55-65 year old women's success?
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@making_tracks WOW!!!!!! What an awesome story!!!! You look FANTABULOUS!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing, it's such a help to see others who have succeeded1
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I am 56, and 5’ 7” tall. SW on September 10 was 221, joined MFP several weeks later. CW is 167. Current mini goal is completing loss of 1/4 of my starting body weight, next goal is to reach “normal” BMI at 159.
I started out following an elimination diet the doctor gave me, averaging roughly 2000 calories per day. I thought that elimination diet was the tool of the devil, and that I’d never be able to stick to it, but found out I enjoyed it so much, I’ve not varied very much from it, still eat a boatload of vegetables and still limit the wheat, dairy, and sugar. I now average about 1600. This includes a reasonably nice dinner with friends about once every two weeks. I don’t eat my excercise calories back, at the recommendation of my dietician. Per my Apple Watch, I earn at least 670 calories daily (no idea how it defaulted to that but am grateful it did because apparently I’m very Pavlovian when it comes to watching those colored wheels go round), often several hundred more. That seems ridiculously high, so I generally ignore it other than mentally high fiving myself when the wheels go around several times, lol.
I am very fortunate to live adjacent to a great walking/bike path, less than ten minute walk to both a yoga studio and a little neighborhood barbell gym, and my dog insists on at least two walks a day to our beautiful town square. There’s also a great health center at the hospital up the street, although I don’t go there often, I try to use all of these blessings. I’m retired, so outside of volunteer work (can walk to those commitments, too!), I have made “me” my new job.
I’ve been doing yoga for years, but now wear out my unlimited pass, especially after discovering how much I enjoy Pilates classes, and I just began working with a lovely trainer at the barbell gym twice a week. With walking, biking and the other exercise, I can easily exercise three or four hours a day, but it’s fun and I (me?!!!)enjoy keeping moving.
If anything, I’m starting to worry that I may be over exercising, so have scheduled a visit with the dietician, and am planning one with my Doctor, too.
I haven’t kept up with before and after photos. I never liked having my picture taken, so these are all I had, from a vacation exactly six months ago, a little more than a month before I started, and the new ones are from yesterday. My trainer insists I keep up with them now, and takes them herself. Even I was surprised when I dug these out a couple of days ago. I wish I’d been more conscious of taking photos along the way.
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@springlering62 you are transforming, thank you for posting the great job!! Re the too much exercising - have a friend who is early 70s and she exercises probably 2 -3 hours most days, (very inspirational like you) and has the best health of anyone I know.
Wow, it shows what can be done by sticking with it.1 -
@springlering62 - what an amazing testimony!!! I'm close to your height, just a bit taller....5'8"....and I am shooting for 160. We seem to have the same small frame, and 167 looks great on you!!!!
I just turned the big 50 last September.....and am looking forward to being as fit and trim as you Thanks for the inspiration.............
Would you mind sharing what a typical day looks like for you food wise? I'm just wondering about the elimination foods actually.........I know we are all different, but I love ideas I've been struggling with getting 20# off for what seems forever You can private message if you'd rather
Nicole
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RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »@making_tracks...great job. Just wondering..how tall are you?
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Perhaps I should say I was 96.5 kg (May 2018) and I’m now 70.6 kg. However, I’ve really changed my attitude towards scale weight. It’s just too misleading. Waist measurements, fat % measurements, blood pressure, or dress sizes are more helpful in my opinion.
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ndargy1977 wrote: »@springlering62 - what an amazing testimony!!! I'm close to your height, just a bit taller....5'8"....and I am shooting for 160. We seem to have the same small frame, and 167 looks great on you!!!!
I just turned the big 50 last September.....and am looking forward to being as fit and trim as you Thanks for the inspiration.............
Would you mind sharing what a typical day looks like for you food wise? I'm just wondering about the elimination foods actually.........I know we are all different, but I love ideas I've been struggling with getting 20# off for what seems forever You can private message if you'd rather
Nicole
@cory17 and Nicole, thank you so much! You both just made my day. That means a lot coming from this community! It’s still hard for me accept and see a difference in the mirror, so thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
My doctor gave me the handout for the IFM.org elimination diet every time I’ve seen her for the past few years, but I threw it away as soon as I got home. This time she gave it to me along with a prescription for thyroid meds, which I didn’t want to take after reading the handout, so this time I paid attention.
The elimination diet is basically just common sense eating. You cut out foods that might trigger various issues (in my case, the GERD from hell and joint pain), and add one back at a time to discover what’s bothering you. I cut out dairy, sugars, gluten, red meats, rice, peanuts, and some other food types. It’s very heavy on fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and grains, and chicken / fish.
There’s actually two parts, one is the elimination part, and the other is the adding back part. The link for the elimination part of the diet is https://p.widencdn.net/he7a5v/Elimination-Diet---Comprehensive-Guide_v6. My GERD vanished forever (I hope) within a week. A good bit of the joint pain is gone now, too, but getting rid of the GERD and dumping the Prilosec and Pantoprazole was such a win, I will dry my darndest not to ever go back.
My normal breakfast is a smoothie of banana, a cup of almond milk, two tablespoons of raw cacao, a tablespoon of almond butter, and a quarter cup of dry rolled oats and a ton of ice. The ice makes me feel like I’m eating a lot and gets a lot of water in me. 335 calories, filling, and tastes like a creamy chocolate milkshake.
I alternate breakfast once in a while with a Dave’s Killer English Muffin, with a bare sweep of almond butter and honey, which comes in at about 200 calories.
Lunch is usually either avacado toast (two slices of Dave’s Killer thin bread with half an avacado), a gigantic garden salad (with a couple of slices of grilled halloumi if I have the extra calories), or a homemade chicken soup with barley (which is very filling). All three come in well under 250 calories.
Dinner has to be something that makes my husband happy, so it varies, but my share usually falls around 400-500 calories. I may eat a spinach and tomato salad while he has a rice, though. Last week I made some killer carnitas in the Instant Pot, and an ounce or two of heated shredded carnitas over lettuce with diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and a couple tablespoons of roasted corn made a fantastic lunch for the next few days, (which I am still dreaming of, btw.)
Tonight’s dinner was Trader Joe’s chicken fried rice padded out with extra chicken, a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables, and a couple of eggs scrambled in.
Snacks are apples, oranges (who knew oranges would taste so FABULOUS once you got processed sugar out of your system?!), a banana smoothie, pickles (zero calories, have had to learn to love them), strawberries, grapes, hummus with carrots or radishes. Cedars brand lemon hummus is to die for.
My “go to” snack is beef jerky. It is low calorie, the protein is very filling, and it’s really suited for taking itty bitty teeny tiny mice sized nibbles of to streeeeeetch it out. But it costs an arm and a leg. I bought a food dehydrator and have been making my own, but had to put it out on the porch because it made the dog’s eyes cross in frustration!
Three things that are a huge help to me:
Dave’s Killer products are fantastic. I mean they really taste good, are multi whole grain, freeze well, and toast up deliciously.
I buy a brand (Oli and Ve) of gourmet balsamic vinegar that is only 10 calories per tablespoon, and comes in a zillion flavors. My favorites are the fig, strawberry, Cascadian raspberry, honey & ginger, and dark chocolate. Just a little goes a long way in lieu of a salad dressing, and I eat several salads a week. It also makes a great marinade. $10 a bottle, but worth every penny, and a bottle lasts as long as a two or three of my husbands salad dressing bottles, so I guess it all evens out.
I subscribe to Wild Soil Almonds for monthly delivery of high quality almonds for half the price Whole Foods charges, so I make my own almond milk. It’s really easy to make, tastes way better than store bought, extremely low calorie, and I thin it out anyway. I haven’t had dairy since September, other than a little bit of cheese once in a while. (Lovely, salty, wonderful halloumi cheese being my new passion.) I used to knock back a couple of gallons of milk a week to wash down all the chocolate candy and cookies I used to eat. Ack!!!!
Sorry about the “wall of text”. Hope this helps!11 -
Totally awesome; great job and keep it up. Be mindful that you will fall off the wagon occasionally; just get back up and keep going!!3
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@springlering62 Congrats to you! Your way of eating is mostly whole food plant based with exception of the chicken/fish. I find WFPB is the most satisfying and healthiest way to eat as it eliminates almost all health issues and keeps you full!4
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Wow, so glad to see this thread active again. So now I'm 60 and have been here for almost 4-1/2 years. I lost 70ish pounds and have kept them off, plus or minus a couple for 3-1/2 of those years. I don't really log much anymore - mostly if I've found something new. I suppose what I've learned the most here is veggies, veggies, veggies and exercise!4
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Agree w/mk2fit! And don't forget to watch the added sugar (in all its forms); we eat more than we think we do!2
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@springlering62 Thank you so much!!! I've tried Daves Killer Bread, but only once....I'll definitely be picking some up. You really gave me so many ideas, and I'm very thankful
Radishes?!? excellent idea with hummus!! I love them but never think about them!
What an excellent idea for the flavored balsamic vinegar for dressing!! I'm having a salad today for lunch, and just may try to find some!!
My dairy obsession is cheese....but I've been really trying to cut back. I portioned out 1oz in little cups for a quick snack.....if I don't I could eat triple or quadruple that amount, lol.....
again, thank you very much....I truly appreciate it
Nicole3 -
I'm 53 and going through menopause now and can't seem to lose a pound. eating 1200 cal diet but can't exercise due to a herniated disk. I can walk though but it's freezing outside lol - I can't imagine that faithfully sticking to a 1200 cal diet does not let me lose weight - this sucks. I even got my thyroid tested - perfect. I am at a loss. If I can't lose a pound now what's going to happen to me on the other side of menopause? good luck with your struggle and please let me know what works!2
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kimirayray wrote: »I'm 53 and going through menopause now and can't seem to lose a pound. eating 1200 cal diet but can't exercise due to a herniated disk. I can walk though but it's freezing outside lol - I can't imagine that faithfully sticking to a 1200 cal diet does not let me lose weight - this sucks. I even got my thyroid tested - perfect. I am at a loss. If I can't lose a pound now what's going to happen to me on the other side of menopause? good luck with your struggle and please let me know what works!
I hope you can get some good advice/treatment for your disk problem --- I know what that's like! As well as the weather challenge. For me, I know that getting outside is not a good option if there is a lot of ice/slippery snow --- but if it is just cold --- layer up a bit, and keep your walks short. A little is better than none. If getting out or doing "formal" exercise is not possible, then do your best to avoid sitting (fitbit is good for that, with reminders to move).
One does not automatically gain weight on the other side of menopause, so don't let that worry you. Do your best to eat according to your hunger and nutritional needs --- 1200 calories sounds like a bare minimum. All will be well, although your weight loss goals may be stalled. We are building our life and our bodies continually and menopause is another stage.
If I were to advise myself back then it would be to devote some time to meditation or other preferred methods of mindfulness or stress relief.
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@kimiraryray. ..try you Tube indoor walking exercise videos. There are many levels and they are a great alternative during the long winter months.1
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@kimiraryray- try eating as many fruits and veggies as you can within that amount- You would be surprised esp. the low calorie veggies such as spinach, cabbage, string beans, etc- You can have been bowls for less than 100 calories etc. whole foods are the way to go when you only have liited amount of calories. Also you might change what you have set your loss t on mfp- I cahnged mine to lose .05 a week and I now have more calories to work with.1
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@kimirayray So, I exercise to youtube videos when the weather is really bad. BUT, snowshoeing is great as is just walking in the snow. I even run in the snow. No excuses just because winter. There are so many things you can do. Look for jessicasmithtv, lesliesansone, on youtube. While both are great for any age group, you may find one is a little easier on the brain than the other
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@kimirayray agree with @debtay123 about changing or at least checking your stats in MFP. How tall are you and how much do you have to lose? Maybe you've set too aggressive a loss for your height and current weight. You want to fuel your daily activities even though you're not able to exercise very strenuously.0
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Posting for my wife.
She turned 60 in September.
Started learning how to swim in November.
Today she swam 1.1 miles. Her personal best.
It is never too late to learn and love swimming.17
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