I'm a lady in my fifties.

Hi Julie, welcome. There's so much info out there it can get overwhelming. I do best with a balanced diet; lean proteins, chicken, canned tuna in water, light cheese, lean beef, fish. Lots of fruits and veggies, lower fat Greek yogurt with a handful of dry cereal and blueberries (favorite). I'm picky about breads but like Sara Lee light whole wheat or healthy life whole grain. I try to limit to 1 or 2 servings daily but you don't have to. If I eat pasta I try to stick with 1/4 cup at a serving and fill up on a salad and fruit and lean protein. I love whole grain wraps and put anything in them; scrambled eggs with veges and salsa, or black beans, veges and salsa, same with chicken. I love red, yellow and orange peppers, and I've leaned to love hummus with fresh veges. I lose more when I eat more fruits and veges. Salad dressing I mainly use balsalmic or red wine vinegar with 1-2 tsp olive oil add a little vege seasoning. I prefer this over heavy bottled dressing but there are a lot of good bottled dr out there. Also I do best eating 3 meals and two snacks daily. It's all about tracking, at least for me. If I miss tracking I don't lose as much or gain. It's work but worth it, gets easier. I've lost 18 lbs since Oct, but can't exercise right due to a knee problem. I don't know if this helps you but it's what works for me.

Hi Julie! I am new on here too. I have back problems also. Do you have access to a pool? I have joined the Y and stretching and exercising in the water helps my back a lot.