an old (over 50) newbie

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  • lessismoreohio
    lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
    Now that I'm newly turned 50 I don't think 50 is so old anymore.....................................................
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
    Feel free to add me if you care to. I am always looking for people getting on in years! Don't you hate that phrase. I am 65 soon to be 66. I started at 209lbs, current weight is 142, my goal is 135! You can do this! You will do this!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I'm fifty one. It can be done!
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    I am not old...just been on this planet for the last 61 years. My body tries to tell me that I'm old but my mind knows differently.

    I don't know...maybe it is easier the older you get. We don't have to worry about impressing anyone but ourselves.
  • ranchmimi
    ranchmimi Posts: 125 Member
    I saw 50 26 years ago - but it is never too late to start on the healthy eating route! All the advice given above is true ! I am somewhat disabled - walk pretty slowly with a cane - but now that I have lost some weight I am much more active than I was! I do a formal exercise class 3 times a week called Sit & Be Fit - and it really is helping. We use dumb bells, bands and balls and have upped our activities in the past 6 months. I don't spend nearly as much time sitting doing nothing as I did before I lost the weight! That along with weighing everything I eat and tracking it here has done the trick. I didn't gain all this weight overnight and I don't expect to lose it that way either! Consistency and patience will do the trick for you! Good luck!
  • AmyMgetsfit
    AmyMgetsfit Posts: 636 Member
    I will be 59 in a few weeks. I feel the best I have in a long time. This year I lost 45lbs but did gain a few pounds back around the holidays. I would like to lose 10 total in the next few months. I started running and really loved it. I had some health issues I had to deal with when I started pushing myself harder, but I am slowly getting back into it after letting myself heal for a few weeks.
  • dianefisher47
    dianefisher47 Posts: 234 Member
    I'm not older just better....66 years old..I have previously lost 32 pounds and now working on the next 30....you can add me for support:flowerforyou:
  • marciebrian
    marciebrian Posts: 853 Member
    I'm 59 and exercise on average 5 days a week. (not always but usually). It is harder especially if you are post menopausal but if you eat right, log your food and exercise religiously, you'll lose the weight ;-)

    Welcome and if I can help feel free to add me. Happy 2014!
  • DianneP6772
    DianneP6772 Posts: 272 Member
    Age need not be a factor.

    I am 68 and before this year, and joining MFP - i have never lost this amount of weight.

    This was a total commitment for me. I am retired and i was injured (tore tendon around ankle) when i started this. I had been basically doing No exercise for the previous 6 months because of my injury. But decided - IT WAS TIME! My son told me about
    this site so i joined. I had not been happy with my weight as i had put on 5 lbs in those last 6 months because of inactivity and all my
    clothes were tight. Not a good feeling.

    The concept is so simple. Eat less, exercise more - you will lose weight.

    I am retired - so i had the time to devote to this total program.

    Logging - for me was essential. I am now up to day 236 of consistent logging. And you need to be honest about it. If you don't have a food scale - get one. You might be amazed at what 5 ounces of meat looks like. So i weighed a lot of food, measured others and
    guessed a bit if it was veggies or fruit. To me - the logging was what made me accountable. Its just for me - but it works. No one else sees it if you do not want them to. So its for yourself.

    And exercise. To me that was totally necessary. I cycle a lot and try to go faster almost everytime out. So that was the major part of my exercise. Cardio - does work. Also - during the summer - i did yard work. Major yard work. I trimmed all of our many hedges.
    Weeded, picked up sticks - whatever to keep going. I would do 1-2 hours a day for 3-5 days a week. Cycling - about 5-6 times a week anywhere from 15-30 miles. And in Septemer i joined a gym so have been weight training 3 times a week for 45-60 min.
    Also, since September, my ankle is better so i am back to playing tennis and that is 3 times a week for 90 minutes.
    For me - i would rather go out and cycle more so that i could eat more that day. That was easier than stopping at 1200 calories a day.

    So, it is possible. And the rewards are fantastic. When i came back to tennis a lot of friends had not seen me for 6-9 months so they were all in shock with my weight loss. I went from a size 12-14 to a size 6 ! Me a size 6 - who would have thought? This is the fun part!

    So stick with it - Oh - and i also have So much energy now! Its amazing the difference. I want to do at least two sports a day because i feel like it.

    Have fun - its not easy - but also - its not that hard. Because of the exercise i did i was able to have treats everyday so i did not feel deprived.

    Go for it! You can!
  • oc1timoco
    oc1timoco Posts: 272 Member
    I'm 56 and started in November of 2010 at 358 lbs. I'm currently at 195-200 lbs. and have been in that area for a year and a half now. We don't stop moving because we are old. We get old because we stop moving. Anyone can add me but beware. I'm not the cheerleader type with canned messages like WTG! or Great burn! Nor am I crass and insensitive. Just a regular person willing to communicate.
  • quicklabs
    quicklabs Posts: 254 Member
    I'm another "oldie but goodie". LOL. Be sure that you record every bite of food. A heart rate monitor wil keep you honest about calories burned. You can definitely do this!
  • ckone4me
    ckone4me Posts: 108 Member
    Hi, I am 53 and have found the support and program here have made my weight loss successful! I do not feel old and since losing weight I feel stronger, younger and happier! So it is possible to lose and it is not all that hard at all! Anyone can add me if you'd like some extra support from me as well! We are over 50 and we "rock"!
  • gophertracts
    gophertracts Posts: 7 Member
    I am new here also. thought I was the only one on here over sixty. add me as your friend if you would like.
  • Resolve2B
    Resolve2B Posts: 86 Member
    What's with all this "old" stuff? Not me....even at 61. Today is the best day of my life. And then tomorrow will be the best day of my life.

    Too bad we live in a culture that so adores "youth". I love my life right now! I am happy, content and free of much of the stress I had in my younger days. I watch my young adult daughter juggle her demanding profession, keep a well ordered home, tend to her husband and mother her toddler and I think, "Phew...I did that...now I see how stressed I was!" Return to that? Not on a bet.

    The trick now though is to stay healthy and fit to really squeeze the last drop of fun out of this phase of life.

    Harder to lose weight now? I don't think that's true at all IF you have a body that is just overweight and out of shape. There are those struggling with other issues such as joint problems and that's kind of a game changer. It doesn't mean it can't be done but yes, that would make it harder. Otherwise what makes it hard is that as we spend more years on the planet we have found ways to get comfortable...and we like to stay comfortable. Changing eating patterns is uncomfortable. Exercise is uncomfortable. But the discomfort is temporary whereas the GREAT feeling of having a trim, fit, healthy body can be ours to enjoy every day if we put in the time and EFFORT to get there.

    And as for the menopausal myth...I lost 15 pounds and got into the best shape I think I've ever been in...and I was in my early 50s when I did it...hot flashes and all (I called them my "power surges").

    Now...I've just lost my groove. I just joined here about a week ago. I'm still sort of mapping out my plan but I'm loading the cannon and am ready to "fire".

    My food plan consists of the South Beach Diet. It's the best way to manage food I've ever experienced. Once you get the principles, it's a no brainer. No counting calories...just an awareness of what kind of food you're taking in. (NOTE: this is what worked for ME...others find the calorie counting approach to be what works for them...to each his/her own!).

    The other "secret weapon"? Lifting weights. Building muscle is like building little fat burning factories!! I love that thought that I can be just sitting in a chair and any muscle I have is just burning calories just to exist. The more muscle tissue I have, the more calories being burned. Some studies I've read suggest that we "of a certain age" should be focusing more on muscle building and less on cardio as a means of burning fat. Of course cardio is still necessary to keep our hearts healthy, etc so that's not a "pass" for doing some good cardio but phew you can really get your heart pumping doing a circuit of weight lifting. And LIFT a decent amount of weight...build up to it...don't wimp out on puny light weights. If you are not sure what to do , get a personal trainer and let him/her know your goal is to build muscle.

    I'm a wordy one. LOL But if you'd care to friend me and are someone who is looking for support, I'm committed to be part of this community now that I've found it.

    Rock on!
  • fitaholic718
    fitaholic718 Posts: 19 Member
    Age is nothing but a number. Just stay motivated we are all here for support. FYI i'll be 34 New Year's Day!!!!!! Let's melt together!!!!
  • Hikr56
    Hikr56 Posts: 128 Member
    57 here, and I plan on being SMOKIN' hot (for the first time ever) by this time next year! There. I said it out loud. OMG. LOL I've only been using MFP for just over 3 months, and it's made a huge difference in my motivation and dedication. There are wonderfully supportive people here. Welcome aboard!
  • Amazon_Who
    Amazon_Who Posts: 1,092 Member
    Great thread!
  • Cokebear83
    Cokebear83 Posts: 13 Member
    Also remember its not necessarily a number on the scale, but how well your clothes fit and how much muscle you build too.
  • sandykendrick
    sandykendrick Posts: 16 Member
    Hi everyone Im 57 and have 140 lbs as my goal. I presently weigh 178 1/2. I would love to have you all as a friend.:smile:
  • sandykendrick
    sandykendrick Posts: 16 Member
    Hi my name is Sandy and I'm 57 (older than you). No don't give up. We can do this my friend. It isn't easy that is for sure but I'm not going to get bumbed out about it. First thing you remember is that your not along. Hang in there my friend and don't ever give up. You get to feeling down just talk to any of us.

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