Hello to the 50+ forum. When I first started eating right and exercising, I was in the 40-somethings group. I have tried all this year to get back on/stay on plan, but it is so much harder. A couple of years ago, I lost 60-ish lbs. I think I have since gained about 10 of it back, due to just not paying attention and eating too much crap and garbage. I was finally getting it all together, and then while out hiking...I sprained my ankle a week ago, so I've been propping my foot up and mostly eating crap and garbage again.
I am FRUSTRATED! I know how to eat properly. I like getting outdoors to ride the bicycle or hike. I normally walk for an hour or two nearly every day, and on the days I can't get outside, I do the WATP for a couple of miles. I think that the more I've lost, the harder it's been to keep losing. I feel like I need to run a marathon every day to just maintain. Okay, I know that isn't really true. But I do have to up the ante in activity to keep losing.
I think my biggest backslide was not coming on here every day to commiserate or celebrate with the chicks who "get it".
I hope you will welcome me to this group and that I can be supported and give support. I really, really, really need to lose another 50-ish pounds! I am terrible at checking in and doing notes to everyone every day, but I'm pretty good at giving a pep talk when someone needs a boost.
By this weekend, I'll at least do an hour on the flat gravel two-track across the river! And no more junk food now. Except Easter dinner and no dessert for that, just the buffet. We usually hike for 5 hours before meeting our friends at the restaurant, but I probably will have to do less than that :-(
Thank you! The first 50 lbs, were pretty straight forward. I was really good at staying on plan and exercising. Eat less, move more. Now, not so much. But it isn't hopeless.
When I first came here, I could hardly make it around the block. I built up slowly, very, very slowly.
For those of you who know Kaplods, you know what a big help she is. I have been very inspired by all of her advice, and got a HUGE boost when I read a post she wrote about geocaching. It gave me a whole pile of mini-goals, just to do the amount of huffing and puffing up the hills around here, no matter how many times I had to stop or if it took a whole afternoon to go a mile and find the cache. I never thought I would be hiking just for the sake of hiking. And I owe Kaplods a huge debt of gratitude for introducing me to it!
I hope I can do a mile or two this weekend. I feel like I'm starting from scratch even though that's not the case. I know I have to go easy on my damaged ankle. GRRR!
It gets so hard as we get older. I regained 15 lbs since January 1. I have lost 7 of it. I had to get back on my plan. I've been maintaining since about last May. Then fell off the wagon on vacation a little in Jan. and then got sick in February and was taking a cough syrup that was loaded with sugar. I had vowed that I would never get above a certain weight but I did - that's when I panicked and went back to phase 1 of my plan and lost 4+ lbs this week. I am now 2 1/2 pounds below that "Never Again" weight. I am a food addict so it becomes a slippery slope. I'm like any other kind of addict that has to get back on the plan that works for me, go through detox, change my environment. When left to my own devices it starts to creep back on, then flies back on. I finally felt like I went into a nosedive and have managed to pull myself out of it before I crashed completely. And I did that by getting back on the plan that I lost weight with. It was very hard. But I did it one day and then another. I got a lot of support from 3fc sites. I still have another 8 lbs to get back to where I was. Be careful. It takes a lot of exercise to burn a lb. And if you're not exercising you definitely have to cut back even more. Were you on a plan to lose the 50 lbs? Get back on it if you can. I sympathize with you. I came to the 50+ site because I needed the comfort of talking to women who were dealing with similar issues.
The losses we have to deal with, sickness, deaths, empty nest, senile parents, annoying husbands, children, divorce. And the slower metabolism. What do you need most right now? We'll try to help you. If you want companionship and support go on the March Golden Girls thread. We will welcome you. You have to Do whatever you did that worked for you before. Hang in there. You did it before. You can do it again. I have just emerged from feeling like I can't get back on plan - it's just not fun. Just take it one day at a time, one hour at a time if you need to. Sometimes people on one thread or site get busy and can't respond. Go to another thread or group. There are so many people on 3fc that you can find someone when you need them. I look forward to getting to know you.
Last edited by deelee10; 03-30-2012 at 06:03 PM.
Reason: OMG - still way too long!
We had a guest a couple of years ago who has a food addiction, a very tall, football kind of guy, tremendously inspiring to hear how he got from something like 400+ pounds down to mid 200's. He goes to Overeaters Anonymous and I was really surprised that he is able to keep to his very bland and strict diet even while traveling. It made me feel really great that I could serve him the correct kind of food and serve the rest of his companions "regular" food. I've learned a lot since starting this journey. He explained to me how hard it is for food addicts, more so maybe than with other addictions because he/you/they have to eat to live but learn not to live to eat. Different than an alcohol or other substance addiction where you don't need it to just stay alive. It has to be more difficult and I admire anyone who can overcome it or manage it.
I did calorie counting and walked a lot of mileage to lose the 60-ish before. LOL! As long as I do a lot of walking, I can maintain pretty well. For me, each part is as important as the other. Have to do both to lose more poundage again.
So, I got my menu together for next week, starting Sunday. I'll just have the same food each day for 3 mini meals and a snack, then vary dinner according to a menu I already made. Thankfully I never gave up cooking healthy dinners and just have to tweak it a little for it to be more effective and further up the nutrition and lower the calories. Hubs works evenings and we are down to just one car at the moment, so I will get my specific calorie counting food tomorrow evening. I have been afraid to step on the scales for fear I will be so bummed I'll give up before even getting a good start again. Think I will wait a month or so of being on plan to see what the number is. If my smaller clothes start to fit right, then I'll know it's working.
Going hiking tomorrow, just on a flat two-track about an hour away from here. It's in a National Recreation Area and our favorite place to go. I'll only hike as much as I feel up to with this bum ankle. Wrapping it inside a stiff hiking boot will help. I did the warm-up plus a mile of the WATP a couple of days ago and didn't do any kicks or sidesteps etc. just gently walking in place. Not too bad from it, so I'm hopeful to ease back into more.
Hi Barb-
Sounds like you have a great plan in place. Hope the walking goes well for you. I think exercise is important, especially for your health.
It was so nice of you to cook special food for your friend. Does he eat a strict bland diet because of his food addiction? I guess I'm just a sugar/starchy carb addict. I don't over eat veggies or meat. Have fun on your walk!
I did 4 1/2 miles today, hiking in the junipers and sagebrush and I didn't fall or twist my ankle. YAAAY me! Got my "diet" food after dinner, so I'm all set.
The first couple of weeks are the most difficult if I remember correctly. Just getting used to no more crap and garbage and eating on a schedule.
I could easily be a sugar/starch addict! I used to eat nearly no veg at all and no fruit. Lots of beef and lots of carbs. Now I eat almost only complex carbs and try to stay away from sugar. Splenda instead. Not great but better.
Hello! My age is showing!
