Middle Age Excuses

thats funny cuz I know exactly what you mean when you say "I use my middle age as an excuse." I used to say "oh I am getting old." But now that I have dropped 81 pounds, I feel so much younger The best thing I have ever done. What stinks is that I have ruined most of my life by doing fad diets, pills, or even well known programs only to fail. But this time around I found something that works! Just wish I had found it earlier.

Good luck to you on your journey.

I also am 50 and needed to lose close to 100 lbs. I started last year making small changes in my diet and lost like 8lbs in the year and joined this site beginning of this year (wish I would of found this last year) and lost almost 4 lbs already. I didn't realize the mistakes I was doing in my "diet". I am still learning and trying to change over 50 years of bad habits isn't always easy. You can add me as a friend and we can motivate each other.

Hi there!

You are right, QUIT USING MIDDLE AGE EXCUSES! I am 50 years old and a physical therapist assistant. There are no excuses for not being healthy. My excuse was I just didn't try. I know everything to do, I know the ramifications, in MOST cases we have the high blood pressure and high cholesterol, pre diabetes, aching joints because we have let ourselves get out of shape. I work with the geriatric population and they have a multitude of co morbidities that are concerns. But they exercise and work hard. I know what to do, how to do it, I've read all the books. I have stopped being lazy and have given up on my excuses. There is a wonderful support group here. You can do this, it's never too late. For every pound you lose did you know that you take 4# of pressure of your knees? Amazing huh. We can help, check with your Dr first, begin moving slowly. There is no magic pill, it's calories in and calories used. It's working for me, I no longer feel bloated and puffy since I have started being aware of what is going in my mouth. Add me for a friend and lets get moving together. I have another 65# to go.

I feel you. I'm in my mid-fifties. Over my life I have tried many, many ways to lose weight. Ayds (remember those?), egg diet, grapefruit diet, starvation (that one was a short one;'>), Fen phen, ephedrine, you name it. Everything short of weight loss surgery I tried or considered trying. I loved fen phen, but it quit working for me and I gained much of the weight back.

I decided (when I allowed a photo of myself with the new car I bought for my 50th birthday and saw how BAD I looked) that I would try weight loss one more time. I decided to give it 6 weeks and if it didn't work I'd just give up. I started having success by watching my diet so I kept with it. I started having more success - I lost more weight than I did on fen phen! Coworkers became jealous (I couldn't believe it) I lost my place as the "fat friend". I got happier and maintenance wasn't so difficult.

However, two stars collided that derailed me: I quit smoking and a 5 year old peanut butter-eating grandson moved it with me for a year. I hadn't yet got the emotional eating part under control. That's what I'm working on this time round.

At any rate, the thing I found when I first lost weight and my mind hasn't changed about it is that a huge secret has been kept from us. That secret is that most things get better in your fifties! I think menopause is God's great gift to women. Raging hormones - gone! Fear of pregnancy - gone! I have aches and pains, sure, but I feel better in my 50s than I did in my 40s and maybe even in my 30s! Stick with it. Your best years are ahead of you!

Hi Dottie,
Congrats on giving up those middle age excuses-that's half the battle. At 54, I was beginning to show the effects of a lifetime of poor eating and little exercise. I had high cholesterol, bad feet , bad knees etc. Every little injury seemed to take months to heal. I hurt my neck/shoulder while moving and spent 2 months and close to $1,500.00 doctoring.
I joined a weight management program at work through my insurance. They did a resting metabolic rate and found that I was only burning 1300 calories a day at rest. It was no wonder I was having trouble losing weight. Without some form of exercise/activity, I'd have to restrict my calories to 900-1000 a day to lose just 1 lb a week ! It's almost impossible to get the necessary nutrients while being that restrictive on calories.
On MFP I eat 1200 calories a day-not impossible as long as I stay mindful about my eating and I try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise consistently 3 times per week. Right now I am doing a little more because I am motivated by the results and have the time but realistically for the long haul that seems a good goal for me. I also started doing Yoga (for beginners) and it has helped me with all my other activity. The stretching has been very important and knowing when to back off to avoid injury. I would love to be a runner (it's so convenient and inexpensive) but for right now it seems a little to hard on my joints. We'll see maybe I will be able to work up to it.
Anyway, hope you have much success.

I am much older and have held this weight for the past 23 years. I manage to lose 20 lbs occasionally but within months I allow it to return. Please give a meal plan idea that helped you make such an achievement! It confuses me to see that the recommended calorie allowance for me could be as low as 1400 on some plans and as high as 1700 on others.I would be so thankful if you would be so kind.
jadski:

@Jad you could meal plan at cookinglight.com, buy light cooking cookbooks, personally we use Cooks Illustrated / America's Test Kitchen Light books, website but whatever works for you.

@Dottie, you can do this. I was part of SparkPeople and never lost anything. I think THIS website works better for me because it's much more user friendly and less overwhelming than SP. I've lost 15 lbs since Jan 20, 2011. I'm really not "dieting" but I am "meal planning" and "making lighter" dinners as well as using EA Sports Active 2 with the xbox360 - it's a virtual personal trainer and you do different things daily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mGP-36Val4

That's the youtube trailer for it, it's great!

I'm going to be 50 this year, and have struggled a long time with my weight. In 2008 my husband died and shortly afterwards I saw pictures of myself and was shocked at how bad I looked (although I knew how bad I felt). My blood pressure was high and I was nearly the fattest I had ever been. I started going to the gym and eating a bit better and over 18 mths lost 20 kgs.

Last year my son was diagnosed with cancer and a lot of the weight crept back on, and I was ready to give up when I hurt my ankle playing tennis and it is still giving me trouble 3 mths later, and 1/2 the weight has been regained.

BUT I am worth it, my life is worth the best me I can give it. I see my mother's laziness and refusal ever to take the hard line as the reason she is in a nursing home, too frail to have the operation to save her life. Yes, it is harder as you get older, but it is also hard to rely on others to dress you, feed you and take you to the bathroom.

I'm currently on a 6 week challenge at the gym, I've started Bikram yoga and am getting into running again. Don't let your age define who you are, get out there and be the very best YOU that you can!

GG