Older woman determined to get fit again

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!

I was 48 or 49 when I started here.
I still touch base here once in a while to keep on track with maintenance.

I took the low and slow approach to losing and it's worked pretty well.
Coming from Africa maybe you don't have any of the usual U.S. food hang-ups but this is what worked for me.
A bit long-winded... sorry.

The good news is you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be better.

++Track for a week or two before worrying about losing. This way you'll see where you really stand odds are it is different than where you thought you were, which is actually good news...

++Be scrupulously honest... you can lie to your friends, you can lie in your diary, you can lie to yourself, but YOUR BODY KNOWS EVERYTHING YOU EAT. So you might as well be honest in your diary (keep it private if you like) but you need that info because you can't get where you are going if your are not honest about where you are right now.

++See where you can make small changes on things that aren't so important to you.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

++Focus on what you should eat not what your shouldn't.
Eating your nutritious foods first. Your body will be more satisfied and have less cravings.

++Small sustainable changes.
Every couple of weeks see where you can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort, sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves. Also rather than having to think about everything all the time. You only have to think about a 2 or 3 new things to focus on.

++Rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. (I swear this saved my life.) I was happier once I gave myself a range:

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.

---

(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

---

++Only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Forget I *NEED* to lose 20, 30, 50, 100 lbs. I'm only worried about 1 lb the next one. I'll worry about the others later.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )


Food is not the enemy. You need nutrition to fuel your body and make it strong.

Most vitamins are fat soluable... so remember to include plant and fish based fats (HAPPY FATS) so you can access the nutrients in your food.

All of your foods fall into 1 or more of 3 macro nutrient categories
FATS • CARBS • PROTIENS ... I personally think it's unwise to severely restrict any one of these categories.
Instead of eliminating or limiting quantity focus on the quality...

HAPPY FATS (Plant and fish bases)
COMPLEX CARBS (un or minimally processed)
LEAN PROTEINS

Oddly enough, on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time, now the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

You can do it - there are many women on here who have gone through the change and were able to successfully loose the weight they wanted. There are many women who are going through the change who are working toward the same goal. Stay strong!!

OLDER?? I was expecting a 70 year old! There are all types on here, I'm 50 myself. Feel free to add me. I found MFP in last Aug. got serious early Sept., having already lost 15 lbs. prior. More than doubled this since realizing all the empty calories add up. (oops) I've made some big and little changes, have almost always met my goals once I got serious. The longer I've been trying the better I get at it. You can do it if you really want it. Its SO worth it. I cried in the dressing room of a store yesterday as I fit all the pants two sizes down and it wasn't even that hard to do. I never thought I'd see that size again for some reason. Have I been perfect? absolutely not. But I have figured out a consistent routine for my eating habits and the weight is slowly melting away. I am a tad hungry sometimes but never starving and eat more frequently than ever and much healthier overall. - Good luck!

Couldn't agree more with everything including getting into clothes you never thought you could. I'm 59 and if I can do this so can you. every day is a gift so accept it and live it the very best way you can. I'm pretty much done with the loss portion of this life but on daily for focus and motivation with my friends. If I can help, send me a FR and I'll be there

I'm here. Finally got a handle on my weight and my fitness through exercise.

Hi Meredith,
I'm 49. Will be turning 50 in May. I did MFP for a year and lost 45 pounds. I kind of just lost momentum and have now gained back 30 pounds. So I have come back to MFP determined to be in great shape by the time I turn 50.
I totally believe in supporting and encouraging people. I actually have some great friends I met on here. We were still in touch out side of MFP. So feel free to add me.