[puneri]

Hi Grace,
Will you pl tell me about your diet? Thanks.

[its4me]

I am so glad I saw this thread. Great info. I have been up and down the scale so often and get so mad at myself. I eat pretty healthy but I eat a lot. Funny thing is I didn't think I did. Reading about portion control really hit's home for me. I get lost in calorie counting. I tend to get lost in all the finest details and I know I do that but still get over whelmed that it doesn't last long. This is so encouraging for me. Thanks!

[Mad AboutMyMustang]

I'm just joining and hoping I post all right and that my signature ticker come through OK. I'm doing WW with my daughter and so far it is going OK. I'm really happy to have found this forum and this thread in particular.

[caryesings]

Metabolsim might be slower but I think motivation is higher to actually live a healthier lifestyle. Can't count on youth making the argument "yes I'm fat but perfectly healthy". The blood pressuere and cholesterol numbers start creeping into borderline....

Also, personally I was able to put together a plan that worked for me by reflecting on a lifetime of trying to lose weight. I knew what worked for me and what didn't. I had the confidence to shrug off "musts" that didn't work for me.

[matolmama]

down 3.2 this week. funny i have lost 53.2 lbs. since june 8th and i am just now starting to think maybe this is the diet and the time in my life where it all comes together, because of my age and my being single (divorced_) so this is all about me. no crap being thrown at me about why i am doing this or no one bringing bad stuff in to derail me go to doc wed. hope she officially takes me off the bp med's.

good luck all ...............

[Bellamack]

Originally Posted by gracewriter

Hi,

I found this forum several weeks ago. Frankly it scared me to death because many people were talking about metabolism slowing down and how much harder it was to lose weight at this age. I'm 52.

I got so discouraged, but am grateful now because I decided not to believe it.

I lost 34lbs in the last 2.5 months doing my own diet, which is basically eating everything I LOVE and not exercising. I could have lost more but was tweaking my own diet and at first was doing the right thing by eating the recommended calories and exercising.

That was horrible and I'll never do it again. After 14 years of dieting "The right way" I topped the scales at 205lbs. Been there done that. I knew there was a better way for me.

My liver enzymes were 4 times higher than normal when I started and they insisted I get a sonogram. I refused. Glad I did. Now my blood work is perfect.

I'm back in my size 12s from 18s and on my way to the golden 8s. The 12s are getting looser by the day!

Thanks for this forum and best of wishes to everyone. I know how hard this is, but it isn't any harder at this age than it was in my late 20s and 30s.

I think we get the idea in our head from experts that we're all the same and there's only one way to lose weight and that's slowly.

For some of us that's a death sentence.

I just wanted to let anyone know who's out there that's discouraged before you even begin not to worry about your metabolism being an obstacle.

Unless you have a thyroid disorder or some other unknown health issue, it's not your metabolism. It's also not WHAT your are putting into your mouth, but how much.

Most diets are designed by the diet industry and their own scientists for profit. Maybe we should be questioning these experts' opinions.

Best wishes,

Jude

so post your 'secret" diet Jude! I am 53 and have an extremely hard time losing.

[matolmama]

yeah baby. okay doc took me off bp med's and as of today's WI iam in onederland, wooohooot.

[gracewriter]

congratulations!

[gracewriter]

My only secret is extreme low calories. I eat EVERYTHING just not very much. I never sat down and counted every single meal. But I'm guess it was between 500 to 800 caloires a day. Some days I'd do about 300 some days I'd fast.

Now I'm just cruising eating about 1200? calories a day and still losing about .5lb a week.

In the next week or so I'll get back on the horse and get the rest of this weight off. I

[matolmama]

WI this week down another 2.6 yeah baby!! been a hard week work wise back after 11days off. tired long hours, long week. sigh

[gracewriter]

Originally Posted by matolmama

WI this week down another 2.6 yeah baby!! been a hard week work wise back after 11days off. tired long hours, long week. sigh

Congratulations!!!

That's a great loss!

I finally jumped back on my diet a few days ago and am now one pound less than I was when I took a break a month and a half ago. I guess when I saw last week I had gained 5lbs in one week I freaked and it was enough to get me back on track.

Boy did that come off fast. I lost that 5lbs in the last three days probably due to two factors: a) anyone loses a lot of weight the first week on any diet; b) I found these Green Tea Fat Burner soft Gel's at the health food store. Started taking 4 a day.

The only thing that's been bothering me is for the last month and a half I feel like I've been eating like a bird just to maintain.

So much for ever going back to my old eating habits. Bummer!

Don't get discouraged ever if you feel like you can't diet another day, take off as long as you need, just concentrate on MAINTAINING. When you are ready, get back on the diet. That's the greatest lesson I learned over the last month and a half break, that and weighing once a week doesn't work for me.

Daily weigh-ins keep me motivated and frustrated. But at least I stay motivated whether I'm elated or frustrated. I have found for myself going an entire week without weighing puts me into denial and old eating habits and emotions around those habits were creeping in.

You have to mentally be ready other wise it becomes pure torture. I wasn't ready so I really started slacking this last week, hence the 5lb gain.

I was actually talking myself into, "well, I don't look so bad at this size, maybe I don't need to lose anymore." It's amazing how self-sabotage creeps in. I NEVER wanted to be in my 160s again. The 160s scare the crap out of me.

So when I saw the scale read 161.6 a few days ago it was too much. I explained to my husband when I get to 125, I won't mind gaining five pounds because that'll only put me back in the 130s and I can take it off fast. But gaining 5lbs and putting me back into the 160s was a reality check, especially of how far I still have to go.

Also, since I had lost 45lbs my body felt and looked small. It had been 14 years since I had been that small. I wasn't used to it and it felt good. Only recently I have started feeling that fat feeling again with my squishy big belly. I know a portion of it is probably extra skin, but there's also a ton of fat still in here. So it's great motivation to get the rest off and get back to my normal size 8. Besides I'm sick to death of having giant boobs! I was a "D" cup before all this began at 125lbs. I can't imagine how big the twins got at my highest weight as I've been squeezing them into smaller bras for years.


I am elated to be back on my diet and feeling powerful again.

Size 8, here I come!

[Hermit Girl]

Jude, I just read your post. . I LOVE THIS , and can *so* relate to it ! I have been wilted in my motivation thinking that all I eat is going to have to be out of my life forever (my 'thing' is buttered whole wheat toast). I am really glad to finally see someone who is doing it with just common sense. I'm not knocking anybody's diet down, be it understood, but to me I have let doubt rule my thinking... for so long now, gawd, already 9 years since I've ballooned up in my forties. In fact, my forties were all about my body expanding and my self esteem and confidence shrinking ~ my fifties (start in January) will be all about my body shrinking and my self esteem, confidence, and wisdom growing bigger than ever .

A funny thing I've heard over and over about aging , regarding staying fit and healthy : " It takes twice the work , with half the results".

Well, I got to thinking about that . I personally think that as a response to that I'll say " No, we're working half as hard (as in our 20s/30's) and expecting twice the results !!!"

[gracewriter]

Hey Hermit Girl!

You have a great attitude. I really love the support we can get in here. It's so nice to meet people who understand you and what you go through.

Never give up!

[Roxsy]

Hello, I'm new here and have recently started to diet on my own. I am down now currently by 8 pds. I left a Drs. Office the other day so depressed and with little hope that I would ever be able to lose the weight I had put on over the last 3 years. But after running across this site and reading your post about how even tho being over 50 you had success: I am very hopeful. I am as of tomorrow going walking. Thank all of you for being here so people like me can run across your post and see there is hope for over 50 girls like me.
Looking forward to being here in the future.

Roxsy in Texas

[WebWoman]

Hi Roxsy and Welcome!
Congrats on your 8 pound loss - that's amazing! Walking is a great way to burn some calories and rev up the metabolism. Here at work, a couple of co-workers and I will take a walking break in the morning and again in the afternoon for about 15 minutes each, and walk about a mile each time. It's nice to get outside and a lot more fun to walk and talk with others. If they're not available I try to walk anyway, but it's too easy to skip it by myself. ;-) Be patient and the weight will come off - you're off to a great start.