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grammyjoyce
grammyjoyce Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I have been on My Fitness Pal off and on for several years. I recently started tracking my food again. I am 68 years old and have been maintaining 1300 plus calories with very little exercise. I still work and when I get home I find it hard to motivate myself to walk. Not having much luck losing weight either. Any suggestions?

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  • shampbj
    shampbj Posts: 33 Member
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    Is it possibly to sneak in a quick walk during the workday, perhaps 10 or 15 minutes at lunchtime or first thing in the morning? I am lucky to work at a company that lets us take walking breaks, but I know not everyone has that option. Short of that, just moving more during the day even if it's not a concentrated walk but just bathroom breaks, going to talk to a co-worker instead of sending an email, etc. can add up. It's about little changes over time!
  • sarraheclark
    sarraheclark Posts: 125 Member
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    For me personally, when I get home from work if I sit down to relax for a bit, I am much less likely to get out that evening. To combat this, I have immediately changed out of my work clothes and in to work out clothes, then I am back out the door straight away. The relax time comes after the exercise and not before.

    This has helped me, maybe you can give it a try.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    grammyjoyce wrote: »
    I have been on My Fitness Pal off and on for several years. I recently started tracking my food again. I am 68 years old and have been maintaining 1300 plus calories with very little exercise. I still work and when I get home I find it hard to motivate myself to walk. Not having much luck losing weight either. Any suggestions?

    you dont have to exercise to lose weight(exercise is for health). are you weighing all your food(solids and semi solids) on a food scale? if not you could be eating more than you think(trust me its easy to do).how long have you been tracking and maintaining weight? what did you set mfp to to lose weight(2lbs,1.5lb,etc)?.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    It's hard when age means that the calorie allowance diminishes. My calorie goal to lose a 1lb a week leaves me with just 1250 calories (5' 10" tall 160lb and 49 yrs) and walking does give a little boost to me that helps me stick to the goal. My motivation is having a dog. I have no choice but to walk even when my body screams at me for being tired. If you don't have your own dog, could you make an arrangement with someone who needs a dog walking service (if you like dogs of course) so that you have to just do it?
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    bubaluboo wrote: »
    It's hard when age means that the calorie allowance diminishes. My calorie goal to lose a 1lb a week leaves me with just 1250 calories (5' 10" tall 160lb and 49 yrs) and walking does give a little boost to me that helps me stick to the goal. My motivation is having a dog. I have no choice but to walk even when my body screams at me for being tired. If you don't have your own dog, could you make an arrangement with someone who needs a dog walking service (if you like dogs of course) so that you have to just do it?

    age isnt as big as a factor as you think. at your height and weight and age you still should be able to eat more and still lose weight, a lot of women here over 50 eat more that that and are shorter.at 5'10 you are also at a healthy weight so trying to lose 1lb a week for you may be too aggressive.if you are weighing everything and being accurate then you may want to see a dr and to rule anything out.age doesnt mean calorie allowance diminishes, losing weight does. your BMR slows down with age but it shouldnt be that much compared to when you were 10 years younger.

    activity helps a lot.Im going to be 43-I have a metabolic condition Im 5'6 1/2 and lose weight eating more than that.its slow for me but I still lose. so you having 3 1/2 inches on me you should be able to eat at least around what I do which is more than 1400 calories.

  • Gurliacci
    Gurliacci Posts: 10 Member
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    Maybe you can look into taking a class regularly at your local YMCA, gym or community center. Working out in a group setting can be a lot of fun and switching up the kind of exercise you do might help motivate you. Maybe swimming (or a water aerobics class), a dance class with your partner, or Pilates might be more interesting than walking.

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