Women 55yrs. & older with 75lbs. or more to lose!

JosieMomGramma

I am starting this thread for women who are 55 yrs old or older & need to lose 75lbs or more & find it more difficult than when we were younger to lose. It seems to get harder as we age! I have been with MFP for a couple of years now. I did lose 50lbs, but back slid a bit to 38lb. loss. I have another 80lbs or so to lose to my goal weight. It is sometimes a uphill battle, as I am limited on what exercise I can do with arthritis in my knees, feet & back. I am looking for ideas, encouragement & motivation for exercise & healthy eating from others seeking the same! My name is Josie, I am 62 yrs. old, married 31 yrs in June. We have 2 children & 5 grandkids. We live in a small town of Princeton, BC. Canada.

Ideas for discussion:
Monday: How did your weekend go? Any new ideas for meal planning for the upcoming week?
Tuesday: Any up coming events in your future that you need to plan for & how do you plan too keep on track?
Wednesday: New ideas for exercising?
Thursday: Share any successes or failures. ( We all have them)
Friday: How do you plan to keep active & eat healthfully over the weekend? I know it seems to be the hardest time of the week for most of us!
Saturday: Share any food issues or low-fat recipes. Please include calorie count, & any other nutrient counts that are available.
Sunday: How's your week been? Share anything you need to get off your chest. Not neccessarily for weight loss only!

Challenges:
Anyone who would like to put out a weekly or monthly challenge (eg. water intake, exercise time per day, etc.) please put it out to the group.

If you would like to join this thread just do so by sharing a little bit about yourself.

annglenn

I really like this idea Josie & ready to jump in! I am 63 years old & also have arthritis in my knees,hip & back. So it can be limiting. I first started with MPG since 2010 when I joined a liquid protein diet doctor supervised. In two years I lost 70 pounds. I may have lost it sooner if I had not cheated. But come on now liquid protein for any amount drives you crazy or did me. So of course I gained it all back & then some. Now I am seeing an eating disorders counselor since this past September by doing portion control. I have now lost 30 something pounds. I still have my days that I mess up but they are much less. So I am looking forward to having this outlet.

JosieMomGramma

Welcome Ann, so glad to see you joining this thread. I hope we can really get to know each other a bit better & encourage each other along this weightloss journey to healthier bodies, minds & spirits! WE CAN DO THIS! I look forward to your posts here!

I still have a challenge with night time snacking! Need to get over it & have a stop snacking time , so I do not overdo it!

annglenn

You know late night eating is my biggest problem also. Especially when I am alone in the house. Ok now today's post is to how to keep active & eat healthy over the weekend. This is a challenge for for me this week having bronchitis. The only exercise I can see me getting is going up & down my stairs. But I can have control over what I eat.

JosieMomGramma

Ann: Going up & down stairs is exercise that is for sure! hope you have a great weekend & your bronchitis gets better soon. If I get a cold I end up with bronchitis & my asthma really acts up too. So I know how you feel.

Friday: Planning for a active & healthy eating weekend: My husband & I have decided to go bowling on the weekends, so we plan to go bowling tonight. Hope to burn lots of calories as it is good exercise for me. Already got my meals planned for today, but not sure what we will have tomorrow. My hubby is really supportive when it comes to meals when he is off work. He is off weekends for now, but that changes in June. Usually just a small breakfast of 2 boiled eggs & 1 dry toast. We sometimes go out for lunch on sat. but to a coffee shop where we share a sandwich or get a small bowl of soup each only. Then have a good dinner. Sundays we usually only have toast in the morning & go out for lunch. So I will have to make sure I choose wisely at whatever restaurant we go to. Then I don't make supper on sunday, we just have a little something when we get hungry. I am going to try not to eat any snacks after 8pm. each night of the week. Hoping this will stop my grazing at night time, lol!!

karenleona

Found you!! thanks for starting this Josie. Hope we can find more participants as well.. Not sure about planning the weekend. Just trying to get through the day. Going to see my cardiologist later today. Hoping to be able to do a bit more activity.
Ann- many days the activity of going up and down stairs is all i can do as well but it gets the heart going, that's for sure

JosieMomGramma

Karen: Welcome to the group, looking forward to your postings & encouraging one another! Hope all goes well for you at the cardiologist. Hope he gives you the ok to go back to work. Have a great weekend & just do what you can! Hugs

JosieMomGramma

Well my hubby & I had a great time bowling last night. We bowled 4 games & my feet & knees were aching, lol. The back of my hair was wringing wet from sweating, so I guess it was good exercise for me! Please feel free to invite any of your friends on here to join our group. I am hoping after the weekend that more will see my posting & join us. I can not believe we woke up to it snowing this morning again. I am so sick of it. It has not snowed in days & it did warm up again, but yesterday it was cooler again & I was worried it might snow again. It did stop by 11am, so I am hoping that is the last of it, although it still is clouded over!

Saturday food issues: As I said my night time snacking is the biggest down fall I have. So have to get it under control!! I use to only crave salty things but since my hubby is a sweet tooth person I have also adopted that fault too. But crave more salty than anything. I found this low cal recipe & I am definitely going to try it, my hubby loves stuffed peppers & this one has a new spin on it, using barley instead of rice. I will let you know when I try it how it was. Maybe you might want to try it. Hope you will share one of your recipes with us too.

Nutritional Information TEX-MEX CHICKEN & BARLEY STUFFED PEPPERS
(per serving) 4 servings
Calories 251
Total Fat 9g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 47mg
Sodium 310mg
Total Carbohydrate 32g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars n/a
Protein 14g

Ingredients
• 4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise through stem, seeded
• Nonstick spray
• 8 ounce(s) lean ground chicken
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can(s) (10 oz) enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup(s) each quick-cooking barley and frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• cup(s) chopped fresh cilantro
________________________________________
Directions
1. Heat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil. Put peppers cut side down in pan; coat peppers with nonstick spray.
2. Broil 12 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until lightly charred and soft.
3. Meanwhile coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; heat over medium heat. Add chicken and onion, increase to medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes, breaking up chunks of chicken with a wooden spoon, until chicken and onions are lightly browned.
4. Add all but 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, 1 cup water, the barley, corn and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until barley is tender. Off heat, stir in cilantro. Spoon into pepper halves; drizzle with reserved enchilada sauce. Good with shredded romaine lettuce, avocado and tomato salad. Brightly colored bell peppers are a great source of antioxidants. Fill them with lean ground chicken and fiber-rich corn and barley.

karenleona

got a good report from the cardiologist....he said i can go back to work in about a month. However....there are NO jobs available in any of the 6 federal institutions near where i live. Although they owe me a job i could wait up to a year but disability will cut me off after 2 months as i cannot stay on it simply because there are no jobs. I have started applying at local hospitals.....will have to hope i can get hired somewhere.
went shopping for a few clothes today....not a good experience
sent a note to charlotte about this new thread and i hope we can get a few more members.
staying on track so far today......we will see what the evening brings.......i just want one day of success...

JosieMomGramma

Hi Karen: So glad you got a good report from the cardiologist & he cleared you for work in a month. I hope you will get a good job soon after that! Funny I too sent a invite to this group to Charlotte, so I hope she feels really welcomed, lol. I have also sent out several other personal invitations to some people who have posted on another heading of over 50 & in need of friends & support. Also another lady on my friend list who messaged me that she is away at her families & will be back on tue. & is wanting to join us. So hopefully this week we will get more ladies in this group. Will be so great to get more input as to eating healthfully, exercise & the struggles we all have each day. Hope you have a very successful day today! WE CAN DO THIS!!

kjurassic

Hi, ladies- this seems like a thread where I might possibly "fit in." I'm 59. I have changed my lifestyle since mid October 2013. Here's the deal, though. I did not get weighed when I started and I don't plan on getting weighed for a while. I'm already down two sizes so I know I've made some great progress. My clothes are literally just about to fall off me so I am planning on going on a small shopping spree when I go on vacation (this Friday). I still have a lot to lose, though - ( I'm thinking it's in the 75 lb range) that's why the spree will be "small." :bigsmile:
I've been on plans to lose weight before and was ruled by the scale but eventually gave up when the scale stopped moving. This time it is not a weight-loss plan. It's the way I'm going to try to live the rest of my life. (At least those are my intentions!!!)
I'm not real "savvy" yet with moving around in MFP, hoping I'll be able to find my way back to you!

toadg53

Hi ladies ... and Josie thanks for inviting me. I started my journey last July 2013 on my own, then went to a nutritional doctor in August and he tweaked what I was doing. I've done pretty well since then. I will see him again on Tuesday so I plan to talk to him about some things that have been brought up on the forums here, to get his take on issues about eating back exercise calories burned, goals, and a few others things. I saw a personal trainer the other day, so I started to go to the fitness center at our high school. The doctor had told me to start strengthening/toning exercises last fall, but of course, I didn't do it. I knew by Christmas I'd better do it, but ended up having surgery in January, and had 8 weeks of not being able to lift anything over 5# so there went that idea. But I can get back on track and actually after going 3 times so far, I am going to like it. The only things I cannot do are the leg lift exercises. I had a torn meniscus 6 years ago, and I can't put that kind of stress on that knee. Otherwise, I walk daily between 1 1/2 hours and 3 hours, depending on the weather and my "oomph" I have that day. Anyway, I look forward to getting to know everybody better, and especially to be able to have something in common with others on this site/thread. And thanks again Josie for the invite and for starting this group. Good luck to us all. I think Mother Nature is finally going to smile on us ... Starting Monday we will finally warm up just a tad and I can finally walk outside again.

annglenn

Well hello I doze off & on for most of the day & come back to more people. Welcome Karen I am glad the cardio report was good. Toad53g sorry to hear about the continued troubles from the torn meniscus. I had one repaired years ago myself. And kjurrassi glad to have you here to. Yeah to shopping trip & enjoy that vacation. Josie it sucks that it snowed again! There is no better way to say because it's time for spring not known. Sounds like you had fun bowling even though you are sore today. I hope you had some ben gay. Well I want to share one of my favorite snacks with you all I like sweets. So what I do around Thanksgiving I buy several bags of fresh cranberries & stick them in the freezer. I also bag up blueberries or whatever is in season. The point is I have a fruit popsicle that is sweet. I eat 1/2 as a serving. Ok everyone will talk tomorrow. :glasses:

annglenn

Ok you can tell I am not quite myself. I meant to say 1/2 cup of fruit.

jackies_42

Hi, this sounds like a group for me. I am really struggling with my diet, always seem to be hungry in the evening. Weight is coming off so slowly as I just don't exercise enough. Maybe reading other posts will give me the incentive not to give in to cravings.

raggiemom

Looks like this might be a group for me. I am 62, or I will be on Thurs!! I live in Southwestern Ontario....I can relate to being ready for spring, Josie!! Tues. it felt and smelled like spring, and woke up Wed. to fresh snow...20cm fell that day!! I just started another weight loss journey 4 weeks ago. I have some medical issues..diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol; losing weight will help get all my issues under control. Exercise can be tough for me some days; I tend to rely on walking. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

32milo1

This sounds like a group that I could benefit from. Weight is coming off slowly, I'm up/down and all over the place..I've been with MFP since Jan. 2014, lost 16 pounds in the first month and yo-yo'd down 6 more pounds to this date. Love MFP; it has certainly supported my launch to seek and obtain a healthier life style. Just getting more frustrated at the "yo-yo" experience; this is a new thing for me.

I am 74, with 2 bum knees and limited activity. Am beginning more concerted efforts at exercise in motion. Looks like the
people who have become involved with this "thread" are actively interested in being supportive and informative. I'd like to join this group of people. Can't promise to be able to contribute as much as some....but, sure will try. My lack of computer savy and fammiliarity with using MFP poses the major barrier for me.....so, with that given, I look forward to the struggles and the successes ....

JosieMomGramma

Well I just want to say a BIG WELCOME to all the new ladies. To help you have an easy time to reach this thread you just go to your home page & click on "Community", then you will see a few titles where you will see "My Topics" just click on that & you will see our groups name , click on it & it will bring you to this thread.

Kjurassic: Sounds like you have made some healthy choices that has helped you lose weight to fit into 2 sizes smaller. That is a wonderful accomplishment. We do not ask anyone to jump on the scale here, but we would love to hear how you have accomplished your weight losses along your journey & in the past. this group is all about sharing & caring about each other along this difficult road to a healthier body & lifestyle. Hope we can help you on your journey & you in turn will encourage the ladies to do the same!

toadg: Eating back calories burned is a personal choice, some can get away with it & some can't. It is a good issue to discuss with your doctor. Good for you for starting a fitness program. Hope you are healing well from your surgery. I too can't do any weight leg lifts as I have had 3 cartilage repair surgeries on my knees & now arthritis in both.

Ann: Thanks for making the new gals welcome & the snack suggestion!

jackie: sounds like we have somethings in common. Hope we can help each other cope with our struggles!

raggiemom: Even though it snowed this morning it cleared up & out came a big flock of Robins that stayed until dark. Also a few chick-a-dees, sparrows, starlings, & 1 Bluejay. I just love it when the birds come back. It feels like spring when I hear them churp & sing. Oh & also our doves came back too, I heard them coo-ing this morning dispite the snow falling.

32milo: I hope you will benefit from our group. I know how it is to yo-yo, as I have been in that boat a while now. Time to get off that crazy path & get serious with my eating habits & exercise. Keep posting & moving as much as you have the ability to do. We look forward to your input too.

Another sat. share for me is I have decided to stop eating anything past 8pm. to try & address my over snacking at night. I am going to bed now so my first night has been a success . It's a start!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!

Midnightshadow1

Lovely to find this group thank you for starting it as I have found trying to lose weight now is a lot harder than when I was younger.

I have 85lb to lose seems like a long trek but if I don't start in earnest now I will only keep putting weight on.

I do try to go to the gym at least twice a week luckily found a no-posers gym where there are a lot of older ladies and the instructors are so encouraging and friendly, since starting I have toned up but not lost much weight but at least it is going down which is all good

I have given up chocolate for lent and have now lost the weight I put on plus 1lb so all for the good

Hope to get to know you all better over the coming months

kjurassic

Good morning, Ladies---

Sunday - how's our week been?

Mine was especially rough. I have a very responsible job. I was a team leader on a huge audit. The audit began Tuesday and ended Thursday. On Tuesday, one of the staff members of the company I was auditing told me it was her second day back at work. She was doing field work a few weeks ago and a 93 year old man pulled out in front of her, she couldn't avoid him, she hit him and he died! She is devastated and is having a terrible time dealing with it. Then on Thursday, my supervisor (who was on our audit team and who I consider a friend and an awesome person) got an text message that her best friend (and one of our former co-workers) who had hernia surgery on Tuesday stopped breathing and by the time she got to her house, she had passed!
So.....I was a team member short on the audit and my mind was with these two ladies going through such heavy emotional "stuff" but the show had to go on. I was the main presenter at the exit conference and got through it - but it was tough. When I got home from work that evening I had my own emotional meltdown.

The good thing......I did not come home and over eat or over drink because of the stresses of the day/week! That was a major victory for me. I am working way too hard to stay true to my healthy lifestyle and I don't want to start "backsliding!"
I'm an extremely compassionate person (too compassionate for my own good I'm afraid) and my mind has been on these women hoping they will heal and get through these devastating life experiences.

I hope you all have a great Sunday. I live in Florida and the weather here has been incredible lately (sorry for those of you in the colder climates - I know you've had a rough winter!) so....I will probably be taking my walk outside again today. Outside kind of "renews" my spirit - I try to get out as much as I can. Everything is blooming here - dogwoods, azaleas, redbuds, etc, the sun is shining the birds are singing especially beautifully today - reminds me life is beautiful and every day has to be lived to the fullest!

kjurassic

Well hello I doze off & on for most of the day & come back to more people. Welcome Karen I am glad the cardio report was good. Toad53g sorry to hear about the continued troubles from the torn meniscus. I had one repaired years ago myself. And kjurrassi glad to have you here to. Yeah to shopping trip & enjoy that vacation. Josie it sucks that it snowed again! There is no better way to say because it's time for spring not known. Sounds like you had fun bowling even though you are sore today. I hope you had some ben gay. Well I want to share one of my favorite snacks with you all I like sweets. So what I do around Thanksgiving I buy several bags of fresh cranberries & stick them in the freezer. I also bag up blueberries or whatever is in season. The point is I have a fruit popsicle that is sweet. I eat 1/2 as a serving. Ok everyone will talk tomorrow. :glasses: