Any seniors with 50+ to lose finding success???

ginadaye
ginadaye Posts: 39 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all. I'm back again - my last stay was short and inconsistent. This time I'm retired and taking time to do for myself! I'm almost 63, have arthritis and fibromyalgia, which make exercise difficult, but so important. Going to start walking today. My problem is I always overdo it within the first week, then fall off because I'm in pain! I NEED to take it slow and easy and this time I'm determiined to do it. I love hearing all the success stories and wish MFP was around when I was younger. I've struggled with my weight all my life.

I guess I should clarify - I show 37# to goal, but ha! That's just my first goal. I have over 50# I would like to lose -which would still leave me overweight, but not obese!

I'd especially like to hear from seniors with serious weight to lose or have lost. I wonder if I'm too old, although I know you are never too old to start eating healthier. I know I could never exercise enough to lose my belly apron, which would no doubt get worse as I lose weight . . . so if you're a struggling senior I'd love to connect with you. Thanks and best of luck to everyone!!

Replies

  • bystander1943
    bystander1943 Posts: 31 Member
    Well, i'll shortly be 70, and trying to go from the top of the overweight range for my height to (at least) the top of normal weight range for my height. Translated that means I need to get down to 11st 10lb (164lb) from 14st 2lb (198lb). At the moment I'm down to 13st 3lb (185lb) so I've still quite a bit to go yet.

    I get out to walk nearly every day since I live more than ¼-mile from my newspaper shop so I hve a round trip of ¾-mile just to collect it. Visiting the local supermarkets is a 2½-mile round trip, and on the return journey tend to have a reasonable load to back-pack (no plastic bags for me!) so that means extra calories burned.

    I only have mild arthritis, but my former occupation has treated my knees unkindly, so running is out o fthe question.

    I don't think you are too old to start losing weight. Like you, I have always been on the heavy side. My GP encourages all of his (heavier) patients to "go and reduce your weight". So I'm taking his advice. I agree that MFP would have been good back then, but my recollections of those initials in those days was a mid-price record label from the EMI (UK) stable.

    If these words give you encouragement, I'm happy. Maybe there are other seniors with more to lose than I. Good fortune in your endeavour.

    Bystander 1943
  • amyllu
    amyllu Posts: 432 Member
    Hi Ginadaye, I am 78 and started to diet (this time) in 2010 when I weighed 16st 2lb (226lbs). I lost 30lb that year up to the Xmas and then had a wee break..as one does..:bigsmile: .. but then when I started again in the following January nothing would move, in fact it has been like that ever since then! However, I am not going to give up and this year I am getting back to it with zest and vigour...!!!! Determined that this excess is coming off one way or another!
    I too suffer from arthritis and have fibromyalgia plus being spinabifida so any sort of exercise is quite difficult for me. Am going to try swimming again this coming Friday and hope that it helps.

    All the very best to you.
  • ginadaye
    ginadaye Posts: 39 Member
    Thank you for your encouragement! Good luck to you. I like the way you get your walking in! We're in a semi-rural area, so nothing like that I can do here right now, but I've dusted off my treadmill and got started today!
  • ginadaye
    ginadaye Posts: 39 Member
    I might not be replying correctly, so sorry. The first reply was for Bystander. This one is for Amyllu. Wow, good for you for not giving up!

    I'll keep both of you in mind as I go through my days. At my highest I was 232, about a year after having a hysterectomy (I'm only 5'2"). Then I got very discouraged after losing 60# on Atkins and going to my doctor, who yelled at me for following Atkins. I looked him in the eye and told him that for all the years he has been harping at me to lose weight, he could have been a little generous with at least a compliment! I switched to a new doctor (a woman) and asked her about Atkiins and she said, "I don't care how you do it, lose the weight!". She was skinny and had an attitude, so I ended up going back to my long time doctor.

    But between the two of them I got discouraged and I struggled to keep the weight off until, of course, I fell off Atkins. Eventually I got back up to 212 and I panicked and started dieting again. . . and again . . . and that seems to be my high point time and again. I've only gotten as low as 198 and I start relaxing and head back up again!! I'm back and ready to give it a go. I'm retired now - no more sitting behind a desk! Hopefully I can do this for me.

    Good luck to you both!
  • amyllu
    amyllu Posts: 432 Member
    I might not be replying correctly, so sorry. The first reply was for Bystander. This one is for Amyllu. Wow, good for you for not giving up!

    I'll keep both of you in mind as I go through my days. At my highest I was 232, about a year after having a hysterectomy (I'm only 5'2"). Then I got very discouraged after losing 60# on Atkins and going to my doctor, who yelled at me for following Atkins. I looked him in the eye and told him that for all the years he has been harping at me to lose weight, he could have been a little generous with at least a compliment! I switched to a new doctor (a woman) and asked her about Atkiins and she said, "I don't care how you do it, lose the weight!". She was skinny and had an attitude, so I ended up going back to my long time doctor.

    But between the two of them I got discouraged and I struggled to keep the weight off until, of course, I fell off Atkins. Eventually I got back up to 212 and I panicked and started dieting again. . . and again . . . and that seems to be my high point time and again. I've only gotten as low as 198 and I start relaxing and head back up again!! I'm back and ready to give it a go. I'm retired now - no more sitting behind a desk! Hopefully I can do this for me.

    Good luck to you both!

    Good for you Gina, I had some similar problems with my doctor... and a hospital nutririonist I went to see told me not to bother to lose anymore weight..would you believe that?!!
    Here's to a successful 2013! ... :drinker:

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