Hello everyone!

Long time stalker, first time poster. I just turned 50 a few months ago and boy was I feeling it. I ached, I pained, I snored, I gained weight (50 extra at least over the years...I'm 5'3" and was 180 lbs on a very small-boned frame). I weighed 152 lbs when I married hubs #2 eight years ago. He's a 6'1" Brit that loves food, but has a very high metabolism.....jerk 😀.

Anyway, we went to France for 10 days to visit friends last month. When we got back I had an appointment with a sleep doctor (see above) and saw I had reached the 180 lb mark I couldn't believe it. The doctor said some of it was from traveling since I felt "puffy." Right. I decided that was it; I was going to get healthy.

I'm not a big eater or drinker, but I've been gradually gaining weight since my mid thirties. The last few years I've been growing my own veggies, buying my pork and beef from local farmers, and being somewhat "careful" in my food choices. I get moderate exercise (I walk my big dog, I go up and down a lot of steps, I've updated our "new" old farmhouse, etc.etc. So what's wrong with me?

I've been drinking diet soda since my mid thirties. I also started buying low-fat dairy products, powdered marinades, etc., etc. around this time. Bingo! I decided to come clean. I don't mean that I'm going vegan or starting had clean diet. I mean, keeping it real. Now I know that Michael Pollan already wrote a list of books about this.

I started June 17 by giving up aspartame and almost all processed foods. The cravings went away about a week in. I eat all the time, but it's high quality, real food (and water) I eat out at a pub once a week and have had. Carry out pizza once. I even had fried wings once. This morning I got on the scale and it read "170 lbs!"

Anywho, that's my long winded story.

Oh, and I teach high school chemistry and biology.

PrairieQueen! Congrats on losing 10 lbs! It sounds like you are on your way to a lighter, healthier you. And good for you for giving up aspartame. Since you are a long-time stalker, lol, you know your way around, so jump in and start posting. Glad you finally joined! Good luck on the rest of your journey!

Thank you^^^^^ I see you're an Ohio gal as well.....Go Bucks!

Hi PQ, I just turned 50 recently too! Great job on your first 10 pounds! Sounds like you are focused and doing well have a a supportive bloke of a hubby too.

Welcome and good luck!

I am 55 and have been drinking Diet Pepsi since I was 20. I believe now (after my Dr. Niece, co-workers etc) have all said to give it up. I am struggling mightily with that, water even with a little flavoring is so boring...I just cannot do it. Does anyone have any hints or similar struggles?

thanks!

Amazed^^^
What helped me was a newer product from called Coke Life....it still a sweetened drink BUT it's sweetened with Stevia and cane sugar. It has 90 Calories in a 12-oz. can. When I really have a craving I grab one of these with an absolute,ute limit of one per day. I fill in with seltzer water. After a few weeks, the cravings diminished except for the mornings (I've been drinking morning soda since high school). Now I find myself wanting water more and more. Some days I drink 60 ounces, which has really helped with weight loss and eating so much better.

I've never been part of any "diet" plan n my life. I was underweight until after I had a child... I went up to 115lbs and looked good, not so bony. My doctor had actually. Put me on a pasta diet during pregnancy to gain weight (I weighed 130 lbs when I went in to deliver). But in the early 90s I was around 125 lbs and thought I was too fat for a family vacation with friends, which prompted me to start drinking diet sodas and other pseudo diet food. big mistake!

Anyway, I had been slowly converting to mostly whole foods. I grow organic veg, buy organic, and avoid GMO food when possible. When I got serious and gave up all artificial substances I could really feel it. Immediate effects were the disappearance of the "bloats," better digestion, more energy. I never realized I had felt so crummy because it was a gradual process, but now I feel fantastic.

I have a long way to go but hubs is doing it with me (no choice) and my 26-year-old daughter is doing it with me from a distance. (She's gained a few lbs since getting a "big girl" job.)


Good luck to you and feel free to ask me Qs. I'll try to post my progress

Woohoo! Love it! Go Bucks!