an old (over 50) newbie

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2

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  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    61 here! Tips: log every B.L.T(bite, lick and taste) that goes into your mouth.Exercise daily. Make friends for support. Keep your food diary open. Good luck/ Cindy
  • cynthiatravis54
    cynthiatravis54 Posts: 1 Member
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    Just signed in today and I will be 60 in April. I want to loose 30 lbs by then. That was the weight I was at 50. I will take any suggestions and motivation secrets.
  • Eatwell1
    Eatwell1 Posts: 2 Member
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    54 and starting a biggest loser contest tomorrow morning with my siblings. My biggest challenges will be overcoming my chocolate addiction and making sure I exercise. My goal is to drop at least 20 lbs. I'll be looking for motivational support!
  • Eatwell1
    Eatwell1 Posts: 2 Member
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    Good advice.
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,821 Member
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    feel free to add me i am old too!!!!! it is harder as you get older, i only give support to those that give mutual support

    good luck on your joutnrey
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 7,946 Member
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    Who you calling old? :wink:

    My MFP motto is "Getting Fit in my Fifties." It can be done ; in fact, being older and wiser can be an asset!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I tell everyone I'm an old fart (53) and then do everything I can to act like a silly big kid!!! :smile:

    Not sure I agree with you about being harder when you are older, I now have more "me time" as the kids are grown up, certainly have more knowledge and tools like myfitnesspal really do make a huge difference. A definite downside is the accumulation of injuries that the years have given me but without exageration losing weight and getting fitter has made an incredible difference to my general health.

    Be dedicated and consistent, make small changes, be patient, set yourself some challenges, find ways to be more active and include exercise that you enjoy. Lastly don't let it all be about weight loss - that's just one measure of success.
  • Lonestar5775
    Lonestar5775 Posts: 740 Member
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    Welcome to MFP from another "oldie". I totally agree with the post that said being our age makes it easier to lose. We can focus, we have time to log calories, we have discipline, and we have the best motivator....our age. We stand to gain much more benefit from getting fit at our age and MFP makes it simple. I didn't say easy, just simple.

    Don't try to undo a whole lifetime of poor habits overnight. Start slowly and take your time. If you are nothing but sore muscles right now I'd back it off a little. Logging is the major difference and consistency. Ask a few of us elderly to be online friends and to help you stay accountable. Celebrate the fact you have seen the light. You really will feel better as the pounds begin to melt off. Now, go get 'em!
  • Jinxy10236
    Jinxy10236 Posts: 54
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    I like to read the "Success Stories" board daily....that's some HUGE motivation right there!
    Add me as a friend if you like - I joined last month.:flowerforyou:
  • Pspellcst
    Pspellcst Posts: 4
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    I am 49.5 and have lost 41 lbs since September. Have been trying to not go over 1200 calories per day, and exercising every day at least some. I enjoy cycling, walking the dog, weight training, and sometimes I do WiiFit for a little fun and variety! I eat carbs (but do limit them) because I know that when I lose the weight I will want to eat normal foods so I include them in my diet now. I have found that eating more protein has helped me not to be hungry as much. There are protein bars that are tasty and only 200 calories with 16 G protein, and I use those to my advantage.

    I truly believe that exercise is just as important as counting calories. It motivates you to not eat so much and helps curb appetite. But everyone has to find the exercise that they enjoy and can stick with. For me, it's cycling. Doesn't really matter what you do as long as you consistently do it. Good luck, you can do it!
  • lessismoreohio
    lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
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    Now that I'm newly turned 50 I don't think 50 is so old anymore.....................................................
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
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    Feel free to add me if you care to. I am always looking for people getting on in years! Don't you hate that phrase. I am 65 soon to be 66. I started at 209lbs, current weight is 142, my goal is 135! You can do this! You will do this!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I'm fifty one. It can be done!
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    I am not old...just been on this planet for the last 61 years. My body tries to tell me that I'm old but my mind knows differently.

    I don't know...maybe it is easier the older you get. We don't have to worry about impressing anyone but ourselves.
  • ranchmimi
    ranchmimi Posts: 126 Member
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    I saw 50 26 years ago - but it is never too late to start on the healthy eating route! All the advice given above is true ! I am somewhat disabled - walk pretty slowly with a cane - but now that I have lost some weight I am much more active than I was! I do a formal exercise class 3 times a week called Sit & Be Fit - and it really is helping. We use dumb bells, bands and balls and have upped our activities in the past 6 months. I don't spend nearly as much time sitting doing nothing as I did before I lost the weight! That along with weighing everything I eat and tracking it here has done the trick. I didn't gain all this weight overnight and I don't expect to lose it that way either! Consistency and patience will do the trick for you! Good luck!
  • AmyMgetsfit
    AmyMgetsfit Posts: 636 Member
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    I will be 59 in a few weeks. I feel the best I have in a long time. This year I lost 45lbs but did gain a few pounds back around the holidays. I would like to lose 10 total in the next few months. I started running and really loved it. I had some health issues I had to deal with when I started pushing myself harder, but I am slowly getting back into it after letting myself heal for a few weeks.
  • dianefisher47
    dianefisher47 Posts: 234 Member
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    I'm not older just better....66 years old..I have previously lost 32 pounds and now working on the next 30....you can add me for support:flowerforyou:
  • marciebrian
    marciebrian Posts: 853 Member
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    I'm 59 and exercise on average 5 days a week. (not always but usually). It is harder especially if you are post menopausal but if you eat right, log your food and exercise religiously, you'll lose the weight ;-)

    Welcome and if I can help feel free to add me. Happy 2014!
  • DianneP6772
    DianneP6772 Posts: 272 Member
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    Age need not be a factor.

    I am 68 and before this year, and joining MFP - i have never lost this amount of weight.

    This was a total commitment for me. I am retired and i was injured (tore tendon around ankle) when i started this. I had been basically doing No exercise for the previous 6 months because of my injury. But decided - IT WAS TIME! My son told me about
    this site so i joined. I had not been happy with my weight as i had put on 5 lbs in those last 6 months because of inactivity and all my
    clothes were tight. Not a good feeling.

    The concept is so simple. Eat less, exercise more - you will lose weight.

    I am retired - so i had the time to devote to this total program.

    Logging - for me was essential. I am now up to day 236 of consistent logging. And you need to be honest about it. If you don't have a food scale - get one. You might be amazed at what 5 ounces of meat looks like. So i weighed a lot of food, measured others and
    guessed a bit if it was veggies or fruit. To me - the logging was what made me accountable. Its just for me - but it works. No one else sees it if you do not want them to. So its for yourself.

    And exercise. To me that was totally necessary. I cycle a lot and try to go faster almost everytime out. So that was the major part of my exercise. Cardio - does work. Also - during the summer - i did yard work. Major yard work. I trimmed all of our many hedges.
    Weeded, picked up sticks - whatever to keep going. I would do 1-2 hours a day for 3-5 days a week. Cycling - about 5-6 times a week anywhere from 15-30 miles. And in Septemer i joined a gym so have been weight training 3 times a week for 45-60 min.
    Also, since September, my ankle is better so i am back to playing tennis and that is 3 times a week for 90 minutes.
    For me - i would rather go out and cycle more so that i could eat more that day. That was easier than stopping at 1200 calories a day.

    So, it is possible. And the rewards are fantastic. When i came back to tennis a lot of friends had not seen me for 6-9 months so they were all in shock with my weight loss. I went from a size 12-14 to a size 6 ! Me a size 6 - who would have thought? This is the fun part!

    So stick with it - Oh - and i also have So much energy now! Its amazing the difference. I want to do at least two sports a day because i feel like it.

    Have fun - its not easy - but also - its not that hard. Because of the exercise i did i was able to have treats everyday so i did not feel deprived.

    Go for it! You can!
  • oc1timoco
    oc1timoco Posts: 272 Member
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    I'm 56 and started in November of 2010 at 358 lbs. I'm currently at 195-200 lbs. and have been in that area for a year and a half now. We don't stop moving because we are old. We get old because we stop moving. Anyone can add me but beware. I'm not the cheerleader type with canned messages like WTG! or Great burn! Nor am I crass and insensitive. Just a regular person willing to communicate.

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