose the weight they wanted. There are many women who are going through the change who are working toward the same goal. Stay strong!!

pusheen12

OLDER?? I was expecting a 70 year old! There are all types on here, I'm 50 myself. Feel free to add me. I found MFP in last Aug. got serious early Sept., having already lost 15 lbs. prior. More than doubled this since realizing all the empty calories add up. (oops) I've made some big and little changes, have almost always met my goals once I got serious. The longer I've been trying the better I get at it. You can do it if you really want it. Its SO worth it. I cried in the dressing room of a store yesterday as I fit all the pants two sizes down and it wasn't even that hard to do. I never thought I'd see that size again for some reason. Have I been perfect? absolutely not. But I have figured out a consistent routine for my eating habits and the weight is slowly melting away. I am a tad hungry sometimes but never starving and eat more frequently than ever and much healthier overall. - Good luck!

marciebrian

OLDER?? I was expecting a 70 year old! There are all types on here, I'm 50 myself. Feel free to add me. I found MFP in last Aug. got serious early Sept., having already lost 15 lbs. prior. More than doubled this since realizing all the empty calories add up. (oops) I've made some big and little changes, have almost always met my goals once I got serious. The longer I've been trying the better I get at it. You can do it if you really want it. Its SO worth it. I cried in the dressing room of a store yesterday as I fit all the pants two sizes down and it wasn't even that hard to do. I never thought I'd see that size again for some reason. Have I been perfect? absolutely not. But I have figured out a consistent routine for my eating habits and the weight is slowly melting away. I am a tad hungry sometimes but never starving and eat more frequently than ever and much healthier overall. - Good luck!

Couldn't agree more with everything including getting into clothes you never thought you could. I'm 59 and if I can do this so can you. every day is a gift so accept it and live it the very best way you can. I'm pretty much done with the loss portion of this life but on daily for focus and motivation with my friends. If I can help, send me a FR and I'll be there

health1971

Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou: ... I'm 42 and going through the change myself :noway: ... My metabolism is a lot slower, but with exercise and a great meal plan I have been able to loss 13 lbs., of the 20 lbs., I gained because of the change... Stay strong and take a step at a time to reach your goal :bigsmile: ... Add me if you want and I'll support and encourage you always ...


-Ivonne


P.s. You are not old my friend :glasses: ...


Taking a step at a time to reach my goal always :flowerforyou: ...

kingscrown

I'm here. Finally got a handle on my weight and my fitness through exercise.

mamadon

I'm 51 like you, and the site has worked great for me. Its a tool like anything else, if you are honest in your diary and dont give up, it will work for you. Add me if you like!

InLuvWithHubby

Hi Meredith,
I'm 49. Will be turning 50 in May. I did MFP for a year and lost 45 pounds. I kind of just lost momentum and have now gained back 30 pounds. So I have come back to MFP determined to be in great shape by the time I turn 50.
I totally believe in supporting and encouraging people. I actually have some great friends I met on here. We were still in touch out side of MFP. So feel free to add me.

MeredithDeVoe

Lol, when I said "older" I figured I was older than most of the women who would be here. And a lot older than most women who post their weight-loss pics on their blogs, etc.

Thanks again so much for the warm welcome and encouragement. You ladies ROCK!!!!