40+ Club : Where the Cool Kids Are

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: Wow!!!! Sooo many people have posted!!! :drinker: I really hope you stay with us! Let me start by saying that this is NOT a "Group" that you have to sign up for, etc. This is a thread of people who are 40+ yrs of age who take care of themselves through healthy eating and exercise. Feel free to post anytime and let us know what you are doing as far as fitness and eating are concerned. Let us know if you are struggling with anything so we can try to help you. Check in day is on Fridays. You can post if you met your goals for the week, etc.

Let me introduce myself as well for all the newcomers. I am 48yrs old, married, have two children. My daughter is 27 and my son is 18. My son has autism/mental retardation. I also have a granddaughter who is 3 yrs old. I have always been physically active. When I was younger, in my 20s and 30s, I had the mentality that one can eat anything I want as long as I exercised. Well, not true after you hit 40 so the weight started creeping up slowly but surely...my A HA moment was in Dec 07 when out with a group of co-workers, one of them bluntly said in front of everyone that I had gotten a "J-Lo butt" meaning gotten fat and what was wrong with me. It was a little upsetting at the time since she told me in front of everyone but it made me realized that enough was enough and had to do something about it. I had started reading more about eating clean and how important it is to maintain a good diet and eat the appropriate amount of calories. Keeping a journal/log is very important since we tend to underestimate how much we eat. So this is when I stumble across MFP. What a great site this is!!!! So slowly but surely I started losing some weight. At the time I was about 148 but I had already started losing by eating less ( I am pretty sure I was weighing a little over 150) I am 5'5". I reached 125 about a year later. It took me a while because I really didnt want to change my lifestyle completely. My husband and I like to go out to eat, etc. I also became more active wanting to become stronger and leaner. I have done ChaLean Extreme, 30 Day Shred, P90X, among others. I have done 2 half marathons and other races (back in 09). I have also suffered some injuries but I guess that comes with the territory. :grumble: :noway: I am now doing New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler. I joined a group in MFP. It is a strength training program. I am also a Zumba Instructor since 2009. I teach 4 classes a week.

I started the 40+ Club back in Jan 2009. I felt there was a need for people who are over 40 yrs of age to have their own thread where we can post our goals, challenges and struggles as we take care of ourselves. I had posted in many other threads but couldnt compare myself with people in their 20's and 30's.

As far as nutrition is concerned, I truly believe that it is the most important part of the equation. I am into eating clean most times. I am now at 85% to 90% of the time. Feel free to look at my food log. The lifting program I am following suggest following 40-30-30 and eating maintenance calories or a deficit of 300 calories for fat loss. I am mostly eating anywhere from 1800 to 1950 cals. It can be challenging to reach that many calories eating healthy but I manage it. My main concern is to eat enough to support my workouts and gain muscle but not too much that I dont lose any weight. I gained a few pounds during the Holidays (Oct-Dec) so I would like to lose the extra weight. I would like your input on this.

Well, I think this has been long enough. I promise not to write this much later. Have a great day!!!! :flowerforyou: