50 & need to lose 15 lbs by June 18

MouraHoskin
MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
edited November 14 in Introduce Yourself
I'm starting with no sugars, pastas, rice or white potatoes. I need help & encouragement to workout.

Replies

  • AndyCool22
    AndyCool22 Posts: 131 Member
    i hope you mean no added sugar! it will be hard to avoid all sugar period. but rock on. you can do it!
  • LiamProctor
    LiamProctor Posts: 19 Member
    everything in moderation helps me, banning a particular food/drink just makes me want it even more.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    edited March 2015
    I would advise against removing foods from your diet. This usually sets people up for failure.

    If you like pasta, white potatoes, and foods with added sugar, eat them in moderation. You can lose weight and still eat those foods, despite what you may have heard in the past.
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    Yes! No added sugars. I'm 6'1" @ 194 & my cardiologist wants me to drop 10 to 15 before my next visit in June. I don't know what else to cut out. I think I eat pretty healthy.
  • wils5150
    wils5150 Posts: 149 Member
    you dont have to cut anything out. get a food scale and weigh your food to stay below your calorie level
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    I can do without the rice and pastas. My go to food is chips & salsas/dips.
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
    Is there any particular reason you feel you have to cut out anything? Can you just try to do a calorie deficit? If he said 10-15, I'd make 10 the goal. Set your weight loss for no more than 1lb a week.
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    @LavenderLeaves‌ 10 seems do able
    @wils5150‌ - a scale may be the way to go
    @Korghul‌ - rice & pasta is no biggie but I do like potatoes
    @andycool22‌ - thanks for clarifying the sugars
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    @FatFreeFrolicking‌ - thanks, I'll do more research
  • PuppiesnotBears
    PuppiesnotBears Posts: 10
    edited March 2015
    Hi -- I'm 6'1", 50 and female, too.

    Back in 2011, I weighed 308 pounds, and for the first time ever, received a scary blood sugar number. Overnight I did a ton of research and settled on the following self-created plan: 1500-1800 calories a day, no more than 100 grams of complex carbs evenly spread throughout the day, all the fiber I could get, and no worries about fat (i.e. I didn't try to eat low-fat). In addition, I did 45 minutes of moderate/vigorous cardio six days a week by taking my dogs to a nearby open space and hiking in the hills.

    The result? I lost 120 pounds and got to my goal of 189 within 15 months. My resting hear rate dropped to 55 and when I went back to the doctor, my blood sugar was completely normal as was my H1ac. I was very, very lucky to be able to catch the problem early enough to make an impact. And the whole situation scared me enough to keep me on track then and now!

    So I fully support your decision to leave the pasta, white bread, potatoes, rice etc. behind. I loved them (I made my own pasta and bread, for example), but once I took them out of my diet, I really didn't miss them. It turns out that, for me, they're pure filler, without much flavor to add. When eating Indian or Chinese food, I make cauliflower rice; for spaghetti and meatballs I make zucchini noodles instead. Lower calories, more vitamins, and I feel lighter and less stuffed.

    Everyone here is right, in that you have to find the right diet that works for you. This one worked for me, and four years later I still don't miss what's gone -- including the weight!
  • PuppiesnotBears
    PuppiesnotBears Posts: 10
    As for exercise, believe me, you can do it! I started at the bottom of a hill and told myself that, however long it took and with however many breaks, I was going to get to the top, one step at a time. And I did, and do, to this day.

    One tip: get a heart rate monitor that will tell you how many actual calories you've burned (treadmills, etc. are notoriously inaccurate, and if you're outside walking, you've no way to know what's happening). Seeing the number grow is great motivation!
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks @PuppiesnotBears‌! I'm determined to this. I want to be healthier!

    Can you or someone give me tips on running? I did two miles on a track yesterday along with lunges & donkey kicks and I'm so sore. I don't want the soreness to keep me from going today. I'll try stretching some more.
  • PuppiesnotBears
    PuppiesnotBears Posts: 10
    MouraHoskin wrote: »
    I did two miles on a track yesterday along with lunges & donkey kicks and I'm so sore. I don't want the soreness to keep me from going today. I'll try stretching some more.

    Congrats on the run! A great program for learning to run is http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml -- it moves you from your couch to running a 5K in a structured way.

    The soreness is likely what's known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which is when a muscle gets microscopic tears from your activity. This is great news, because it's from healing the tears that you build muscle, but it generally takes about 48-72 hours for that process to be complete. You may need to settle for a good long walk today, instead, but that can burn just as many calories -- see http://walking.about.com/od/calorie1/a/calorieswalkrun.htm

    Overall, what's your goal for exercise? Is it to drop the number on the scale? Lower your body fat percentage? Build muscle? Build cardiovascular health? The right exercise program can get you there, but what that program is may differ depending on what you'd like to achieve.
  • grisha17
    grisha17 Posts: 3
    I would look into the keto diet will help alot with 20 minutes high intensity interval training
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks! I'll research Keto diet.
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    @PuppiesnotBears‌ thanks for links. Very helpful and informative.
  • borgesjose
    borgesjose Posts: 8 Member
    I find that stretching after a workout reduces muscle soreness the next day...only a few minutes is all it takes.

    Green tea is my go to beverage for appetite control...not too much of course.
  • MouraHoskin
    MouraHoskin Posts: 15 Member
    @borgesjose - thanks, I'll pick up more green tea tomorrow.
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