Ladies over 50

Good morning All!!
I am 56. And I am REALLY ready this time to lose this weight and gain control of my life again.

I join MFP a couple months ago after going to a nutrition class. I learned a lot. I started logging all of my food and exercise. But after a couple weeks of logging and my nutritionist going over them and showing me that I was not eating the way that she thought that I should, I became VERY discouraged!! I just can't change my whole realm of eating. I'm not suppose to have instant oatmeal packets, lunchmeat, animal crackers, hot dogs, sausage's, eggs and the list goes on and on. So I kinda gave up. Still went to the rest of the classes and decided that I would tackle this mission the best way that I know how.

We were offered a good deal at the gym (this isn't one of those commercial gyms. It's a medical support gym. So you don't have to compete with the "pretty people") so I signed up for a year. I have absolutely no exercise program in my life. The only thing that I do is walk for about 30 to 40 minutes a day, and on the weekends I do housework and laundry that requires walking up and down the stairs. And then I wouldn't even consider that walking the stairs. It's more like crawling.

I KNOW that I need to lose this weight. About 200 pounds. And I AM GOING TO!! So I have decided that I will do it my way. I'm going to eat the foods that I normally eat, just making sure that it is PORTIONED. I am going to walk more at work instead of sitting all the time on my fat butt. And that is why I joined the gym.I REALLY NEED to start getting my strength back. I have lost almost all of the strenght that I once had.

TODAY I START AT THE GYM!! I have a GREAT FEELING about this!! I know that this is going to be the motivation that I need to keep my mind focused on my goal.

Good luck ladies! I'm 54, been here since around March. Almost 200 then, 155 now. I found I used the 1200, some days going over, some under. Exercise for me is the key. When I stopped years ago, all the usual excuses, weight crept on fast, and menopause added to it. I felt awful, knees ached more than usual, clothes were all getting tight again. My enough is enough moment had me find MFP. It's helped a lot. I hope it does for you too.
I can't go on strict diets, because being Italian and growing up sharing food and company as part of being social, I can't suddenly change. So I eat less ziit, less bread and it's very hard at times, but portion control isn't an overnight thing. I tell myself going over on Christmas or Easter etc. wont kill me, that is "living' for me, but watching the other days of the year will make that happen.

I read on a food guide once from a fitness expert, Tony Horton, a page on desserts. He said if you MUST on your birthday, have some chocolate cake, take half and then half of that....what? All that work and you can't enjoy a good piece of cake? Maybe if you're paid for chisels in your abs, yes, but most of us aren't. I want to be thinner, healthier and eat cleaner but I wont demonize desserts...just lessen them a lot. : )

I have been doing this for about 65 days give or take a few day. I have lost 23 pounds and I think I'm doing great. I eat close to my suggested calories and under some days but always try to keep it above 1200. MFP started out by giving me nearly 1800 and something calories and in the beginning I ate them and I lost weight. I have had two significant weight losses and after each 10 pounds dropped MFP reduces the number of calories in my daily allowance. So start off eating the calories. I am disabled and don't get as much exercise as most people but I what I can until I can't anymore and then I take a few days off. I have to lay down frequently throughout the day to keep my pain at a reasonable level. I have good days and bad days like most people who live with pain. I sent you a request and welcome you to our weight loss team. I have a friend on my page who is also undergoing weight loss for knee surgery and if you are interested I will introduce you.

I am 52 and meen on this site now I think over a year.It gave me 1,430 for the day,I workout every day and already went through Menopaues.I gained weight and lost weight.At our age we must be careful.I eat oatmeal,lunch meats and pasta and I am still losing weight and inches,it depends on how much you eat and what you eat it with,The lunch meats I will roll them up a peice of cheese with turkey or honey ham with mustard and no bread or the oat meal will instead of milk I put in water thats it.Pasta well I made home made Lasagna lastnight just eat half of it,its all in portions what you eat every day. Don't stop living and eating or drinking just have to be careful how much you eat.Workouts are the key ,Good luck.

I am so pleased to meet all of you and thank you all for the new friend requests. I see several of us are battling Diabetes Type 2, also. Thank you for the tips rummyqueen. I will have to up my workouts on the elliptical machine. I am doing 30 minutes every other day but I am just starting back.

Good morning! Glad to see ladies closer to my age. I am 62 and just started MFP. I am not sure what I am doing ... are we supposed to keep our calories at what they come up with and if so, we should definitely lose weight, right? LOL!

I always counted carbs and will continue to do so but it will be a challenge keeping the calories where they say I should be. I think I am set at 1465. On occasion I get on my elliptical machine which adds to the daily calorie goal. I just want to be sure I am doing this right. So far I think I am doing okay.

How is everyone managing so far?

Yes, you are doing it correctly. When you log exercise and it adds calories, eat those calories, or at least half of them. Some prefer not to eat all of them to allow for miscalcution of calories burned. But since if you burn more calories than you included in your activity setting when you set up your account, you eat more to keep the same deficit. Also, be sure to get enough calcium, vitamin D and protein to prevent bone and muscle loss as you lose weight.

Hello Ladies!

I am 55 years old and I have spent years trying (and failing) to lose weight. I still haven't figured out what I was doing wrong! But on December 27th I saw a dietitian. She didn't tell me what NOT to eat, she just put me on a 1500 calorie a day, balanced diet...6 servings of carbs, 6 servings of protein, 3 servings of fruit, 3+ servings of vegetables, 2 servings of dairy, 2 servings of fat. And she stipulated that I had to work out for 3 hours a week. And I thought, I can do this! But will it work?

One month later, I saw her again...and I had lost 10 pounds...WOW! Ten pounds in a month! That NEVER happened before! I made an appointment to see her again in 3 months, and she said, "I expect to see you 30 pounds lighter!" And I imagined that number and said, "Wouldn't it be amazing if that could happen!" and she said, "Why can't it?"

Well, I didn't quite get there, but I was within 5 pounds of that goal....and it was awesome!

So ladies, don't dispair over your age. I've read books that told me how impossible it would be to lose weight after menopause because of the hormone changes. Don't believe it! We can all do this!

This is what I have learned: fruits and vegetables are your friends because they fill you up and keep you full. Sweet treats and such only make you crave more...so while an occasional indulgence is ok, stay away from them as much as possible.

If you haven't started exercise, START! Begin with a small goal...like my original 3 hours a week. Eventually you will learn to LOVE your exercise...maybe not so much while your doing it, but certainly the way you feel afterward. And it is amazing how quickly our bodies recover from the abuse we have put them through. I remember climbing the stairs at work...I would take the staircase that was furthest away from my destination just so that I could catch my breathe before arriving there. Now I can run up those stairs! Try new things until you find the exercises that you LOVE DOING. I LOVE Zumba and Aqua Zumba, classes that I take at the local Y. I also love walking around Salem Lake...it is a BEAUTIFUL 7-mile walk.

As the weight comes off, you will be surprised at the little gifts that you will receive along the way. For example, it used to hurt me to put on my bra...I have osteoarthritis in my right shoulder and the most painful part of the day was reaching around to hook the clasp. After the first 10 pounds, it didn't hurt anymore. I can now lay on my stomach, crawl into a ball. The other day I realized I can cross my legs...I mean, I can wear a dress and cross my legs without fear of exposing anything. Your rewards will not stop at the number on the scale!

And MFP friends are AWESOME to have! They understand what you are going through. They offer encouragement. If anyone wants to add me as a friend, I am here for y'all!

LET'S DO THIS!
~Marsha

Hi! I'm 62, and I've been at this for about a year now. For the last several years I was suffering from primary hyperparathyroidism, which is an endocrine disorder that systematically put too much calcium in my system over a period of years. It fatigued me, gave me stress fractures, gave me muscle and joint pain, gave me hypertension, and many other disparate symptoms. It is caused by a benign tumor that grows on one or more of the parathyroid glands. In my case, there was one tumor, which was removed surgically two months ago, and the results were nothing short of amazing for me. I have energy, the depression has lifted, the muscle and joint pain is gone, and I am hungrier now than ever!

I have the good fortune to have access to a nutrition clinic where I can get nutritional counseling and support from nutritionists and an exercise physiologist. That has been life changing. I hit a plateau several moths ago, and the best I could do was to keep the weight gain to a minimum. I am being helped with conditioning, so I can increase the intensity of my workouts. I need to regain bone mass that I have lost, and exercise is the only way I can accomplish that. I have been watching what I eat for many years now because of the hypertension. Sodium will put pounds on me in a nanosecond. Personally, I have found that the less processed food that I eat, the better off I am. What is so nice about MFP is that I can input my recipes and come up with full nutritional information.

I am ready to break my plateau, and I welcome input from anyone who has done this and is succeeding. Friend me to get access to my diary.

Hi ladies! I am 49 and have it a stall for about a year. I tried the follow MPF guidelines and didn't lose, I tried 5:2 IF and actually liked it and lost for about two weeks then stalled. I love to work out and being fit is what I'm aiming for so I've decided to do the IIFYM practice and eat to hit my macros and my target calories. I'm hoping this will give me the energy to work out and tone and lose inches. I love friends and interaction so feel free to add me as a friend. I truley believe that the age does make a difference for us women - not that we can't do it - but just that we have to go about it in different ways then we used to!

Good Morning. My name is Sandi and I am 50, soon to be 51. I am new here and would welcome any friends.

Hello! I'm new, 56, and never had a weight problem until 40ish, menopause and the thyroid thingy. As a teacher, I am relatively active during the day ......makes me frustrated why I keep gaining. So I am READY to start logging food to see where I am making my mistakes (uh, really I already know--lol) and hoping that this will help me keep accountable for my choices and not think "I'll just take a little bit--or I'll start tomorrow......" I do like to socialize--kids are grown up so it's easy for hubby and I to just call up friends and go out to eat..... I do try to make reasonable choices. But being here I know will help even more!
With a new school year to start, I am ready to make new choices! The last couple years, I have dressed "down" trying to hide, but now I'm ready to update and perk up my wardrobe and feel better about myself.
Let's Do It!

Hi, I am so glad I found this today. I turned 50 last November. I lost a lot of weight over two years ago, then had a bout of cervical cancer and thyroid cancer and gained a lot of the weight back. I am trying not to believe the lie that you can't lose weight during menopause. I am starting over again today after being gone on vacation for three weeks. I try to ride my bike 5 days a week and keep my caloric intake below what I output. Hoping to learn a few things, but am really encourage by what I have read so far.

I am 64 and think mfp is the best. I have lost 33 lbs so far and have 19 left. I started out just logging my weight, but since my calories have gone down to 1200 I walk on my treadmill everyday to add an extra 200 - 300 calories. That has worked great for getting me to exercise. What better incentive for exercise than eating more. I am also an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic and always looking for more diabetic friends to help me through this process. :blushing:

Hi I'm 56 and been fighting the weight battle for most of my adult life. Up and down like a Yoyo! Want to do it for good this time and think I can with all you're help. This is the best and most supportive site I've ever been on. Thank you all. ????I also got a fitbit and love it.

Awesome, starting where you are and what fits you is what is important. As my baby sister tells me 'keep it moving'. :flowerforyou: