50+ with 50+ To Lose Group

KeriA

Welcome Casiannrn to our group and MFP. I think both will prove to be great for you. Use My Topic above or the Search function above to find us again. I also have the link on my profile. Thanks for introducing yourself to us and listing your goals. I am looking forward t getting to know you.

KeriA

I am going to post the Group Blog Post again. I have updated the group list there. If I forgot someone let me know.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/KeriA/view/50-with-50-to-lose-group-blog-137779

Keri

CRody44

-gwen,
My wife had back problems. She started doing yoga with the WiiFit and the pain went away. Whenever she stops for a while, the pain returns. She thinks the gentle stretching is what helps.

njbvass and casiannrn, welcome to the group.

I had a Scale Victory this morning. I hit 250 pounds, which is what I weighed when I met my wife 17 years ago, and my lowest weight since then.

_gwen

Thank you Keri for the supportive comments.

Chuck, yoga is a good suggestion. I've been doing some Pilates stretches desk side. I don't have a Wii, but I hear the interactive programs are quite good. Congratulations on your scale victory!!!

SeattleGrl

Chuck, congratulations on the scale victory..yay!

Gwen - I hope your back feels better soon, I know how painful it can be. I had back surgery almost 3 years ago and went through many years of pain. Pilates worked wonders for me, mainly to strengthen my core. I still try and use the reformer a couple of times a week.

I hope everyone is having a terrific Monday!
Hazel

CRody44

Goals:
1. To walk 30 minutes, four times a week (Sun., Mon., Wed., Fri.), 500 minutes per month.
2. To workout with resistance bands for 30 minutes, three time a week (Tue., Thu., Sat.), 360 minutes per month.
3. To stay within my diet: <1800 calories, < 2000mg sodium, < 60g fat, daily.
4. To get off my diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol meds by August 15, 2012.

Progress:
1. 978 total min of 500. Monthly goal met.
2. Resistance Training: Monthly goal not met.
3. Today 8/29
1800 calories – Daily goal met.
468 mg Sodium – Daily goal not met.
18 g Fat – Daily goal met.
4. 300+ days to meet goal.

Today, I walked 44 min. 30 sec., 2.33 miles, at 3.14 mph (RunKeeper) and burned 378 calories (Polar F11).
Chuck

dfeledichuk

2099 mg Sodium – Daily goal not met.

No weight loss today, fourth day in a row at 252, but I didn’t gain any either. I was 99 mg of sodium over my goal. Shouldn’t have had the pistachios.

My goal for this week is to be below 2000mg of sodium as well, my sodium is high most days so if you have any pointers... let me know. And congratulations on your scale victory!!! That is awesome, you should be very proud.

dfeledichuk

Gwen sorry about your back that just sucks, I am impressed you got in some walks, hopefully it is feeling better and welcome to the newcomers!

dfeledichuk

Update on my goals

My goals:

1 To walk over a hundred miles each month including the winter when it gets -30 here daily.
2 Drink at least 8 if not 10 glasses of water a day
3 No eating after 7:00 pm - I really struggle with this one!
4 To be under 195lbs by my birthday in February
5 To ultimately get under 160 hopefully sometime next summer
6 To keep off all the weight I do lose

Progess

1 To walk over a hundred miles each month including the winter when it gets -30 here daily.
- complete at 105.4 miles for the month

2 Drink at least 8 if not 10 glasses of water a day
- meet this goal everyday this past week

3 No eating after 7:00 pm - I really struggle with this one!
Still not mastering this one.

4 To be under 195lbs by my birthday in February
Getting there need to loss 51 more lbs in 5 1/2 months my goal is 10lbs per month so it is still doable

5 To ultimately get under 160 hopefully sometime next summer
On track still

6 To keep off all the weight I do lose
Will see when I get there

My short term goals

1. Drink at least 10 cups of water a day - meet will now be part of my routine
2. Not eating after 7:00 pm - a work in progress
3. Eat at least 2 cups of vegetables per day. - pretty close most days

Upcoming focus for this week

1. Not eating after 8:00pm - 7 is just unrealistic as some days I am not home until 7
2. Eat as least 2 cups of vegetables per day - as I have not perfected this one I am going to keep it for another week
3. No more than 2000mg of sodium a day - feel like I am retaining water so want to try this for a week and see how it goes

This past week I was down 4lbs, yay!

greenhydrangea

Hi All,

Not posting much, simply due to work and a project I'm working on that is sapping me of all my free time. Please forgive. I will be back after this week is over.

I am finding myself in a plateau phase again. I hate this as it makes me feel defeated when the scale doesn't go down, either sits where it is, or goes up a little. I have lost and gained the same .4 lb over and over again. I guess that means I'm maintaining, but I really would like a little bit of a change. So here is my question: when you are plateauing: what do you do? (and could you discuss whether you do or don't eat your exercise calories. I have been eating mine, but now I'm contemplating not.

Also, I was hoping to record a victory in the blood pressure department today. Really is a victory in that I recorded in the "prehypertension" level and down from where I started, but I was convinced that it would all be in the normal range, so I'm feeling discouraged. Not like me really, generally fairly positive.

so plateau strategies anyone?

KeriA

Chuck and dfeledichuk great scale victories. You are also making progress with your goals. Yay! Then you add more!

greenhydrangea I do have some strategies for plateaus after being on for a few months and getting out of it. I read up on them. In fact I have 2 blogs on them but what you should do is look at the links in my blog. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/KeriA/view/plateaus-revisited-132685
Here is the part of my blog that has the links:
"I wrote a blog a while back about my efforts to get out of a plateau and after reading a great article that explained for me why we plateau. http://www.activepassivediet.com/files/active_passive_chapter_1.pdf I read more on the site and realized the concepts in it would be really important to someone who had reached their goal weight and doesn't want to gain it back. http://www.activepassivediet.com/aboutus.html

I have been losing if you call a half pound every two weeks losing which I do but I do not call it confidence that I am truly totally out of my plateau. .......... I still read all the posts on plateaus both to pass on the article and to see if I am really on the right track and I found yet another great article: http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html The reason this article is so good is it gives you some strategies to figure out why you specifically have hit the plateau and what you specifically need to do to get out of it. "

Since writing that I have started to lose more. Both articles really helped me and the second one I have seen others post as well.

Basically after losing 10% of our original weight our body which has been fighting us in oour weight loss really starts to put its foot down. The first article suggests you just relax a bit and maintain weight for 2 months and thereby you reset what your body sees as your regular weight. It not only will help you maintain it but it lets its guard down enough to let you lose again. However there are some who do not take this 2 month maintenance period and seem to get out of their plateaus. This is where the second article comes in. It focusses on what you have been doing to lose weight so far and whether you have taken these strategies to the max so far. If you have been eating very low calories for an extended period of time you will probably have to eat more calories. If you have been doing alot of cardio then you can look at the intensity of cardio. Have you been doing any intervals of more intense cardio where you get your heart rate up for example. Have you instead been focusing on strength training and low cardio you would change this and focus on cardio. Most people have been low on calories so they need to up them and then change up their exercise depending on what they have been doing. The article is worth reading because it has all the info to determine whether you can intensify one area over another and more information about when to up calories.

My plateau was hard because my calories were not that low, I had alot of cardio but there was room for intensifying and I didn't want to give up some of the things I was doing to intensify it (Zumba and C25K) I was doing some resistance training in Aquafit but no strength training to speak of. I have upped my calories a bit, I have tried to have days of less intensity and higher intensity, I have added a bit of strength training in. I probably need to do more to change it up but in a sense I had already started changing it up. One note I learned that I always do wrong. I focus on exercise and then diet. It really should be the other way around. When I have had a period when I couldn't focus on weight loss I always come off it by upping my exercise and then lowering my calories. It should be the other way around. However if your calories have been to low you would up them and change up your exercise somehow.

SallieBeige

Greenhydrangea, your diary is not visible so I am not sure if I am going to say anything of any use.

And I do know that what I am going to say is not popular - but it worked for me. When I started at mfp, I didn't loose a single bit of weight for two months although a did a fair amount of exercise. I found that very demotivating, and it could not have been a plateau as I had not even started loosing any weight (infact, I was at my heaviest ever and hitting the obese border

I went to my doctor and she said that at my age, (not my favourite term weight is hard to lose and I may need to try something more drastic and drop my calories for a bit.

I am lucky I have the time right now, so I dropped my calorie intake, increased my water intake (Keri has a great water article somewhere), and exercised more.

Last week I lost 2 pounds for the first time ever. I am going to give it one more week and then up my calories again. I have monitored myself. I don't feel like I am getting more tired or lazy so believe my metabolism is still maintaining.

However, I don't know how many calories you are having. I know for sure we should never drop calories too much, for too long.

Good luck!! I know it can be depressing to do all the right things and have it not work

CRody44

dfeledichuk, to me, low sodium means more fruits and veggies. My cardiologist ordered a low sodium diet for me, and, except when I go out for dinner, I usually stay well under 2000mg. I don’t add any salt to my food when I cook and try to choose low sodium natural foods (except for shell fish MMmmmm). By the way, walking over 100 miles a month is impressive.

greenhydrangea, following my cardiologists instructions, I don’t eat my exercise calories, but I am in the obese range still. She said, at my weight, I have no danger of burning muscle instead of fat. It sounds like you are going through a period of stress at work, and therefore, not able to pay a close attention to your health. Don’t add the stress of worrying about your numbers. Do your best to stay within your numbers and get through your work stress period. You certainly can’t expect your blood pressure to not be elevated with all the work stress, so I would be very happy with being down from where you started. Don’t be discouraged. I suggest not eating your exercise calories for a while, maybe that will bump you off your plateau.

I have found that, since I have changed my lifestyle versus dieting, I’m not as worried about my numbers, because I know I am eating healthier and exercising my heart and lungs which has to make me more healthy, compared to the way I was living (or slowly dying).

_gwen

I went to my doctor and she said ... I may need to try something more drastic and drop my calories for a bit.

Ahhh...that explains the low calorie count. Good to know. I can stop nagging you about your calories. :flowerforyou:

_gwen

Thanks for the good wishes Donna. My back is feeling much better today. I took a walk this morning, but dropped the pace down a bit. No problems. I've also set a break timer on my computer so I get up for 5 minutes every hour I'm at my desk.

My goal for this week is to be below 2000mg of sodium as well, my sodium is high most days so if you have any pointers... let me know.

I set my sodium level to 1500mg. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284 (I have high blood pressure) Most days, no problem. It goes over if I eat tuna or go out to eat. Refried beans have ridiculously high amounts of sodium. I pretty much stay away from processed food. I like ham, but ham has way too much sodium, so I rarely eat it now.

I also omit the salt from recipes, except when I bake. If you use salted butter, canned goods, or condiments in the recipe, you already get plenty of salt. I adjust the seasoning at the end. I also find adding a bit of vinegar can make a food taste saltier. I think it has to do with the acid dispersing the electrolytes from the salt. My sister explained it, all I know is that it works for me.

SallieBeige

CRody, I liked your post. Thanks
Good, common-sense logic in a world gone mad!!! (well, thats how I feel sometimes)

And Gwen, thanks. Its good knowing that we are watching over each other.

KeriA

There is always the zigzag strategy as well. It is where you have days where your calories are higher and days where they are lower. The idea is that the deficit is weekly not daily. It keeps your body guessing. Sometimes when you have a high calorie day you can actually lose. Low calories over an extended amount of time is what is often bad. Yes if you have more weight you don't have to worry as much as when you are closer or within your healthy range. I do think that the size/height of your body and age can be a factor in losing weight and your calorie intake. I am a sort of middle liner with exercise calories. I eat some of them most of the time. One thing I have gotten this year is the confidence that once i reach my goal weight I can maintain it. That is an improvement over the last few years where I slowly gained. To me it is a victory especially since with exercise I have lost alot in inches. I guess I agree with Chuck here about this being healthier and not worrying about the numbers too much. However that is after having some success at getting some off. Congratulations Sallie on getting the loss going. I want to keep mine going too. MFP settings can't work perfectly for everyone we each have to find that sweet spot for ourselves unfortunately we sometimes have to change it up later and find it again.

Gwen I am so glad that your back is feeling better. I am getting so used to exercising that I am not sure how I would do if I couldn't for awhile.

Bisbeegal

Re: Plateaus. I've been in a long-term plateau when I lost 21 pounds, 10% of my weight, which would support the body resetting itself. HOWEVER, to be brutally honest, I noticed that I was doing the following things:

1. Gaining and losing the same five pounds.
2. Eating more "convenience foods" (breakfast bars, etc.) instead of real foods. One Nature Valley Sweet and Salty bar=2 apples. When I lost the weight, I was eating super healthy--lots of fruits and veggies.
3. Being inaccurate in my logging, and not logging until the evening. I'd eat stuff, forget about it, and then wonder why I wasn't losing weight. When I was losing, I was religious about logging accurately after meals.
4. When I lost the 21 pounds, it seemed like I would be a little bit hungry when I went to bed because I cut off the food at dinnertime. During the plateau, I was eating after dinner. I never felt hungry, and I never lost weight.
5. I went to the gym when I was losing. I haven't been this summer (but, I'm rejoining the first). I generally ate some of those calories back, but not all of them.
6. I looked back at my logs, and I am eating way more sugar than I did when I was losing. I have a sweet tooth, and I'm using my calories to indulge it. I do think it really, really matters how you use your calories, and this sugar thing has got to go if I'm going to lose and maintain.
7. Also, most of the people I started with have dropped out, and I didn't seek new supportive friends who were daily loggers. (Until now). Having people reading your food diary, commenting, and keeping you honest makes a huge difference.

Now that I've owned up to my contribution to this problem. I'm ready to lose again, and I need to correct the problems on this list. If I don't, they'll be a major issue if I want to keep my weight off. Through daily logging, MFP has given me an opportunity to really analyze my eating and exercise habits to see how they interact. I also got incredibly valuable advice from people who read my food diary when I was needed help, and, for those of you that keep your food diaries private, you might need that help and advice when you are struggling. Consider making your diary public at least to this group (you can put a password on it that you share with us, several of my friends do.)

Before I joined MFP, I was pretty much in denial about my weight, but now I really understand why I became overweight. I had no understanding of how many calories I was jamming into my mouth; I ate whenever the opportunity presented itself; I didn't exercise; and, I'd lost every habit a person has for keeping thin. It's almost like having an accident and relearning to walk, but now, I'm ready to learn. Thanks to you all for being around to help.

CRody44

Goals:
1. To walk 30 minutes, four times a week (Sun., Mon., Wed., Fri.), 500 minutes per month.
2. To workout with resistance bands for 30 minutes, three time a week (Tue., Thu., Sat.), 360 minutes per month.
3. To stay within my diet: <1800 calories, < 2000mg sodium, < 60g fat, daily.
4. To get off my diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol meds by August 15, 2012.

Progress: 8/30/11
1. Walking: 978 total min of 500. Monthly goal met.
2. Resistance Training: 107 minutes. Monthly goal not met.
3. Dietary:
1720 calories – Daily goal met.
1531 mg Sodium – Daily goal met.
53 g Fat – Daily goal met.
4. 300+ days to meet goal.

3 sets/15 reps/7 exercises. 35min. 25 sec. 233 calories burned (Polar F11).

Bisbeegal, it sounds like, if you go back to what you were doing, you have the recipe for success. Good luck.

Chuck

Edited to add 2 cups of watermelon, Mmmmmm.

dfeledichuk

dfeledichuk, to me, low sodium means more fruits and veggies. My cardiologist ordered a low sodium diet for me, and, except when I go out for dinner, I usually stay well under 2000mg. I don’t add any salt to my food when I cook and try to choose low sodium natural foods (except for shell fish MMmmmm). By the way, walking over 100 miles a month is impressive.

Thanks