55-65 year old women's success?

@kwtlw - as @spikeyhair said you do not need to exercise to lose weight. Exercise is important for maintenance and ongoing health but weight loss is based on your diet. Having said that movement is often very good for our achy parts so finding something gentle like walking and/or yoga might help in the long run. If yr Doc says u r good to do something then go for it at the pace that works for you. Keep yr eyes open for ideas to help you find something you love doing. For me that is horseback riding and yoga. I also do weights but that is because I feel I should - not something I really enjoy. However finding a good trainer at a price I cld afford made a big difference. Good luck on yr journey

kwtlw wrote: »

I am so lost about all the exercise info here. So many new terms. I am 60 and need to lose weight. I am inspired by the stories here. But really don't know where to start. With my knee problem I get tired after going to a store or standing for too long. I really need some one experienced and who has gone through this to friend me on this journey who will understand where I am coming from.

To suggest exercise (and be appropriately responsible about it ), we'd need more medical knowledge about your current status and diagnosis, as well as relevant physiology/exercise credentials.

Here's what I'd recommend: Talk to your doctor, an orthopedic specialist if possible. Ask for a physical therapy referral. If the doctor says PT won't cure your specific condition, say that you want PT to help you learn to walk, climb stairs, etc., in ways that reduce strain on your knees and thereby help you defer surgery. Don't be afraid to be polite but assertive . You want to make it easiest for the nice doc to just give you that referral and get you outta that office.

Good physical therapy people will assess your strength, movement patterns, flexibility, etc., and give you exercises to work on those problem areas on your own, as well as help you to learn to move in ways that reduce knee stress. While you're there, pepper them with questions about what types of outside exercise are likely to be most helpful and least injurious in your specific circumstances. Outside of PT sessions, do the exercises they give you, as if it were religion. You can improve, if you work at it.

Meantime, gradually work on getting your eating on a better basis, to slowly lose weight. You don't want breakneck speed weight loss while trying to rehab your knees: Those two are at cross purposes. (It takes nutrition and calories to build strength, for example).

Each knee condition requires different treatment, and even the same condition can require different treatment in different people depending on their physical condition in other respects.

For example, my rowing double partner (age 70) and I (age 61) both have "bad knees" (neither caused by rowing BTW).

She has what our mutual orthopedist called "the worst case of kneecap arthritis he has ever seen". He's given her a series of gel shots in her knees. PT gave her primarily strengthening exercises for leg muscles. The combination has improved things for her. (She was already slim, so weight loss is not part of her solution).

As mentioned, I have a torn meniscus/debris/joint arthritis. The same orthopedist gave me one cortisone shot (all I've needed in 2 years, so far, but it helped me get through physical therapy). The PT people said they'd often prescribe leg strengthening for my condition in other people, but I already have pretty strong legs. Instead, I got exercises to help improve mobility in my hips to improve gait. On top if that, since I was obese, I lost weight. Those interventions have improved things very substantially for me.

So . . . if you can, get expert advice specific to your condition, and work diligently toward improvement. It really is possible.

@GottaBurnEmAll, Happy Birthday & congrats on your progress (I think you look great). I'm 66 (be 67 next month) and do weights (and some light cardio); have thought about doing StrongLifts, but haven't done it yet. Think weights are the way to go (to keep our bone health, etc.); keep it up!!

Its usually the young ripped adult kids who say age is just a number.

lorrpb wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

Hi everyone! I've been on MFP for a while, but I'm turning 55 tomorrow, so I thought I'd post in this thread. Here's a picture of my before and during. I consider myself an ongoing work in progress:

I'm currently up about 4 pounds from that picture but look pretty much the same thanks to body recomposition from ongoing exercise.

I just changed my strength training to a modified version of Stronglifts recommended by @lorrpb, and having completed the first week I have to say that I wish I had known about this a year ago!

My main love is running, though. I'm a slow but dedicated runner. I'll never be great shakes at it because I have pretty bad arthritis, but I love how I feel when I'm outside doing it.

I still have a teenager who I'll be homeschooling once we're back from our vacation, so that keeps me pretty busy as well.

When I started on here, I was sedentary and walked with a cane. Now I get about 20-25K steps a day! I'm still trying to lose a few more vanity pounds, because why not?

@GottaBurnEmAll Glad that my modifications of 5x5 were helpful to you! What great progress you've made!!!

Thank you! Thanks to you recommending CAP barbells, I was able to find a nice light short barbell that works with the weights I have for my adjustable dumbbells. Doing deadlifts with that was so much nicer than doing them with the dumbbells thanks to some grip issues I have.

I used my couch as a rack and loaded up the bar and did Romanian deadlifts. I had to laugh at using the couch as a squat rack. Not quite what Stronglifts calls for, but this will save my back and work well enough.

I'm actually excited about lifting again, and I haven't felt that way in a long time.

Thanks again!