Women over 40- Let's lose 20 pounds!

angelfish257 wrote: »

Just found this group and would like to join! I will be 42 in July and am rapidly approaching 14stone (196lbs) which is the absolute heaviest I have ever been in my life. I am 5'5 tall and carry my weight mainly between my waist and my knees, feel disgusting and sluggish and even my 'big' stretchy clothes no longer fit. I am miserable and keen to turn this around! I would love to be 130-140lbs, but if I could even lose 10lbs right now that would be a great start and the motivation I need. I am interested in giving intermittent fasting a go, has anyone else on here tried it?

I am similar to you- hold my weight in the same areas. My hips have been hurting and I know it has been because of weight gain these last few months. I like intermittent fasting in general; I think it is important not to graze all day and to give the digestive system a break. I hope to learn more about it too.

@PedmomJill I've been using BOD for about three years (minus some breaks for low motivation or injury). I'm also a big Joel fan I tried 80DO, but the work with the loops irritated my lower back. I was sad about that as it seems to be a great program for results. I recently started 10 Rounds, but all the bouncing was also not great for my back. LIIFT4 is my go-to program. I picked it up following a long break and some physio therapy. I like that he gives great instruction and it moves at a pace that allows me to keep form. I've just started adding in some extra cardio and am hoping that will help with my calorie goals on MFP.

@tiff0277 and @wendyron3 I hear you both! I've had to work to consciously make a switch to being grateful for growing strength and slow progress (sometimes so slow that I can't see it!). I am healthy and will not help my situation when I reach for chocolate or treats to feel better!

Hope everyone is having a good day! Great to see everyone checking in!

Welcome ladies I'm 43 yo 215 goal is 180ish.
Glad to see other ladies in the same category!! 😌
My problem is my keeping the weight off, after being on medication with side effects of weight gain. I've been on My Fitness for nearly a 9 months and lost nearly 10 to 12 pound and kept them off so far. My calories have been anywhere between 1200 to 1300 per day consistently now I need to add some sort of workout now that I'm home working and not moving around as much

Happy May to all. Wonderful things happen in May, Mothers Day, flowers and gardens come to life here in Kentucky. One of my favorite months. My husband have hikes planned. I do hope I can ge out and enjoy my happy place.

@copernicus0001 Thank you I will work on goals.

Happy may All! I'm checking in here as I finish my very brief lunch break...It's finally getting warmer here (Southern Ontario, Canada) and we are looking forward to being able to get out in some good weather this weekend!

@Mountainlove we are working on expanding our garden this year. Building some bigger boxes for raised beds and going to see if we can grow potatoes among our other usuals this year. I do love veggies right from the garden. I'm also excited to have my own rhubarb already coming up!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well. It's been an interesting week. This morning I found out my finances were compromised, so I have spent most of today contacting people and closing accounts and re-opening new ones. What a pain!! These hackers are such losers!

@loucr1980 Have you gotten in any exercise since Tuesday??

@tiff0277 Take it one day at a time! How about just do a workout ONE day and see how it goes? You don't have to exercise every single day to be healthy. I can't believe it's May already! Hiking is fun. I wish I could go more but like cycling alone, it can be intimidating hiking with just my dogs.

@queenieck47 Never to late to join in! How are things with the Covid-19 virus in South Africa?

@angelfish257 Welcome to the group! I do IF but not really strictly. I am not a breakfast eater, so waiting doesn't bother me. I tend to eat breakfast at 11am, lunch at 2:30pm, and dinner at 6:30pm. I mostly "say" I'm doing IF to help my mind be okay with not eating anything at night lol.

@copernicus0001 Most of my riding is on the street around my house. I like to go up and down the blocks and wave to people. I don't really feel safe riding alone on trails, you just never know who or what is lurking. When I do go on a trail, I have pepper spray strapped to my wrist.

@mummiecakes Liift4 is definitely my favorite BOD program, although I didn't have the best results. So far 80DO is the winner in that regard, but man, they are SO long! I try to workout at noon as a lunch break, but some days I just can't be gone 90 minutes for a workout and shower. I really liked the length of MM100, but again, not great results.

@kristan8515 I was quite heavy when I started with Beachbody. I just did the workouts that seemed to be easier and followed the modifier. It was a long time before I could keep up, but I just kept at it. I can do more now, but I still hate the jumpy stuff. And don't get me started on burpees lol. Glad to see you in the group!

@aperfecttouch4474 Welcome to the group! I'm so with you-I've probably lost 300 pounds in my adult life-50 pounds here and there and always gain it back. I'm really hopeful it sticks this time because I do have more time to devote to myself at this point in my life. We can do it!

@Mountainlove Yeah, WW has their own way of doing things for sure. I guess they are more successful if their clients aren't, sadly. I have a hard time getting all my protein in, too. I'm not a vegetarian but I am not a huge meat lover either. Peanut butter is one go-to, but the darn fat hurts as much as the protein helps. Spring is so nice. I have some landscaping to do and I think this weekend is finally going to be warm and dry enough to get started.

@worthit78 Hi there and welcome. Forgiving ourselves for our past mistakes is never easy, that's for sure. It sounds like you are on a great path now, so what better time to put your health needs front and center? Are you planning exercise?

As I mentioned, I've been sitting at my desk and on the phone all day, ugh. I missed my workout. I like getting away from my desk and really like getting the exercise done early. But my son will be at his dad's this weekend, so I'll have time after work. It's Leg day!

Good morning all. I have joined a challenge group for accountability I'm hoping that helps. Haha🤣🤣 May will be my turn around month!

@PedmomJill thank you one step at a time is all I can do at the moment. I'm sorry someone decided to make your day miserable. Good luck on the fix. We had that happen not to long ago and it was a pain.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day

@mummiecakes That’s awesome! Your efforts are paying off, great feeling. Welcome new peeps. I hope everyone had a good week with tracking and exercise.

Work last week has been stressful and we had restaurant food donations delivered multiple times so it was hard not to eat something warm and fresh. I was watchful of portion sizes unlike before MFP I would eat 2 platefuls without blinking.

Today I ran 7 miles, I enjoyed the sunshine and nice weather. I prepped lunches again, kept it simple- grilled some vegetables and chicken thighs. For breakfast I made Morning Glory Muffins, whole-grain and loaded with carrots and apples. Combined with a hardboiled egg, it will be great on the go breakfast.

My goal next week is to fit in 2 strength workouts along with running. I skipped strength this week but need to get back to it.

kristin8515 - Sorry, I read your post wrong! I have had an underactive thyroid for years and I totally get the fatigue that comes with it. On top of trying to take my medicine at the same time every day and by itself, my doctor has wanted me to start taking Vitamin D because my level was low and apparently it helps with the thyroid functioning. I will let you know if I feel any difference once I add this into my daily routine. I hope you have a good week!

@mummicakes Yay for good weather! It was beautiful in Wisconsin this weekend, but now it's back to cold. But I'm so happy that I got a bike ride in! And woo hoo on your 2 pound loss! Are you in the medical field? Asking since you said your work had a lot of food donations.

@sweetstevens Sorry about the vet visits-I hope your pet is okay. And wishing good news on the mammo-I've had two scares in the last 5 years. Everything was negative, but it sure cost me a lot of money and worry. Good luck making time for yourself this week!

@Mountainlove Oh, you're a teacher-I'm sure this has been a really bad time of struggle for you. Great idea to turn off the electronics for some peace and quiet. Tornado.......are you in Tennessee? My work has several locations there and one of my friends shared a post of a tornado that went through Nashville where some construction guys got stuck on a roof. Scary stuff. I have found that the sunscreen you spray on is way less gready than the lotion; hope that helps. Speaking of running.......I might start doing a little bit of that with my German Shepherd. I think it would do her good, even though I've never enjoyed it lol.

I was so happy we had good weather this weekend, finally. I got an 8 mile bike ride in and even clipped in and was comfortable. I'm pretty surprised since I hadn't ridden my bike for almost two years. I'm hoping to get more riding in this year. One of the issues is it's super windy where I live-there is a lot of farm country surrounding me, and not many buildings to slow down the wind. I'm just going to have to suck it up and do the best I can in the wind.

So as usual, I missed my noon workout time today; it seems to happen every Monday. I just have too much email and mail to manage on Mondays. I will definitely get it done after work though. I don't want to fall behind. I was a day behind last week and it really bugged me. I'm in a Facebook group where we all started 80 Day Obsession together so it isn't as fun when I'm not on the same workout day. It's booty day again-a full hour of nothing but booty exercises!

Happy Monday to you all! It’s nice to hear so many people be so supportive to each other! It really is encouraging. I have been enjoying the weather here in Ohio too! Sunday we had a 80 degree day and enjoyed a long hike. I have been doing pretty good on nutrition and have exercised most days since the quarantine. Yesterday was one of those overwhelming high anxiety days. I went way over in calories and didn’t exercise. I don’t know why all of the sudden I loose my resolve. I was able to get it together today though. I’m hoping that I can keep it together and get to a healthy happy weight!
Good luck to all and have a great week!

Hi, mgan9311! I understand your frustration. Our bodies can be one giant mystery puzzle. Sad to say, the only way I have lost any weight in the past two decades has been from having cancer. Before my diagnosis, I was working out all the time and losing nothing. Then, I found MFP and realized that I was eating back those work out calories and then some. On some of my tries, I would last two weeks or a month and not see a difference on the scale and would give up. I also know that back then, I was not taking my thyroid medication consistently. I have now learned how missing just one dose can negatively affect my body.

It is so difficult to not become disheartened when the scale goes up and not down. I am fighting that feeling already. But I am committing myself to striving for three months of consistency. While I too have "tried" many things, I have not tried something, other than keto, and really stuck to it to see if there was a change. (After two months of keto, I lost a couple of pounds, but blood work showed that my liver enzymes had dramatically increased and my doctor determined that my liver could not process the keto diet without damage). If I can show myself that I have monitored my calories, cut back on my carbs, and increased my exercise for these three months, then I know that something outside of my control is going on. Perhaps you can come up with your own 3-month plan and we can be there for each other to stay the course! Thinking of you and hope you have a good night!

mgan9311 wrote: »

Hi all.. I'm new not new new....ok it's been a while. I'm 210ish, almost 42, 5'5" and nothing works. I'm a muscular fat kinda person...and I can't shrink. I've tried everything, calorie restriction, keto, whole30, vegetarian, etc. Zilch. I even cut out processed foods and nothing. I don't drink soda and don't eat sugar or much bread, no pasta, etc. Tracking doesn't seem to make a difference. Has anyone had this problem? I've started a running program, do total gym for strength training, yoga, and spinning. I am also a hiker/backpacker. Ive even tried a nutritionist and I gained weight lol. I think my heart is ok, I'm not diabetic, and I don't have high blood pressure.

So if anyone is also having trouble, I'm desperate for help and support. And I'm right there with you!

Will you be my friend?

So sorry to hear you're struggling especially with all the efforts you're putting in.
Have you had your hormones checked? Doesn't make sense that you're not losing.

I'll be your friend

BittersweetVita wrote: »

Hi, mgan9311! I understand your frustration. Our bodies can be one giant mystery puzzle. Sad to say, the only way I have lost any weight in the past two decades has been from having cancer. Before my diagnosis, I was working out all the time and losing nothing. Then, I found MFP and realized that I was eating back those work out calories and then some. On some of my tries, I would last two weeks or a month and not see a difference on the scale and would give up. I also know that back then, I was not taking my thyroid medication consistently. I have now learned how missing just one dose can negatively affect my body.

It is so difficult to not become disheartened when the scale goes up and not down. I am fighting that feeling already. But I am committing myself to striving for three months of consistency. While I too have "tried" many things, I have not tried something, other than keto, and really stuck to it to see if there was a change. (After two months of keto, I lost a couple of pounds, but blood work showed that my liver enzymes had dramatically increased and my doctor determined that my liver could not process the keto diet without damage). If I can show myself that I have monitored my calories, cut back on my carbs, and increased my exercise for these three months, then I know that something outside of my control is going on. Perhaps you can come up with your own 3-month plan and we can be there for each other to stay the course! Thinking of you and hope you have a good night!

Hi there, thanks for sharing your insight. I will take this into consideration...I think I am going to start putting 1 calorie in every time I do a workout and stick to my calorie goal for now so I don't eat back my cals. I am targeting 1800 calories a day. I hope that isn't too much or too little. But I cannot survive on less than 1600..I feel ill on a long term low calorie count. The exception is fasting - which I am interested in. But I can't bring myself to do it yet. My mom did it for religious purposes and she maintained her weight throughout her life without dieting, until her cancer. But she loved some sugary stuff which was to her detriment. She had breast cancer and thyroid cancer, which metastasized. She found her breast lump about 7 years before seeing a doc about it. She was already stage 4. SO part of what is driving me is my age...and fear of getting cancer like she did.

I like the three month plan idea. I am calling this my quarantine health reset.

mgan9311 wrote: »

Hi Toni, thanks for the friend request

No, I haven't been to have the hormones checked specifically...no doctor has ever mentioned it. They say I have metabolic syndrome but can't back it up with tests - i.e. there's no tests for that and its hard to detect. They always say eat better and exercise more. Lower cholesterol. My cholesterol has been static at 200 my entire life, that's normal for me. Then they say calories in vs calories out. Ya...I believe in actually eating! I probably should go to my newer doc and ask her if she can do hormone tests to see if its out of whack. I can't take hormone replacement with estrogens...I have a blood clotting disorder.

I've ramped up my home workouts since the end of April. I took measurements on April 30 and I'm trying to pick a day to take them again to see if I'm making any progress. I tend to hold water for sure....and can gain 3-5 pounds of water weight overnight, and during my cycle. But I am chronically dehydrated all the time...so, I make sure I drink 2+ liters of water a day.

Today, I hopped on my total gym for my circuit strength training. Now I'm eating plain oatmeal and egg whites mixed with vegetables. Its sooo good! I notice I am starving after any kind of weight training, but after cardio, I am not hungry at all and and actually lose my appetite. Is that normal? I'm going running tonight (Going to learn to run and do a 5k before I get old).

But I don't think cardio builds muscle? Can anyone weigh in on this?

Anything hormone related, I see my Herbalist as she looks at my holistic health rather than just the symptoms.
For example, my "usual" GP (family Dr) completely missed my endometriosis and adenomyosis which was eventually picked up by my Herbalist and confirmed by my Gynecologist but still resulted in a hysterectomy at age 40, luckily I had completed my family. My Herbalist continues to prescribe a variety of herbs if my hormones start going crazy again, luckily it's only been twice since my op.
Hope that helps you