Big Ol' Over-50 Fatty With Optimism!

Welcome, Helen – Log your food and exercise honestly and you’ll do great! Since you mentioned being over-50….. join us at the thread: WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2013. Good group of supportive gals with loads in common.

Gail, metro ATL

Hi! I'm Helen, and I'm REALLY glad to be here! I am an adult-onset Fatty, having been a skinny kid who ate whatever I wanted (and I always wanted JUNK). I started to gain weight in my late 20s, and would diet and exercise and lose, and then go up, up, up!

After two kids, I settled. I occasionally exercised, and once I even did a Mini-Triathlon (woo-hoo!), but for the most part I gave up on myself. My husband and kids love me, and never judge me - I always make "Mom is Fat" jokes before they can!

I am an emotional eater. I grew up in a large-ish family where there was not enough food My parents, especially my mother, were abusive. I ate for comfort, whenever I could scrounge up money to buy candy or chips or chocolate milk or ANYTHING junky. I was a junk food connoisseur!

I have been working on the emotions of fear and deprivation and anger and sorrow that have kept me stagnant for so many years. I have done powerful work in the last two years especially, and I feel great about it. I have made some big breakthroughs.

Finally, I am not ashamed of being fat. I am not afraid to put myself out here and say, "Look. I've gained a lot of weight. Through self-kindness, patience, and trial and error, I am going to become fit."

My only goal is to move more and eat better. My long term goals are to do another mini-tri and eventually a sprint or maybe even an Olympic triathlon! I have a goal weight in mind but I don't know if I'll make it. I will probably have loose skin and other weird issues as the weight comes off - oh, well. We'll see.

I am excited about rejoining the land of health!

Amazing! You have a great story and it sounds like you're ready to make a healthy start! Good for you!

You're going to encounter all kinds here if you haven't been here before. You'll meet:

"Team: Protein"
"Team: Eat What You Want for your calories"
"Team: 1200 calories a day, u guyz!" And then everyone goes *facepalm*
"Team: Cut out trigger foods"
"Team: If It Fits Your Macros"
"Team: TDEE - 20%"
"Team: Lift Weights!"

And the ever so special - "Team: Ketogenic diet!" and "Team: I Hate Carbs!"
Sometimes also know as: "Carbs are the Devil: Less than 50 carbs a day or diabetes will kill you limb by limb" <-- actually read this thread once, heh. I don't like fear mongering. But, anyhoo!

Welcome! And whatever path you choose, just do what feels comfortable for you and doesn't leave you feeling sick.

I'm with the 'don't eat below your BMR and eat what you want for your calories'' crowd. I also log everything I eat and every cup of water I drink. There are lots of correct methods. So, do what you like and stick to it. ^_^

This place is great. The people are helpful and knowledgeable. Most are very kind and supportive. I love all the success stories. I hope you find what you need here.

Yay! For you! Welcome.....this site is great and informative. You will find what works for you and it will change with time as you change. Most important thing is to log,log ,log everything! Good luck!:flowerforyou:

Hello Helen,

I am also over 50 and thought that my days of looking okay were gone. I am getting married in 10 days and so, a few months ago, I decided to really test myself. I started an exercise program with some young people. It is the insanity program and I can nowhere near keep up with them but I can now almost finish the whole workout. It feels like a real achievement and my shape is now totally different.

I used to tell myself I was an emotional eater, that the HRT medication makes it hard to lose weight, that my medication for depression actually puts on weight (I am now well again thanks to meditation and excercise) and that my metabolism had slowed too far for me to get back into shape.

Then I told myself they were all excuses. I would never look like I did in my twenties, but I could darn well look, and feel, as good as I possibly could. And I do, and I feel great, and I feel well.

Keep going, stay positive but don't listen to your own excuses!! Good luck.

Welcome aboard! Ok, nuff of that... now get up and M-O-V-E !! :bigsmile:

Sorry, I see you have already made it to our home!!!

59 here, and I really did think weight loss at my age would be sooo hard if not impossible. But I've been on MFP since Dec. 31 2012 and doing great. 46 pounds gone so far. You're welcome to add me.

You have found the right place. My reasons for putting on weight were similar to yours. Feel free to add me if you want someone enthusiastically on the same path!

I love your attitude! I'm not fifty but my goals are similar to yours. I want to get fit and healthy.
I want to move more and have fun. It's small steps for me right now as this is a big change and I fear doing too much all at once and then giving up.

I've been on MFP close to a month and the logging has helped immensely!!

I'd love to be friends to support each other in this new lifestyle!!

Mimi

Helen, with that attitude you are going to succeed! No doubt about it! I'm 56 years old and I know how it feels to just see the weight pile on year after year after year. I made every excuse in the world to stay as I was, including "I'm not really that fat." 13 months later, I'm feeling better than I have in the last 20 years (except for lousy knees). It's all about the accountability of logging and moving the old body! The rest takes care of itself. Feel free to add me if you'd like.

Hi my name is rhonda and i hope that its ok i am not 50 i am only 47, but have struggled with my weight since i was a child and having to buy husky jeans when i was in school, my mother never let me forget how big i was and i was going to keep getting bigger until i straightened out. I have 4 kids and kept gaining weight with all of them i was able to keep my weight at about 190 (which was overweight but not as bad as i am now) until i had my last son 17 yrs ago. I am now at 300 pounds and my son is 17 now he is always telling me i look beautiful. I dont go out in public for 2 reasons i have arthritis bad in both knees doc wants me to have replacement surgery, and alot of times when i do go into public i am asked when i am due, i look like i am 9 months pregnant, then i get depressed go home and eat. I have tried ww and atkins, and jenny craig,and so many others i cant remember over the years and the weight is the same doesnt go up or down. I read about this group when i was in a weight loss group. I have a friend who is about 500 pounds and she told me about a program she is on and she has lost 14 pounds in 2 weeks, i was so amazed. She said it was the pills she takes trying to eat right and having friends and people who understand about how hard it is to lose weight and how a person feels about being fat that has helped her alot. So i have joined the program and i am hoping it works for me and i am hoping being in a group with nice people like you will help me stay positive and on track. Because of weight i am to shy to go to meetings so i figured it would be alot easier on here and i would like to make friends but dont want anyone to see me cause i think they will judge me. I am hoping its ok if i join this group but i understand if you say no. Thanks for listening sometimes i ramble and my teen son agrees with the rambling lol.