40 year old women and older who has lost 40 or more lbs - HOW THE HECK DID YOU DO IT???

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Replies

  • agbmom556
    agbmom556 Posts: 694 Member
    pita7317 wrote: »
    I just turned 58 a few days ago. I have lost 51 lbs, quickly ? Not by any means but what matters is, I did. CICO. Once I learned portion control and that feeling stuffed was not normal the journey was enjoyable each and every pound. Small goals help too. A lb a week or less was fine versus thinking I need to lose 50 lbs ???? At first my goal was to lose 40 lbs, never dreamed that would happen. And here I am. I still laugh thinking about my husband rolling his eyes every time I brought out the food scale in the beginning. That stopped when he saw my progress. :)

    Love it! ;)
  • thenananator
    thenananator Posts: 273 Member
    STLBADGIRL wrote: »
    thenananator wrote: »
    Im 51 and have lost just over 50 pounds since February. The process is slow but sure. I am only 5'2. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could lose weight. I am a stress eater and my daughter is in the throws of drug addiction and my husband and I have her 3 children raising them. One day, this past February, she was home to eat and bathe and it was so hard to see her that way I went in the kitchen and was standing in front of the fridge desperate for something to take the pain of seeing her....I weighed 263 pounds that day. There was this little voice in my head that said "nothing in here is the answer". So, I put on my sneakers and headed out the front door. I walked 3 miles that night....it was rainy and I was soaked but I never felt better. I went for that walk every night for the first month of this journey. Before I knew it I had lost nearly 20 pounds and had developed some understanding of self care so that I can effectively raise these babies. I live in a very hilly part of our city and hills are my favorite! One evening I was at the bottom of a monster hill and I could have went another route but I told myself "your body is at the top of this hill" when I got to the top of the hill I told myself "you will find your body 1 mile from here" and so it went....and I developed my 10 mile walk routine. I walk 10 miles at least 2 nights a week and have started heavy lifting. I feel like a different woman. And I am finding my body along the way which has made this journey not about the end game but loving my body NOW and not just at a certain weight. Our bodies are magnificent machines! I cannot wait to see what I can do. And food is now fuel for me, for the most part, I still CHOOSE to work in my favorite foods but I desire them less. Moving my body is now my desire. I hope the same for all of you! Enjoy yourselves in this self care.

    Your story is awesome. I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. I just found out my brother was using heroin b/c he OD'd. They were able to save him and I went to my first HOPE meeting on Monday and met a lot of Mom's, addicts and other family members that are going through this exact things. Since that meeting I have been able to sleep. I hate what drugs are doing to our families. But I am so proud of you that you were able to make good decision to push you towards your goal in that time of despair! I will be praying for your family!!!

    Thank YOU. and I am sorry about your brother too. Heroin is an epidemic in our country, without question. But yes, seek that support from others. I have done the same in my community. Prayers for you as well.
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    thenananator wrote: »
    STLBADGIRL wrote: »
    thenananator wrote: »
    Im 51 and have lost just over 50 pounds since February. The process is slow but sure. I am only 5'2. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could lose weight. I am a stress eater and my daughter is in the throws of drug addiction and my husband and I have her 3 children raising them. One day, this past February, she was home to eat and bathe and it was so hard to see her that way I went in the kitchen and was standing in front of the fridge desperate for something to take the pain of seeing her....I weighed 263 pounds that day. There was this little voice in my head that said "nothing in here is the answer". So, I put on my sneakers and headed out the front door. I walked 3 miles that night....it was rainy and I was soaked but I never felt better. I went for that walk every night for the first month of this journey. Before I knew it I had lost nearly 20 pounds and had developed some understanding of self care so that I can effectively raise these babies. I live in a very hilly part of our city and hills are my favorite! One evening I was at the bottom of a monster hill and I could have went another route but I told myself "your body is at the top of this hill" when I got to the top of the hill I told myself "you will find your body 1 mile from here" and so it went....and I developed my 10 mile walk routine. I walk 10 miles at least 2 nights a week and have started heavy lifting. I feel like a different woman. And I am finding my body along the way which has made this journey not about the end game but loving my body NOW and not just at a certain weight. Our bodies are magnificent machines! I cannot wait to see what I can do. And food is now fuel for me, for the most part, I still CHOOSE to work in my favorite foods but I desire them less. Moving my body is now my desire. I hope the same for all of you! Enjoy yourselves in this self care.

    Your story is awesome. I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. I just found out my brother was using heroin b/c he OD'd. They were able to save him and I went to my first HOPE meeting on Monday and met a lot of Mom's, addicts and other family members that are going through this exact things. Since that meeting I have been able to sleep. I hate what drugs are doing to our families. But I am so proud of you that you were able to make good decision to push you towards your goal in that time of despair! I will be praying for your family!!!

    Thank YOU. and I am sorry about your brother too. Heroin is an epidemic in our country, without question. But yes, seek that support from others. I have done the same in my community. Prayers for you as well.
    Thank you so much! It was hard finding out about my baby brother. What's even worse is that the treatment facilities are all booked! But the support I received was so monumental because I didn't know what to do!
  • jen_n_memphis
    jen_n_memphis Posts: 13 Member
    46 yo, 47 lbs down! 1000 cal per day, intermittent fasting, yoga and swimming.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,585 Member
    STLBADGIRL wrote: »
    Do you really watch butter and Olive Oil? I think this may be my hang up. Although I love healthy foods, I like to cook with butter and Olive Oil so it can taste delish? I don't want to totally forgo good tasty food for bland food. If you have other alternatives than butter and Olive Oil, that would be great too.

    @STLBADGIRL: When I re-read my earlier reply to you, I realized there's something else I should've added.

    I think there are other options for "non-bland" that are also not butter/oil. I'm going to speak in terms of veggies (I'm vegetarian), but I'll bet some of the same things could be adapted to meat or fish.

    Lightly steamed veggies are great with a bit of fresh citrus juice squeezed over them (not just lemon or lime, but try orange, tangerine, etc.). Various vinegars are an option, either flavored vinegars (you can make your own with herbs and spices, or buy them), or just different types of vinegar that have different flavors (balsamic, red wine, apple cider vinegar, etc.)

    Another option is make a pseudo-Asian dressing for veggies with peanut butter powder (like PB2) plus rice vinegar, soy sauce and your choice of seasonings (like garlic, fresh ginger, chili sauce, szechuan pepper, or whatever). It adds a very few calories, but also contributes to your macros (the peanut butter powder has a few grams of protein).

    It's also possible to cook veggies in a sort of "stir steamed" fashion, by putting a bit of flavorful broth or bouillon in a flat pan (like a skillet), enough liquid to at least partly submerge them, and cooking the veggies in that.

    Finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano, dill - whatever you like) can be tossed with steamed veggies, or put in the broth for the "stir steam" method.

    Yet another option is to toss the hot veggies with a tablespoon or two of Greek yogurt that you've salted a bit, and you could pre-season that yogurt by putting in some dried or fresh herbs or spices, or some finely-chopped garlic or onion, and letting it sit/steep in the fridge for a while so the flavors permeate the yogurt. This also makes a nice salad dressing.
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    heartnsoulfit wrote: »
    I took things choice by choice to loose my 200 plus pounds. No surgery, crazy diets or extreme exercise. It is all about keeping choices simple and small, not overhauling your life and scaring the witts out of yourself so that you burn out. Start small by just ordering a size smaller when you go out or eating off of a smaller plate. Maybe eat more veggies, fruits and lean protein. Forgive your mistakes and do damage control. Just because you have 1 or two pieces of pizza does not ruin the whole day. Eating half or the whole pizza definitely adds a lot more calories.

    Choice by choice, day by day, love this :)
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    Hello all in this 40+ thread. I'm sending you all encouragement to stay on your grind this holiday weekend. Stay focus and make sure the celebration fits into your macros. I'm off to the gym now. Now goooooo get'em! Let me know how your holiday went.....
  • blackchick46
    blackchick46 Posts: 27 Member
    bump
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    heartnsoulfit wrote: »
    I took things choice by choice to loose my 200 plus pounds. No surgery, crazy diets or extreme exercise. It is all about keeping choices simple and small, not overhauling your life and scaring the witts out of yourself so that you burn out. Start small by just ordering a size smaller when you go out or eating off of a smaller plate. Maybe eat more veggies, fruits and lean protein. Forgive your mistakes and do damage control. Just because you have 1 or two pieces of pizza does not ruin the whole day. Eating half or the whole pizza definitely adds a lot more calories.
    Thanks for sharing! I also like "choice by choice".
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    I hope you all are still grinding towards those goals. I'm trying to catch up to you all!
  • Deleval417
    Deleval417 Posts: 9 Member
    Bump
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    bump
  • jopalis
    jopalis Posts: 238 Member
    edited October 2016
    I have been there and will be again. I am at about 19 lbs lost since beginning of July. I am 65 and also have Hashimotos. So gaining is easy and losing is a bit difficult. I am wearing a fitbit and trying to get at least 8k in steps per day. Working out with DH for some strength training 3x per week. Using MFP to track my food and I am at 1200 calories right now. I used MFP to determine my calorie intake and when losing started to slow a lot, I let it recalculate it. I put lightly active in my profile and goal of 1.5# per week. I am only 5'4". I also joined a group called Fantastic Five Pounds on MFP. I didn't think it would help but it does! My goal is 5 lbs lost per month but for the last two I have gotten 6 1/2. It's hard work but worth it. I find I do better with whole foods rather than processed stuff. I try to really limit or avoid simple carbs. I do best with filling foods like oatmeal with chia, adding some sweet potato and lots veggies to a protein serving, etc.Be religious and accurate with your tracking and set reasonable goals like 1 lb per week. Posting my weekly weight with the group has helped me be accountable. And drink your water!!! Weight will stall if you are dehydrated.
  • jopalis
    jopalis Posts: 238 Member
    Shurmenator wrote: »
    You all have been so successful and I too believe calories in/calories out is the key along with moving more.

    I'm just curious how many of you determined your daily calorie budget? There seems to be so many formulas. I once had a doctor tell me that the best formula is to multiple you goal weight by 10 and that should be your daily budget, MFP gives me 400-cals less, another 200-less. I know I can play around to see what works but was curious how others have determined their budget.

    Your weight times 10 is high unless you are very active/athletic. IMO. Put your activity level (honestly), your weight, etc. and your loss goal and let MFP decide unless you have extenuating health issues to discuss with your doc.
  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
    49 and down 40lbs since January. I did it (and am continuing to do it) by logging every single bite of food that goes in my mouth. I am a LONG TIME exerciser and (when I'm not injured) workout 5-6x per week and have for the past 20 years. The "click" for me was realizing that while the exercise is good and healthy and makes my body look great - the actual losing weight part is mostly what I put in my mouth.

    That, and I am absolutely determined to be at my goal weight by my 50th birthday (April 2017!).
  • Eleted
    Eleted Posts: 121 Member
    Jopalis:: where do I find the Fantastic Five Group?
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    Shana67 wrote: »
    49 and down 40lbs since January. I did it (and am continuing to do it) by logging every single bite of food that goes in my mouth. I am a LONG TIME exerciser and (when I'm not injured) workout 5-6x per week and have for the past 20 years. The "click" for me was realizing that while the exercise is good and healthy and makes my body look great - the actual losing weight part is mostly what I put in my mouth.

    That, and I am absolutely determined to be at my goal weight by my 50th birthday (April 2017!).

    Woot Woot...I will check on you in April....great job!
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    Eleted wrote: »
    Jopalis:: where do I find the Fantastic Five Group?

    right...I think I would like that group.
  • Eleted
    Eleted Posts: 121 Member
    Found Fantastic Five. Just search the name under Community. It pops up
  • Eleted
    Eleted Posts: 121 Member
    Bonny132. That is awesome! I assume that you mean low carb/ high fiber? Give us a sample of a daily menu. You are wise to choose the more filling foods. I'm not always in that mindset but need to be
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    Eleted wrote: »
    Bonny132. That is awesome! I assume that you mean low carb/ high fiber? Give us a sample of a daily menu. You are wise to choose the more filling foods. I'm not always in that mindset but need to be

    I think maybe low carb/high fat....but I would like a sample of her meals too...
  • cjdalla
    cjdalla Posts: 19 Member
    So impressed by you all. At 47 I found that lots of people tell you the negatives about why you won't lose weight. Why you shouldn't run when I love running. All the things you shouldn't do. Blah blah blah.

    Reading all of these posts is filling my head with why I will lose weight not why not.

    Week 4 and going well after a body resistant start. I am determined and committed though.

    Thankyou for sharing. Inspirational people.
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    cjdalla wrote: »
    So impressed by you all. At 47 I found that lots of people tell you the negatives about why you won't lose weight. Why you shouldn't run when I love running. All the things you shouldn't do. Blah blah blah.

    Reading all of these posts is filling my head with why I will lose weight not why not.

    Week 4 and going well after a body resistant start. I am determined and committed though.

    Thankyou for sharing. Inspirational people.

    @cjdalla Oh these people are great in here....they share what works for them and gave me enough motivation to believe it could be done.... You are in the right place!!!!
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