Newbie at 48

jhart04
jhart04 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, new here....I'm hopefully for this journey to be successful. Dealing with the menopausal weight gain and having a horrible time with the mid section. So I'm going to try to be strict with the calorie counting and exercising and see how it goes.

Replies

  • frhaberl
    frhaberl Posts: 145 Member
    I'm also 48 and want to let you know that you can do this. I'm 70lbs down since April 1st of last year. When people ask how I did it, I say "I focused on a healthier me in 2023". I chose the word "healthier" intentionally. I definitely wanted to be thinner, but not at the cost of my physical, mental, or emotional health. I also learned that I didn't want to sacrifice my relational health either. That has driven me to find balance.

    So here are my tips as you get started:
    -Set a reasonable pace and be willing to adjust. 0.5% of your current body weight lost per week is an excellent place to start, potentially going up to 1% of current body weight if you can do so without sacrificing other health aspects.
    -Remind yourself a million times a day that weight loss is not linear and that it takes time to see the real trends. I weigh myself every day, but only chart the weight on Monday and only consider adjustments if my average loss for the past 6 weeks is out of line with my target.
    -Remind yourself a million and one times a day that this is about building a healthy lifestyle that you can sustain for the rest of your life that will result in a healthy weight. It is amazing what we will do if we think we only have to do it "until I get this weight off", but that generally results in gaining it all back and having to start over again.
    -Find exercise you love and do it for the health benefits and enjoyment. The calories you burn are bonus.
    -Eat foods you love, adjusting portions and finding substitutes that help you fit them into your calorie allotment. If you can't see yourself eating this way once the weight is off, then you should be ready to adjust your eating style to something more sustainable.
    -Celebrate the health and life enhancing gains as much as (if not more than) the weight losses.
    -Don't wait until your body looks the way you want it to look before celebrating and caring for it.
    -Find what works for YOU. That may mean trying something that someone else swears by and realizing it doesn't work for you. The important part is moving on and trying something else until you find what works for you.

    Best wishes on your journey!

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