Nearly 50 and over 100lbs to lose

I am nearly 50 as well (about 5 months) and plan on entering my 50s healthier than any other point in my life. I have been on this journey for 4 years and have had many ups and downs. For me MFP is a way to keep on track, but I have followed many different plans. I lost over 200 lbs, gained back 70 while trying to figure out my "maintenance" numbers, and I currently have 40 of that 70 back off. Currently, I am working with a trainer to tone and build health and LBM.

Feel free to Friend me, I am ahead of you on the path, but trying to get to the same place you are going.

Bob

It is possible, but it is work. I just turned 50. I have lost 90 lbs over a 3 year period. I still have 40 lbs to go to hit my goal. To me it is just as much about diet as it is exercise. As long as I keep trending in the right direction I don't mind the gradual weight loss. You might have to keep making adjustments to you diet and workout levels as you find you plateau along the way. Just don't give up, tweak something around by dropping a food item and/or increasing your intensity or duration of workout. Switch it up and try a new activity. I took up Kayaking and starting swimming lengths and that has helped over the hump. As a 6'0" tall woman I have a lot of frame to hang weight off of. It has to be a lifestyle change in order to lose it, maintain it, and keep motivated. Good luck. You can do it!!

Just to add to vandesa post is not all about the weight on the scale. I am taking daily measurements of my body so even if the scale does not move the inches may have. It also gets you to take stock of what you have achieved for example when I hopped on the scale this morning I was about 500 grams heavier I know you're should only weigh weekly but I weigh daily. Anyway when I took my body measurements my waist was a cm down I count that as a win.

Short version: get 10,000 steps a day.

Long version:

1. Dutifully log all your food in MFP
2. Get a Fitbit activity tracker (e.g. the Charge HR). This is something you wear on your wrist that tracks steps, your heart rate, floors you've climbed, and so on. It's a great way to know how many calories you've burned that day based on how much you've moved around.
3. Walk around for a week and see what your daily step average is. It'll probably be around 5,000 or something. But whatever it is, set a higher goal for the next week. I recommend you work up to 10,000 steps a day (or average to 70,000 steps per week). Then, the cardio takes care of itself. It's up to you if you want to walk, jog, use the elliptical, the treadmill, climb stairs, or whatever. The cardio is no longer the goal, it's a tool you use in pursuit of your goal which is the steps. If you start light and work up to 70,000 steps/week and carry that on for the rest of the year, you will change.
4. Link your MFP and Fitbit accounts so they can talk to each other. Your Fitbit account will see what you've eaten and then tell you how many calories you have left to eat. If you're getting 10,000 steps a day though it'll be much easier to run a calorie deficit, even if your eating habits don't change.

The beauty of this is that it's an easy, flexible, sustainable way to make a positive change. It's easy because you just walk more; you don't have to change anything else (like change your diet and start lifting weights - these are great but if you try to do all of these things at once you'll burn out). It's flexible because you can get there however you want and you're not just doing cardio because you know you should. It's sustainable because it's a fitness metric you can see yourself achieve every day, and that's addicting. It becomes hard to break a streak of 10,000 steps a day.

I just want to be clear that it's ideal to do some resistance/weight training and to have a good diet. If you're just starting out, though, and overwhelmed, then it's easy to lose track. Just walk around more. When that's no longer intimidating, maybe add a vegetable to your dinner each night. When that's an easy habit, try some curls at the gym. If you try them all at once it's not a good idea; we can only change a certain amount at once.

Good luck!

I am 46 and have lost 105 lbs. I still have 145 to lose. Its a journey so you just need to keep working at it and stay focused. Feel free to add me for some support

I have been a member for a while and had success losing for a while, I changed work hours and derailed my whole program. I am back on the wagon trying once again to lose the weight.

Our office started a fitness challenge and armed us with a fitbit and a challenge. There first goal is really easy 5000 steps a day for 3 months. I quickly realized I needed to do more to make a positive change. I set my first goal to get 10,000 step a day. GOAL MET! Today I revised my goal to get 13,000 steps a day. I've been reading and trying to figure out why I keep failing.

What I am seeing in a new light is I am the reason why, no one but me. I found a book on amazon (free with prime members) and down loaded to my tablet. "The automatic diet". I started reading and started looking at this diet thing in a different way. For the first time I am showing up and holding myself accountable for my choices.

I really like "its the humidity" words of wisdom what struck me the most was what we all know but forget to tell ourselves "GRADUALLY" make changes. It is the key as you accomplish one goal add another. I have to ask myself to make a realistic short term goals. I write it down with a box beside it. When I accomplish it I check it off. I add more goals as I check them off the list, just like the "Honey Do" list. One day at a time, steady wins the race.

I too have linked my fitness pal to my fit bit and there is some over lap. Here's what I do log all food and water in Fitness Pal. I use the stop watch on the fit bit to log exercise/activity. The two talk and share the information between them. Fit bit give me credit and fitness pal logs it as calories burn based on Fitbit and adjusts it for me. Fitbit will also email you a weekly report showing you where you are. I choose a -1000 calorie deflicit a day. The first week I fell short by 584 calories. Week #2 I had a surplus of 107 calories. I like that it helps keep me in check. I know I can see this in fitness pal if I keep track but I like fitbit report better.

I have found that if I really want to eat something I log it in first then look at my dash board on fit bit. If my calories and food intake keep me in or below the zone I eat it.

There are lots of tools and you will find the right ones for you.

I am 54 and have already done it - but I log daily still. When I quit logging - I fatten up. Logging for life - literally.

I did Weight Watchers, Atkins, and a crazy thing called diet and exercise...all of them worked for me. Diet and exercise is sustainable though IMHO - and that is where I currently reside.

Add me if you want.

@sodakat Thanks! Keep up your good work toward your goals.

@judybegood I appreciate your kind feedback on my post. I think many of us fall into the unhelpful "all or nothing" mentality; I have many times. When it's one little change or goal at a time, it's a much more manageable, fun, and rewarding process. Plus you get to check more "things" off that list, and who doesn't like checking things off lists?

I'm 51 and have 50 more to lose. I have to remind myself that there will be forward days, backward days, and days of standing still. Allowing myself to indulge once in a while is not only okay, but necessary. That the scale will not go down every time I step on it, no matter HOW great I've been with diet and exercise. And that every decision takes me closer to my goal. My birthday is at the end of July. I promised myself that if I'm within 10 pounds of my goal, I am taking myself to Alaska!

Feel free to add me too. I'm a daily logger, and I think I'm pretty supportive of others. I don't believe in being negative...we've all done that to ourselves for way too long. It's time to see the positives in ourselves, each other, and help each other get to where we want to be.

itsthehumidity wrote: »

Short version: get 10,000 steps a day.

Long version:

1. Dutifully log all your food in MFP
2. Get a Fitbit activity tracker (e.g. the Charge HR). This is something you wear on your wrist that tracks steps, your heart rate, floors you've climbed, and so on. It's a great way to know how many calories you've burned that day based on how much you've moved around.
3. Walk around for a week and see what your daily step average is. It'll probably be around 5,000 or something. But whatever it is, set a higher goal for the next week. I recommend you work up to 10,000 steps a day (or average to 70,000 steps per week). Then, the cardio takes care of itself. It's up to you if you want to walk, jog, use the elliptical, the treadmill, climb stairs, or whatever. The cardio is no longer the goal, it's a tool you use in pursuit of your goal which is the steps. If you start light and work up to 70,000 steps/week and carry that on for the rest of the year, you will change.
4. Link your MFP and Fitbit accounts so they can talk to each other. Your Fitbit account will see what you've eaten and then tell you how many calories you have left to eat. If you're getting 10,000 steps a day though it'll be much easier to run a calorie deficit, even if your eating habits don't change.

The beauty of this is that it's an easy, flexible, sustainable way to make a positive change. It's easy because you just walk more; you don't have to change anything else (like change your diet and start lifting weights - these are great but if you try to do all of these things at once you'll burn out). It's flexible because you can get there however you want and you're not just doing cardio because you know you should. It's sustainable because it's a fitness metric you can see yourself achieve every day, and that's addicting. It becomes hard to break a streak of 10,000 steps a day.

I just want to be clear that it's ideal to do some resistance/weight training and to have a good diet. If you're just starting out, though, and overwhelmed, then it's easy to lose track. Just walk around more. When that's no longer intimidating, maybe add a vegetable to your dinner each night. When that's an easy habit, try some curls at the gym. If you try them all at once it's not a good idea; we can only change a certain amount at once.

Good luck!

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