60 yrs and up

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    Pdc654 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    @pdc654, I'm sorry to hear about your bone density test! I think mine's heading in a bad direction now, from my last scan, so I need to go back in for a consultation. I may have to go back on drugs.

    I did take a bisphosphonate for bone density for around 4 years, experienced no significant/observable side effects, and did get an improvement in bone density, to the point that the specialist approved me stopping the drugs at that time. Since things have declined again, we'll see where I go next, I guess.

    Fingers crossed that you get a good outcome!

    @AnnPT77 Thank you so much for this information regarding your experience with medication for bone density. That was very helpful and makes me feel better hearing that you did have improvement with it with no side effects. I really don't want to go down the path my mom did. She had osteoporosis and was pretty frail in her later years. I hope I can prevent that.

    I wish they would start the bone density scans earlier. But medicare pays for it every 2 years starting at age 65. I had my first one at age 65. Then at age 67, and this one at age 69. My first one showed osteopenia already but my doctor only said take calcium and really didn't have any other recommendations. The second one was about the same as the first, and now this one was bad enough to call me in for a consultation. I'm wondering if it was started at 60 with more aggressive management if more bone loss could be prevented.

    Ann, hoping you also see an improvement with your next scan.

    I think some of my bone density issues are related to anti-estrogen drugs I needed to take to minimize risk of cancer recurrence. Menopause increases risk of osteopenia, and some of these drugs create a sort of hyper-menopause state. My bone density was fine before I started them, not good after. (I'm not complaining: I'm nearly 22 years out from stage III (advanced) breast cancer, and alive is an excellent start on the rest of my day. If osteoporosis is the price of that, I'm happy to pay it.)

    On the plus side, they started monitoring bone density early for me, because of those risks. I'm also pretty active, but not weight lifting optimally.
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    @AnnPT77 Now that you mention it, my mom was on Tamoxifen for about 5 years after she had breast cancer. They caught it early and just had a lumpectomy with radiation. No chemo. But they did put her on that anti estrogen drug. So that may have effected her osteoporosis progression as well. Who knows. Glad you're okay now. But you went through a lot
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    Pdc654 wrote: »
    @AnnPT77 Now that you mention it, my mom was on Tamoxifen for about 5 years after she had breast cancer. They caught it early and just had a lumpectomy with radiation. No chemo. But they did put her on that anti estrogen drug. So that may have effected her osteoporosis progression as well. Who knows. Glad you're okay now. But you went through a lot

    Tamoxifen is considered bone protective, in my understanding. It's a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), works by binding to estrogen receptors in cancer cells. (I took Tamoxifen for 2.5 years.)

    The drug I'm 'crediting' with my osteopenia, Arimidex (Anastrozole) is one of a different class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. They block creation of estrogen outside the ovaries, are used these days as hormonal therapy for breast cancer in post-menopausal women. They tend to increase bone loss. (I took Arimidex for 5 years.)
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    @AnnPT77 I did not know that about Tamoxifen.

    Thank you so much. Many of us on this forum are grateful for your informative, thorough, and well articulated comments in many areas of health, weight loss, and exercise. I have much respect for you.
  • Melwillbehealthy
    Melwillbehealthy Posts: 894 Member
    Ridiculous, I appreciated your analogy. At this point in my life, my body acts like an old car that’s been sitting.
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    Saw my doctor today to talk about medication for my declining bone density. I now have a prescription for a generic of Fosamax which I will take once a week. He also wants me to increase my calcium and they took blood to check my vitamin D level. Hopeful I can keep my bone density from deteriorating any further. (And maybe improve it a little)
  • nativemistlg
    nativemistlg Posts: 6 Member
    Hi my name is Linda. I am 68. Covid hit us hard and I am struggling with the weight I gained staying inside. 30 lbs! I would love to meet some people my age. I live in Central Florida and am retired. I am just trying to eat healthier at this point. I am originally from New Mexico.
  • Ineedtolose50lbs
    Ineedtolose50lbs Posts: 17 Member
    Good evening everyone,
    I’m working hard to get over Covid. Pacing myself activity wise… I started watching that show ‘Soarking Joy’ about decluttering your home. I cleaned out my books, and started on my closet today. I got rid of a lot of stuff. Now I have to put it back. Did a couple drawers of t shirts and yoga pants. Didn’t know I had so much. Happy news: I found a few items that I didn’t expect to fit me and they fit well .. ie jeans and shirts. So that all is good.

    Unfortunately I got hit with some vertigo so had to lay down… but it’s going away now.

    I enjoyed the video on microbioms and am excited to eat more veggies and fruits and add phenols. Thank you for sharing.

    Have a nice evening and stay cool if you’re in the northern hemisphere! 💕
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    Thank you @AnnPT77 . I hope I have the same experience you had with bone density results.

    @nativemistlg Welcome. This is a great thread. Very supportive people here

    @Ineedtolose50lbs. So sorry you have Covid. Take it easy and don't try to do too much too soon.
  • BCLadybug888
    BCLadybug888 Posts: 1,717 Member
    edited July 2022
    Hey all - I am experimenting with carb cycling for a couple of weeks, I know my bod is more efficient on lower carbs - but I like carbs 😁 dang it!

    I did Atkins/Keto a few years ago (right before Covid) and since I am a carnivore really didn't mind it for a spell and lost a good amount (around 50 lbs), but eventually fell off the wagon and regained ++ (like everything else I've ever done sigh).

    And this time around I am playing the long game, making small changes and working towards health with a weight-loss focus, so CICO underpins everything, but I thought I would do a little carb cycling to maybe kickstart a little and shake up my metabolism. I think it has accomplished that.

    I am doing:
    - 2 days low carb, not in a row, max 50g net, these days are also an extra 250 calories lower
    - 4 days moderate carb, stay under 150g net and my normal 500 calorie deficit
    - 1 day at maintenance calories but no carb target

    I have lost steadily the last few weeks - which coming up to my 1 year anniversary on MFP feels amazing! And my total loss as of this week is 50.4 lbs!!

    I leave on vacation again this coming weekend for 12 days, driving to a large lake district with great beaches a few hours away, there is a kitchenette in our motel so plan to eat out max 1x day and hope to at least maintain while away. I would love to be down 52 lbs by Aug 13th (my anniversary) so we'll see. I will set my calorie target for maintenance though and feel great if I can come in under 😉.

    I am bringing a portable bathroom scale and kitchen scale and will continue logging etc. Usually I am very active on vacation, sightseeing & whatnot, but this is not that kind of vacation - this is a very hot spot and besides dipping in the lake, it is mostly loafing & reading in the shade & enjoying real down time which you need sometimes 🙃

    Hope everyone can enjoy the Summer ☀️ wherever you are but not get heatstroke, we are having a full on heatwave that started today and ends right when I leave for the hot holiday spot 😀 timed that well, whatyagonnado?
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,908 Member
    @AnnPT77 I love the idea of your rowing barge. Our club has two dragon boats; one seats 20 paddlers and the other one seats 24 plus they both have a steersperson and a drummer. Our weather has picked up and we've had some beautiful evenings on the lake lately. Glad that your bike is running better for you!

    @BCLadybug888 Good to hear that your carb cycling is working! Over the years I've learned that my body does best under 100 per day. I love carbs though (think bread, legumes, muffins, etc!) so I have to keep on top of it otherwise it can easily get away from me. Good job of pre-planning for your vacation! You'll do great with that attitude. And if you don't, that's okay too. Just pick up where you left off when you get back home 🙂

    I leave for holidays today. Part of it will be spent helping my daughter move, and then the rest of the time visiting with her. We have our travel trailer so I can better control what I eat, but the weather is smoking hot ATM and that generally means a few extra ciders 😉 I'll miss my dragon boat paddling but will probably do some horseback riding (yay!) so that's a pretty good trade off.
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    When I first talked to my doctor a year ago about losing weight he mentioned a low carb diet as a choice ( he was also taking into account that I was pre-diabetic at the time and knew reducing carbs would help). I don't think I could be satisfied on a very low carb diet but many people I know do like it. I've been keeping my carbs around 150 and trying to keep my protein up. Right now protein is averaging about 95. I like fruit too much to go much lower with carbs. I plan to increase protein a bit more when I add in strength training. Maybe try to get that up above 100 g a day to help preserve muscle.
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    I do agree though that whether you do low carbs or higher carbs is a personal decision and everyone should do whatever makes them feel the best wirhin their calorie budget, and gives them good energy to accomplish what to want to do throughout their day
  • BlessedGmaof4
    BlessedGmaof4 Posts: 6 Member
    Hi, my name is Pam. I’m 64 y/o, retired and needing to lose about 100 lbs. I get so frustrated because of all the different ways of eating and I’m just not sure which way to go! Having so much weight to lose is very overwhelming and to be honest quiet depressing! I have good days where it’s easy to stick to the calorie limit MFP has given me then bad days where I way over eat. I just need to choose a way to do this and just stick with it! What are some of the ways y’all had the most luck with?
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    Welcome @BlessedGmaof4 ! You've found a supportive group of people on this thread. I also had 100 lbs to lose when I started my journey. The thing about different eating plans is that they all work if you stay within your calorie limits. You need to decide what you are most comfortable with. I for one don't follow a particular plan. I just try to stay consistently with my calories. In order to do that you have to eat enough volume to keep you satisfied and not trigger a binge. For example you can lose weight eating just cookies and ice cream if you keep CI< CO, but you likely would not be able to because you would not have eaten enough to keep you satisfied. And your health would suffer. My suggestion is keep your protein fairly high maybe higher than what MFP selected for you because older women need more, and do a moderate level of carbs and adequate fats to keep you satisfied. That's what I do but if you do well with low carbs go for it. Be consistent and you'll lose the weight. Also read the forums. Such wonderful information here. I've learned so much! Also one thing I have found to be instrumental to my success is to get a food scale and record everything (in grams if possible). Log every bite. Don't leave anything out. Record restaurant meals to the best of your ability.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    BlessedGmaof4 wrote: »
    Hi, my name is Pam. I’m 64 y/o, retired and needing to lose about 100 lbs. I get so frustrated because of all the different ways of eating and I’m just not sure which way to go! Having so much weight to lose is very overwhelming and to be honest quiet depressing! I have good days where it’s easy to stick to the calorie limit MFP has given me then bad days where I way over eat. I just need to choose a way to do this and just stick with it! What are some of the ways y’all had the most luck with?

    I pretty much just slowly remodeled my eating habits starting with logging what I ate, then reviewing my diary regularly and tweaking my eating patterns to gradually dial in a balance of appropriate calories, good satiation, good overall nutrition, personal tastiness, and practicality/affordability. I was aiming at eating patterns I could happily keep up indefinitely, almost on autopilot, to reach and stay at a healthy weight long term. It wasn't any kind of "named diet" or special rules.

    There's a description of that process in this thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    I did that to lose from obese to a healthy weight in just under a year (50+ pounds), and have done basically the same thing for 6+ years of maintaining a healthy weight since.

    I'm not saying that's the best or only way to do things: There's no one route that's perfect for everyone, IMO. It's one option, and you did ask what way we'd had the most success with. That was mine.
  • Jawillard60
    Jawillard60 Posts: 4 Member
    Good morning all! I'm back at it and really need to stay on track and motivated. My husband had open heart surgery and is losing weight and I am putting it on. I've been on MFP for awhile, off and on. I have the most trouble with recording everything. I've been walking on my treadmill but I need to either go faster, longer, more incline, use some weights, etc. It's tracking my food that I have the most trouble with. So, here I go!!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    Jawillard60 wrote: »
    Good morning all! I'm back at it and really need to stay on track and motivated. My husband had open heart surgery and is losing weight and I am putting it on. I've been on MFP for awhile, off and on. I have the most trouble with recording everything. I've been walking on my treadmill but I need to either go faster, longer, more incline, use some weights, etc. It's tracking my food that I have the most trouble with. So, here I go!!

    @Jawillard60, the good news - at least I think it's good news? - is that there's a learning curve with logging/recording.

    At first, it can seem really high effort and fussy. But it takes a little time to learn some tips & tricks, and to get some meals, recipes, and frequent foods set up in MFP.

    After a bit, it's easier, less time consuming, and doesn't take as much mindshare out of one's day. It becomes easier, routine, habitual, almost automatic.

    At least that's been my experience. I've been logging for literal years now (just a few days over 7 years). While I was losing weight, I logged like it was essential religion every day, and continued that into early maintenance, to establish maintenance benchmarks and habits. Now, I still log most days, but skip one day or a few here and there, and just keep an eye on the scale and clothes' fit as a check on regain.

    At this stage, a typical day of eating probably doesn't take more than 10 minutes for the tasks associated with recording what I ate, if that. It'll be a little longer on a rare day when I eat something really complicated/unusual, or add a new recipe, or something like that, but not a huge time investment.

    For me, that roughly 10 minutes most days is a ridiculously small price to pay for the huge quality of life improvements that have come from reaching and staying at a healthy weight. YMMV, as may others. But that's how it feels for me.

    Wishing much success as you go forward!
  • swimmom_1
    swimmom_1 Posts: 1,302 Member
    @alteredsteve175 It's been nice to hear from you.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,908 Member
    @BlessedGmaof4 The "magic formula" is to eat less than you burn, or as they say on here, CICO (calories in calories out). It can take trial and error to figure out your own "sweet spot" but I believe the best starting point is to input your stats into MFP, losing .5 or 1 pound per week. Measure, weigh, and log your food faithfully, and wonderful things will happen.

    I think it helps if you find a tangible reason for losing weight, and not something vague like "I want to look good". Perhaps reasons like "because my health is important" or "I want to take a walking holiday" or "I want to have more energy to play with the grandkids". I had a couple of reasons: one was to stay healthy and not end up on meds for "lifestyle" diseases. The other was to paddle at the front of the canoe. When we go canoeing with our friends the husbands usually sit in the stern of their canoes and the women sit in the bow, because having more weight at the back seems to make a canoe handle better. And usually the men weigh more than the women. But I weighed more than my husband so I always sat in the stern. My goal was to weigh less than my husband so I could sit in the front! LOL

    As for high carb, low carb, intermittent fasting, etc etc, they are just different methods of reaching the same conclusion (CICO). Try some on for size and see how they fit. But don't feel that you have to. Just plain old counting calories will get you where you want to go too. For me, I find that the more carbs I eat, the more carbs I crave. And for that reason I try to keep mine below 100. That's just something that I've figured out over the past 9 years. Other people do fine eating many more carbs than that.

    I think that once you've found your reason, (whatever YOUR reason is) the other things will just naturally fall into place.
  • swimmom_1
    swimmom_1 Posts: 1,302 Member
    edited July 2022
    ridiculous59 wrote: »
    For me, I find that the more carbs I eat, the more carbs I crave. And for that reason I try to keep mine below 100.
    This is me too but I only wish I could do a bit higher carbs like you. On a non exercise day, if I do 30 carbs I gain. It seems to be mainly water weight as it will slowly come back off but can be up to a week or more for it to be gone. Our bodies are all different and react differently. I do eat higher carb on my exercise days as a planned day that I can get away with it but still below 100 carbs easily. For some reason my body tends to store carbs instead of burning them efficiently.
  • swimmom_1
    swimmom_1 Posts: 1,302 Member
    @nsk1951 I tell people when it's appropriate and not intrusive, "Dont be like me and wait till your older to do something about it." First 132 lb weight loss was because of a cheating spouse leading to a divorce. Kept it off for 5 years then got lazy and put it all back in. Back to same exact weight! 255 lbs. This time started a new job and lost 15 lbs with minimal effort. Then while recuperating from emergency gallbladder surgery, being careful as to not regain the 15 lbs lost earlier, since I was sitting around I lost a few lbs so then started really trying a low carb and it was the right diet for me. I lost a total of 107 lbs ( gained a few back eating some extra carbs) and now getting those back off. My goal is about 132 lbs to get back where I was the first time and back into all my previous clothes hanging in the closet. Find what works for you is what I tell people and don't wait till your my age! 65

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