Nearing 50, want to change direction

jennievh
jennievh Posts: 45 Member
edited September 21 in Introduce Yourself
I'm 46 1/2 and seeing some of my friends really change their lives for the better. They're making life-changing decisions to exercise more often, eat better, and in some cases, do surgery (a friend has lost nearly 200 pounds after lap-band surgery! I'm so proud of her!).

I keep seeing pictures of me and think, "Ugh, I look so BIG," so I've decided to make changes. I started this morning by getting up earlier than usual and walking the dogs. Simple, eh? They loved it, I loved it--want to keep doing this.

Am hoping this community will help me make these fantastic changes.

If this doesn't do it, I'll do WW. Something's gotta give.

Replies

  • mom23kids
    mom23kids Posts: 91
    I joined this site on Monday. I have looked at several posts and I think this is the place to be if you need encouragement. Every thing I've read has been encouraging and inspiring. You can do it! Stay focused and post often if you need that extra encourgagement and inspiration.
  • carolechisholm
    carolechisholm Posts: 3
    Good start. I set a goal to walk our dog at least once a day for 30 minutes and I force myself to go even though some nights it's difficult. I discovered this site and love it. Keep track of every piece of food you put into your mouth, you'll be surprised at how much you eat in one day, it took me about two weeks to be close to my daily goal and if you walk your dogs, the calories you saved by walking is added on. It helps seeing it all in print I feel accountable. Good luck!
    P.S. WW is good too but there's a cost.
  • rahretro
    rahretro Posts: 15
    I tried WW... I hated it... I could not stand having to look in a book everytime I ate something.
    MFP on the other hand.. I type in what I'm eatting and get calories, fat, etc... I've lost 5 lbs so far!!! and i've only been doing this for 2 weeks! Stick with it and it really pays off.. plus walking makes you feel so much better and gives you energy I walk every morning with my 5 month old son... Welcome and I hope you do well!
  • LCantrell
    LCantrell Posts: 79 Member
    Welcome Jennievh! I am also 46 1/2 and I joined in April. I joined the gym about the same time. I have lost about 40 pounds since then and have lost a total of 50 pounds since last year. You can work to make a change if you want it! Sounds like your friends know what it's like and can also support you, that always very helpful. This site can definitely help you and the people on here are supportive and have been very inspiring to me. Once again, welcome!
  • st27
    st27 Posts: 101
    Any change is not easy. You have to get mad enough to want something good to happen.It took me a while but I get it now. I had to make changes in my life to have the postive outcomes that I wanted. So take baby steps and get it done. You Can do it !! tc. hug.
  • pattypeanut
    pattypeanut Posts: 1
    :flowerforyou: ... Hi & congratulations on your decission to make a great healthy choice for your body & your life. In my mid 40's I saw that I needed to make some changes too. It was a great decission!!! I feel so much better & have so much more energy now. I learned how to eat healthy which was something that took some time to get it all figured out. Many people have used weight watchers with succcess but.... just learning some basic principals is really all you need & of course combining exercise with new eating habits will make you a winner for sure plus your results will come much quicker & you'll be able to keep the weight off by making this a life style change. I turned 50 this past November and I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm 5' 2" ( 115 pounds ) ... I'm combining cardio & strength training with clean eating & many thanks to myfitnesspal I am able to access my food choices & workouts to get great results. Good Luck on your fitness journey! ~PJ~
  • jennievh
    jennievh Posts: 45 Member
    tc: You are so right, baby steps is the way! I know from experience that massive deprivation methods will just make me crazy and then I'll do bounce-back binge eating. I looked at OptiFAST and you have to be on it for 16 weeks. I know I could NOT do that.

    Similarly with the South Beach Diet ideas (I'm amused that there is a SBD banner right above this!). No or low carbs? No thanks. Not for all the butter in the world.

    I'm grateful for what I've learned over the years from WW, but really grateful to MyFitnessPal for being here--and to all of you, too! Thanks!!
  • TripMom
    TripMom Posts: 102 Member
    I'm new to MVP too. Been using the site for a few days now. I turned 50 in March. My mantra is that it is time to take care of me. I can't take care of the rest of my family if I don't take care of me first.
    Welcome and here is to all of us making changes for good health!
    TripMom
  • Maggie1960
    Maggie1960 Posts: 322
    Hi there, I actually AM 50:noway: - my birthday was in July - and I am determined that I will be a fit, funky fifty year old, not a frumpy one. MFP is great, it takes the pain out of looking up the values of everything, you just log it and it's all worked out for you, like magic:laugh: Here's to your success:drinker:
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    Hello there! I just turned 47 this month and I am making changes too. MFP is great! Plenty of supportive people, lots of information, lots of opinions and no one telling you what you HAVE to do. You can eat what ever you want as long as you account for it and do what you have to do to "balance your books". Most are making some sort of healthier eatting choices, some are on specific plans, some have had lap band or gastric bypass, but all are in this for the long haul and willing to assist others where they can.

    Good luck on your changes!
  • Happylady1
    Happylady1 Posts: 3
    Wow, that's awesome!! I, too, will be 50 this October and want a change. I recently had lost 30+ pounds, but due to heath issues and pre-menopause which has hit me like a ton of bricks, I have put on almost all of the weight I lost. I'm feeling tired all the time, achy and with no energy (partly due to the effects of perimemopause). I just re-joined My fitness Pal and hope to get back on track feeling better about myself. Any words of encouragement will be greatly appreciated and welcomed. Also my 26 year old niece just joined and we are going to do this together!! Congrats on your success!!
  • Happylady1
    Happylady1 Posts: 3
    I can relate to being "50". Mines just around the corner in October. I, too, am in need of change. After being the "chuncky one" in the family all my life, just three years ago, I lost 30+ lbs. Had never felt so good and healthy before. I found that changing my eating habits and exercising helped me to lose the weight. Until about 9 months ago, I was doing really well, but I started having problems with my health and haven't been able to exercise like I used to and have gained almost all the weight back. Needless to say, I'm feeling not too chipper right now. It's been a struggle to get back on track, but today I connected with my niece who is on MFP and we will be doing this together. My advise to anyone who is struggling - DON'T GIVE UP!! Each day is a clean slate where we can regroup and continue getting healthy. Forget about what we did or didn't accomplish yesterday, just focus on what lies ahead - A HEALTHIER YOU!! LOTS OF GOOD WISHES TO ALL MY FITNESS PALS!! WE CAN DO THIS!
  • Loisandrev
    Loisandrev Posts: 36
    Hi, You sound just like me. I am turning 50 in Oct. and want to get healthy. Been taking care of everyone else and now it's time to take care of me. I have found this site easy because I can enter foods on my phone and don't have to wait till I get home. It's easier for time and remenbering foods. Also twice I have been to restaurants and it helped me chose what to order. I am basically making healthier eating choices and exercising. I walk and do video's at home. Good luck with your weight loss. Thanks, Lois
This discussion has been closed.

Categories