Hi there! Just wanted to say hello! I am 50 years old and need to lose weight in order to maintain my mobility. I can feel myself stiffening up which doesn't fit with how I feel in my head. My weight has crept up and up for most of my life with very few successful attempts at dieting (by successful I mean managing to stick it out for more than 2 days!).

My highest ever weight was 224 lbs. I have attached a picture of me at that weight. I lost 6 stone very fast about 18 months ago and then put four of them back on again I started using Dietpower about 5 weeks ago and have lost around 16 pounds so I am pleased. My current weight is 178.8 lbs. I have decided to slow down my rate of loss now because I am scared of getting back into the binge eating pattern. My short term goal is to be "overweight" by the end of August

I hope to be able to give support in my timid way - and to receive the support of you good people.

Sounds like you're making some good head way with your weight loss. And it sound like a good idea to slow down your rate of weight loss if you fear you might fall back into binging behavior. I know what you mean. Id read about lots of different approaches to weight loss and found i couldn't stick with any of them for more than a couple days at most. Back in May, though, i decided to start logging my foods and limiting my calories. I've been doing this pretty well and lost 10 lbs so far. Not a quick rate of weight loss but my approach has been no off limit foods and the emphasis is on eating mostly whole foods -whole grains, veggies, fruits and low fat proteins. I have refined carbs and sweets but much less than i had been. So it's slow and i'm struggling lately with the planning and logging, etc. but for me i think it's something i have a better chance of sustaining over the months it will take to lose 55lbs than other approaches i've read about.

I'm also working towards exercise 6days a week and that continues to be a struggle, some weeks it's easier to do than others because of child care issues with my daughter during the summer.

But i am realizing that a certain amount of my struggles with motivation stem from a less than positive and less than faithful attitude. This sort of endeavor is requiring not just a diet and exercise makeover but an attitudinal makeover as well.

It sounds like you're making great progress. and on your progress so far.

Hey pufffin,

Glad to see you here! Congratulations on your loss!

Good idea to slow down your rate--that should keep you from getting so hungry that you can't help yourself. Stay with moderation. That seems to work the best.

Join in with us!

Jay

Hi there PUFFIN . . . glad you found us . . . I noticed in the Accountability thread that you've been eating only about 900 calories a day . . . girl, that is way to low for your height and weight and much lower than the minimum recommended for women. Such low calorie intake could lead to serious health problems as well as binge eating.

Glad to hear that you've upped the calories to about 1400. That sounds like a good level so hang in there for a week or two and see what happens; I imagine you will still lose but at a slower and more healthy and sustainable rate. Right now you will feel a little stuffed, but you body will thank you for giving it better nutrition in the long run . . .

Welcome and good luck!

Puffin

I find great support here and hope you do too.
I have the best luck with food journaling , as it keeps me honest with what I actually have eaten. Also I try to exercise about 5 times a week and now almost two months after I started I really like how I feel.

Good luck !

Eileen