Struggling 44 year old woman

Hi Mary~ losing weight and sticking to it is tough! I am 46 and have lost 50lbs over the last nine months. My highest weight was 270 and I am now down to 218. I still have a considerable way to go, but this site has been very helpful. My biggest issue has been portion control. I have started to eat six smaller meals spread throughout my day as opposed to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. This has helped me enormously! I have sent an invite, so please feel free to contact me any time. :flowerforyou:

Dear Mary,
I cannot say that I am in the exact situation as you are, but I definitely can empathize with the discouragement and frustrations that come along with starting a weight loss program.

I am approaching 30 this year. I am five feet one inches tall and I have a "small" weight loss goal of 15 pounds. I also have exercise goals (i.e. be able to run a mile in under 10 mins and gain a little muscle tone). I figured with calorie restriction and exercise, I would be able to hit my weight loss goal in 1-2 months.

It's been 36 days on my diet and I have lost only 3 pounds. Which means I am averaging .5 pounds loss a week. For me, this is overly frustrating!!!!!! As I have dieted in the past and could lose 3 pounds in just a week... not in 5 weeks! HOWEVER, whenever I would do such diets, I would quickly gain the weight back.

As other posters have pointed out: slow and steady really is the way to go. It is harder to gain weight back if it was lost slowly. I am finding that if I have a cheat day (e.g. my recent anniversary dinner splurge), my weight doesn't horribly spike up the next morning. I like that. I am also finding that my body is slowly adjusting to the lower calorie intake and I am no longer "constantly thinking about food." Like I would when I would go on my other crazy diets.

I feel much happier and healthier on this "new lifestyle change" I am on. (I hate saying "diet" because I really do feel that I really am making a permanent lifestyle change this time around). So, I am slowly teaching myself to not be too concerned with the number on the scale, and focus more on how I feel.

Plus, I like to think that if this pace keeps up... I would reach my weight goal by the end of this year... and really, that isn't too far out! Thinking that way (i.e. thinking about the end goal) helps me deal with the slow pace. AND, if I don't reach my weight goal... at least I made a lifestyle change for the better and my body will thank me for it in my later years.

Anyway, here are things that have helped me a lot:
1. I keep close to the paleo diet:

http://paleomg.com/
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/


2. I LOVE the exercise videos from The Firm and do them about 2-3 times a week... I have off and on been using them since high school... my ol' high school boyfriend's mother introduced me to these videos... she has been using them since the 70s... and at 50 years old, she had a better body than I did when I was a 17 year old... here is their website: http://www.firmdirect.com/firm/ecs/main/index.html

3. I run 1.5 miles 3 times a week. That's it. I don't do more. I started out with a slow jog (seriously averaging between a 11 min to 12 min mile... practically almost walking speed). I kept with that pace for a good solid 3 weeks... One day, I was running a 10 min mile! I think easy does it is the way to go. The running isn't meant to give back a lot of calories because it doesn't... it's just to keep my heart and lungs healthy ... A weight + aerobics exercise like The Firm videos is much better when it comes to calorie loss.

P.S. I don't get a runner's high that all those runner freaks claim you get.

4. I measure my waist every two weeks. I have lost about an inch. So, I am finding that to be more motivating than my scale.

Hope this helps!

don't beat yourself up. this is hard work.

i've found that what works for me is to pre-log all of my meals. if i plan ahead, i've found that i can make much more deliberate choices for dinner and snacks at home and very rarely go over my daily cals. i also think of my daily cals as money in the bank. i buy my food with my cals. so it really comes down to 'can i afford to eat that today?' if i can afford it, i eat it...even if it's pizza.

i see from you profile pic that you have kids, which can make eating and shopping a challenge. my son has zero weight problems, so i don't restrict his eating/snacking habits. he's also a teenager, which means i doubt i could even if i wanted to. ha. so if he buys junk that i think might be tempting to me, i make sure he keeps it out of my sight. that did mean buying a mini-fridge for his room and some of those plastic storage drawers, but it's effective. might seem extreme, but if it works for me i'll do it.

I'm 44 and struggling as well. Been doing MFP for two months and found this has been the most successful attempt yet. I have lost 22 pounds in 65 days. (Mind you, I have a ton more weight to lose than you, but it's finally coming off!) I have found eating cleaner and having to honestly write everything down has made a huge difference. Since my diary is public - I don't want people to see me eating junk so I have made better choices! I sent you a friend request - let's do this together!

Hey Mary!
I am 39 and weight loss doesn't come easily for me either...we weren't blessed with that apparently. But what does come to you, and should, is the recognition that you want to make changes in your life and your health - and be very happy that you know that and want to do something about it because most people dont. So congratulations on taking positive steps toward making your life healthier!
Rule #1 - don't beat yourself up over it - set backs, cupcakes, didn't choose to work out days, second helpings...blah blah blah...the list goes on. Stay positive and be upbeat to yourself, especially when you are talking to yourself in your head. It's easier to be nice to someone and stay positive when they are kind, the same goes to when you are nice to yourself.
Rule #2 - get consistent. I have a schedule, everyday, and I work at a desk job too. I make time for breaks and snacks. All day long. My snacks are healthy - I dont' even go near the vending machines. I get up and walk around every hour - even just to go to the bathroom. Keep moving.
Rule #3 - drink water (thus the bathroom trips) like a gallon a day. seriously. I have a water jug that is full in the morning and it better be empty at night. half the time, I'm just drinking out of it to make it lighter to carry!
Rule #4 - find FUN workouts, things you enjoy. Not everyone's cup of tea is running on a treadmill, some love it, some don't. Same with basketball, soccer, water polo and basket weaving. Whatever. Find something fun and do it - and keep doing it until it isn't fun anymore, then find something else. Bottom line keep moving.
Rule #5 - log your food. i mean consistently. it helps.
As for the eating at night part, I eat a banana and some popcorn on the way home from work and that helps me to make it through dinner preparation. After dinner, I may have a little snack and some milk, but that's it. If you eat 5 meals a day, you don't end up so ravenous at the end of the day.

We all struggle, and we are here to help - friend me if you would like, I have an open diary to my friends.


This is stuff that works for me, not necessarily you, but it works for me.

I'm just starting, but I'm in just the same boat. High stress job, sitting all the time, and I eat when tired or bored. Also love the taste of wine!

I'm tired of looking and feeling bad. The kick in the pants for me was seeing that number on the scale starting with a 2. I don't care if it's vain, motivation is motivation and I must lose weight to stay ambulatory as long as I can. I'm not afraid of the wheelchair, I don't want to HAVE to have to use it yet strictly because of something I can do something about - my weight. My illness is going to progress but I can control what I eat, how I eat, and how I can still move.

You will survive. When you get tired of being tired, you will do whatever it takes to shed the pounds right. First of all the word of God has and is still helping me. Matthew 4:4 says, "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." So don't let the Devil tempt you with overeating and unhealthy food. There are natural products out there such as Advocare to help you lose weight. Go to advocare.com and search for the 24 day challenge. I'm a distributor if you need to try the products or just call the number on that website and they will help you. My email address is drhawkins1@aol.com. You are not under any obligation I just want to hear that you've lost weight. This was my last draw and God had bless me with the discipline to watch what I eat and exercise. When I prayed and got serious, I got an email from a Co-worker to sample the products and I have been losing weight since. God wants you to live a healthy and prosperous life sister. He blessed you with that new job for a reason. Have a blessed day in Jesus.

Mary you just descried me.... I have done it before so I know I can do it now. (18 years later) but if I did it with 2 babies at home I know I can do it with 2 college kids and a preteen. ( I think I just laughed out loud at myself there) but I am here for both giving support and receiving support!

You can do it!!! Evenings are hard for me as well but there are things out there that one can eat that can help when you get the munchies. It is great when we are accountable for what we eat and in regards to working out just start out slow. Next thing you know your 15 minute walk will end up being a 30 minute walk and so on. Finding someone to work out with always works. IF you want a friend who will support you when your up and even when your down and gave in to that chocolate cake feel free to add me!! I wish you luck in achieving your goals!!

Just stay at it. Check your calories. You may be eating too little or too much as MFP only guestimates and we are each unique humans. Feel free to add me for support. I am down 80+ lbs since having my son who just turned 2 in April. Started walking in February and accomplished over 300 miles in 90 days. Did 20 miles at a Relay for Life a few weeks ago and am doing my first 5k in July and walking the 3 day Susan G Komen 60 mile walk as I want to use my fitness for causes. It keeps me inspired.

I am looking for more peeps as I filter those out who are in active for more than 30 days or don't support others (doesn't have to be me... we just need to support one another on our paths to AWESOMENESS!