Men & Women in their 50s starting anew in 2019!

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  • Beowolf95
    Beowolf95 Posts: 43 Member
    So, I've been a little lax in completing my diary the past couple of days, and my clean(er) eating was postponed as well. But on track today and will complete my diary. So far after everything has been planned out I'm about650 calories under my 1800 intake. Will boost with an apple and some natural peanut better to get closer to my mark. Weather is nicer today so instead of walking the parking garage and freezing like yesterday, I'll get to take my normal outside walk of 1.5 miles during lunch and enjoy some sun and natural Vitamin D!
  • Beowolf95
    Beowolf95 Posts: 43 Member
    So, a little over two weeks since I "started" my long term health and fitness plan, I have to say I'm underwhelmed in my lack of commitment to making change. One thing I've noticed, at least with myself, is that since I turned 50 a few years ago I seem to be more resistant to breaking comfortable patterns and behaviours. Of course this is all just a state of mind, and while there may be outside factors that help enforce it, I have to admit it is all too easy to find a reason (excuse) to take the easy way out and repeat the mantra, "I'll do better tomorrow". This doesn't deter me from starting the day with the best intentions, and yes, I have been "better" for lack of a better word, but it's the full followthrough for the day that I need to work on because it is the evening when the train derails.
  • toxicslix
    toxicslix Posts: 18 Member
    Hi I'm Thomas from Surrey BC. I turn 53 this year, but in 2015 my relationship dissolved and I'm currently working on a new life...soon to be ex! (Thank the universe!) I spent the better part of 2016 feeling crappy for myself, grieving the loss of the marriage. In 2017 I left Salt Spring Island BC and returned to Vancouver, where I took a new job, began eating a Plant Based whole food diet and took up kick boxing! Over the past year I've lost a few pounds but more importantly, I've lost body fat! I'm lucky that I'm more or less in the right weight, but just want to get that body fat down and lean muscle up! I've been on MFP for the past couple of years and everyone on this board has been super inspiring! I've taken a short hiatus on the Kickboxing as I took a second job to pay for the lawyers to get the divorce..sadly we're unable to work together and come to a mutual agreement! Feel free to add me as a friend. I'm still not sure how to do that in MFP...
  • Beowolf95
    Beowolf95 Posts: 43 Member
    Just signed up for a 4 week transformation session with a local facility here. Even though I have all the equipment at home, and have a solid knowledge of training and diet I felt that I needed this step to kick start me in the right direction. I haven't worked with anyone before, except for a brief period about 4 years ago, so I'm looking forward to some additional guidance. It will also help re-establish the pattern of working out on a consistent basis 3-4 days a week on a higher intensity level to go along with my daily lunch time walks.
  • BGreen0407
    BGreen0407 Posts: 1 Member
    Sandi5608 wrote: »
    I was away from MFP for a long time. Had some bad life moments which translated to a big weight gain. Feel like I just woke up and got a look at the damage I caused myself. So.....put my Fitbit back on, joined a gym, started logging and, although only day 3.....I'm feeling better already! I'd love some company on this journey. I've friended you all, thanks for accepting. Let's do this!

    Im in the exact same 'Boat'......just 4 months behind you in recognizing the damage done
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
    edited May 2019
    whmscll wrote: »
    How have I not found this group until now? I started back on MFP at the end of Feb. 2019. I’m 59. I discovered MFP for the first time in 2012 and used it to lose 27 pounds. Then I stopped logging, etc. and gained almost 10 of them back. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but it made a huge difference in how clothes fit (or didn’t fit) and how I viewed myself. I sat at that higher weight for 3-4 years. Since Feb I’ve lost almost all the weight again (9 pounds in about 3 months) and now I am looking to lose a few more. My main focus is decreasing body fat (I just had a DEXA scan and it’s 28.9%) and building muscle. But it’s HARD! The losses are so slow, I just want to eat all the food and for the past week or two have been struggling.

    Heard that. I hit a plateau about a month ago. Got a little discouraged and then got lax (real lax) about sticking to the meal plan. The chocolate stash is gone, so that's good. Holding the line on the weight, but it's time to get this train moving again.
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
    Beowolf95 wrote: »
    ... but it's the full followthrough for the day that I need to work on because it is the evening when the train derails.

    One thing that helps me is eating later in the day - what some folks call intermittent fasting (IF). On those days when I do not lift weight in the morning, I have my first meal at noon or later. It's easier to stay on target, calorie wise, in a shorter time frame. It's hard for me to eat more than 2000 calories in a 8 hour window.

  • BettJo64
    BettJo64 Posts: 760 Member
    Hi all. Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend. Beautiful 90° sunny day down here in Georgia. Stepped on my scale to see another little loss that I'm cautiously proud of. That's a total 65lbs down over these last 2 months. If I'm dreaming, DO NOT WAKE ME!!!
  • skf1201
    skf1201 Posts: 116 Member
    I am just starting back up on a clean eating and exercise way of life. I have gained 55 pounds over the past 9 years and it's time to kiss it good bye. It is so much harder in your 50s! Down 6 pounds over the past 2 weeks, so off to a good start!

    I’m right where you are. It IS harder in your 50’s. We are here and we will make a positive change to our mind/body/spirit during this journey. Congratulations on your lose👍🏻

  • cory17
    cory17 Posts: 1,506 Member
    BettJo64 wrote: »
    Hi all. Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend. Beautiful 90° sunny day down here in Georgia. Stepped on my scale to see another little loss that I'm cautiously proud of. That's a total 65lbs down over these last 2 months. If I'm dreaming, DO NOT WAKE ME!!!

    Okay, share the details!! What were you doing, what changed. Enquiring minds want to know.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    BettJo64 wrote: »
    Hi all. Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend. Beautiful 90° sunny day down here in Georgia. Stepped on my scale to see another little loss that I'm cautiously proud of. That's a total 65lbs down over these last 2 months. If I'm dreaming, DO NOT WAKE ME!!!

    I’m in California. It snowed here last weekend. For real. Totally sucked. I want summer! (Minus the wildfires).
  • BettJo64
    BettJo64 Posts: 760 Member
    cory17 wrote: »
    BettJo64 wrote: »
    Hi all. Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend. Beautiful 90° sunny day down here in Georgia. Stepped on my scale to see another little loss that I'm cautiously proud of. That's a total 65lbs down over these last 2 months. If I'm dreaming, DO NOT WAKE ME!!!

    Okay, share the details!! What were you doing, what changed. Enquiring minds want to know.

    Cory, I'm losing once again because I'm off heart meds now. Had a pacemaker put in mid March and no more meds. Those things had doubled my weight over a 4 year period of taking them. Starting losing the very next day after stopping them. 40lbs within the first 3 weeks, and now 26 more. I know at some point the real work will start, but for now it's little effort considering I'm limited on exercising with my size and bone pain. I've eaten mostly healthy since 2014 on my first go-round here. I had lost almost 130lbs in one year before being diagnosed with my heart issue. My life changed drastically and fast. Now with my pacemaker I finally feel like I'm getting back on the path where I was before. Hoping to lose back to where I was and MORE😁
  • BettJo64
    BettJo64 Posts: 760 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    BettJo64 wrote: »
    Hi all. Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend. Beautiful 90° sunny day down here in Georgia. Stepped on my scale to see another little loss that I'm cautiously proud of. That's a total 65lbs down over these last 2 months. If I'm dreaming, DO NOT WAKE ME!!!

    I’m in California. It snowed here last weekend. For real. Totally sucked. I want summer! (Minus the wildfires).

    Oh boy, you have a lot going on way over there! This weather we're having now in Georgia is our sweet spot. Doesn't last long though before we start seeing those 100° temps. So I'm just enjoying my days on the porch listening to the birds and feeling the random breeze while that sun shines. Even the passing rain shower still finds the sun peeking back out. I love it😁
  • helenaallen3988
    helenaallen3988 Posts: 1 Member
    I’m totally with you I’ve done the same been eating for comfort and just feeling sorry for
    Myself need a kick up
    The bum too xxx
  • mcemino2
    mcemino2 Posts: 427 Member
    I’m totally with you I’ve done the same been eating for comfort and just feeling sorry for
    Myself need a kick up
    The bum too xxx

    Kick!:)
  • EmBeatie
    EmBeatie Posts: 33 Member
    Has anyone else lost a ton of weight just by giving up sugary drinks? Every time I do that I lose at least 30 pounds. But I do love those sugary drinks...
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,725 Member
    EmBeatie wrote: »
    Has anyone else lost a ton of weight just by giving up sugary drinks? Every time I do that I lose at least 30 pounds. But I do love those sugary drinks...

    I cut way back on beer, which is sugar converted to alcohol. Kind of the same. I still miss that daily beer or two. Dropped 50 pounds and kept it off for over a year.

  • Beowolf95
    Beowolf95 Posts: 43 Member
    Just found out another friend was in the hospital with CHF and Afib. A few years ago he had lost a lot of weight using MFP, but stopped, reverted back to old habits, and gained it all back. I have had R/A for 15 years and Afib for 3, caused by OSA. I've lurked on a lot of threads and I see the same posts (including my own) about "resolving to do better, lost weight and put it back on, eating for this reason and that reason, etc." It's not about losing weight; that’s not that hard to do. Keeping it off is another thing entirely because it requires a lifestyle change, and that is difficult to do, especially in one's 50's. At least it has been for me as I’ve been resistant, almost defiant, in making the needed changes. In order to effect change you have to experience pain, deprivation, and sacrifice. Even though I have all the exercise and nutrition knowledge, have joined gyms, have all the equipment I need at home, I've come to realize that I’m not going to do it on my own. It’s not because I can’t, but because I will come up with a myriad of reasons why I missed this workout, overate on this day, drank too much on this night, etc. And I would be able to find plenty of people to commiserate with on MFP. This time, I want to dictate the narrative, so last week I joined a 28 day transformation program that involves guidance on nutrition, dining out, exercise, and small group HILT sessions. Is there a cost involved? Sure, but the cost to continue down the same road is going to be far more expensive in the long run physically, financially, and emotionally. When I work out I have always worked out hard, but it’s difficult to maintain intensity by one’s self. I’ve been to two sessions with my current program, and the small group environment is definitely a plus. The workouts are pushing me in ways I haven’t been pushed in a long time, and they’re hard, even for those who have been going. Even though we’re encouraged to work at our own pace I find myself working to get the most out of it. Getting feedback from trainers and encouragement from others in the class has definitely helped with my motivation.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    Today I found photos on my computer from past efforts at weight loss. I weighed my highest in 2012, lost 27 pounds, then resolved to improve my body fat percentage and change my shape further by lifting weights (recomp). But I tried to increase the amount I was lifting too fast for my own abilities and kept straining things, so I eventually just gave up. My weight has only been fluctuating about 10 pounds since then; not bad, and I’ve since lost those 10 pounds plus a couple more. But my body fat percentage is still too high for my preference (28.9%] and I am still not happy with the shape of my body, specifically my thighs, which seem to get more cellulite every year. It was depressing to see those old photos and realize that if I hadn’t given up lifting, today I might have the body I was looking for back then. Four wasted years. It has made me determined this time to keep at it, no matter how long it takes.
  • BettJo64
    BettJo64 Posts: 760 Member
    I learn something new all the time here on MFP. I've not only had to confront myself on food choices and amounts, but also how many times I eat during my day. For so very long I thought the fewer times I would eat, the better to lose weight. Unfortunately, for me at least, that just meant I was eating usually under 500 calories. I was told I was probably in starvation mode, so my body would hang on to every calorie. For a person my size, as huge as I am, starvation seemed like a joke. But I'm a believer now. I've been making true effort to regularly eat 3 meals a day nowadays. Doesn't really matter how big of a meal, but quality matters. I pay attention greatly to my macros and strive for higher proteins. Anyways, I'm just amazed that I'm eating more calories, but losing more weight. I sometimes break 1000 calories, but it is really hard to choose the right foods and still pull good macros. I'm trying...and I'm learning more and more every day.
  • Beowolf95
    Beowolf95 Posts: 43 Member
    Yesterday after completing my log I received a message from MFP that I had not consumed enough calories for the day and that a notice wouldn't be generated that I had completed my log, nor would it count towards what I would weigh in 5 weeks. Today I have adjusted my caloric intake to make sure I hit at least 1500, but that will not be my net so it will be interesting to see if I get it again. I was following the portion size of the nutrition plan I was provided, and as I thought, the portions were too small. I ate very clean, and will be doing so again today, but adding more veggies and protein to the mix. When too little calories are consumed it slows down the metabolism and can cause one to miss out on essential vitamins and nutrients. It feels good though to get dialed in and actually have to adjust up on intake.
  • slimmdown
    slimmdown Posts: 18 Member
    Beowolf95 wrote: »
    ... but it's the full followthrough for the day that I need to work on because it is the evening when the train derails.

    One thing that helps me is eating later in the day - what some folks call intermittent fasting (IF). On those days when I do not lift weight in the morning, I have my first meal at noon or later. It's easier to stay on target, calorie wise, in a shorter time frame. It's hard for me to eat more than 2000 calories in a 8 hour window.

    I've had that problem too. A constant battle. I tried eating my first meal later and that helped. Another thing I've done is just plan for an evening snack. I just make sure that I eat it at least 1.5-2 hours before bedtime. Both of these strategies help me to stay on my eating plan and still take care of those cravings so I don't come. And choosing similar, yet healthier alternatives makes it a win-win.
  • slimmdown
    slimmdown Posts: 18 Member
    edited May 2019
    BettJo64 wrote: »
    I learn something new all the time here on MFP. I've not only had to confront myself on food choices and amounts, but also how many times I eat during my day. For so very long I thought the fewer times I would eat, the better to lose weight. Unfortunately, for me at least, that just meant I was eating usually under 500 calories. I was told I was probably in starvation mode, so my body would hang on to every calorie. For a person my size, as huge as I am, starvation seemed like a joke. But I'm a believer now. I've been making true effort to regularly eat 3 meals a day nowadays. Doesn't really matter how big of a meal, but quality matters. I pay attention greatly to my macros and strive for higher proteins. Anyways, I'm just amazed that I'm eating more calories, but losing more weight. I sometimes break 1000 calories, but it is really hard to choose the right foods and still pull good macros. I'm trying...and I'm learning more and more every day.

    It seems counter intuitive, but you gotta eat more if you want to lose and stay healthy long term. Your body needs the fuel. Using the recommended calories by MFP is a great start. It may seem like a lot. You may want to eat more REAL food and not processed or fast food. Cutting out sugary drinks and drinking water will keep things moving too.

    Congrats on your success so far.
  • lmazza1
    lmazza1 Posts: 21 Member
    Just saw this. I’m in! Feel free to add me 🙃
  • hikingoffthegrid
    hikingoffthegrid Posts: 2 Member
    Hi ! welcome to add me: hikingoffthegrid