Over 50 and morbidly obese - How were you successful
phosea
Posts: 1 Member
I am 56 and need to lose atleast 100 pounds. I am back on track but I have yoyo dieted for decades. For those that are succeeding - how did you do it???
4
Replies
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There's probably a lot to unwind if you've gotten to 100+ over weight and have yo-yoed back and forth.
I really had to "treat" my whole life...work, relationships past and present, childhood issues, food choices, nutrition and food prep, exercise, stress management, sleep, pharmaceuticals, alcohol use, sugar and flour use, hydration, supplements.
It's not just one thing, but you can do One Thing Today
Just start and make small changes where you can, then keep doing that.
I would suggest you start by logging all your food for a week. Then study your FOOD diary and figure out ways to make changes. Keep reading!16 -
cmriverside wrote: »There's probably a lot to unwind if you've gotten to 100+ over weight and have yo-yoed back and forth.
I really had to "treat" my whole life...work, relationships past and present, childhood issues, food choices, nutrition and food prep, exercise, stress management, sleep, pharmaceuticals, alcohol use, sugar and flour use, hydration, supplements.
It's not just one thing, but you can do One Thing Today
Just start and make small changes where you can, then keep doing that.
I would suggest you start by logging all your food for a week. Then study your FOOD diary and figure out ways to make changes. Keep reading!
Completely agree with all of this. I read a study a while back about habits. It was incredibly insightful and I wish I had followed the advice when I was starting weight loss. I've since applied this concept to my businesses with fantastic success.
Weight is mostly due to habit, bad habits. But most people, come New Years have so many things they want to change at once -- I'm going to eat less, go to the gym three times a week, log my food, eat better -- the list is endless.
The research proves that if you change just one thing a month, you have around an 80% chance of success or more. Add in one more thing and it drops to less than 40% chance of success.
I'd take what cmriverside said and just add to it -- log for a month. Everything. Don't change how you eat. Just make logging an absolute must. If you want to add in movement, fine. But log like your life depends on it. Don't ever not log, even a horrid day (that's where most fall off!). And be accurate about it.
The next month, add in just one more thing while still logging. Adding in just one change a month makes it easier to achieve without feeling like a failure because you tried seven or eight things at once.
I think this is the original article I alluded to. Even if the article is how to eat more plant based, the idea applies to everything.
https://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2015/08/change-your-life-forever-one-habit-at-a-time/#gs.5fc6bx11 -
I lost 50 pounds about 10 years ago and have kept it off that whole time. Got me off the meds for hypertension and cholesterol. For me it was really about changing the food - cutting out pretty much all processed food (including branded soft drinks), reducing meat and increasing plants, some carb cutting. And doing that meant changing my relationship with food - learning again how much I love real cooking (rather than just heating up some pre-packaged meal) and trying new things, and how much better I felt taking in real nutrition.
Exercise came along with that. I started running and biking, as well as doing some strength training. But this was secondary to (and probably made possible by) the food overhaul. The exercise definitely helped stimulate my metabolism, but it was actually more important as a stress reducer and sleep improver. Even just getting out for a good walk is great.9 -
I also tried to lose weight for decades. I failed. On top of which I failed to learn from my failure. When I became an expert in failure I was finally able to avoid my most common traps.
The other thing becoming an expert in failure did was humble me. I thought I knew so much but in reality I believed many things that were wrong. I had to learn what was right so I could become my own coach.4 -
I started at age 50 and lost 125 lbs, have maintained at normal BMI for three years now. What changed things for me was a diabetes diagnosis plus being very ill in the hospital and realizing I needed to shape up or die.
To make things easier for myself, I did two things in addition to diet and exercise. I decided that I would not be successful in cutting out food when it was the main source of pleasure and comfort in my life. So I decided to actively seek out sources of pleasure which were not food related, and I made an effort to fix several long term issues which were adding stress to my life. My kitchen was hateful so I redid it and now I love it. My job situation needed to be fixed, and so did some things about my relationships. These were long term problems which had been making my life a little less happy every day for years. I also learned to love running, and to go places and do things with my mother other than eating.
Second, I knew that each time my previous yo-yo diets had failed, it was because of me gradually eating more and more like my husband, who constantly put temptation before me. So I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with my husband and explained that I would not be keeping him company for half an hour after I finished eating (he’s a very slow eater) or ordering pizza every other night, or sitting next to him while he stuffed his face watching TV. My favorite foods were no longer going to be in the house, and if he wanted them, he could get them elsewhere. No eating in front of me unless I was also eating. No complaining when I wanted to work out. Thankfully my husband was as upset with my health scare as I was, and has never been anything but supportive after that conversation. And as a result he has also lost thirty pounds!13 -
Hi!! I just wanted to say I am proud of you for making changes! I started with well over 100 pounds to lose and now I have 90.2 to lose, so I'm thrilled to just have less than 100 to lose now. We will both get there!!!5
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I completely agree with @MikePfirrman's post. That is exactly what I did. I've been at this for 11 months, and so far lost a little over 100 pounds, and yes, I'm also over 50.
I started small. Step one was logging all my food as accurately as possible. Later I added one new healthy habit a month that I thought I could probably manage to do nearly every day. I didn't make any changes that I couldn't live with for the rest of my life.
The goal here is to make this as easy on yourself as possible. The more difficult you make it, the less likely you will have for success.
Like @NovusDies, I too had a long history of failure. Weight loss followed by weight gain. What I know is different this time is that before I always thought of my diet as having a end point. As in, "Oh, when I get off my diet, I can't wait to eat (fill in the blank)" Now I know that I will be eating this way forever. And that is okay because I'm not depriving myself of the food I love, I'm just limiting the frequency and quantity of some of the more calorie dense food in my life.
Best of luck to you. You know that you can be successful because you have successfully lost weight in the past. Now you need to learn how to sustain it. And there's lots of support on MFP to help you with that.5 -
There is so much wisdom here, I am grateful for all of this advice. I really like the idea that many have stated about doing one thing so it becomes a habit and then adding the next thing so it too becomes a habit. Slow and steady wins the race is true in this case. It can feel overwhelming but when you think of the positive results for the rest of our lives it feels worth it. Thank you for all of this good advice.4
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I am 58 and have yo yo’d for the last twenty years. I began on February 4, 2020 with a goal of losing 100 lbs. As of my weigh in this morning, I have lost 42 pounds, (let’s say in about 12 weeks). Eating the correct balance of food is critical. Portion control and food pairings and timing are also important. In addition to eating healthy and tasty foods (that I like), the most important thing for me was to stay on my eating schedule.
It took me a while to get into a routine that worked. Once I realized that my body responded to my eating plan relative to not only what I ate but when I ate, the journey seems simpler. I began to slowly incorporate exercise into my routine and especially on days that I had less forgiving foods (perhaps baked chicken wings - skin on), and things are working.
There is no doubt in my mind that I will reach my goal. Most importantly, I have created an overall philosophy in how I approach nutrition and exercise. A huge part of it is to stay on schedule.3 -
Braiinstrm wrote: »I am 58 and have yo yo’d for the last twenty years. I began on February 4, 2020 with a goal of losing 100 lbs. As of my weigh in this morning, I have lost 42 pounds, (let’s say in about 12 weeks). Eating the correct balance of food is critical. Portion control and food pairings and timing are also important. In addition to eating healthy and tasty foods (that I like), the most important thing for me was to stay on my eating schedule
Wow! Absolutely incredible! This is an empowering story and again, so inspirational. The staying on schedule is good advice. Thank you. Keep up the good work, you are well on your way on your journey.0 -
Wow! Absolutely incredible! This is an empowering story and again, so inspirational. The staying on schedule is good advice. Thank you. Keep up the good work, you are well on your way on your journey. (Sorry, I put my comment in your quote by mistake.
) 0 -
Edge your way down slowly. Small steps are easier to manage.
Find your balance. The All or Nothing approach to weight loss will no longer serve you.
Don't obsess over what you're eating. Clean Eating is a made-up rule.
It is Mind Over Matter. What other people think about you doesn't matter but so much of this stuff is mental. Almost all of the rules and regulations about weight loss are complete myths.
The number one reason any particular diet fails is that they are implemented so brutally strict right out of the chute that every part of a person's being rebels fairly quickly. The Shock and Awe approach is another set-up for creating cycles of dieting and then eating it all back. Rebound weight gain with friends.
Age doesn't matter. Age doesn't matter if the matter doesn't age.
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cugogirl2017 wrote: »Wow! Absolutely incredible! This is an empowering story and again, so inspirational. The staying on schedule is good advice. Thank you. Keep up the good work, you are well on your way on your journey. )
In the middle of rapid weight loss. Will they reach goal? Will they successfully adapt before it is too late? Will they successfully maintain?cmriverside wrote: »I really had to "treat" my whole life...work, relationships past and present, childhood issues, food choices, nutrition and food prep, exercise, stress management, sleep, pharmaceuticals, alcohol use, sugar and flour use, hydration, supplements. It's not just one thing, but you can do One Thing Today Just start and make small changes where you can, then keep doing that. I would suggest you start by logging all your food for a week. Then study your FOOD diary and figure out ways to make changes. Keep reading!
10+ years of maintenanceI lost 50 pounds about 10 years ago and have kept it off that whole time. Got me off the meds for hypertension and cholesterol. For me it was really about changing the food - cutting out pretty much all processed food (including branded soft drinks), reducing meat and increasing plants, some carb cutting. And doing that meant changing my relationship with food - learning again how much I love real cooking (rather than just heating up some pre-packaged meal) and trying new things, and how much better I felt taking in real nutrition. Exercise came along with that. I started running and biking, as well as doing some strength training. But this was secondary to (and probably made possible by) the food overhaul. The exercise definitely helped stimulate my metabolism, but it was actually more important as a stress reducer and sleep improver. Even just getting out for a good walk is great.
10+ years of maintenance.
Even if I didn't choose to implement some things the exact same way... 10+ years of maintenance says I will consider his points.rheddmobile wrote: »I started at age 50 and lost 125 lbs, have maintained at normal BMI for three years now. What changed things for me was a diabetes diagnosis plus being very ill in the hospital and realizing I needed to shape up or die.
To make things easier for myself, I did two things in addition to diet and exercise. I decided that I would not be successful in cutting out food when it was the main source of pleasure and comfort in my life. So I decided to actively seek out sources of pleasure which were not food related, and I made an effort to fix several long term issues which were adding stress to my life. My kitchen was hateful so I redid it and now I love it. My job situation needed to be fixed, and so did some things about my relationships. These were long term problems which had been making my life a little less happy every day for years. I also learned to love running, and to go places and do things with my mother other than eating.
Second, I knew that each time my previous yo-yo diets had failed, it was because of me gradually eating more and more like my husband, who constantly put temptation before me. So I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with my husband and explained that I would not be keeping him company for half an hour after I finished eating (he’s a very slow eater) or ordering pizza every other night, or sitting next to him while he stuffed his face watching TV. My favorite foods were no longer going to be in the house, and if he wanted them, he could get them elsewhere. No eating in front of me unless I was also eating. No complaining when I wanted to work out. Thankfully my husband was as upset with my health scare as I was, and has never been anything but supportive after that conversation. And as a result he has also lost thirty pounds!
3+ years of maintenance.0 -
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/25/health/95-regain-lost-weight-or-do-they.html
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https://www.biolayne.com/articles/nutrition/where-is-the-evidence-for-long-term-weight-loss-success/
successfully maintaining weight lost beyond 2-years exponentially increased the likelihood of success, with a 50% reduction in risk for weight regain between 2-years and 4-years. Maintenance over 5-years reduced risk of regain by 71%. The picture that emerges is that duration of time spent in maintenance is a critical factor. Where weight has already started to be regained within a 1 to 2-year period, the odds of weight regain continuing in an almost linear fashion are significant.
Two observations emerge from scrutinizing the evidence for long-term weight loss maintenance. The first is that the period between 2 and 5-years post weight loss appears to be critical, with duration of maintenance a key determining factor increasing the odds of maintaining significantly beyond two years and linearly improving up to and beyond 5-years [7][8][9][10]. In this context, 5-years is a more appropriate time point to consider weight loss maintenance ‘successful’.
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Determinants of weight loss maintenance: a systematic review (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12772)
Obesity remains a multifactorial process involving not only behaviour but also psychology and the environment.
Future solutions in weight loss maintenance likely require a greater focus on self‐efficacy to engage in behaviour change and to maintain it.
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<duh, on the conclusion, though the review does contain some interesting points> What works for one, or many, does not necessarily work for ME, or YOU. Still, it may be worth considering when picking choosing what I believe will work best for ME!
<because of my previous post above, I ended up checking! So: PAV8888: within the normal weight range since February 23, 2016 (not yet 5 years!) AND I am crashing this "obese and over 50" party" since I managed to get into overweight 8 months BEFORE I hit 50!>3 -
I am 78 and lost 214 pounds 40+ years ago.I have a few pounds, never more than 5, that I have gained and lost again a few times I follow the Mediterranean Diet.7
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QuilterInVA wrote: »I am 78 and lost 214 pounds 40+ years ago.I have a few pounds, never more than 5, that I have gained and lost again a few times I follow the Mediterranean Diet.
49 here. Landed in hospital with pneumonia during this past Christmas week. .... thankfully they were able to get me back to health. Without being prompted by my Dr, Family or friends I decided that the party had been going on long enough. I kicked it off with the amount of weight lost during hospitalization. I changed habits, portions, time and added cardio. I did check in with a dietician to make sure what I started was a good plan and overall good Nutrition. She was complimentary and wished most folks came with a semblance of a plan. So that told me at least I kicked it off on a good foot. I didn’t let the stay at home slow me down so managed to get a treadmill in the house before that went down. It compliments my elliptical that has been ignored for many years. Along with a stretch station the elliptical and treadmill are in the back part of our living room in front of my audio and video setup. I’m down enough weight that I likely have to get off blood pressure meds possibly as soon as this coming week. I still have more work to go, but having my wife along for the 2nd act has been good for both of us. Just go at your pace and let the tiny wins fuel you... I’m hoping I can be on a forum when I hit my 70s that my new normal has been my noramal for the last 20 years... ✊🏿 respect7 -
QuilterInVA wrote: »I am 78 and lost 214 pounds 40+ years ago.I have a few pounds, never more than 5, that I have gained and lost again a few times I follow the Mediterranean Diet.
You are my newest she-ro!!!1 -
I also hope you will explore this site. There is so much wonderful knowledge and inspiration. I have found the 10 day challenges fantastic, the participants incredibly supportive and a chance to just comment on how you are doing daily. Maybe just read the site for inspiration, so many wonderful people are involved.1
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Excellent advice here!
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I am 56 and need to lose atleast 100 pounds. I am back on track but I have yoyo dieted for decades. For those that are succeeding - how did you do it???
Hi there, I have also yoyo dieted for many years, I just got serious about it and started doing a lot of research, I started following some of the no/low carb diet, I was told that carbs make you more hungry.
I have tryed weight watchers and a nutritionist, and all I saw it doing was mainting my weight and of course costing me a lot. I am taking a few hints from those and trying it on my own, hope I have luck.
I am working on loosing weight because I would like to be able to do more things with my grandchildren.
Good Luck on your journey, and I will be glad to help you in any way that I can.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Mary Beth in Ohio (Jaxsgma)0 -
I'm 57, 160 cm tall and weigh 89 kg.
I hit a plateau in the past 5 yrs and no matter what diet or exercise I do nothing works. I even joined a weightloss camp for 2 weeks with a very strict diet and 5 hrs exercise daily and all i lost was >3 kg which came back in few weeks.
I monitor my calories and macros and I rarely go over 1200. I Limited cheat days. My problem is that I can't accept myself this way and I ran out of ideas. I do exercise but carefully cause of my bad knees, mostly on treadmill.
Also, I live a daily struggle in kitchen having to cook delicious food for family and healthy FF, low carb food for me.
Whenever I think of giving up and just limit my food intake I gain more weight. Feel that I gained immunity from dieting all my life since my teenage.
Any tips or ideas.1 -
I’m 51 was 244lbs female 5 ft 2
I lost 100lbs
Loads exercise and staying in plan 90%0
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