I'm screwed.

You are definitely not screwed - you are here, which is a great start. Start tracking, follow the guidelines MFP gives you, and don't go off on any wild deviations from what you normally eat (like cutting any major food groups you normally enjoy) and you'll be fine!

NorahsDaddy wrote: »

I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs and recently became a vegetarian.

It's easy to think, by paying too much attention to the weight loss industry, that any of these things has a lot to do with the process. It's much, much simpler than that. You eat fewer calories than you burn. Calories in, calories out. CICO. Do that, and you will lose weight. This site is all about helping you with that.

Yes, even as a vegetarian you can eat too much food. Actually, for me it would be dead simple. Fried Brussels sprouts are amazingly tasty -- but so oily!

You'll find mainstream opinion here to be more science-oriented and homeopaths are therefore not held in particularly high esteem (to say the least), but at least yours set you in the right direction. You can do it! It just takes the establishment of a few habits that seem troublesome at first but which are really very easy to do once you get used to them.

The good news is that you don't have to cut anything out of your diet. You can eat all your favorite foods. You just have to eat less of them.

I went through a period of self-neglect myself, so I know what that's like. My reasons were very, very bad -- there are no good reasons for it -- and yes, it took some counseling to get me to care more about myself. This benefits not just myself, but all those around me who rely on me to keep functioning. I could not have gone on as I was. You are doing those who love you and who rely on you no favors by paying no attention to your own well-being. They want the best for you. You should too.

NorahsDaddy wrote: »

Really appreciate all your thoughts. So nice to meet people who care. I think so much of it comes down to psychology though.

I'm 63 and feel like I should be winding down instead of ramping anything up. Also, being brought up to not care for myself has an affect too. Won't bore anyone with the details, but while there was no physical abuse, there was very serious neglect that has lasting effects.

Thanks for caring.

I've been vegetarian for almost 44 years. I was obese for 30+ of them - all except the first few, and roughly the most recent 3. And - as you'd guess from that - I'm around your age, 62. At age 59-60, I lost 50+ pounds. Weight management is all about managing the calories (though nutrition is also important for health, of course!). I'm so much healthier and happier now.

In my thinking, the wisest sign in the world is one you see in lots of places. It says "you are here". The past influences us, but doesn't lock us into an outcome. Where we're standing today is the only place we can start from, and where we go from here is what's truly important.

Winding down vs. ramping up is about choices of where to go from here.

I say, focus on what you, personally, can influence or control to improve your health. Taking care of that is not just for you, it's for everyone around you. You can't take care of anyone around you - family, friends or larger community - if you're dependent on others because your health has degraded. Taking care of yourself is not only something you do for you (i.e., selfishly), it's something you do for others, so they need not take care of you, and so you can continue to take care of them. Taking care of yourself is generous to others. Think about what they tell you on the airplanes: Put on your oxygen mask before you help others. By taking care of yourself, you're able to help them, and you're a model for people around you of what it means to take control of your life and actions, to achieve positive goals.

You've come to the right place. Improvement is possible, and MFP is a useful tool. It's not easy every minute, but it's possible.

Wishing you all the best!

I'm 57, a vegan-leaning vegetarian for 28 years--I"ve been a thin vegetarian and a heavy vegetarian and an in-between one. I also eat potatoes almost every day now; they are loaded with potassium and have lots of other nutrients in them as well. I've kept 23 lbs off for 3 years now and I hurt less and feel way younger than I did before I began losing the weight. We can make our elder years quality ones with a little effort. It seems more important than ever to get fit and healthy now at a time in life when things really start catching up with us health-wise. It really hits home when you see the illnesses your parents are struggling with in their old age. This can be life or death, really.

"Btw, if anything I *gained* weight being a vegetarian."

I had the same experience a few years ago, when I went raw-food vegan for about 6 months. It was a perfectly healthy way of eating but I found it extremely frustrating and disappointing that it didn't help me lose a single pound! It was only when I discovered just how carb sensitive I am that it made sense. I may have had much better results if I'd eliminated all fruit, but I'm very happy doing keto now. There are vegetarian ketogenic diets, too, should you find that you need a bit more help a little down the road in losing the extra fat.

Best wishes!

Too young to quit. I just met a 71 year old that hikes up Sandia peak in Albuquerque twice a week. Last year I rode a ski lift with an 82 year old man. Use it or lose it. Get your butt moving friend.