39 day in and still just getting started.
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BOBHUNTER71
Posts: 16 Member
At 71 I might seem to be a bit optimistic in trying to reduce my weight after years of over indulgent eating. I got to as low as a loss of 3 pounds twice and back to start weight both times, a bit like a bungee jump really. I would like some friends that can at least encourage me and criticise when needed, after all I'm 71 and trying to last a bit longer and in May 2019 will be our 50th Wedding Anniversary. I'd certainly like to be there for that. I'm 201 pounds, 5 foot 4 inches, with B.M.I of 34.6 (obese). thanks for reading anyway
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All you need to lose weight, is to eat a little less, but you have to keep doing it in order to keep losing and not regaining. So you too can lose weight and keep it off, if you change your habits and your attitudes.4
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Keep going! Weight can go up and down for 100s of reasons. As long as you keep going you'll get to your goal.2
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It is never to late to improve your health.
It doesn't matter how much you overindulged in the past you can still make amazing changes to your weight and health.
Put your stats into MFP to lose 1pound a week. Eat the calories that MFP gives you. Eat the foods you like in quantities that fit your calorie allowance. Weigh and measure all your foods using a food scale and log your food daily.
Get into these habits and you will find that you will lose weight, not always consistently weight fluctuates on a daily basis but if you are consistent and stick to your calorie allowance it will come down over time.
Also add in some resistance exercises if can to maintain your muscle mass. Weights are great for everybody regardless of age as it strengthens the muscles around those all important joints that help with mobility, stability and joint problems as we get older.
This is a great place to get advice, make friends and pick up tips and recipes. There are a lot of older folk on here who are in the same place as you and working toward a healthier life style.
Good luck
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Thanks Manderson27, today I have started pre-booking my evening meal when I enter my breakfast meal and leaving lunch flexible, thanks for the advice1
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Hi there! As a senior myself, I well understand the over sixty weight loss trials. My personal yoyo has been over the years as well. Usually I would just do it alone, in my house, while still trying to maintain everything "normal" for the family. This time though, I'm getting hubby and son involved. They need to drop some too and have expressed a desire to be part of the journey rather than observers. I wish I had done this years ago!
That's tip one.
Tip two is the "see what I did" weigh in.
A year ago I tried an organization that had us weigh in as a group. Good luck with that! Everyone made excuses for why they hadn't lost anything that week and, as you could expect, we all consoled one another with "maybe next week". That's not motivation by any means!
So this time, I got the family involved. We have a little contest going. Whoever loses the most that week gets to pick Sunday dinner. Its not rewarding with food because we have to eat anyway and the choices are from the plan. But its a choice instead of everyone eating whatever whim is in my pea brain all week lol. (In other words, I plan the menus so this is a chance for input from the others).
That's tip two.
Tip three? Well, this may not be up your street or that of anyone else. But for me, prayer is key. Every night, I thank the Lord for getting me through that day and ask His blessings and help for the next day. I also talk to Him throughout the day, when I'm tempted to stray. You see, I am an ardent foodie and food is my "god" (or can be). But that's a whole other conversation. I guess I could pick up the phone and call a friend, but friends have lives too. So better to talk to someone who can listen any time.
Tip four is using MFP faithfully. I had done so years ago and actually did well at weight loss. But I got away from SEEING my calories. We can guestimate all we want to. We can look at our palm and think we're measuring our meat. But until we see ounces translated to calories, fat grams or, in my case sodium milligrams, we never really know what we've put in our mouth.
Bob- you can do this! Just hang in there! Many good people on here have good tips and helps and us over-sixties have to stick together!
Good luck on your trek!!
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You're not too old and it's not too late.3
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Bob your in the right place and off to a great start with the MFP community. Im 5'2" and weighed over 200+ lbs in 5.5 months I loss 57 lbs and dropped from a size 20 to a size 12 jeans. In all my 50+ years this is the smallest I have ever been and most healthiest I have felt.
You say you want to be around a little longer and that you would like to make it to your 50th anniversary. Now thats two great motivational goals. You got this! One day at a time and set some goals that are challenging yet practical. Plan your meals, get yourself moving at whatever your pace is and keep in mind failure is not final its just an opportunity to get up and go at it again. Looking forward to hearing of your victories.2 -
Hi Bob. I want to tell you about my Dad, as his stats were similar to yours, and he’s killing it on the weight loss and I hope it can inspire you. He will be 69 next week and just a few months ago he was, so he claims 5’5” (my mom swears he’s shrunk down to 5’3” and about 210 lbs). In April, he had a heart attack and coded. Luckily, he woke my mom up at 2am when he started to feel it and was already in the ER when he coded. He needed the whole work up, triple bypass, pacemaker, and then in July a clean out of his carotid.
He cleaned up his eating on a dime. He has cardiac rehab, which is basically like going to the gym with a structured workout, 3 days a week. Now this is a man who hasn’t done intentional exercise since the late 90s, and only then because I would make him come throw a baseball with me or shoot hoops in the driveway. Just 4 months later, he said he misses exercising on days he doesn’t have rehab! So my mom got him a treadmill and some free weights to do his workouts at home on off days. He’s now down to 160 pounds! He went from a 38 waist to 32 so far and a tight Large shirt to a loose Medium. If my dad can do it, so can you!
The next thing about to say, isn’t to scare you or make you feel guilty, but it might so stop reading here if you want.
The 6 hours that it took me to get from my bed in Miami to the hospital in Pennsylvania and the 4 hours he was in bypass surgery were the scariest hours of my life. I’m not stupid, I know one day I will lose my parents; that’s how life works. But not yet. And they have both made incredible strides toward becoming healthier, so hopefully they’ll also be around for their 50th anniversary in 2024.
YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
TLDR; my dad has lost about 50 lbs since his heart attack in April.8 -
MiaisMIAinMiami wrote: »
TLDR; my dad has lost about 50 lbs since his heart attack in April.
And if you skipped to the TLDR, you missed the best part. If you read the above post and skipped, go back and read the whole thing!
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Silentpadna wrote: »MiaisMIAinMiami wrote: »
TLDR; my dad has lost about 50 lbs since his heart attack in April.
And if you skipped to the TLDR, you missed the best part. If you read the above post and skipped, go back and read the whole thing!
Is the best part the part that I cried while typing or the part where I threw my dad under the bus for not exercising for 20 years? 😂3 -
MiaisMIAinMiami wrote: »Silentpadna wrote: »MiaisMIAinMiami wrote: »
TLDR; my dad has lost about 50 lbs since his heart attack in April.
And if you skipped to the TLDR, you missed the best part. If you read the above post and skipped, go back and read the whole thing!
Is the best part the part that I cried while typing or the part where I threw my dad under the bus for not exercising for 20 years? 😂
No, the best part is that you went deep and personal and shared it. That's the stuff that sticks with people. Somebody will have read the whole thing and made a decision to change. You can have every "expert" in the world preach it, but until somebody feels it, it doesn't become a part of them - at least for many.4 -
Bob, I am 63 and my husband is 71. He got an abrupt wake up call when he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in early July. He is 5'9 inches and weighed 234; I am 5'3 and I weighed 224. We decided a lifestyle change was in order, and since that time, he has lost almost 20 pounds and I have lost 15. And we each walk at least 30 minutes every day. It is POSSIBLE to take on the weight beast, even though you are a senior!!! Enlist your spouses help - there are tons of delicious low calorie recipes on the web - you are not doomed to the same grilled chicken and vegetables every night. I have found that weighing my food - to remember what a portion size looks like - has been extremely helpful. Use smaller plates for your food - the normal sized dinner plate is now 10 inches and when you cut down on your portions, and put them on a big plate, you will feel deprived. Use a salad plate or something called a luncheon plate. It will trick your mind - suddenly you have a plate of food!! Don't keep cake, pie, ice cream, cookies in the house - if you craving something - go and buy one portion, same as chips and other junk food. Log in your food here every day. If you do it as you eat meals and snacks - you will get a picture of how many calories you have left for the day. And get some exercise!! You can start with 10 minutes a day. And when you lose 10 pounds reward yourself - not with food, but with some little something that means something to you. It will be a reminder of your success. You can have cheat days, and I found I don't need them, but my husband does.
I don't mean to personalize this and make it all about us - but what I am trying to say is that YOU CAN DO THIS!! Don't try to swallow the elephant whole, but take it in pieces. There is often a great thread on these community boards and it is called "JFT" - just for today and people write about the commitment they are making for that day - not for forever, but JFT. That may be helpful to you, to just write down your goal just for that day. It can be as simple as drinking more water!! Get your wife involved!! Even if she doesn't need to lose weight, we can all improve our eating habits!
I think as we get older, we all either have a wake up call with a health issue, or we realize that we want to hang around a while. It sounds like you have something wonderful to celebrate - so few people get to celebrate their 50th anniversary!! I'd be happy to be your friend and encourager!! Please feel free to add me to your friends list1
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Silentpadna wrote: »
No, the best part is that you went deep and personal and shared it. That's the stuff that sticks with people. Somebody will have read the whole thing and made a decision to change. You can have every "expert" in the world preach it, but until somebody feels it, it doesn't become a part of them - at least for many.
Not gonna lie. That was tough. I’m not exactly a “talk about my feelings” kind of person... I’m more like
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Up date the 3 pounds I put on last week has disappeared this week I am back to minus 3 pounds. thanks to you all for your support, good luck in your journey.2
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