55-65 year old women's success?

HoganBirdie wrote: »

Hi 55 and up. Thank you for the inspiration! Even though I didn't lose as much as I wanted 10 instead of 7 in two weeks I am feeling good and determined to get thin again. Goal to lose another 7 in two weeks (15 for the month). How do you all stay motivated when weight comes off slowwwwww. ?

Am I understanding this right - that you lost 7 pounds in two weeks, and you think that is slow? And you are hoping to lose 15 pounds in a month?

My advice on how to stay motivated: You don't. Motivation comes and goes. You can't expect motivation to keep you on course. It's all about habits. Change your habits so when you reach your goal weight, you will be successful in keeping the weight off. Do some resistance training to maintain muscle as you lose fat and ward off osteoporosis. Keep a calorie deficit that you are able to adhere to. Allow some treats on occasion. It's a slow process. It will be even slower if you can't adhere to your goals and give up. Good luck.

trina1049 wrote: »

sun_fish wrote: »

HoganBirdie wrote: »

Hi 55 and up. Thank you for the inspiration! Even though I didn't lose as much as I wanted 10 instead of 7 in two weeks I am feeling good and determined to get thin again. Goal to lose another 7 in two weeks (15 for the month). How do you all stay motivated when weight comes off slowwwwww. ?

Am I understanding this right - that you lost 7 pounds in two weeks, and you think that is slow? And you are hoping to lose 15 pounds in a month?

My advice on how to stay motivated: You don't. Motivation comes and goes. You can't expect motivation to keep you on course. It's all about habits. Change your habits so when you reach your goal weight, you will be successful in keeping the weight off. Do some resistance training to maintain muscle as you lose fat and ward off osteoporosis. Keep a calorie deficit that you are able to adhere to. Allow some treats on occasion. It's a slow process. It will be even slower if you can't adhere to your goals and give up. Good luck.

This is good advice.

HoganBirdie,
Seven pounds in two weeks is not slow. That is 3-1/2 pounds per week.
Trust me, that will slow down. It took me 20 months to lose 160 pounds and many people think that is too fast. If you have a lot to lose, some people see big losses in the beginning, but it slows down. Weight loss is mostly about eating less calories than you burn. Motivation comes in different ways. A lot of my success was because of the people on MFP. When I became discouraged, I read success stories here, and that truly keeps me going, even today. I have been on maintenance for almost 15 months now, and for me at least, maintenance is way harder than losing the weight was. It will never be easy for me, and I will have to constantly monitor myself.

HoganBirdie, you are doing great! I would add one piece of advice--if your goals are not realistic, then you may become discouraged. I do think that 15 pounds in one month may be a little unrealistic. Also, since you are doing an intense weight training program, you are building muscle, which may slow down your loss on the scales eventually.

I would hate for anyone to think I'm knocking WW. I am also a lifetime member; I loved the program and the support, but I was just never able to maintain my weight. The thought of counting calories has always been too intimidating, but with the MFP technology, it's a no-brainer for me. I am tracking better and losing weight faster than I ever have before.

In a few months, I'm going with a group of friends on a cruise. I've never been on one before, and I expect it to be both a thrill and a challenge! One of the biggest challenges will be, of course, unlimited food, but I'm hoping to be in the habit of choosing wisely enough by then to navigate that challenge. Another challenge is that my friends are already shopping for cruise wear, but I can't because I don't know what size I'll be by then. That's a GOOD challenge!

As i just finished writing on another discussion board, if i could lose a half a pound a week every week for the next 18 months, i would be the happiest woman in the world.

With regard to motivation, my personal experience is that if you stay heavy enough for long enough, your body will obliging supply the motivation in terms of serious health problems. For me, it is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. the doctor said that if i didnt lose weight and get fit, i would be lugging around an oxygen tank within a decade. That was last May and i have lost 31 pounds since that day. No trouble with motivation ever again.

cathy120861 wrote: »

As i just finished writing on another discussion board, if i could lose a half a pound a week every week for the next 18 months, i would be the happiest woman in the world.

With regard to motivation, my personal experience is that if you stay heavy enough for long enough, your body will obliging supply the motivation in terms of serious health problems. For me, it is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. the doctor said that if i didnt lose weight and get fit, i would be lugging around an oxygen tank within a decade. That was last May and i have lost 31 pounds since that day. No trouble with motivation ever again.

rosebette wrote: »

I'm 56 and lost 6-7 lbs. on MFP since last year, then gained it back over the holidays. Shorter smaller women really need to be religious about tracking. Age is not just a number -- our metabolisms are lower than younger folks', and many of us can't workout at the same intensity as we could when we were younger. Also, being careless with form or overdoing it results in injury more easily. All it takes is a few weeks of lapses with eating and tracking, and the pounds pile on. I also have had some issues with working out due to a shoulder injury. The combination of lower intensity strength workouts plus eating a few hundred calories more basically resulted in undoing all my progress. Now I'm back on track and looking to give and get support!.

Hi, candicer, and welcome to this thread. You can do this. Eat in a calorie deficit and exercising (but don't exercise too much or you will burn out) will keep you on track. Log your food everyday and tweak your macros as needed.

middlehaitch wrote: »

Jewell211
Look up nerdfitness.com it offers a body weight routine for beginners. Saying that makes me say- when you see it don't be discouraged.

Start small with one exercise, and try to do it, if you can't manage it, don't worry, try again later or the next day. When you have got the hang of one, add another etc etc.

With regards to any exercise it is better doing a bit rather than sitting and thinking you should. Also, don't take on too much at once, be the tortoise not the hare.

I too loathed exercise, I never grew up doing sport, so I have found it hard to do it now. I do it but still don't love it; maybe like it, only maybe.

Glad to see the pounds are coming off.
Cheers, h.

Thanks for the suggestion, h! I'll definitely check it out. I have to baby a couple of joints, but I know just walking every day A) won't get me in shape as quickly as I'd like, and will get old to me pretty quickly. I do not want to have to force myself to do the daily activities the dietitian said were vital.

dhrash wrote: »

Wow I am so inspired. I have oner 50 pounds to lose and I am 57. This really inspiring. I do yoga every day and walk with hubby regularly.

dhrash, do you have a yoga DVD, or do you watch a TV show, or do you attend a class, or what? My middle child keeps encouraging me to do yoga, so I tried a free class at the library, but we spent about 75% of the time on our hands and knees, and I have bad knees! I could barely walk the next few days. I know not all yoga concentrates that much on hands-&-knees positions, but there seems to be so many varieties of yoga out there, I don't know how to choose. I'm really looking for something I can do at home.

Malteaster wrote: »

I am finding this most inspiring. I am 55 and have struggled with my weight for the last five years. I'd love to lose 20lb and am watching this with interest.

I am also 55 and gained 30 pounds in the last 5 years while going through menopause. My entire body shape changed. I lost 20 pounds since Thanksgiving week when I decided I would lose weight over the holidays instead of packing on more weight. I did it by staying on a 1200 calorie a day diet and doing LOTS OF POWERWALKING! I walk at a very brisk pace for 60-85 minutes 6 days a week. I used to run for many years but find running painful in my hip. Ironically walking at a fast pace does not hurt. You cannot exercise away bad eating habits. You must change your diet and exercise. I finally see my waist again. 10 pounds to goal. I am stronger and wiser now.

I am 62 and struggling with the same 18 pounds that I keep losing and then refinding! My top weight was 185 and I developed Type II Diabetes but got that under control with diet and exercise. My lowest weight was 112 for about 5 seconds two years ago, then I maintained around 118 for a while. (I am just a hair over 5 feet tall). Two years ago I had a hip replacement and then a few months later some major eye surgery, all of which kept me fairly sedentary for a period of time and the weight crept up again.... 133 pounds by the end of last summer... but more significantly, my blood sugar went way, way too high. I decided I really needed to get back on MFP after fooling myself into thinking I didn't need it anymore. I've lost 12 pounds and would be very happy to get down to around 116 (that's my goal!) and avoid having to take any medication for my diabetes, which I haven't had to do YET. I actually go in for blood work tomorrow to see if my hard work over the last few months will keep me off the meds. I plateaued at 122 for a good 6 weeks but having been through this before I knew to just keep at it and it would start to move down again. I actually started to think the scale might just be "stuck" until yesterday morning when it FINALLY hit 121! Six pounds to goal! At 116 I'll weigh just about what I did when I graduated from high school back in 1970, though that weight is all in different places now!

I'd be happy to add anyone that would like to my "friends" list! Just be advised that I don't share my food diary for a number of reasons, and I will never look at yours unless asked.

cathy120861 wrote: »

Do you mean me, Cathy? Can i pretend you do, even if you actually mean a different Kathy? no on has ever every complimented me on my healthy eating before. maybe i am finally getting to be a grown up and committing myself to health!

the truth is that i just started working with an amazing nutritionist, who is helping me make a big push to cut down on carbs. plus, my first grandchild is due in a couple of weeks and i'll be damned if i am going to be a fat, sick old lady watching all of the fun but not able to play because she has to be close to her oxygen tank.

Sorry I spelled your name wrong. Yes I am talking about your eating habits. I try and stick to protein Nd vegees with a fruit here and there but I find I still get cravings for crackers and heavy carbs. Maybe I will try a protein bar.

middlehaitch wrote: »

Jewell211
Look up nerdfitness.com it offers a body weight routine for beginners. Saying that makes me say- when you see it don't be discouraged.

Start small with one exercise, and try to do it, if you can't manage it, don't worry, try again later or the next day. When you have got the hang of one, add another etc etc.

With regards to any exercise it is better doing a bit rather than sitting and thinking you should. Also, don't take on too much at once, be the tortoise not the hare.

I too loathed exercise, I never grew up doing sport, so I have found it hard to do it now. I do it but still don't love it; maybe like it, only maybe.

Oookay, I checked it out this morning and attempted to do it! lol Yeah, this girl's got basically no upper body strength, so my pushups, even the girly ones, were mediocre and halfassed at best. And with my knees, I'm going to skip the lunges, at least for awhile. I was proud that I could do a plank for more than 5 seconds! Who knew I had any ab strength at all?! This is definitely something I'll have to be the tortoise on!