60 yrs and up

1160161163165166232

Replies

  • TXISPA
    TXISPA Posts: 93 Member
    I'm happy I found this group. I was reading the comments and watching the videos and I like what I read. I found out that trying to lose weight alone is hard so I decided to look for a group that is positive and shows support. I don't have a routine to participate in a group but I will try to support others and benefit from all your experience and great ideas.
  • BCLadybug888
    BCLadybug888 Posts: 1,179 Member
    Hi Everyone, I'm starting again. I'd like to lose about 80 pounds. I've had three successful days so far but today I started feeling hungry. I am trying to stick to 1200 calories a day.

    Hi, I'm concerned 1200 calories is too low when you want to lose 80 lbs...it's important whatever you do now is something you can live with for the long haul, or it's lose some/quit/gain repeat. At least that's what happens to me.

    Thanks Ann for another really great (and helpful) post!

    Welcome @TXISPA!
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,716 Member
    P.S. I've also kind of barged in on this thread since I discovered it. And I talk too much. But I'm working on it 🙁

    I've always found your posts to be insightful, @ridiculous59. Barge away. I think your input is great. It's good to see lots of activity in this group.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,807 Member
    P.S. I've also kind of barged in on this thread since I discovered it. And I talk too much. But I'm working on it 🙁

    I've always found your posts to be insightful, @ridiculous59. Barge away. I think your input is great. It's good to see lots of activity in this group.

    🙂🙂
  • Timberlan127
    Timberlan127 Posts: 237 Member
    AnnPT77 Thank you so much for all the good ideas and insight. I think I am frustrated because I have always found it easy to lose weight in the past but now at 72 it suddenly doesn't come off easy any more. I have always been a yoyo dieter. At my age I don't want to have to do that any more. I want to get the weight off and keep it off. In order to lose now though I do have to keep the calories fairly low. I try to keep it to 1200 so that when I do go over a little it shouldn't matter too much. I think you are right about being in a place where my body needs to adjust to the changes I am making. I have done better today. Also adding a little popcorn or other lower calorie snack right now is probably a good idea to keep me from binging. I did find the AARP Whole Body Reset diet which says some of the same things you mentioned. They also stress having at least 25 grams of protein at each meal. I think that is an area that I need to improve. I am very grateful for all the good suggestions. I want this to be a permanent life style change. I also tried the idea of a hot drink and it did help!!. So that is one I will keep using. You're right that we all have to find what works best for us but it also helps to hear about what others find successful. I am really determined to make this time a permanent success. Thank you again. You have good ideas.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    AnnPT77 Thank you so much for all the good ideas and insight. I think I am frustrated because I have always found it easy to lose weight in the past but now at 72 it suddenly doesn't come off easy any more. I have always been a yoyo dieter. At my age I don't want to have to do that any more. I want to get the weight off and keep it off. In order to lose now though I do have to keep the calories fairly low. I try to keep it to 1200 so that when I do go over a little it shouldn't matter too much. I think you are right about being in a place where my body needs to adjust to the changes I am making. I have done better today. Also adding a little popcorn or other lower calorie snack right now is probably a good idea to keep me from binging. I did find the AARP Whole Body Reset diet which says some of the same things you mentioned. They also stress having at least 25 grams of protein at each meal. I think that is an area that I need to improve. I am very grateful for all the good suggestions. I want this to be a permanent life style change. I also tried the idea of a hot drink and it did help!!. So that is one I will keep using. You're right that we all have to find what works best for us but it also helps to hear about what others find successful. I am really determined to make this time a permanent success. Thank you again. You have good ideas.

    I'm glad you got some things to try, from my ridiculous long essay!

    Yo-yo dieting, repeated many times, does have the potential to make later weight loss some small bit more difficult. (I could belabor the reasons, and will if anyone wants that, but I've already rattled off enough verbiage in this sub-thread otherwise, I think!)

    One of the bases of the AARP's protein recommendation was a link I think I put on this thread earlier, but I'll repeat it because we do have quite a few new folks. It's an article titled "Evidence-Based Recommendations for Optimal Dietary Protein Intake in Older People: A Position Paper From the PROT-AGE Study Group". While it's a scientific paper, it's written in a form that's very accessible without specialized knowledge.

    https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

    The main point, as you say, was getting enough protein and spreading it through the day - protein timing found to have been more important for folks our age than it is for younger people. I haven't read the AARP book, but read an article about the book in the AARP magazine.

    The linked report about protein includes some advice for special cases, such as for certain chronic health conditions, plus advice about protein and exercise.
  • Timberlan127
    Timberlan127 Posts: 237 Member
    I haven't read the book either Ann but AARP has a challenge going on right now that breaks down what the book says and you can go through it in 10 steps. It was interesting and helped me to get back into thinking healthy. I loved all your info. I'm glad you were willing to spend the time sharing it. I am also a yoyo dieter and it's probably why I have had so much trouble getting started and losing weight this time. My body is tired of the constant up and down. I don't want to lose a huge amount each week but I'd like to see it consistently working. Now that I am counting calories again I am seeing some progress. Now I need to stick with it and not get caught up in the sweets again. They are my addiction. 🙁
  • carlakringuette
    carlakringuette Posts: 5 Member
    Hi folks. I just turned 60 in January. With all that's happened in the past two years I've finally started back to the gym doing only 30 minutes on the bike. My goal is consistency through all the challenges. Looking to build an accountability team in my age bracket. Feel free to add me.
  • alteredsteve175
    alteredsteve175 Posts: 2,716 Member
    SbetaK wrote: »
    I just got back from a destination wedding on a tropical island, and enjoyed wonderful local food and an overabundance Pina Coladas. And big sunburn. And....surprisingly I lost 6 pounds! I did not log any meals, but my improved eating habits from being on MFP for a few years helped! I need to go back there, haha.
    That's living the good life, Suz. A tropical island, local food, adult beverages and you lost weight. Well done! 😎
  • rick3390
    rick3390 Posts: 11 Member
    I just couldn't be more frustrated! I have been consistently below 1500 calories for almost 2 months and have only lost 6 lbs. Weight is up one day and down the next. Last week I actually gained weight, how is that even possible? Is this common to yoyo constantly? I was down 8 lbs and somehow then only down 3 lbs a few days later, it is just nonsensical to me. Macros and Nutrients are spot on at the end of each day. What am I missing?
  • aqua14lisa
    aqua14lisa Posts: 35 Member
    rick3390 wrote: »
    I just couldn't be more frustrated! I have been consistently below 1500 calories for almost 2 months and have only lost 6 lbs. Weight is up one day and down the next. Last week I actually gained weight, how is that even possible? Is this common to yoyo constantly? I was down 8 lbs and somehow then only down 3 lbs a few days later, it is just nonsensical to me. Macros and Nutrients are spot on at the end of each day. What am I missing?

    Rick, I totally understand your frustration. I'm in a similar situation, down only 3 pounds since January. Do you want the weight back? Of course not, neither do I.

    Imo, weight can and will change daily based upon water/fluid intake, salt consumption, carbohydrates eaten and exercise (sore muscles will hold fluids, I've read here). Maybe weigh yourself once a week if daily is frustrating. My logged foods are sometimes underestimated in quantities and exercise calories gained, overestimated. Keeping up with the exercise is helping me and this week the scale is moving lower. My shape is changing too. Are your clothes fitting better? Mine are!

    The weight will come off when your body is ready to let it go. Be patient with yourself. Are you eating too few calories? That can also be an issue. I'm sure others will post insightful comments and suggestions.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    I haven't read the book either Ann but AARP has a challenge going on right now that breaks down what the book says and you can go through it in 10 steps. It was interesting and helped me to get back into thinking healthy. I loved all your info. I'm glad you were willing to spend the time sharing it. I am also a yoyo dieter and it's probably why I have had so much trouble getting started and losing weight this time. My body is tired of the constant up and down. I don't want to lose a huge amount each week but I'd like to see it consistently working. Now that I am counting calories again I am seeing some progress. Now I need to stick with it and not get caught up in the sweets again. They are my addiction. 🙁

    Do you have a link or something for the AARP challenge, @Timberlan127? I'm thinking some other folks here may be AARP members who could benefit. (The article in their magazine looked pretty sensible, though they didn't sound enthusiastic about calorie counting, in which I'm 100% a believer. I think it was in an issue a couple of months back . . . I'd say which date but I already recycled that issue, unfortunately.)

    As a high-level generality, I think the way a history of extreme yo-yo dieting makes future loss harder is through a combination of:
    * very gradual muscle mass loss (via fast weight lost, maybe too-low protein besides),
    * regain of mostly fat during the regain stage (very little muscle regained)
    * gradually slowing daily life activity (because movement is harder/less fun with less muscle mass, so we get out of the habit, essentially, and habits of less movement persist), plus
    * adaptive thermogenesis.

    The effects of each round could be small, but add up after multiple rounds of yo-yo.

    The good news is that both loss of lean mass and habits of reduced activity can be reversed. For the lean mass, manageably strength-challenging exercise is the route (slow but effective, even at our age) plus good nutrition (especially but not exclusively adequate protein). For the habits of reduced activity, part of the answer can be manageably and gradual increasing exercise frequency, duration, intensity, or type, plus this sort of thing to reverse habits of daily life inactivity:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    There was a thread about damage from yo-yo dieting where I posted in more detail about this, if anyone wants the whole nine yards version:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/46709680#Comment_46709680
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    rick3390 wrote: »
    I just couldn't be more frustrated! I have been consistently below 1500 calories for almost 2 months and have only lost 6 lbs. Weight is up one day and down the next. Last week I actually gained weight, how is that even possible? Is this common to yoyo constantly? I was down 8 lbs and somehow then only down 3 lbs a few days later, it is just nonsensical to me. Macros and Nutrients are spot on at the end of each day. What am I missing?

    Actually, @rick3390, 6 pounds in two months is about 3/4 pound a week, not too bad IMO. It's progress, at least: Better than most of the population is doing! If you have a lot to lose - you didn't say - maybe it would be OK to be a little faster, but 3/4 pound a week is 39 pounds in a year, which is pretty meaningful! (The health experts seem to be saying these days that even dropping 10% of our body weight is a health benefit.)

    The up and down thing is 100% normal. Mostly, it's changes in water retention - body can be 60%+ water, and that's up and down within a day and across a few by multiple pounds, just part of how a healthy body regulates sodium levels, digests carbs, repairs muscles, etc.

    On top of that, we can have more or less "stuff" in our digestive tract on its way to become waste. (If I drink a pint of water, it weighs the same pound in my body it did in the glass, until it becomes sweat or urine (or even gets exhaled as humid vapor). Same deal with fiber and other non-digestible residue in veggies/fruits, etc.: They're part of scale weight until they exit. Since full digestive transit can take up to 50+ hours - per research - that stuff is fluctuating a good bit within a day and across a few, too, depending on what we ate and drank in the last couple of days.)

    Fat loss tends to be more gradual. Even fast loss, at two pounds a week, is less than 5 ounces of fat loss per day. That can play peek-a-boo for multiple days to a small number of weeks on the body weight scale with those bigger swings in water and waste weight. Believe me, I get that that can be frustrating! We want to see those results!

    When I was re-losing a little gain in year 4+ of maintenance, slower than you're going now, back in 2020, that looked like this:

    jcvui126aybj.png

    The solid hills and valleys line isn't even my daily weigh-ins, it's the statistical trend. The vertical lines that go up and down from the trend line: The ends of those are my actual daily weigh ins - huge jumps day to day, but you can see that the overall trend was slowly, slowly down.

    Back in 2015, when I initially lost from class 1 obese to a healthy weight (range where I've been since), the chart looked very similar, it's just that the trend was a little quicker bumpy. Still crazy-bumpy, though. This is a good, informative read, in case you haven't already seen it:

    https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

    Hang in there, I think you're doing good stuff. If you're not satisfied, some common useful strategies are getting more precise with logging, moving more in daily life (not just exercise), keeping so-called "cheat meals" out of the picture, etc. It's for sure not easy every minute, but the results are absolutely worthwhile, IMO.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    Hi folks. I just turned 60 in January. With all that's happened in the past two years I've finally started back to the gym doing only 30 minutes on the bike. My goal is consistency through all the challenges. Looking to build an accountability team in my age bracket. Feel free to add me.

    "Only"??!

    That's not "only" - it's good stuff. Go, you!
  • BCLadybug888
    BCLadybug888 Posts: 1,179 Member
    ... I am really enjoying the exercise and even seeing results! Never thought I would hear myself say I was enjoying exercise...

    This gives me hope that one day I might find those words escape my mouth, never say never! And it just goes to show we should try new things coz it might just be the golden ticket 🎟 lol 🤣

    @alteredsteve175, good thinking to shake up your exercise routine! And maybe the whiskey is part of the better mood? Not the recommendation obs, but still might be a symptom of feeling a little better. 🤔 Hope you can have some peaceable times together ❤.
  • nsk1951
    nsk1951 Posts: 1,291 Member
    Hi ... I'd like to join into this stream discussion ... hope I fit in here ...

    My name Neena ... and I turned 77 on St Patrick's Day this past March. MFP has been part of my life, off and on, since 2012 when I first joined under another profile.

    That was after my younger brother passed away suddenly partly from complications of extreme overweight. My brother and I had the same kind of body profile ... 'big and round around the middle' ... and I knew right then that if I didn't put a halt onto my annual 10-20 pound weight increase that had been going since I hit middle-age that I would be facing the same ending as he had. So ... as of now, It's going on 10 years of learning and trying and more of the same. During that time I have succeeded in my goal of not adding more weight each year and have gone the other way so that I have finally lost 60 pounds, which is about 23% of my highest weight. I'm not very physically active, as I have an issue with mobility .. but I CAN do seated exercise.

    Very recently, I have moved into an apartment for senior citizens and am looking forward to getting to know some of the neighbors ... there is a gym here and I hope that I find some tenants do use it ... cause it would be nice to have an exercise buddy.

    I've noticed in the comments that some folks are concerned about yo-yo weight loss/gain, and calories ... and wanted to share that I find the same thing happens to me ... my weight fluctuates daily and it IS all related to what and how much I ate as well as other factors. And it's all normal for those things to occur. The trick is to not let that derail you. I found that the fullness or looseness of my belly is a good indicator of what's happening in my digestive system and that it is often connected to the type of food I have eaten recently more than to the number of calories I consumed. ... Sometimes I just need to not eat anything at all for most of a day but drink plenty of water to get things moving again.