Old women

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Hello. I am a soon to be 51 year old grandmother who was skinny in high school but three kids and many fatty meals since...not so much. To make matters worse, 7 months ago I finally quit smoking after 37 years. So now instead of lung cancer I have "the big one" to look forward to :) I just started an eight week learning program at work taught by a dietitian and I am hoping it will teach me enough that I can shed 70-80 pounds. I would appreciate any advise you all might have including excercises that my knees and back can handle right now. I am sure that as I lose excercise will be easier. Thanks in advance for your help.

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  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    First, 51 isn't old ...... I'm 63 and I'm not old ! Second, congrats on giving up smoking, that's an awesome accomplishment ! Soak up everything you can from the dietitian and put it to use. And as far as exercise goes, I started losing weight just by walking around the block a few times ...... now I'm hitting the gym on a regular basis. Keep on truckin' !
  • thegreatcanook
    thegreatcanook Posts: 2,419 Member
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    You are not old!!! Walking is a great way to start...it helped me lose 50 lbs before I could start more rigorous exercising! Feel free to add me.
  • disneygallagirl
    disneygallagirl Posts: 515 Member
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    Welcome and yup, you are not old.
    Here is a really good post to check out: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest
    All the best!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Fitness level, more than age, determines what exercises are safe. I'm not sure what type of knee and back problems you have but you should probably start off with low impact exercises like walking, swimming, water aerobics.

    Also, as an older woman you need to make sure to include resistance training to preserve muscle and bone, as this is the age when women really start to lose those.

    Talking to you doctor about exercise is also a good idea, since s/he will know your abilities better than anyone here.