New today but dubious
bebbingtoncatherine
Posts: 10 Member
Hi everyone. Joined mfp today I really need to sort out my weight and health. Need to lose 5st at least, but I need honest opinions folks
I turned 61 a couple of days ago and I'm frightened that I have left it too late. Is there anyone else on here of a similar age group that is losing weight?
I turned 61 a couple of days ago and I'm frightened that I have left it too late. Is there anyone else on here of a similar age group that is losing weight?
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Replies
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64 yo woman here. In the last couple of years I've lost almost 100 pounds. It's not too late.13
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67 now, but I began my weight loss on my 60th birthday. No problem whatsoever! Then, I weighed 237; now, I weigh 113 - 119, a eight I have maintained for the last 3+ years.
You can DO THIS!!!10 -
All ages here! I started just 4 months ago (51 years old) and have lost 17 lbs. Getting stronger and fitter. I have never been able to run more than about 20 meters and now I am running 2 miles. Never too late to get healthy, just take it slow. Your body was designed to move!6
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Me, wearing my Fat Pants.
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Oh thank you so much for that folks. I really needed to hear that, and as for those "fat pants" wow you look amazing, massive well done to you. OK, that's it then, sleeves rolled up, let's get down to some serious calorie counting. Have a lovely day whatever you are doing. Hope to get to know you all along the way x11
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Oh, thank you, bebbingtoncatherine!
By the way, I love the food diary here -- the best I've ever seen, and it is so "personalizeable'!
(Does anyone know how to make the photos smaller????2 -
I'm 61 as well, and I lost 75 lbs in a year on MFP. I also have hypothyroidism which made it a bit more challenging. If I can do it, so can you.
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That's good to hear snickers Charlie thanks for the encouragement and well done, that's a brilliant result. 0
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bebbingtoncatherine wrote: »That's good to hear snickers Charlie thanks for the encouragement and well done, that's a brilliant result.
Thank you. The best piece of advice I can give you is to make short term goals and then work towards them. If you only focus on the finish line, you may get overwhelmed and discouraged.
Also, don't make it harder than it needs to be - you'll burn out. I spent the first two weeks on MFP simply learning how to log the food I was eating at the time, which gave me an eye-opening reality check into how much I was *really* eating in an average day. Purchase and learn to use a food scale - you'll never get your logging accurate until and unless you do. A small investment for a huge return.
Start out by making small changes. For example, over my first week of actually reducing calories, I slowly changed the way I had my cup of coffee in the morning. Went from two creams, two sugars, down to one low-fat cream, no sugar but one packet of splenda instead. That one simple (and painless) change saved me 60 calories every morning, right off the top! And that inspired me to make a bunch of other sustainable changes.
The phrase "Eat less, move more," became my mantra. I started walking - first just around the block because that's all I could handle, and then gradually further and further each day. As the weight dropped and my strength and stamina improved, I very gradually worked my way up to walking 5 or 6 miles a day.
I bought a treadmill a while ago as well, to eliminate any poor weather excuses for me to get off my butt and walk.
tl:dr: Make small, sustainable changes and gradually work your way up. Don't complicate the process, because difficult isn't always better. This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. 9 -
It is never too late.
I started MFP @ 60. I will be 65 in September. I have lost over 1/2 of my current body weight and have kept it off for over 2-1/2 years now. It isn't easy at any age, but you can absolutely do this as others have said.
For me, it is about logging everything I eat and drink, every single day. Monitoring my weight and moving more. I lost 100 pounds before I began to even go on short walks. Joined a gym in January 2015 and have gone every single day, except one since then (snow day). I am looking forward to retirement on 12/31/16, and I am looking forward to an active retirement.
Best of luck to you!6 -
Thank you so much for all the advice, it really is appreciated, you'll probably never know how much. I have taken every thing on board and will certainly follow your suggestions. So far so good today logged everything that has passed my lips.2
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I'll be 60 in August. I didn't have a lot to loose, just 25 lbs., but I also was so out of shape. Started walking. Walked on breaks at work, on lunch and after work. Sometimes not all that far, but have just kept pushing a little bit farther, a little bit harder. YouTube has some great "free" fitness videos. I like the walking ones, just do what you can and walk in place when it's to much. Some light weights and good old fashioned calisthenics. You know, push ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks. I still can only do a couple of pushups, but planks work to.
I read most of the blogs on the feed about food, nutrition and exercise. And I log my food. No one has to see it but you. Be honest, you might want to log everything for a week or so, just to see where you're going wrong. Cutting calories wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Once I started eating healthier, I don't crave the sweet as much.
Planning is a huge key for me. Thinking ahead, planning some meals and shopping for healthy snacks. Taking my lunch and snacks to work. And allow for some of what you love, like chocolate.
Be leery of the weight loss plans. I've tried the Atkins and Nutrisystems. Didn't find them sustainable.
Good luck! It's a journey and can be life changing.2 -
Hi, yes , I'm going to get used to logging my food and drink on here and then going to start with walking. To be honest I'm so unfit will probably be just a very short walk at first because my hip causes me some pain, probably weigh related, doesn't help the arthritis does it? Oh if anyone is starting a 60's group let me know and definitely count me in. Must say though I would be delighted to get to know all age groups and help and encourage where I can. 1
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Hi Catherine and good luck on your journey! I'm early fifties and recently lost 12 pounds in a couple of months so you can do this. I would really recommend buying a Fitbit if your finances can run to one. I recently bought the Fitbit Charge HR and it's fantastic. It syncs with MFP and monitors your calories burned and your steps so you can really get a good idea of calories in and calories out, which is what it comes down to and your activity levels. It's not 100% accurate but I find it close enough. Best advice, weigh everything on digital food scales and don't estimate, that way you know what's going in.
You will be giving your health and wellness such an incredible boost by losing your 5 stone, it's going to be so worth it!1 -
Thanks fabianmommy I will definitely look into it, I get paid next week so will have a look around0
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I am 60 as well. I started here at the end of March and have lost 28 lbs so far. Currently my only exercise is walking, my treat for losing 50 lbs will be a gym membership! My piece of advice to you is to be honest in your logging...sometimes it is a bit of a shock but it helps keep you on track. Also, don't complex cut anything out of what you eat...if you view this as a lifetime, lifestyle change it will just become second nature (still working on that myself!). Good luck!3
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Thanks mikiloub, well done on your weight loss your doing exceptionally well. Yes every single ounce I lose is gone for good, this is for the rest of my life, which I'm more than happy with. Good luck on the rest of your journey. Hope to speak to you again 0
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bebbingtoncatherine wrote: »Hi, yes , I'm going to get used to logging my food and drink on here and then going to start with walking. To be honest I'm so unfit will probably be just a very short walk at first because my hip causes me some pain, probably weigh related, doesn't help the arthritis does it?
I could barely walk around the couch when I started.
I was having issues with my knees and my hip. Happy to tell you that - arthritis issues aside - dropping the weight has been amazing as to the reduction in my level of pain. Which was, of course, part of what put me on the couch in the first place.
I second getting a fitbit. I just have the cheapie model - the Zip - but it does exactly what I need it to do. It logs my steps taken in a day and then automatically synchs up with MFP to add extra calories to my food page here that I can eat for my effort.
If you have access to a swimming pool, I highly recommend looking in water jogging. All of the benefits of jogging, without any of the stress on our dodgy old joints.
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It's never too late, as long as you decide to make small, sustainable changes and commit to consistency.
It's better to be working on improving your health (including getting to a healthy weight) at any age than just ignoring it. You can do this!bebbingtoncatherine wrote: »Hi, yes , I'm going to get used to logging my food and drink on here and then going to start with walking. To be honest I'm so unfit will probably be just a very short walk at first because my hip causes me some pain, probably weigh related, doesn't help the arthritis does it? Oh if anyone is starting a 60's group let me know and definitely count me in. Must say though I would be delighted to get to know all age groups and help and encourage where I can.
Walking is a fabulous exercise! My grandma walked every morning for years, well into her 70s. If she went a winter without walking (it's cold and snowy and sometimes hard to find a good indoor place) she would feel more stiffness and soreness when she started up in the spring, but as she continued walking, she would always build up speed and endurance and feel less discomfort. Staying active is very good for arthritis!
I also agree with the poster who mentioned water walking. Just make sure to stay hydrated, being in the water can deceive us about how much we need to be drinking.1 -
What a great bunch of people here! I love the comments on this thread. Wish there was a 60's MFP group.
@Noel_57 - there's an over-50 one with over-60 people in it. Not a super active group, but nice folks.
OVER 50 GROUP1 -
Thanks everyone for your replies. Lots of good advice
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snickerscharlie wrote: »I could barely walk around the couch when I started.
. . . . I second getting a fitbit. I just have the cheapie model - the Zip - but it does exactly what I need it to do. It logs my steps taken in a day and then automatically synchs up with MFP to add extra calories to my food page here that I can eat for my effort. . . .
snickerscharlie, if you don't mind my questions, I am extremely technology-challenged. I think I understand that a Fitbit is worn like a watch -- ?
Does it require a Smart Phone? (I only have a stupid cell phone.)
Where are Fitbits available for sale?
Thank you!0 -
I'm late to reply, but I'm another: Down 63 pounds (more or less, depending on the day) since April 2015 (though I was "only" 59 when I started ). That's over 1/3 of my original bodyweight. I'm hypothyroid as well, but it's effectively controlled with meds. I'm at a weight I haven't seen since college. If you'd told me in early 2015 that I'd weigh this by mid-2016, without catastrophic illness in the picture (!), I would never have believed it.
So much healthier: Less (almost no) knee pain (torn meniscus, long-term thing), cholesterol/triglycerides solidly in the center of the normal range (formerly high, doc threatening statins), blood pressure normal (formerly prehypertensive), and just generally feeling great. For the last 3 months or so, I'm working on maintaining my new weight, and that's going well so far, too.
One of the great things about using MFP, eating the foods you enjoy (just less of them), is that you learn how to eat in a healthy way, which makes keeping the weight off much easier than when the loss comes from a way of eating you wouldn't want to continue for the rest of your life.
You can do this! (If you get discouraged at any point, go read posts in the "Success Stories" forum. It'll get you back in the groove again!3 -
RainaProske wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »I could barely walk around the couch when I started.
. . . . I second getting a fitbit. I just have the cheapie model - the Zip - but it does exactly what I need it to do. It logs my steps taken in a day and then automatically synchs up with MFP to add extra calories to my food page here that I can eat for my effort. . . .
snickerscharlie, if you don't mind my questions, I am extremely technology-challenged. I think I understand that a Fitbit is worn like a watch -- ?
Does it require a Smart Phone? (I only have a stupid cell phone.)
Where are Fitbits available for sale?
Thank you!
The one I have clips onto my pocket or my bra. You don't need a cellphone to use one. My fitbit synchs up with MFP through my PC.
Amazon sells them online, as do most sporting good and computer stores. I ordered my fitbit and my digital food scale from Amazon at the same time. 1 -
RainaProske wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »I could barely walk around the couch when I started.
. . . . I second getting a fitbit. I just have the cheapie model - the Zip - but it does exactly what I need it to do. It logs my steps taken in a day and then automatically synchs up with MFP to add extra calories to my food page here that I can eat for my effort. . . .
snickerscharlie, if you don't mind my questions, I am extremely technology-challenged. I think I understand that a Fitbit is worn like a watch -- ?
Does it require a Smart Phone? (I only have a stupid cell phone.)
Where are Fitbits available for sale?
Thank you!
I'm not in my 60s but I often lurk in these threads because this is what I aspire to doing and continue to be doing as long as possible: taking care of my health, so reading these threads inspires me. I usually don't hijack but I thought I could be helpful in this case.
I would highly suggest the cheapest model. It's more accurate because it's not affected by hand movements. It's a clip-on which you clip wherever you want (I had it on my bra back when I used it and often forgot it was even there).
You don't need a smartphone for it to work. It comes with a tiny thumb drive which you stick in your computer and forget about. You install a program on your computer for it, and when the computer is turned on it syncs your tracker periodically without you having to do anything. The package comes with instructions and a website address that will help you install the program.2 -
My mother is 72 and though not on MFP she has started her journey with the help of a medical dietist. She's lost 10-15kg already and so much the happier for it2
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Thank you so much, snickerscharlie and amusedmonk! These posts are very helpful!!1
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Newbie to Forums. I just began my journey a week ago. I can lose it, but I always find it again. Big kudos to you all who have made the journey a lifetime and lifestyle change rather than a mere jaunt. I plan to learn to join you all this time!3
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