55-65 year old women's success?
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dlmciver, you can totally do this! I began MFP almost 3 years ago at age 60. I have lost over 160 pounds and have been maintaining at 130 (give or take a few pounds) for almost 15 months. If I can do it, anyone can that does not have health issues.
Best of luck!2 -
dlmciver - I think most of us with weigh issues have, by this age, over many years lost and regained more pounds more times than we count - which I personally think is one reason why it can be hard for us to believe now that we really can do it once and for all. We lose faith in ourselves because of what WE see as a failure on our part; that somehow we weren't disciplined enough, or had enough willpower; and every time it happened again, it just reinforced that mindset within us. We as women are often so hard on ourselves; we think such harsh things to ourselves, thoughts and negative comments that we would never say to a friend who was working towards a goal..
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Quite frankly, it takes a huge amount of courage to decide to change, but we forget it can also be a pretty scary and intimidating journey for us - because of all the "what if"s... what if it's like all the other times... what if I fail.. insert your own "what if"... and it's understandable because for years we've been proving to ourselves that we couldn't do it, and whether we're conscious of it or not, every time we have tried that little voice in our head still kept reminding us that deep down.. we didn't really believe we could do it this time either...
It's time to tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut the hell up. Because one of the great things about being this age, is the freedom to decide what WE want for ourselves, without worrying about what anyone else thinks of us, without having to be however we think the rest of the worlds sees us...and that's hard....many of us have always had a difficult time putting ourselves first; we've often taken care of everyone else's needs over the years and put looking after ourselves last on the list... it can be hard for us to change our mindset, but we need to know and believe that we DESERVE to be healthy and fit, and that now is the time that we CAN and WILL make some positive changes for ourselves!!
The great thing about MFP is that it's truly NOT another diet... it really is about learning to change old habits and embrance new ones.. and change is a process; it doesn't happen overnight, but small changes will soon become new habits and lead to big results! There is no such thing as failure when it comes to change - it's a step by step process so we can get rid of that inner fear right from the start - and that's an awesome weight gone already!!
We can change, we can choose to believe in ourselves and believe that we can accomplish anything.... we have to be kinder to ourselves, and remember that it's about progress, not perfection. And that its okay to reach out for help along the way as we learn to make those changes and change our attitude and belief system about ourselves. And to remember that we are worth it. And that most of all, its okay for us to want this for ourselves, and to start take the steps to make what we want happen.
You've already taken the hardest step in deciding to start making those changes - and that shows you have the courage to accomplish whatever you want for yourself (and every one of the newbies who have also taken that step)!! Well done all of you!
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I'm 51 but am following this thread. Your goals and life seem more realistic to me! I'm peri-menopause, had my thyroid removed a year ago and have always been "an easy keeper". Plus, I've always acted older than my age
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Doublemeasure wrote: »Hi, Ladies. I am 56 years old and have been overweight most of my adult life. Since September I have lost 17.3kg/38lbs. MFP has been am inspiration to me to lose weight by logging my calorie intake and looking at the success stories on here. I have another 43kgc/95lbs to go! But I am nearly a third of the way to my target. Good luck to us all.
I'm new and I have about eighty pounds to take off I almost loss my daughter because of her weight and I want to be around for my grand kids so I must get healthier and I have been an inspiration to me .
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Snoozie..so glad for your post! We are worth it despite any negativity and life changing events that we have around us.
I've been at this my entire life, and I did give up for six months thinking I could be happy with myself "as is"! That was so NOT true. Not only was I unhappy, I was just sick of eating junk, being bloated, and having a screaming knee upon rising. So I erased the old stuff from MFP and began again.
This is my life now--mindful, planned eating and moving my body. There is NO finish line because even after getting to that magical number, I will still have to be mindful, plan what I eat, and move my body. Although it took took me many, many years to finally "get it", I'm glad that I did because the alternative to not taking good care of myself is not one that I want to experience.1 -
Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!0
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Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!
Can you share your stats with us? Height, current weight, weight loss goal, age? What have you set MFP for in terms of losing weight, 2lbs per week? 1lb per week?, etc. Why have you cut your calories so low? Women should not eat below 1200. Would you mind opening up your diary? It's hard to advise without more information.
I'm 65 years old with a medium frame at 5'2.5" and have lost 41lbs over a 13 month period, over a year here on MFP. I'm exercising 4xs per week with resistance training and some cardio. I've had steady losses starting with 2.5 to 2lbs. per month. Now with my last 10lbs my weight loss is slowing down to approximately 1.5 to 1.7 lbs per week.
You say you're a gym rat and have ramped up your exercise -- you probably are creating too much of a deficit if you're only eating 800-1,000 calories per day. Can you provide more info?
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Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!
I'm going to go with inaccurate logging as the most likely cause. It's a good place to start anyway. Have a look at this link:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
If you tighten down on your logging accuracy for 4 weeks, and still are not losing, perhaps a doctor visit is in order.0 -
HoganBirdie wrote: »So I lost 13 pounds in January. I started slow and really worked hard but today I just vegged, ate wrong and was lazy. I am learning if I do this once in a while (just a day) I am ready to go hard for another week! Looking forward to taking off another 13 pounds in the month of February!
Way to go! Sounds like you've got a solid plan in place. 0 -
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.
YES. I'm not technically overweight, but the pounds have been creeping up and my body fat percentage is really high. It's very easy for me to overeat, so slow and steady doesn't work for me unless I'm on maintenance. I'm trying to go on a Protein Sparing Modified Fast. I tried earlier in the year, but got distracted. One troubling development is that I've been eating when I'm not hungry. In the past, the mere recognition that I was eating out of boredom was enough to make me stop. Now, not so much.
Given my short stature and activity level I have come to realize that I simply can't eat the way I did in the past if I want to stay a normal weight. I have to shift my focus to other things.
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Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!
Can you share your stats with us? Height, current weight, weight loss goal, age? What have you set MFP for in terms of losing weight, 2lbs per week? 1lb per week?, etc. Why have you cut your calories so low? Women should not eat below 1200. Would you mind opening up your diary? It's hard to advise without more information.
I'm 65 years old with a medium frame at 5'2.5" and have lost 41lbs over a 13 month period, over a year here on MFP. I'm exercising 4xs per week with resistance training and some cardio. I've had steady losses starting with 2.5 to 2lbs. per month. Now with my last 10lbs my weight loss is slowing down to approximately 1.5 to 1.7 lbs per week.
You say you're a gym rat and have ramped up your exercise -- you probably are creating too much of a deficit if you're only eating 800-1,000 calories per day. Can you provide more info?
I am 5'2", 145lbs. My goal is 125. I've been down to 118 (about 8 years ago, but I couldn't maintain it). If I could loose even half a pound a week it would be progress, but I would ideally be happy with about 1- 1.5 a week. I've cut my calories so low because nothing was happening at higher calorie intakes. I've gradually lowered it to where I am now. I know I am logging accurately - I weigh/measure everything. I add to my log every time I put something in my mouth. On Sunday's I am not as careful. I allow myself one day to not be as focused; though I do try to stay close to my parameters. I did open up my diary to the public, so you can check it out.
Also, I have taken my measurements several times a week for as long as I can remember. The only place I've lost any inches is my lower thigh - about 4 inches above my knee. I've lost a whopping 1/4"! Needless to say this is getting very depressing. I saw my doctor last week and she thought I should go on some super low calorie $300 diet. Sorry can't afford that! And as low as my calories are right now, I don't want to go any lower. I'm wondering if I am needing more protein? And if so, what are some of the best easiest ways to get more with out spending hours I the kitchen cooking it?!0 -
@candicer I added up your intake calories from your diary for 7 days and then averaged your daily number. It came to 1044. If you logged every single thing you ate, and did not lose any weight at all, it would indicate that your body burns only 1044 calories a day, doing everything you do.
That seems almost impossible to me. I would think your TDEE would be over 1600 since you are a "gym rat" and closer to 1800 or more, according to the online calculators (based on your age, height and current weight).
If you lost some weight this week you would multiply the pounds lost by 3500 and add that to the weekly total, which would make your average daily TDEE higher of course. I hope you did!
I am losing very slowly right now because 1) I'm not as active because I prefer outdoor exercise and its been so cold and slippery and 2) because I'm eating more than the pound-a-week deficit from my lowered TDEE. Even so, I am losing a bit each week.
I hope you determine that your logging has not included every single thing you eat, or that your entries are not accurate.
There are some people on this website ( @heybales comes to mind ) that can help you figure out how to increase your daily calorie intake slowly, so you can continue to lose, yet eat more. It takes a long time and only works if you have been in a very big deficit for a long time so may not apply to you, from what I understand.
Most times people who are not losing are eating more than they think.
--Kathy
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Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!
Can you share your stats with us? Height, current weight, weight loss goal, age? What have you set MFP for in terms of losing weight, 2lbs per week? 1lb per week?, etc. Why have you cut your calories so low? Women should not eat below 1200. Would you mind opening up your diary? It's hard to advise without more information.
I'm 65 years old with a medium frame at 5'2.5" and have lost 41lbs over a 13 month period, over a year here on MFP. I'm exercising 4xs per week with resistance training and some cardio. I've had steady losses starting with 2.5 to 2lbs. per month. Now with my last 10lbs my weight loss is slowing down to approximately 1.5 to 1.7 lbs per week.
You say you're a gym rat and have ramped up your exercise -- you probably are creating too much of a deficit if you're only eating 800-1,000 calories per day. Can you provide more info?
I am 5'2", 145lbs. My goal is 125. I've been down to 118 (about 8 years ago, but I couldn't maintain it). If I could loose even half a pound a week it would be progress, but I would ideally be happy with about 1- 1.5 a week. I've cut my calories so low because nothing was happening at higher calorie intakes. I've gradually lowered it to where I am now. I know I am logging accurately - I weigh/measure everything. I add to my log every time I put something in my mouth. On Sunday's I am not as careful. I allow myself one day to not be as focused; though I do try to stay close to my parameters. I did open up my diary to the public, so you can check it out.
Also, I have taken my measurements several times a week for as long as I can remember. The only place I've lost any inches is my lower thigh - about 4 inches above my knee. I've lost a whopping 1/4"! Needless to say this is getting very depressing. I saw my doctor last week and she thought I should go on some super low calorie $300 diet. Sorry can't afford that! And as low as my calories are right now, I don't want to go any lower. I'm wondering if I am needing more protein? And if so, what are some of the best easiest ways to get more with out spending hours I the kitchen cooking it?!
Go to this web site, scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/http:// to calculate your BMI and TDEE to figure out a sensible weight loss program for yourself. I find it hard to believe that your doctor would recommend a very low calorie diet when you only have 20 pounds to lose.
I quickly ran your stats on Scooby; someone your age, height, and weight, exercising 4 to 5xs per week you should be eating approximately 1812 cal to lose .6lbs. per week. 1812 calories per day is a 15% calorie reduction. You should not lose approximately more than .6lbs per week if you want to nourish your body properly. You are severely under eating if you only have 800 to 1000 calories per day especially if you're constantly working out at the gym. You probably have MFP set to lose 2lbs. per week; that's too aggressive.
The other alternative is that, like others have said, you're actually not eating in a deficit, you only think that you are. You say you're using a scale to weigh, not cups and spoons, right? Measure in grams and be careful which items you select from the MFP database as many of them are inaccurate. I see that your measurements are in cups, ounces, and parts of a package after taking a look at your diary. This isn't very accurate.
You can't maintain your health staying on a very low calorie diet and MFP does not support that type of activity. Good luck with your weight loss goals
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Sadly the BMR and TDEE calculations are based on a healthy body.
It sounds like with the punishment that has been given in this case to the body that's no longer the case.
As was mentioned, whatever the eating level is, be that inaccurate 1000 or closer to accurate 1300 say, that is the suppressed TDEE right now.
So 2 directions to go, max suppression in studies has been found to be around 20-25%, so if you keep eating low enough you eventually will start losing. If that's an inaccurate 1000 calories logged but really 1300 being eaten, then it could appear you are eating 900 say logged but really 1100, when you eat less.
Improvements from exercise will be pretty wasted efforts, as body isn't going to want improvements that require more energy when it's already slowing down. Recovery sucks, more prone to injury as body is under a constant load of stress. And get ready for that stress to increase cortisol and retained water weight, up to 20 lbs has been found. And some of weight lost will be muscle mass, lending to great chance of getting to do it all over again next year but harder, with less muscle and more fat being the gained weight.
Or get the body healthy again by getting out of the diet slowly, letting body speed up to where it's potential could be. Start getting max benefits from exercise being done.
Then take a reasonable deficit and keep making improvements while losing fat.
I'll bet a 2 week test will prove out suppressed system.
Eat 250 more daily for 2 weeks.
If that was truly 250 more than potential TDEE or maintenance, you would gain 1 lb slowly over the 2 weeks.
If more is gained fast, then it was water weight, usually from more glycogen stores in muscles, which wouldn't be available to refill if already at maintenance. But in an extreme deficit, lots to fill, proving you are not at potential TDEE eating level.1 -
Thank you for all the suggestions!
I actually got on the scale this morning (I weigh twice a week), and have lost 2 pounds!!
After reading the suggestions, I thought I would pay closer attention today to my portions; actually weighing instead of measuring everything. That may be part of my problem.
Also, even though I excert myself at the gym, that is about the only excercise I get during the day. I am a seamstress, and therefore fairly sedentary. I got a Fitbit for Christmas and it is very hard for me to get in my daily goal of 10,000 steps! So other than my working out at the gym, I'm not burning very many calories during a normal day.
I'm going to try getting in more protein, therefore more calories, and see if it helps. I'm really not hungry during the day as long as I eat regularly.
Will keep you posted, and again - thank you!!!!1 -
Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!
You would need a good nutritionist to tell you for sure why you arent losing, but i can tell you some things that have kept me from losing weight in the past:
-- not eating enough. if you eat so little that your body thinks there is a famine, your body will try to retain fat, to survive through the lean times.
-- not doing enough cardio. weight training and such have a million health benefits, but for weight loss you want to be doing cardio at a fairly high heart rate.
-- getting into a rut. mix up your activities -- dont do the same ones day after day.
-- not watching your carbs. all of those year we were all worrying about fat -- it turns out calories from carbs are much more likely to be retained by your body, and much harder to lose.
-- you dont say if you have previously lost weight, but if you have been losing for a while, plateaus are just part of the game.
there are probably a million other possible reasons, including medical issues. These are just the few that i have personally experienced.
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Thank you for all the suggestions!
I actually got on the scale this morning (I weigh twice a week), and have lost 2 pounds...
Aha! So it turns out that your body is burning more like 2,000 calories a day instead of just over the 1,000 you were eating (average) last week.
I've noticed that very often when people start really worrying they aren't going to lose, its just before a big loss!
Please reconsider losing 2 pounds a week. That is a very big deficit for someone who has less than 20 pounds to lose. Since you now know your body will lose weight, why not log accurately and eat at least a few hundred more calories a day, average?
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cathy120861 wrote: »Can someone please help me! I have been faithfully logging my food and excercise for four weeks now. Granted, the first couple weeks I was not very good at making good choices; till I started paying attention to the nutrient ratios. I've been a gym rat for a very long time, and since the new year I have ramped it up. I've tried (in the past) everything for diet pills to stupid body wraps. In counting calories, I started out at around 1200 - 1400 per day and have gradually worked it down to between 800 - 1000 per day. I have not lost even an ounce. Getting very very discouraged. I will change my settings so my food log is available to all. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!!
You would need a good nutritionist to tell you for sure why you arent losing, but i can tell you some things that have kept me from losing weight in the past:
-- not eating enough. if you eat so little that your body thinks there is a famine, your body will try to retain fat, to survive through the lean times.
-- not doing enough cardio. weight training and such have a million health benefits, but for weight loss you want to be doing cardio at a fairly high heart rate.
-- getting into a rut. mix up your activities -- dont do the same ones day after day.
-- not watching your carbs. all of those year we were all worrying about fat -- it turns out calories from carbs are much more likely to be retained by your body, and much harder to lose.
-- you dont say if you have previously lost weight, but if you have been losing for a while, plateaus are just part of the game.
there are probably a million other possible reasons, including medical issues. These are just the few that i have personally experienced.
Do you have a lot of weight to lose or 10 pounds or so? That will make a difference. What works for me is no drinking any alcohol , eat 4 to 6oz protein and green vegees all you want for a couple of days. The Third or fourth day eat high carb like rice only. Drink grapefruit juice 3 times day. I walk 5 to 8 miles daily. After a week you should be down a few pounds. If not I would go see your doctor. There may be a medical reason. Also eat atleast 1200 calories. If you eat too few your body will hold on to your weight. Cardo, Cardo, Cardo.
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debneeds2beskinny wrote: »Hi - (I am 62) it is hard at our age to loose, everything sure slows down, but it can be done. My goal is 40 lbs and I've lost 15. (some of which I have lost several times) I belong to this group:
60 years old and over
60 years old or older
Let's get together and work on this. Just because we are in our 60's doesn't mean we are OLD.
They are a great group and we have regular chat sessions going on and weekly weigh in reporting if you want. It is nice to have others your age going through the same struggles. Friend me if you like and check out the group!
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Hello everyone... I am 65 and have been helped along with MFP.
Basically doing the same as the rest of the group. Exercise, eat only good food!
and count your calories daily. Hang in there and FOCUS!! A lot of distractions out there
but as you proceed you will over come these. One Person, that's you....take care of yourself
now an you will be rewarded, believe me.
Just glad to be a part of MFP.
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