Success before Sixty

Nineteen months ago, I turned 58. I felt awful. Not because of my age but because of my weight. I am 5’6” tall and I weighed 242.5 lbs. I didn’t exercise, I could barely get off the couch without getting on my hands and knees. I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing. My knees hurt and my own snoring woke me up at night.

My diet was horrible, I ate junk food by the bag and box full. I was getting too big for movie seats, theater seats and airplane seats. I hated the way I looked, I hated the way I felt. Worst of all, I was pretty sure I was looking forward to an old age of pain and illness.

Then, I saw an Apple ad for iPhone apps for the holidays. One was for calorie-tracking. I remember it being for MFP although it may not have been. Fifteen years before and ten years before that, I had gone on major diets and kept track of everything I ate. It was a real pain - having to look up calorie (or WW point) counts and write everything on special forms. But both times, it worked and I ended up at a healthy and happy weight.

What was holding me back was that I didn’t STAY at that weight. I gained everything I’d lost back again plus more. My family and friends all said nothing but I was embarrassed to think of what a big deal I’d made of my weight loss and then failed to keep it off.

I decided to give losing weight one LAST attempt. I would use the MFP app but this time I had one and only one goal - to not gain the weight back. I wasn’t going to say anything to anyone, not even my husband. I used the MFP tools to calculate how many calories I’d have to eat to maintain my ideal weight. I figured if I ate that much every day and exercised, then I’d lose weight and, by the time I was done, I’d already be eating at my maintenance level. And I started an MFP blog to figure out how to keep the weight off. I gave myself two years - my 60th birthday - to get there. This was my last chance, I thought. If I don’t get this done this time, then I am doomed to a miserable last third of my life. (Yeah, I was depressed, too.)

I’ve learned a lot over the past 19 months. I won’t tire you with all of it here. You can visit my blog: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/JeanneTops and learn the whole story. Here are a few of the things I did:

I weigh myself every morning but there’s only a once a week “official” weight. I’ve learned my weight fluctuates up and down and I don’t stress about even four pounds up if they start coming off before the next official weigh-in.

I eat whatever I want but I record ALL of it. For cryin’ out loud, I started on my BIRTHDAY, and within two weeks it was Christmas and New Year’s. I ate cake and chocolate and drank champagne and recorded it all. This time is different because I don’t crave anything - I savor my special treats and I space them out. And I don’t waste any calories on junk food, thank goodness I’ve lost my taste for it.

I haven’t learned to be an ingredients label reader so much as I’ve learned to eat food s that don’t need an ingredients label. (Thanks to RefusetoRegain for that idea.)

I eat my exercise calories. I get an hour of cardio exercise on an elliptical trainer every day with about two days off a month. This summer, I’ve added an extra cardio hour getting out on my bicycle because I love it and now I’m working my way through the Couch to 5k program. I invest the money I’m saving from not eating junk food into music and audio books to keep from getting bored on the elliptical.

I don’t tell anybody how much weight I’ve lost. I’m not into celebrating how fat and unhappy I used to be. Those days are gone. I spend my time thinking about how happy I am now and how healthy I look. I’ve paid my lifetime dues on being humble and unhappy about my looks. It’s nothing but pride from now on.

I’m posting this today because I’ve had two weeks of official weigh-ins at a healthy BMI. I’m down to where I was after those last two diets. It’s taken me twice as long but I don’t care. I still only have one goal - don’t gain the weight back. I’m happy with the way I’m eating and exercising and I don’t plan on changing anything. If I exercise and track what I eat today then I’ve fulfilled my goal.

Ok, one more thing and then the pictures. The reason I’m posting this at all is to pay forward all the MFP people who’ve inspired me. I owe a shout-out to every single person who has ever posted in an MFP forum but I especially owe a few folks:

Caspero - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/caspero - for making me laugh and for coming back to MFP after a major injury. You are an inspiration.

TamiShumate - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tamishumate - she’s shared her journey all along. She embodies determination and persistence.

The Black Team - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/313437-black-team-a-team-of-champions?hl=black+team&page=2 - this group is all about taking personal responsibility and never giving up no matter what life throws at you and life has thrown just about everything it can at them. I’m very grateful they’ve let me sit quietly in the corner, listen and learn.

Ok, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: stats and pics.

I’m 5’6” tall. I turn 60 this year. When I joined MFP, I weighed 242.5 pounds, an all-time high. As of yesterday, I officially weigh 154 pounds, my second week at a healthy BMI. For the first and last time: I’ve lost a total of 88.5 pounds. My goal: to stay at a healthy BMI for the rest of my life. I’d like to lose more but every pound from now on is just protection from ever returning to that unhealthy and unhappy person I was for too long.

I’ve posted my “during” pictures in my profile. I’ve posted some life history pictures in my blog. But here’s my official “before and after”: