55-65 year old women's success?

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  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
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    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
    trina1049 Posts: 593 Member
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    sun_fish 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
    HoganBirdie Posts: 21 Member
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    trina1049 wrote: »
    sun_fish 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
    HoganBirdie Posts: 21 Member
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    Thank you for the advice. I am do p 90x and that has weight resistance. This is an intense program but I am able to stay with it. I also am walking 12000 steps a day which is 5 miles. I am so motivated. I will go it. Thank you for the advice.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited January 2015
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    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.
  • Eagerlylookingforward
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    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.
  • bonniepwest
    bonniepwest Posts: 30 Member
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    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!
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
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    Hah, I'm lucky if I lose .5 lb a week at this point. It's true I'm eating more because of my workouts but the last pounds can be really slow to come off, in my experience.

    I've never been a WW person. Before, whenever I need to lose a few pounds I would just watch what I ate for awhile and the weight would come off. It wasn't until I hurt my back and became sedentary (8 years ago) that it became such a challenge, primarily because I gained so much weight. Exercise has been key for me this time and now that I've managed to increase the weight I lift and the intensity of my workouts, my back never really bothers me anymore. I never thought this would happen.

    I think you're all doing a great job of realizing your goals and/or maintaining. I hope I'll be able to maintain as well as the rest of you when I get there.
  • cathy120861
    cathy120861 Posts: 265 Member
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    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.
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
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    @ Cathy, yes, health problems are very motivating. ;) My health has improved immensely since I began this process 14 months ago and that's all the reward I need.
  • HoganBirdie
    HoganBirdie Posts: 21 Member
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    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.

  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
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    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.

    Unfortunately, this is a very common misconception. In order to build muscle, you must eat at a surplus. That is not to say resistance training will not make you stronger, but getting stronger does not make you gain weight. It all boils down to eating too many calories if you are not losing weight.
  • candicer
    candicer Posts: 25 Member
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    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!.

  • candicer
    candicer Posts: 25 Member
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    Hi ladies! I have been doing MFP off and on ( sometimes more seriously than others) for a couple years now. I can relate so well to the frustrations of weight loss after 'a certain age'. I am 56; 5' 2", and currently weigh 145. In January 2014 I was determined to loss weight for my first cruise in April. Using MFP to track calories, and the gym to shed more - I was able to loose a whooping 5 pounds in 4 months. Very depressing. We returned from the cruise and I was even ,ore determined quqon continue on this journey for a beach week coming up in September. Actually lost 9 whole pounds this time! Then, between the holidays and sickness, I gained it all back plus a few. So here I am again. This time I am paying more attention to more than just calories though. I'm paying attention to fat intake, sugar, sodium, and especially protein. My workout has always been tough. Used to run till it became too hard on my knees, so now I do the elliptical. 5 days a week I do an hour on the elliptical, and atleast 4 days a week I do weight training. I change my weight training up on a regular basis so my body doesn't get too used to a routine.
    i am so determined this time, but I am fearful as well. It is SO hard o keep going when it's so hard to see any progress. I really will be needing whatever support you all can provide; and I will do my part to support you all as well. So glad I found this forum!!!
  • trina1049
    trina1049 Posts: 593 Member
    edited January 2015
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    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.
  • Jewels211
    Jewels211 Posts: 184 Member
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    Hi Jewels! Like you, I'm all or nothing, too...almost to the point of being obsessive! But that is what it takes for me..different strokes for different folks, huh?

    I certainly understand the need for privacy..I had to call on a lot of courage to put a swim suit on for the pool!

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to stick to the straight & narrow to stay on track! And I'm sorry I'm so slow is responding to posts here. I usually check out MFP on my iPhone, and that's not very user friendly for me when it comes to commenting on message boards.

    As to swimsuits, not wanting to get into one of those and my unease around water are the two things keeping me out of aqua aerobic classes. I know doing them in the water would be so much easier on my joints, but I just can't get myself to go there. I keep hoping when I get a good portion of the weight off, my phobia about being seen by others will wear off.
  • Jewels211
    Jewels211 Posts: 184 Member
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    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 B) 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.
  • Jewels211
    Jewels211 Posts: 184 Member
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    trina1049 wrote: »
    I totally agree with you Sodakat! Really, if you think about, logging food and doing some exercise is a small price to pay for better health.

    This is oh so true! I could kick myself for not coming to this realization until *after* I was diagnosed with diabetes, but truly, it's not that much of an effort...says the one who dreads exercise. But when it's exercise or face the very real health consequences, a truly small price to pay!
  • Jewels211
    Jewels211 Posts: 184 Member
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    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.
  • HoganBirdie
    HoganBirdie Posts: 21 Member
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    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.

    Kathy I have been watching what you are eating. You eat very healthy. I am getting better. The more I work ou and continue my success the better I eat. I hope I can eat like you on a consistent basis very soon.
    Jewels211 wrote: »
    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.

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