Any women who lost their weight after age 50?

hen1946

Great Blog. I agree with the feeling after weight loss.... feels like a new life or back to earlier days. Did not think I could feel like this again.

VogtAndrea

I'm 57. MFP was suggested to me when I'd lost almost 40 lbs and now I'm down by 65 lbs since February 2012. It's been quite the journey so far... Oh yeah.... I started at 300 lbs... and I'm barely 5 ft tall on a good day.
My calories stay between 1200 and 1500 (on a really rough day) but I swim laps 5 days a week plus do aquafit on those same days. Tonight it was 1.5 kms plus an hour of aqufit. Our instructor loves doing a core workout with loads of cardio in it too. On the weekends I walk.
It isn't easy but we weren't promised that life would be easy. I got where I was too easily. Now it's time to fix things before I end up in a wheelchair or worse.

46Phil

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auntiebabs

I've lost over 30 lbs in about 15 months. I went slow. This is about endurance... In the end it's all about maintenance...

The good news is you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be better.

1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)

2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. (I swear this saved my life.) I was happier once I gave myself a range:

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.

---

(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

---

I naturally tended to do 2-4 days between 1200-1300 cal then a day at about 1500-1600 cal then back to the 1200-1300 cal. (No hard science here, but I credit the zig-zagging calories with preventing plateaus.)

--As long as I stayed under the top of my range I should continue to lose, even if it is at a slower rate.
--As long as I don't go past my safety valve I shouldn't gain.

6) I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )

Food is not the enemy.

Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time, now the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.

Good Luck

auntiebabs

WATCH YOUR SUGAR

BOTH sugar and artificial sweeteners increase your appetite.... The more you get the more you want.

I DO have a sweet tooth, so I try really hard to watch out for sugar in *real* foods.

The brand of pasta sauce I was using had 9g sugar per 1/2 cup serving.
My favorite cookies have 9g sugar per 15 cookies. --- I'd rather have the cookies.

I started reading labels and found sauces I liked in the 1-3g sugar per serving range.
I get plain yogurt and add my own flavorings so I can have more control over the sugar content.

Food manufactures love adding sugars, because they are cheap and they make you want more.
HFCS is much sweeter than regular sugar AND food manufacturers use MORE of it. (Huh?)

We all have a long list of "shoulds" in our head and if we can be perfect it doesn't count.
If we are uber-strick, it's easy to get tired and give up.

One day I realized my "bad days" tracking were still better than any day before I was tracking... I'm not perfect, but I'm improving.

pen2u

60 here! I'm in better shape than I've been in decades after losing 30+ pounds w/MFP and sticking with a moderate workout routine. I've got 8-10 to lose to reach my "ideal" weight, but at this point I'm feeling & looking pretty good.

After the holidays I plan on getting after it with a bit more intensity 'cos I want to look like the P90X woman in the turquoise bikini who posted earlier - dang, you look great!!

It's not too late unless we keep putting it off.

amflautist

Lol, agree about the hottie in the turquoise bikini. But I know I'll never be like that again. Age 71 here, have lost 55+ pounds in a bit more than a year. It's about determination, and knowing that this is a life change, not a diet. Build yourself a support network of determined mfp friends.

As I think about how my life has changed since losing weight, it's some of the simple things I value most. Like being able to kneel down and look under they couch, then stand up again easily.

lsapphire

Started in Jan of 2012, mid 50's for age, lost 30ish so far. It can be done. good luck

TrailRunner61

I did! I've lost 40lbs over the last year. Actually I lost the 40lbs from Jan to April and have just now started losing again after gaining muscle weight all summer! I had 2 'rolls' on my tummy, and yeah, I know it's tmi, but I had a shelf that I was worried about and it's nearly gone. I didn't think it was possible! One crease slowly disappeared and now the other side is nearly gone. I went from sedentary to running a 5K, biking, water aerobics, hiking, etc. I feel sooo much better, I'm happier and it's easier to do nearly anything. I've also been able to drop some meds.

You can do this! Add me as a friend if you'd like and I'll help cheer you on!

TrailRunner61

inb4 an extremely long post from californiagirl2012

Sorry, but you made me lol.

silvercanoe

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silvercanoe

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healthfulnow

Hi! I'm 55 (56 in two weeks) and 5'4.5". I have lost about 60 lbs. I began in Sept. of 2012 at 180 lbs. (my heaviest weight ever) and I am currently 121 lbs. My goal weight was 129 lbs. yet with running I lost more than anticipated and am okay with that as it offers me some flexibility to indulge. I started out with Weight Watchers in September 2012 and daily free step time with my Wii Fit Plus. I also began walking - longer and more consistently. I started losing about 11 to 12 lbs. a month. In January of this year, I started running. I trained for my first 5K in late April and did surprisingly well. My 2nd 5K was in June and my 3rd is scheduled for Sept. I have been on maintenance since March yet I have become leaner since running more, doing elliptical training and some core exercises.

I enjoy my time on MFP as it keeps me accountable to logging food amounts and seeing the results of consistent exercise. The support you receive and the inspiration of other stories keeps you clinging to the "good, healthy lifestyle" you want to achieve and enjoy. I have personally enjoyed a whole new wardrobe and having the extra energy to keep up with my two grand kids (ages 4.5 and 3.5)

It can be done after 50 and the rewards of seeing a new you is gratifying!! Add me for support.

Nachise

Hi! I'm 62, and have lost as much as 40 pounds this time around, and gained back a couple of pounds recently. I had surgery to remove a parathyroid gland a couple of months ago, and I am getting back into my exercise routine and mixing it up. Since the surgery, I feel like it's even harder to lose weight, and I feel even hungrier.

smfh

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