50+ with 50+ To Lose Group

KeriA

Thanks Hazel, How are you doing? Really miss hearing how everyone is doing actually.
I really need my life back. Tuesday the plan is for my Mom to move into a retirement community where she can get some assistance. It may not be the one she settles on so there may be some moving for her down the line. I think I have a break from it all this weekend and went to Aquafit this morning. The work out was not as rigorous as usual since my favorite teacher is recuperating from surgery. Since I haven't had much exercise this week it probably was ok for today. Last Sunday I had a great walk/jog and that is it for real exercise this past week. Looking forward to getting past Halloween and getting my Mom settled. Anyway nest week will not be normal either but should improve.
How are all you doing?

KeriA

Yay finally some exercise again. Started back into my weight training. How is everyone doing?

swimmer54

Hello to everyone. Well, I wasn't great at meeting my October goals which were:
1. No binging on sweets.
Throughout the month I did continue to binge on sweets, but one night, after doing it, I think a light bulb came on. It all suddenly seemed really self-destructive, and I did some thinking about how it began. For me, when grocery stores started having bakeries it was a disaster. Before that, it was pretty easy to stay out of a bakery. I know that when I eat right I don't have cravings for sweets or anything else. So, it's really a matter of biting the bullet and beginning to feed myself properly.

2. Limit swimming. No more than 1 long swim per week. Other 2 swims limited to 1 hour each.
Well, that didn't turn out as I had planned. Not only did I limit my swimming, I pretty much stopped all together. There was an incident in the pool room that upset me and I haven't gone back since. I realize I just need to forget about that and move forward and get back into the pool, but keep it reasonable.

3. Complete home training on Tuesdays.
I had to go back up from 1 day of personal training a week to two unfortunately. My trainer helps me with my chronic back pain (mostly caused by 3 bad discs in the mid-back) and just going once a week wasn't working. So, that will cut into my available time for swimming, given all the other stuff I have to do.

4. Log food, no matter how bad it is
Logging food. ugh. I like using the 400 Calorie Fix plan and it worked best for me to just count to 400 and stop. Not spending time logging really worked (at that time) and I felt more like a normal eater which I really liked. But of course, I also avoid logging because I know I am way over my calorie limit. IF I ever get back to logging, I might just do a quick calorie add. But, so far I am finding it very, very difficult to get back on track, with eating and with exercise.

5. Become aware of water intake.
I have worked on this, setting alarms on my phone to remind me to drink. I don't log what I drink, but just try to drink more.

I am very grateful for MFP. Reading about others who are winning the battle is the thread that keeps me from completely giving up. I can see that it is possible to do this. I have gained back some of the weight I lost, and I am not happy about how that affects how I look in my clothes. But, overall, I am so much better than I was a year ago following both neck and knee surgery. At that time, I didn't think it was possible to recover to this extent. Makes me think that just about anything is possible!

November goals:
1. No binging on sweets.
2. Exercise at least 4 days a week., Swim for reasonable distances, and stay at the gym after personal training to do some cardio. Consider a class???
3. Work at following the 400 Calorie Fix. Try to at least log calories eaten. Prepare appropriate foods and have them on hand.
4. Eat within an hour of getting up.
5. Continue to improve water intake.
6. Weigh more regularly. Record weight every 2 weeks.

greenhydrangea

Swimmer, you've inspired me to set November goals too!

My mantra: Pay attention!

Here are goals:

1. Eating out: just get the salad and forget about all the frou-frou.
2. Be mindful of what goes into my mouth while cooking.
3. Log _everything_, even the slurps and tastes (see #2).
4. Water! 6-8 per day.
5. Weigh everyday.
6. Check BP everyday.
7. Say no to holiday snacks at work and egg nog.
8. Bring carrots and almonds to work to combat #7.
9. Exercise 6 days per week.
10. Stretch stretch stretch

KeriA

Swimmer such a great and honest job at evaluating October and setting November goals. Talk about inspiring – that inspires me and it looks like GreenHydrangea too. Can’t to read her goals next. One thing logging has done for me is sort of helped me self correct. I see immediately what is the problem and sometimes that is all I need. Like seeing a food that just wasn’t worth 1000 calories or seeing the water glass splash over when I drink more than 8 glasses is a pat on the back for drinking enough that day. Or seeing I am starting to eat more later at night etc. However everyone is different in what works for them. I will do my goals after reading Green Hydrangeas. Thanks for sharing what you learned this month. That’s why this group is here.

Green Hydrangea you are another inspiring friend. You are so encouraging, I now can spell Hydrangea and I love your mantra (and your poems). Another set of great goals for November. I like the way you are being proactive about the holidays.

I will post my goals next. This has been the hardest month I have had on here I think.

KeriA

Thanks Mary (Swimmer) for getting us going this month.

This Month I had 2 challenges that have really got me off track which is really the first time since getting on MFP. I still have logged daily but all of my goals have been derailed. My mother fell and I have been the primary care giver for her although all of us have kicked in and my sister from France was here at the time and she was the primary care giver before me. Then once we got her some respite care I go and run into playground equipment head first at my very part-time temporary job. That was just a week problem but then Halloween is always a challenge as well and I didn’t need to have a hiatus in exercise just after Halloween. For once I feel I have gained instead of maintained. It is hard to tell with me since my weight varies a lot. Anyway I go into November determined to get back on track. Early October went fine but here is my latest.

October Goals evaluated. :grumble:
1. drink between 10-14 glasses of water a day – This one has to stay since while helping my Mom I fell down with this.
2. I am going to make sure it includes weight training and running intervals (post C25K), Zumba and a rest day. I want to ease into it for once and when the pool is open I will add in Aquafit again. - This month I really started weight training 2 days a week and it was starting to work when my Mom had her fall. So starting last week I have gotten back to this. I haven’t been to Zumba for quite awhile. This week it was because of my head injury. Maybe next week. I did start into Aquafit when the pool opened but now my favorite teacher is having surgery. However it makes OK cardio along with the weight training on Monday and Wednesday my second fav. teacher teaches it. I have been running on Tuesday mornings again since my Mom has moved into the Retirement Community temporarily for now. Thursday I have been working as a substitute at the preschool my sister works at. It is very active.
3. I think I have my calories goals set right so just need to work at making them.
4. Make healthy meals (my mother’s fall really messed this up but I have managed to make some great ones now and then_.

November goals
1 Water: stays the same for now:drinker:
2. Exercise: Monday and Wednesday will be Aquafit and weight training (2 hours), Tuesday will be interval running. Friday I will try to make it to Zumba, Saturday or Sunday I will have a walk with my husband and the other will be my rest day. If on one day during the week I miss my exercise I will exercise both. Thursday could be a rest day but my work is very active so I will play it by ear. It gives me the flexibility if I decide to exercise on Saturday and Sunday. Like maybe a short run fit in on Saturday or Thursday afternoon. Yes I like this idea.:happy:
3. Calories: For now my calorie goal will stay the same. If I go over a bit I have enough of a deficit I should still have a deficit just smaller. Probably Thanksgiving (and Christmas Eve and Day, Anniversary and Husbands birthday, other family party days) I will go over my goal but plan to stay at Maintenance.:ohwell:
4. Food Quality: Making healthy meals at home are going to remain a big priority to me.

I will continue to check the thread daily and will post regularly to keep it up on the Topics and weekly let you all know how I am doing with my goals. Hope you all do the later as well. I love to hear how it is going.:flowerforyou:

YoungerNextYear59937

Hi everyone! I am nearing my goal weight once again. I want this to be the last time in my life I EVER say that. I know how to lose weight, I certainly know how to gain weight, but I have NEVER been able to maintain. Even though I am 4 pounds from my goal I am happy where I am now and it wouldn't bother me to stay at this weight. At my heaviest I weighed 172 in 2009. I am only 5'1" tall. In March 2010 I weighed 121. I thought at the time I looked good, but I look at old photos and I looked aged and gaunt. I didn't feel well then either. I raised my goal to 129 this time (only because it was in the 120's). I now weigh 132 and I feel great. I think I look good in my clothes and I feel I am getting fit from working out, so I'm happy with where I am. My goal is to really eat healthy. Before when I worked out I did it so I could eat more crap. So my goal is to continue to work out and to quit eating crap. I have started to eat fruit (I hate fruit, or so I thought). I ate a pear yesterday for the first time in my life, and it tasted pretty good. I know it doesn't sound like much to a lot of people, but honestly I had NEVER eaten a fresh pear in my life.

I will be going on vacation Thanksgiving week. I will be going to my beloved Montana. My goal is to be able to continue to work out and eat healthy while on vacation. That will be a biggie for me. Temptation will be around every corner and I want to keep on track.

Yes the holidays will be upon us soon. The best advice I ever got about Thanksgiving was this, "Just remember it's only a meal." It's a meal like you would have any other day. Don't let it get out of hand.

I love all the goals I've read from you guys so far, and I know you can do it all. Thank you all so much for being such an inspiration, but most of all for being so wonderful and caring.

~Joni

swimmer54

I agree with you all. Paying attention is probably the number one thing I need to do. You mentioned, Keri, about how logging keeps you on track. Last night I made an old recipe for a very hearty cornbread. I've been eating this for years and don't recall ever knowing how many calories were in it. I entered the ingredients as a recipe and IT WAS A LOT! lol. I had to log grocery shopping calories just to get by. And Keri, your mention of aiming for "maintenance" on special days made sense to me. How do you figure out what "maintenance" is? Oh...add 500 calories? ok.

And Joni, CONGRATULATIONS on reaching a weight you are happy with. I think I have failed at dieting so many times that it's hard to believe I can do that. And, I'm thinking that believing in the possibility is probably one of the most important things. Coming to MFP and reading what is happening with others really helps me with that.

Right now I'm leaving some of my cheerios and fruit in the bowl. I have always eaten every bite of every meal. What if I just left a little each time?

Mary O.

KeriA

Hi Joni, congratulations on achieving a healthy weight. If you maintain a weight for 2 months or more it resets your normal weight so learning to maintain your weight is important and after 2 months your body will help you. If you do not reset what your body sees as normal by maintaining for 2 months it will fight to take you to the last weight it saw as your normal weight. Even losing more will mess up the process of resetting your weight. In other words the last step to successfully losing weight is not achieving your goal weight it is successfully resetting your body’s definition of your normal weight by maintaining the new weight you achieved. So many people don’t realize this. We have been fighting our bodies which are made to maintain our weight when we lose weight. Once we have reached that weight we have one more fight and that is to reset what our body sees as our normal weight to our new weight. That takes 2-3 months of carefully maintaining one weight within a couple of pounds up or down. Then we don’t have to fight our bodies so hard anymore. The added benefit of doing this work is that you have a good idea of what your body needs to maintain. You discover what is the best balance of calories and exercise to maintain.
I love that you are recognizing that what is your ideal weight now is different than before. That is what I think this group has in common a focus on our health. The problem with fruit is getting it when it is just ripe but not over ripe. I love it but I tend to be picky about it. Lately my husband has been really good at picking out pears. They are great when just right.

KeriA

Mary O yes you can find your daily deficit by going to your goals. It will tell you and it depends on what your calorie goal is set at. Then there is your calorie burn as well. If you have a 500 calorie daily deficit and you burned 250 calories you could eat 750 calories above your calorie goal and still be at maintainance calories for that day. Really the deficit is more important weekly anyway.

Alot of people lose just by being better with portion control. So leaving some on the plate is definitely an idea. Some people get smaller dishes too!:laugh:

BrynnGetsThin

Hi, I'm very glad to find this group. My name is Brynn. I'm 57, and I have 50+50+50+10 pounds to lose. 160 pounds.

My main motivation for finally DOING something came from reading a study that said that people who are obese in middle age will most likely take ten years off their lives, or even more, depending on how overweight they are. It scared me. I knew being fat wasn't healthy, but I never thought about it in concrete terms like that.

My Fitness Pal seems like a great site. I'll be weighing in for the first time tomorrow and starting to log my food.

I see that group members post goals on here, so here are mine for the remainder of November, starting tomorrow (11/8). I'm starting pretty much from scratch in most of these areas.

1. First thing each morning and at least 3 times a day, stop, relax with feet up, and take several slow deep breaths.
2. At least 3 times a day, do some stretching, isometric exercises, and gentle marching on the rebounder for a few minutes.
3. Stay under MFP calorie allowance daily and eat a healthier balance of foods, less sweets.
4. Drink three 48-oz mugs of iced plain water or lemon water daily, including the melted ice.
5. Take my vitamins and supplements, especially the ones for heart health.

YoungerNextYear59937

Keri:

Thank you so much. That is probably the most helpful advice I have ever gotten about maintenance. I had never heard that before. Thank you!

~Joni

YoungerNextYear59937

Brynn:

Welcome! We are glad you found us. You can do this and we will all be here to support you. You will be amazed as the weight comes off how quickly your health problems will disappear! As you work to lose weight and be healthy there will be no need to be scared any more!

BrynnGetsThin

Thanks for the welcome, Joni! Actually I have been fortunate enough to have no health problems so far, but I want to keep it that way.

Congratulations to you on getting to a good healthy weight! I agree with you, Keri's advice on maintaining was very good, and I want to remember that for myself.

KeriA

Keri:

Thank you so much. That is probably the most helpful advice I have ever gotten about maintenance. I had never heard that before. Thank you!

~Joni

Joni you are so welcome. I have said many times that plateaus have their advantages. That was something I learned trying to understand and get out of my plateau. :laugh: I realized at the time that it would be useful for once I hit my goal weight. Unfortunately I have alot of practice at maintaining. Now for losing!
Keri

KeriA

Brynn,
Welcome, nice to have you join us. I like your goals especially the one to relax and put up your feet! When I first joined MFP I joined a group called 100 plus to lose - Join me. So I understand about having more than one 50+ to lose. I hope you have as good an experience on this site as I have.
Keri

KeriA

Thanks for the welcome, Joni! Actually I have been fortunate enough to have no health problems so far, but I want to keep it that way.

Congratulations to you on getting to a good healthy weight! I agree with you, Keri's advice on maintaining was very good, and I want to remember that for myself.

Brynn I really identify with your statement. So far I haven't had any health problems but felt like it was time to make sure I didn't develop any. I feel like I got on here just in time. My husband started to lose and get more exercise soon after I got on here and started to make some progress. So I feel like it has helped us both.

BrynnGetsThin

Well, day one is off to a not-so-great start, but we have to live in the real world, right? I got up this morning and was chugging my first big mug of water and trying to decide what to eat for a healthy breakfast when my daughter asked if I wanted to go thrift store shopping. I did want to go, so I decided to postpone eating anything. We shopped for a long time, and then she wanted to grab something at Del Taco, and I ended up getting a burrito since I was so hungry by then. Just drank water, though.

I guess while I'm new at this I'll just be happy if I stay within my calories; and really, I very rarely eat fast food, so I'm not too worried.

Now I'm finally home for the evening and need to get caught up with the supplements and the exercise.

Keri, you mentioned my goal of putting my feet up-- LOL-- it's not so much to just put my feet up (although that helps my circulation), but more to be sure I get some deep breathing. I've found that the heavier I've gotten, the more shallow my breathing is, and I feel like I don't get enough oxygen in my system. Of course, I want to get to the point like some of you where I can start doing some more aggressive exercise, and that will improve my lung capcity. For now, I'm just starting with little short blips of exercise 3 or more times a day, because I don't think I could do more than a few minutes at a time! If I went out for a walk I'm not sure I'd make it back! Sad, huh.

That picture that I used for my profile picture is a photo from "the old days" of a woman using one of those vibrating belt machines. Remember those? :laugh:

Hope everyone's having a good day.

Brynn

MCYoung

:flowerforyou:
Congrats to all!!! I have missed being here to chat and cheer you all on!!!
I haven't been around since 10/15, I consider myself lucky to get on long enough to log food and exercise!!
WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?????
Keri, Thanks for reminding us of the "benefits" of the dreaed plateau.....I have been messing with the same 3# since the end of Sept..... I hope I am over the hump now!
My Nov "updated" goals would be:
KEEP MOVING... (I have not been doing real well with that except for the last 3 days... I WILL GET BACK ON TRACK!!!)
Kep drinking water... I am doing good with that :-) YEAH ME!!
Get more into the Zumba CD's ... Not doing good with that at all.... I think I have used them 3 times.... I HAVE TO DO BETTER!
Do my best to drop another ... 10#????? So far I am 1/2 way there I still have 3 weeks, so I am HOPEFUL!!!
My hours at work have been cut back..... sucks for the paycheck, but good for me being home to work out.....
So ~ that's how my month is going ~
Take care and keep on keeping on!!!

James_1954

I should have been checking in here every now and then, I think. Short-term goal setting: something I've never been much good at, or really tried, as far as that goes. So, I'll start VERY short-term: my first goal is to set some end-of-November goals, and to do so by this time tomorrow. Now, to go and scratch my head a little ... OUCH! When you're as bald as I am, you have to be pretty careful about that head-scratching!