Fit at 67

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kenna44cat
kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I'm a senior but very fit for my age. I'm 5'8" and weigh 168 pounds in the morning before breakfast. I lost a lot of weight at one time but put on 15 pounds over the past year, especially the winter. I have SAD most winters (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and tend to eat too many carbs and sleep too much at that time. I've been taking karate lessons, which I enjoy, and the sensei modifies the exercises for me. The gym is called Panther Gym here in north Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where I live, and there's a lifestyle coach who gave me the link to myfitnesspal and suggested it. I'm enjoying the chance to log my weight, food, and walking. I notice no calories are burned for strength training, which I do sometimes, and I wonder why?

I'm looking for some support from anyone, seniors or not, who is similar to me or on a different track and needs to lose about 15 pounds and keep it off, also motivation to keep active.

I was on a weight loss site named Anne Collins but it closed recently and I need more support to both lose and maintain on a long term basis.

Any suggestions for good sites or places to find news about health and fitness would be appreciated.

I ordered a Runner's Digest book about how to go from walking to running. I walk quite a lot. I love the summer and would like to find ways to enjoy the outdoors. We have a River Valley here with hiking trails that are beautiful, but it's not safe for women alone, unfortunately. I walk during the day with a younger friend who takes her baby for a stroll several times a day, but can't go down to the trails of course with the stroller. I have a bike but not familiar how to ride or maintain a bike. I can't swim but would like to take swimming lessons next fall. I sometimes snowshoe or cross country ski but haven't for at least two or three years. Walking is my main form of exercise, usually at a brisk pace.

Anyone similar to me? Thanks, it's nice to meet you all. This is a great site.
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Replies

  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
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    Hi Kenna!

    I'm Carol, 55 year old RN from Oregon. I have a lot more weight to lose than you but I would love to be your friend! Everyone needs friends to encourage them while changing their lifestyle to a more healthy one!

    I too suffer from SAD and I have to admit I live in the wrong place to have that problem, we have rain and clouds for about 3/4 of the year as we live on the coast. I do force myself to get out, clad in my raingear and walk as much as possible in spite of the SAD. It helps a little.

    I would welcome your friendship if you are interested!

    Edited to add have you looked at www.coolrunnings.com? It has a program C25K (couch to 5K) that will help you learn to run! You can also just google C25K or couch potato to 5K

    Carol
  • LuneBleu85
    LuneBleu85 Posts: 217
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    I'm from Calgary! The weather affects me by causing lovely headaches with the chinooks here. Welcome to MFP, you will love it :) It's a great tool with lots of supportive people.
  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
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    Thank you for accepting me as a friend!
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Oh, so nice to meet you, Carol. Looks like we both remember the 60s. I was a young bride then in '63, married at 18. My mother was an RN. I thought about it before I went to University and took Anthropology, really useless as a career unless I'd gone on to post grad school. It helped me to think, though, at least that's what I tell myself.

    I'd love to be your friend here. Thanks for the runner's site. I'll check it out.
  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
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    See we really do have things in common! :)
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Hello, LuneBleu, are u French Canadian? I don't speak French but did take it in high school. Blue Moon, that's what your name means, isn't it? Very pretty.

    Yes, Calgary gets more chinooks than we do. I always liked them but I'm not affected by wind. I've heard of an ill wind in France that's called something, I forget what, also a wind in another European country, and apparently it's called something Mal because it makes people sick and crazy. I wonder if it has to do with the drop in barometric pressure?

    I'm going to check out the runner's site that Carol sent me. Oregon is a beautiful state, I'm told, and I'd love to take the Oregon Trail from our west coast down to the Big Sur in California.

    I'm enjoying tracking my food and exercise. It's so easy on this site. Just visited the message boards tonight. So glad to have two friends already! Nice to meet you.
  • vestarocks
    vestarocks Posts: 449 Member
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    Welcome. So nice to meet you. When I think of Edmonton I think of mosquitos. I've never experienced anything like it.

    I'm impressed with you taking karate. I'm not that brave. You go get 'em.

    Feel free to add me. I log daily and I'm always up for motivating and being motivated.
  • gazz777au
    gazz777au Posts: 157 Member
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    I'm 47 in Australia. I started losing weight as the first part of the battle with depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

    I have friends here from 20's to 60's - feel free to add me.

    I will warn you though - we dont understand SAD as our seasons here are AWESOME almost all of the time. We just tend to be affected by other things 24 / 7 (such as arrogance, ignorance, etc. :laugh:)

    Oh, and I meant to add we can suffer from denial too ;)
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Thanks, Vesta. I'm not sure how to add you :bigsmile: but I'll try as I think that would be great to have you as a friend, too. Yes, we have mosquitos in Edmonton but nothing compared to where I was raised in the Peace River District near Dawson Creek, BC. They were like helicopters, lol. The mosquitos here don't bother me much because I think I got innoculated by their bigger cousins as a child.

    I love karate and took jujitsu for a while a few years ago. This is a blend of jujitsu and karate. The instructor modifies it for me so it's not really that difficult but I did a few weird and wonderful throws and holds at jujitsu. I don't have any belts, just a white belt. I just really like to feel fit and that's a way to get fit and also self defense.

    I've copied the coolrunners site and will share it with friends. I'll print off the schedule and try it, Carol. Thanks a lot. I'm waiting for the book from Runner's World. I considered subscribing to the magazine but first I have to get going.
  • Heatherdl52
    Heatherdl52 Posts: 20
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    Hi Kenna, dropping in with a bit of fresh sunny Sydney (Australia)weather.....is autumn here but i think you guys call it Fall.
    Only joined MFP yesterday, so looking for friends to help me stay motivated and for any tips you might have. Just reading your post! you sound so fit and active, as do the other lovely ladies who have replied. Well, I guess I am at the other end of the spectrum at the moment! I am almost 60, am a Reg. Nurse, but had a fall 3 years ago and wham........back gone big time. Since then, I have been unable to walk and run of any weight, or do anything much at all.So now, 3 years later and 3 ops. later(including 2 spinal fusions) that have unfortunately left me in intollerable pain(was 6 months since last op.) I am in a really bad place as try to get out to do what I can, but pain is horrible.Told by Dr to just walk and do what I can, but no other excersises, as he doesnt want any twisting of the spine etc etc.So.........have spent a lot of time sitting around, and yes, eating the wrong things. My daughter got me onto this site to try to help me lose some of the 10kgs I need to lose. Am too short and 155 cms, to carry excess weight!

    So, hoping to make this work and like you, and everyone, need whatever assistance I can get. Still a bit unsure how all this message board and making friends works, but getting there.
    So, would love to have another friend from your part of the world.......oops! This is a bit long....sorry.....Heather
  • tbresina
    tbresina Posts: 558 Member
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    Just wanted to recommend a light I use for SAD-google verilux happy light 6000, I have to say it has made the absolute world of difference in how I feel every winter. I am from very cold WI and I had SAD so bad because I was raised in really warm Calif. This is the only thing that helped me!
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Yes, I use a light, too, Verilux, and then when the bulbs burned out a few times I ordered their bulbs for my lamps. They work pretty well, too. It's sure a bummer, isn't it, dreading winters when they last so long here?
  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
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    Kenna,

    In order to add friends you click their name (its in blue under their picture). It will take you to a page that will say send message, request friend or add friend (whichever), and sometimes view diary. Click friend request and write the person a message and send it! Very easy to do!
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Nice to meet you, from Australia - now there's two new friends from Australia! You might be interested in my personal blog, http://kenna-differentfolks.blogspot.com. You're welcome to join it and add your comments, although blogspot sometimes doesn't allow comments for some reason known only to the blogspot gods.

    I know about denial, too, but I think sunny Sydney or whatever, and California probably has very few cases of SAD. I've heard of the opposite of SAD, where sunlight bothers people. Do you know anyone like that? I think I've only met one person who suffers from that, and she was miserable and cranky all summer. That's my time to fly.

    I bought bulbs from Verilux that fit into my ordinary lamps rather than the lightbox, and they seem to work pretty well, but it wasn't as bad this winter. I think we had a warmer winter with more sun.
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Thanks, Carol. I finally figured it out. I tend to panic when faced with change and then I figure things out eventually, but not always, and often with a lot of help.

    Thanks again. I added new friends. I hope I can keep this up. I'm active on Twitter and FB, too, under my name KennaMcKinnon. You're welcome to tweet or like me there.

    My fitness pal has been adding calories to my daily total because of the walking I do, so I can eat more. That's not really my idea as I think it would help to lose, but some sites say I don't eat enough sometimes. I guess the body goes into starvation mode. Sometimes I don't eat at all. It's either feast or famine with me. I tend to go to extremes. It's hard to modify.
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    Wow, Carol, you've lost 32 pounds. That's awesome. Congratulations. Well, I'm away now to drink some water. That's another thing I don't do enough of. I think eight glasses a day is too much. But I drink a lot of tea.
  • kenna44cat
    kenna44cat Posts: 105 Member
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    You have two pounds to go, friend from WI? That's great! Congratulations. Can you tell us how you did it?

    I guess I'll go join another forum topic now. Is that what you do? Instead of staying on the Introductions site? I don't want to lose you all. :wink:
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    I will warn you though - we dont understand SAD as our seasons here are AWESOME almost all of the time. We just tend to be affected by other things 24 / 7 (such as arrogance, ignorance, etc. :laugh:)

    Oh, and I meant to add we can suffer from denial too ;)

    :laugh: hahahaha. in canberra we never even got a summer this year!
  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
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    Thanks, Carol. I finally figured it out. I tend to panic when faced with change and then I figure things out eventually, but not always, and often with a lot of help.

    Thanks again. I added new friends. I hope I can keep this up. I'm active on Twitter and FB, too, under my name KennaMcKinnon. You're welcome to tweet or like me there.

    My fitness pal has been adding calories to my daily total because of the walking I do, so I can eat more. That's not really my idea as I think it would help to lose, but some sites say I don't eat enough sometimes. I guess the body goes into starvation mode. Sometimes I don't eat at all. It's either feast or famine with me. I tend to go to extremes. It's hard to modify.

    Glad you figured it out! It is easy once you do it the first time!

    It is important that you eat most of the calories MFP gives you back for your exercise. There is already a deficit built into the program. It would help you to go tho the different sections such and read the sticky notes that are there that will tell you all about what the program is all about. I do understand about the feast and famine thing I used to do that too. Here I learned how important it is to eat! You will lose better and feel better if you do eat. There is a ton to read on here! I learn something new every day. Enjoy!
  • MisterTEZ
    MisterTEZ Posts: 272 Member
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    greetings to Edmonton from Holyhead (Wales)
    I have only flew over Alberta by plane but been to Oregon and loved it and planning going back there next year.
    I am a young 58 and fit for my age and since being on MFP I have lost 18 pounds with 14 pounds to go.
    I wish you all the best and I find having friends on this site a great motivation, I will add you if you like
    all the best and good luck :smile:

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