40+ Club

slieber

Life started for me, at 40, with a return to ballet and to fitness. I have lost over 40 pounds since hitting that age, with about 10 or so more to go - and those are NOT going quickly. I'd like them off by June at the earliest, August at the latest (yes, I have reasons for this), but it's not coming easy.

It doesn't help that just as I am hitting my stride, I was hit with a horrible cold which has kept me out of commission for the past week. :-(

singfree

Welcome Slieber to the group! For most of us here, the final few lbs (of fat) are the most stubborn to shed. With your goal of getting in shape by summer, you need to concentrate on eating well and getting fit, don't worry about scale weight at this point. After a while, the scale becomes a meaningless tool and a source of frustration. Get a good fitness program like those offered by Beachbody.com. P90X or Chalean X is working wonders for some of us. As a dancer, you will need to continue to get stronger as you become leaner. (Alf, maybe you could comment on the Chalean program). Best of health to you in your fitness journey!

cardigirl

Thanks Alf and singfree, for answering my question about protein. I kind of figured that was what was meant. I eat a lot of beans, nuts, eggs and meat...I'll try to adapt turkey breast into the rotation. I've been trying to eat whole foods, less processing, etc, for awhile now, but don't always have turkey in the house.

Welcome to this group, slieber...wow a return to ballet is wonderful! Congrats on your progress so far. This is a great group of people here to encourage you with that last bit of weight loss.

alf1163

I rarely have turkey at the house either. My husband does not like it...:noway: :grumble: I am going to need some good turkey recipes so I can disguise it a little bit. :laugh:

Slieber, I have read your posts on other threads and know about your success. Welcome!! Yes, those last 10lbs are really hard to lose, especially at our age:grumble: :grumble: The only way to lose them by June or Aug IMO would be to change your workouts some, increase intensity and really monitor your food intake.

Today is my rest day therefore a low calorie day. I already logged in all my meals and packed my snacks and lunch. Off to work soon... Have a great day!!!! :flowerforyou:

annaliza

I'm new to this site but so far I love it!! Everyone here is so nice and encouraging. I'm 41, have 4 kids (2 adult children and 2 in diapers) and am trying to lose weight and get fit. I have an office job in IT so I'm sendentary most of the day and over time really gained the weight - especially after my last child a year and a half ago.

I'm so pleased that there are so many 40+ers out there....some gorgeous ones, to boot, too! It gives me hope

cardigirl

Welcome, annaliza, to MFP...lots of people here willing to share what has worked for them and to encourage you in your journey to fitness.

Wow, two in diapers!!! That'll keep you moving regardless of gym time..

And you look gorgeous, already, BTW. Just sayin'.

singfree

Welcome Annaliza! Glad you like our group. Let us know a liitle bit about your goals, and what your current situation is concerning diet and exercise. We'll be most happy to help!

mkwood10

Hey all......... it's good to be back home. My sister's surgery went well - the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes - AWESOME NEWS!!!

I only gained 1 pound in the last 2 weeks, which I consider a success in itself, as I haven't worked out in 2 weeks and only got to walk 3 times (total of 6 miles). I'm headed to work out after work, and am sure I'll be feeling it tonight..........

alf1163

mkwood, glad your sister is doing well. Welcome back!!!!

Annaliza, welcome!! :drinker: And you can include yourself in the gorgeous crowd!!! We are here to help...

Any of you use something to measure distance ran? A pedometer or some kind of garmin, GPS device? I am looking for something to measure distance when I go out running. :flowerforyou:

aprilvet

Hi, everyone! Another rainy day outside Philly.:grumble: But looking forward to beautiful weather this weekend for my daughter's 7th birthday!:happy:

Cardigirl- proteins are not all created equal. People have addressed the difference in fat content; however, animal proteins are "complete" proteins, whereas, plant based proteins are not complete. This means that animal proteins contain all of our essential amino acids- the ones our bodies cannot make. Because of this, animal protein is the ideal source. You can get all of your essential amino acids without animal protein, but you have to really know how to balance them out to get all of your amino acids.

Hope this helps!

Annaliza- welcome to the group!!!:flowerforyou:

singfree

Mkwood, welcome back! Good news about your sister!

Alf, go to www.mapmyride.com. You can plot out your run and it will show you to 1/100 of a mile how far you've gone. It's really for bikes, but for plotting distance traveled, it will work fine for you. Let me know if you have any trouble.

tron3002

I just wanted to give a warm welcome to grandbinga, slieber, and annaliza. I think you will get a lot of helpful information here as well as encouragement. The people on here are just fantastic!!! :happy: :happy:

psilva- I am not using a regular hula hoop, I am using a program on my wii fit where I have to continually rotate my hips to make my wii person keep the hula hoop going. 5 minutes going one way and another 5 going the other. I can really feel my abs in the process which makes me excited because I hate sit ups and crunches and I really need to work on my abs.

alf- I will have to start my treadmill up again. thanks for the tip You should et your wii fit out again. I feel the more options you have to keep you going the better...

Now as for yesterday. We had a BBQ (burgers) and I looked up the hamburger according to the fat content and was under my calorie intake so I was happy:happy: BUT when I was cleaning up I looked at the wrapper and noticed the calories were double what they said on this sight which would make me way over for the day:noway: :frown: So needless to say I was not happy with myself....:mad:

aprilvet

Tron,

Well, a lesson learned.:grumble: I read my labels obsessively! Not all hamburger is created equal! As for your previous question about rolling over calories, I don't think you can really do that regularly; however, your body doesn't know the difference between 12-12 or 8-8, so as long as you are consistent, a few extra or a few less cals occasionally won't derail you. BUT, don't get in the habit of under-eating one day to over-eat the next!:devil:

StiringWendel

aprilvet, thanks for providing that info regarding proteins. Now that makes alot of sense. I love this site because I learn something new everyday!

Regarding rolling over calories, I would imagine that it wouldn't matter if you eat 200 less today and 200 more tomorrow (it would kind of be like zig-zagging I suppose), but I don't think you could save up calories for a big weekend blow-out....anymore than you really 'catch up' on sleep if you sleep two hours a night for five nights and then 14 hours straight. The body just doesn't work that way.

tron, I'm finding that with alot of foods here, I need to double-check the calorie content someplace else. Chicken breast is another one where somebody seriously under-recorded the amount of calories. There are a couple of good websites out there (one I like is dailyplate) but if you goggle something like 'calories in ground beef', you will find some good nutritional information out there on a number of sites.

Welcome to our new members! Please keep posting. Like I said, I love this place because I learn something new from you all everyday.

mkwood, so happy to hear about your sister! Sounds like you've really managed to take care of yourself even through all the stress. Kudos to you!

Had a good workout this morning and doing well eating today....so all's well here. I'm eagerly waiting the arrival of the UPS guy because I ordered some new fitness equipment (including a weighted vest for leg work), and I'm anxious to give it a try!

tron3002

I've noticed that my hands swell when ever I get hot and active. Even if its just a slow walk when its hot outside or if I get hot via exercise. Anyone ever heard or know why this happens?

mnichol

Maybe a circulation problem or possibly from meds your taking? Does it resolve when you've cooled down?

singfree

My wife and I experience this in the summer when we walk or hike. I'm not sure how to explain it, but we are healthy with no medical issues. April, maybe you could help us with this.

InTheMoney

for similar reasons that your hands and feet get cold first, they are the furthest from the heart and have the distinction of weakest blood flow. excercise increases the flow and pressure which isn't normal for those parts. that's why they swell and feel warmer than normal. I had that as well. Recently lost a lot of weight and it went away as it should as the body has less mass to send blood to and adjusts.

cardigirl

My hands don't swell, but I have noticed that my left hand kind of goes numb when I'm on the AMT machine. Always right around the 20 minute mark. If I take my hand off the handle and hold it down for a minute, the numbness goes away and I'm fine. But at first I wondered if it was circulation or heart related. It never happens with the right hand.

I should add that I have two fingers on my left hand that regularly go numb in the tips because of a serious cut I suffered 25 years ago. The scar tissue affects that. I wonder if it's also the reason why the whole hand goes numb (like it's going to sleep).

I've been checked by a physician, and no, I don't have any heart issues.

alf1163

We are getting old!!! :grumble: :noway: :laugh: :laugh: just teasing!!!! :laugh: :laugh: Sometimes some of my toes get numb on the elliptical or when I am wearing high heels...I have bad feet, have had bunionectomies (3), 2 on right foot and one on left...I should not be wearing high heel shoes but they are cute :noway: :noway: :laugh: :laugh:

I've been feeling ravenous lately...maybe I am not eating enough...I always struggle with that issue, dont know if I am not eating enough. Chalene recommends eating 1300cals for weight loss when doing her program and 1400cals if not wanting to lose weight. I think that is too low but I dont want to overeat either. I've been eating my exercise calories so I am eating about 1450-1500 cals. Any ideas? :flowerforyou:

singfree

Alf, a few questions. Have you become hungrier since you started Chalean? Do you think that you are doing more aerobic training vs strength training on Chalean than on your own? I find that when I do a great deal (that's a lot) of aerobic training, I get a LOT hungrier. I really think that: I am not eating enough cals; and I need to get some more carbs.

The difference between 1300 and 1400 cals is very minimal when you are working out hard. I am to the point that I want to lose a little fat, but am afraid that if I don't eat enough, I will lose muscle mass as well. It is a delicate balancing act. Try to err on the conservative side, that is, up the cals a bit for a few day and see how your body reacts. I doubt that you will gain weight. Good luck!

StiringWendel

That's interesting singfree. I have the exact opposite reaction to strength training vs cardio that you do. I'm always much hungrier when I start pushing the weights harder than I am when I'm doing cardio.

But regardless of that, alf, I would think the reason you are hungry boils down to the fact that you've changed up your workout regime. Your body is getting used to a new system, and you will probably experience this with each new cycle you enter doing ChaLean. Take it as a sign that your body is working, and I think that's a good sign.

Regarding the calories, though, they seem a little low to me especially since you've indicated you aren't trying to lose weight. My maintenance calories are 1410, but I'm three inches shorter than you. I would think to maintain, even without the working out, you would need at least a 100 or so more calories than me, and even more if you have a more active lifestyle than I do. (Most lawn chairs have a more active lifestyle than I do....but that's another matter altogether! )

What does MFP say you need to eat to maintain your weight? I would suggest your start there and then add in your exercise calories as you see fit. I know when adding back my exercise calories, I subtract the number of calories out of them that I would have burned if I hadn't been exercising. For instance, if I burn 300 calories doing cardio for an hour, and I would have burned 70 doing my normal daily activity (which is what I calculate I burn the average hour I'm awake), then I only eat back 230 of those calories, not the 300. I don't think this is an exact science (by a long shot), but this is how I make sure I'm not eating OVER what I should be eating. It seems to be working well for me so far so that's just an idea for you. :flowerforyou:

I have a question. Has anybody heard anything recently about eating fruit and how you're not supposed to eat it after a certain hour in the day? I know that fruit consumption should be done in moderation because of the sugar, but lately I've been seeing people say things 'I eat fruit, but never after 2:00 in the afternoon'. I'm just curious what that is all about. I've never been much of a fruit eater (due to having an ulcer in my early 20s), but since moving to California, I've really upped the fruit intake in my diet. Lately, I've been enjoying a small bowl of grapes and blueberries after dinner. I'm inclined to toss most recommendations of 'don't eat after a certain hour' out of the window as being patently ridiculous after spending so many years living in Europe where people eat much later (especially in Italy) and are so much healthier than Americans (on the average). But I'm just curious what this latest thing is about fruit and whether it is something I actually SHOULD be paying attention to.

Is today Duffy's surgery? I think so. If so, Duffy, get well soon!!!

cardigirl

StiringWendal, the only thing I heard was not official but from a friend who asked a trainer at her gym how to lose weight, and he said that he told all of the ladies "No Carbs after 2pm" which is wicked hard to do.

Maybe it's not so much the sugar but the carbs? (sugar = carbs, I know)

alf1163

Thank you guys for your input!! Stiring, I think my body is reacting the same as yours. Since starting ChaLean a week ago I've been feeling hungrier. I have actually decreased my cardio workouts. It is a different feeling, I still have energy but my stomach feels empty, hard to explain. :noway: MFP is saying that with normal daily activity as lightly active to lose 1/2 lb a week I need to eat 1410 cals, to maintain 1660. If I change it to sedentary, to lose 1/2 lb 1290cals and maintain 1540 cals. What are your settings? I have an office job but I move around a lot, I dont sit for hrs at a time. I only work part time and the rest of the time I am running errands, etc. So even if my job is a desk job I don't consider myself sedentary, that is not counting my workouts. Maybe I should change it to sedentary...I really want to get down to 125lbs, I know Singfree that is just a number...:laugh: but again if I stay at where I'm at , 129lbs, I will be fine. :laugh: I have not weighed myself in a week. Not weighing until mid May.

I also changed the settings for carbs 50%, protein 30% and fat 20%. I monitor sodium, max 2300mg and increased fiber to no less than 25g. I dont worry about sugar, I hardly add sugar to anything unless I am baking sweets, that is rare. I also stay away from saturated fats.

I'm eager to hear everyone's opinion regarding eating fruit after a certain time...:noway: I usually include fruit in all my meals including my evening snack. I am going to do some research on that. :flowerforyou:

singfree

I was never one to stop eating after a certain time (within reason, of course). Again, I believe it is up to the individual. What's the difference if its fruit or anything else? I guess common sense dictates that we should not have anything in our stomach right before going to bed. We've also been told to fuel the body at a constant rate. One can argue that eating a little somthing in the evening will fuel our cells for repair as we rest. If we are starving when we go to bed, where does the energy for repair come from? Reading and researching such things can tend to confuse us even more!

Alf, I totally agree with you on this one (125lbs). As my wife said, "I just need to see that number on the scale". It's a confirmation of you hard work, and you've earned it! I think you will do very well on 50% carb, because you work out so hard. If I cut the carbs below 50% I tend to "bonk" on an extended workout session.

StiringWendel

alf, I have my settings set to sedentary and at maintenance. When I've heard 'lightly active' described, it usually accounts for people who are their feet most of the day (like salesmen), which I'm not. But the way you describe your day, you probably are lightly active.

This is just my recommendation, and take that for what it's worth (which may not be much!) But you really don't have much to lose at all, and 125 is pretty darned light for somebody your height. I mean, I feel like I've pretty much gone as far as what I can at 115, though that 110 (the lowest I think I can go and still be healthy and able to maintain the weight) does entice me (more for curiosity's sake than for any reason--including my looks!) So I understand where you are coming from (even though singfree's right about it just being a number!)

So my recommendation would be to eat your maintenance calories (somewhere between 1540 and 1660) and not much more so that your workouts are creating your calorie deficit. Right now, my maintenance calories are 1410 (and they go down with each pound I lose ). I aim to eat anywhere between 1410 and 1510 a day, given how much I workout (I usually workout 1-2 hours a day). And I am gradually losing the weight without feeling like I'm really trying to lose the weight. In the four weeks I've been on this current plan (the four weeks since I hit my original goal), I've lost 5 pounds. And I don't think that's bad at all given where I'm sitting on the scale. And the best thing about it is that I'm finding that 1500 mark to be a real comfortable place to sit in terms of how I feel. I'm hungry for my meals, but I don't feel like I'm starving throughout the rest of the day. In fact, some days I feel like I'm eating too much!

Again, that's just a suggestion based on what is working for me right now.

Regarding balancing my diet, I too am trying to find a better balance between carbs, proteins, fat, etc, and I'm slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) working on revamping my meals. Eventually I'll get the carb/protein/sodium numbers where they should be, but my aim since I started this change in lifestyle has been to never feel like I'm on a diet. And I think sudden changes make me feel like I'm dieting, which isn't good for me. So I'm taking it one step at a time and trying to educate myself as much in the process about what is right and wrong (like the thing about fruit!) I want all my changes to be permanent changes, so I want to make sure I can live with each change before moving on to the next step. So far....so good!

cardigirl, you might be right about the no fruit after 2:00 being a no carbs thing. I've heard that carbs late at night can inhibit the release of human growth hormone when you sleep, but 2:00 in the afternoon seems pretty early to me to say 'no carbs from now on!' I don't think I could live with that restriction. But I guess I'm surprised that anybody would specificy 'no fruit', but maybe the topic was about fruit and I just don't remember that part. :blushing:

tron3002

I think the way fruit impacts your diet would really have to do with the individual person. When I was on the 6 week body makeover I had to take a quiz, the questions I thought were quite silly but it told me what they considered my body type to be. I wasn't able to eat hardly any fruits for the diet to work but my husband was able to eat them. Now I'm not saying that this particular diet is the best, all's I know is that it worked for me.

TexasMom

Hi All,

This looks like a great bunch of 40+r's. Mind if I join? I"m 48 and on my way to showing up my 19 and 16 year old daughters. WHOOHOO!!! Talk about a cheerleading squad. They can't wait to see me where I was at 39, size 2 looking great.

11 surgerys, stress and a lot of life has put too much weight on me and I couldn't be happier that I've decided to honor God with the body he gave me instead of hiding behind baggy clothes.

I'm looking forward to the thread.

Many Blessings to all,
Nita

annaliza

Good evening everyone! Eating more fruits and vegetables is something I trying to change in my life (and my families, too) - especially all the fast food for lunch. At this point in my life, if I just eat an apple I'm doing good for the day. :laugh:

I'm not even really sure what my goals are at this point except that I want to be fit and healthy. My wii fit tells me that I should weigh around 140, so I'm shooting for that but I think I would be happy with 150 - I haven't been that weight in 20 years! I currently weigh 188 - yay, 3lbs down from where I was when I started exercising 2 weeks ago, and logging what I eat at MFP for oh, just 3 days I try to exercise for at least an hour a day. So far I've only missed 1 day since I've started (yay me!).

I quit smoking about 2 months ago and have been slowly gaining more weight...I can't really afford to gain more. I'm unhealthy - I really need to learn how to eat. The food diary drew me in, LOL...and the forums are the bonus.

I think you guys will help keep me motivated and inspired, which is what I need to keep going,

phetzgetfit

hi everyone! i haven't been on mfp for a while but I've been maintaining the weight loss. Life just got very hectic and I've been totally focused on the last few weeks of my bikram yoga challenge. I completed it tonight with my 60th class in 60 days and i'm even more excited because i was able, finally, to do the camel pose, which seemed absolutely beyond me for 59 of those 60 days. I still plan on taking the class, just not everyday. Although I wonder now if I'll miss it. I sure like what it's doing for my body.

Glad to check back in and find you're all here!