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  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,895 Member
    @mtaratoot, I'm still trying to figure out what cash flow looks like in retirement. Although it's been two years, my budgeting efforts have been ruffled by a couple of good problems...

    Year one, I had a severance package... which pushed me into a higher tax bracket.

    Year two, after a four year battle, my former employer finalized a multiyear labour contract with the newly minted union which included backdate raises... This meant I got retroactive pay as well as cascading impact in that it raised my best five years (positive impact on pension) and my severance (likewise). Again, I ended up in a higher tax bracket but this time I planned for it...

    As I've just started year three, I'm going to be relocating... a benefit from my previous employer as they'd moved me for work purposes several times. So again, there will be financial disruptions and tax implications...

    On the upside, I've noted the reductions in costs typified in retirement...ie: commuting costs gone etc...
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,156 Member
    Commuting cost savings won't be much. Just bagels. I was almost exclusively a bike commuter. So maybe tires every now and then.

    I have a pretty good idea what my pension will be. It's based on a formula, and I have what I think are all the relevant data to figure it out. I also ran several benefit estimates online, and I've had them make a few written ones in the last couple years. So I'm just waiting to see what it will be. My second month's payment will include a COLA so should be a little higher. Another unknown is when they will roll out another portion of my retirement benefit; I am moving it to another investment. Depending on how markets move, the final cashout could be larger or smaller, and depending what happens between the time they cut the check and I get it in my hand and mail it across the continent I might be buying more or fewer assets. Oh well.

    I think I will be OK. I think I have a 90% chance of not running out of money. That's not bad. I just need to maintain the meager lifestyle I've maintained the last 30 years. At some point I will need to replace my truck. I bought it new in 1997.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,895 Member
    At least you're planning it out. It never ceases to amaze me when people start talking about retirement before they look at financial planning. Here in Canada, that's shockingly common.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,156 Member
    I've been planning for about a decade and saving even longer. Yes, it's amazing how people often don't think about it. It's even more amazing when they rack up debt to buy new cars, boats, or whatever and don't have anything in the bank for themselves. I ran into someone just today who came to pick up the giant pile of garbage we pulled out of the river. He works for the outfit I used to work for. He's been working more years than I have, and he's eligible to retire, but alas he can't because.... not there yet.

    The other unknown is what's going on in the economy and markets these days. All the preparation may help but not be enough if I got the timing all wrong.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,895 Member
    I've got a foot in Canada and one in Texas so I'm quite aware of the current economic conditions in both... and yes, it's quite worrisome. My wife and I are both keen to start gardening...
  • jastrino1235
    jastrino1235 Posts: 5 Member
    I’ve been retired since October 2019. Have same family financial advisor for over 35 years. In decent financial condition now. My advisor actually telling us to enjoy ourselves! Now I am “enjoying” eating more. I am at the highest weight since retiring. When I was working, my wife and I were working out more regularly because we had to fit it in with my schedule. Now that we have a much looser schedule, we lost that “motivation” to get up and get out. Also too much TV. But joining this and other discussion groups, I hope to get back on track and avoid the yo-yo eating/weight gain.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,156 Member
    @jastrino1235

    Welcome. I hope there's value here for you. I've only been retired a few weeks, and the scale is telling me that my routines need some polish.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,022 Member
    Speaking as a retiree with some practice at it (I retired in 2006): The retirement schedule flexibility also permits increasing active fun, if you make those choices.

    I'm careful about "dosing", i.e. gradually increasing activity, and managing overall volume/intensity . . . but my total active volume is higher than I could fit in, pre-retirement. So fun!

    It's a great time to try some manageable new stuff, too. 😊
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,156 Member
    @AnnPT77

    Funny you should mention that.

    I sent a note to a friend "from work" about playing Ultimate and surprising myself at how well I did. He replied, "I expect you to get in better shape the longer you are retired. All the free time without the stress."

    I sent back a note that I think just the stress reduction has improved my performance.
  • jastrino1235
    jastrino1235 Posts: 5 Member
    @AnnPT77
    “Dosing” looks like a great idea. Last week I did 3 days in a row of hard workouts. I was sore the next 3 days. I am not 30 years old anymore ☹️ Today I did a spinning class. I think I will do only a light walk tomorrow. I need to be patient with this “new” old man.
  • juliejames200
    juliejames200 Posts: 8 Member
    Hi, I'm Julie. Looking for motivation and accountability. I'm 53 and have a lot of weight to lose. I live in Nashville, TN.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,156 Member
    Welcome in in!

    In the long run, building healthy habits will win over relying on motivation. Motivation is a limited resource, but you still have to do the things with or without it.

    Give my regards to The Parthenon next time you see it.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,895 Member
    Hi, I'm Julie. Looking for motivation and accountability. I'm 53 and have a lot of weight to lose. I live in Nashville, TN.
    Welcome aboard!!
  • luvmycats
    luvmycats Posts: 1 Member
    I'm not new to MyFitnessPal but restarting. New to communities and to be honest don't post much to them. I work at a sit-down job so finding time to move is difficult. Thought it would try this since WW is really hard to stay on.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,022 Member
    luvmycats wrote: »
    I'm not new to MyFitnessPal but restarting. New to communities and to be honest don't post much to them. I work at a sit-down job so finding time to move is difficult. Thought it would try this since WW is really hard to stay on.

    Hi, @Luvmycats, and welcome (back)!

    I have to say, this group isn't very active, but perhaps it may revive?
  • GinLee61
    GinLee61 Posts: 1,189 Member
    luvmycats wrote: »
    I'm not new to MyFitnessPal but restarting. New to communities and to be honest don't post much to them. I work at a sit-down job so finding time to move is difficult. Thought it would try this since WW is really hard to stay on.

    @luvmycats I totally agree! I've been using MFP to track since January and lost 57 lbs but then my weight loss slowed to a crawl so decided to try WW. I've been doing WW since mid November and have lost another 4 lbs but I find myself using both the MFP and WW apps to ensure that I get enough calories each day as well as to watch my macros. The new WW is so different than when I last did it 20 years ago and I really don't care much for it. I switched to maintenance mode in WW which seems to be working out a little better for me. I also like the communities in MFP better than WW.
  • CrankyOldGoat
    CrankyOldGoat Posts: 17 Member
    Hi folks, and Happy Holidays. I am new both to this group and MyFitnessPal in general. I am 55 years old and a seafood lover; avid walker (with our dog); mountain hiker and kayaker. I'm a health care professional and consider myself healthy and in reasonably good shape, BUT admittedly can lose 50 pounds and be much healthier for it.

    For 2023 I am trying to adopt a healthier "lifestyle routine" and that in itself can be a real challenge, mainly with breaking old habits after years and years of routine (like eating while watching TV in the evenings).

    Intermittent Fasting seems to be both well researched and a great option for lifelong weight maintenance - I like the 5:2 version, but was thinking of a combo - I'd use MFP's new Intermittent Fasting feature and adopt a 16:8 IF habit along with the 5:2! Nutritionally it looks like I can meet all my requirements - as I tend to eat nutrient dense whole foods/ chicken / eggs / and seafoods - plus the 5:2 option allows autophagy to truly kick-in and provide all it's wonderful metabolic cellular benefits.

    Although I used to bodybuild in my 20's and 30's, I'm no longer into "hitting the gym" and plan to incorporate a home based bodyweight calisthenics oriented workout routine, along with daily walks / hikes with my dog and kayaking / ocean swimming when the weather gets warmer.

    Would LOVE to find a mentor and several like-minded MFP friends to help assist me along the way.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,156 Member
    @CrankyOldGoat

    Welcome you cranky old goat! I'm just a cranky old coot. Sounds like you have some general goals and have worked out a decent plan to achieve them. That's a really great way to start.

    I love kayaking, but mostly stay out of the ocean. It's usually about 50 degrees in the water here and doesn't change much through the year. Also it's seldom calm enough to swim. Paddling sea kayaks in rock gardens is pretty exciting - maybe too exciting for me anymore. Surfing whitewater kayaks always scared me a bit, but sure was fun. I mostly stick to rivers for whitewater and milder rivers and lakes for sea kayaking and canoeing, although I'm trying to improve my whitewater canoe skills. My cranky old knees just don't like whitewater canoeing. They hurt after 20 minutes. After 90 minutes, they don't feel so bad anymore, but when I get to shore I can't stand up out of the boat.

    Stay safe out there. Soak up all life has to offer, and try to savor every moment. While you're at it, savor every bite; it sounds like you're going to have that covered too.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 12,895 Member
    Hi folks, and Happy Holidays. I am new both to this group and MyFitnessPal in general. I am 55 years old and a seafood lover; avid walker (with our dog); mountain hiker and kayaker. I'm a health care professional and consider myself healthy and in reasonably good shape, BUT admittedly can lose 50 pounds and be much healthier for it.

    For 2023 I am trying to adopt a healthier "lifestyle routine" and that in itself can be a real challenge, mainly with breaking old habits after years and years of routine (like eating while watching TV in the evenings).

    Intermittent Fasting seems to be both well researched and a great option for lifelong weight maintenance - I like the 5:2 version, but was thinking of a combo - I'd use MFP's new Intermittent Fasting feature and adopt a 16:8 IF habit along with the 5:2! Nutritionally it looks like I can meet all my requirements - as I tend to eat nutrient dense whole foods/ chicken / eggs / and seafoods - plus the 5:2 option allows autophagy to truly kick-in and provide all it's wonderful metabolic cellular benefits.

    Although I used to bodybuild in my 20's and 30's, I'm no longer into "hitting the gym" and plan to incorporate a home based bodyweight calisthenics oriented workout routine, along with daily walks / hikes with my dog and kayaking / ocean swimming when the weather gets warmer.

    Would LOVE to find a mentor and several like-minded MFP friends to help assist me along the way.
    It sounds to me like you've already got a leg up on what most folks on MFP already since you know how to live a healthy lifestyle (ie: both working out and eating right) as well as medical knowledge. Some of us don't really know much about these meat-suits we're operating beyond very basic knowledge...

    Welcome aboard!!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,022 Member
    Hi folks, and Happy Holidays. I am new both to this group and MyFitnessPal in general. I am 55 years old and a seafood lover; avid walker (with our dog); mountain hiker and kayaker. I'm a health care professional and consider myself healthy and in reasonably good shape, BUT admittedly can lose 50 pounds and be much healthier for it.

    For 2023 I am trying to adopt a healthier "lifestyle routine" and that in itself can be a real challenge, mainly with breaking old habits after years and years of routine (like eating while watching TV in the evenings).

    Intermittent Fasting seems to be both well researched and a great option for lifelong weight maintenance - I like the 5:2 version, but was thinking of a combo - I'd use MFP's new Intermittent Fasting feature and adopt a 16:8 IF habit along with the 5:2! Nutritionally it looks like I can meet all my requirements - as I tend to eat nutrient dense whole foods/ chicken / eggs / and seafoods - plus the 5:2 option allows autophagy to truly kick-in and provide all it's wonderful metabolic cellular benefits.

    Although I used to bodybuild in my 20's and 30's, I'm no longer into "hitting the gym" and plan to incorporate a home based bodyweight calisthenics oriented workout routine, along with daily walks / hikes with my dog and kayaking / ocean swimming when the weather gets warmer.

    Would LOVE to find a mentor and several like-minded MFP friends to help assist me along the way.

    Hello, and welcome!

    Sounds like you have a good fitness base and some good habits, just need to get a little better handle on the calorie intake (whether you count the calories or not). I started here in a similar spot: Reasonably fit, reasonably healthy eater . . . but 50-some pounds overweight (though I was 59 at the time). For me, MFP was and has been pretty perfect: I've been at a healthy weight for 7 years now, currently age 67.

    I don't know about you, but I found losing 50+ pounds to be a surprisingly big quality of life improvement, with some benefits even before reaching goal weight.

    Like you and mtaratoot, I'm a human powered boating fan: I have a kayak, but kayak rarely; have canoes but canoe only occasionally anymore; . . . but I row (rowing shells) several days a week in Summer, these days. I also bike a bit, for variety. In Winter, it's mainly rowing machine and stationary bike, just enough so I don't need to start conditioning from ground zero in the Spring. Hereabouts (mid-Michigan), we don't have an ocean, but there are lots of lakes and rivers, plus some Great Lakes an hour or so away. My local rowing club is my main hangout, though.

    This group isn't very active, but there are lots of other threads and groups in the MFP Community. Those were and are helpful to me in learning more about nutrition and health, plus staying engaged mentally in a healthy routine.

    Wishing you much success!