54 Years Old, Needing to lose more then my age

Hi Folks,

I am looking for some of the post menopausal ladies that need to lose 60 pounds plus.  I am only 5 foot 2 and need to lose about 60 pounds.  I find I have no energy and my knees are starting to ache.  Add on that I can't sleep straight through the night and you wonder why I have waited (weighted??) so long.  I tried this in the summer and didn't stick with it so hope I can last this time.  Anyone that would like to be friends on this journey are gratefully welcome.  I won't promise to talk everyday, though I'll try but would like to touch base a few times a week to keep each other motivated and honest.

Bev

Hi Bev!

I can't believe the similarities.  I'm also 54, post-menopause, 5'2" and am aiming at losing 60 lbs.  Need to lose more than that but getting 60 off will be a great accomplishment.  I've been a member quite a while, but have never been to the forums.  My biggest problem is I enjoy food and also tend to eat for self-reward (hard day at work, stress, sick, anything excuse I can find).  I've just started yesterday getting serious.  First hurdle is breaking the bedtime snack habit and allowing myself nothing after supper.

I don't have anyone partnering with me at home - would love to try to be part of a support group.  I may not check in every day, but I'd sure try

Rae

Thank you soo much Bev! Lots of good help for me there...

I will keep my settings at sedentary and log my exercise time. I like seeing that I am burning lots more than I am eating. It also will help me as I add calories back slowly to maintain to find my maintenance intake. This is the part that gets a little tricky.

I am looking forward to getting to know you all better in the days to come. I would love to chat more now but today I am taking my mother shopping to look for gowns to wear to my sons wedding in June. I will actually be trying on size 6 dresses! My mom is a size 4, my sisters are size 0 and 4. My two daughters are size 2 and 4 though one is pregnant now and is a bit bigger wearing a size 6 maternity clothes. So you see all my life I have been the odd ball at a size 12-16. I finally feel like I fit in my family!

I will catch up with you all later today and thanks again Bev for sharing...I am so glad I found you all it has made my day!

I have been stuck for so long that it gets really discouraging.  I finally lost two pounds and now I feel a little bit more motivated.

Bev I am from the Kingston area and like everyone else will be glad to see the snow disappear so we can get out and do some decent walking again.

Supper:  Chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, Swiss chalet sauce and milk.

I do not post a lot but I do read the posts as often as I can.  Glad to see all of us menopause ladies sticking together for help.

Original Post by changling:

Bev I am from the Kingston area and like everyone else will be glad to see the snow disappear so we can get out and do some decent walking again.

 

HAHAHA  I'm from Kingston area too.  How funny is that.

Hi Marygirl,  You wrote a while back that you were going to be having a knee operation.  I'm writing to say I hope it goes/went really well. 

Hope you have found that pool and are doing some moving. 

Take care!

Linda

Hi Linda,

Yes, I think that over the years of bad dieting we have taught our body's some bad things.  Losing weight is like a science and we need to be sure we are giving our body's all the proper nutrients and substance it needs.  I know when I was on the Herbal Life diet, I had trouble with my gall bladder and eventually had to have it removed.  The Cambridge diet made me sick whenever I ate solid foods and well you get the picture.  Total body abuse.  Now after I hope learning a few things over the years I am approaching weight loss this time with proper nutrients and eating much healthier foods.  Not a diet but eating for a better way of life.  

Yes this site offers a lot of encouragement.  I find everyone here is very supportive.  Glad to be among you all...

Karen

Raemarie, I am 54 also. I have lost 48 pounds and am down to my last 7 to goal weight. I am looking at reaching my goal weight just after my 55th birthday in April. I am here to get support with staying on track and maintaining the new life style I have created for myself. Looking forward to sharing with you and offering support where needed!

BTW I didn't find any dresses that looked like something I would want to wear to our sons wedding. I didn't try on even one dress. I did treat myself to a really cute leather jacket that I found on a clearance rack for only $29.  I will get lots of use out of it next fall and for a few more weeks this winter. I have had to get rid of all my clothes because they didn't fit. I am slowly trying to build a new wardrobe.

I am in the process of chronicling my journey that brought me to CC and to within 7 pounds now of my goal in my journal. It is helpful to sort out how I failed in the past so I can avoid the same pitfalls this time and stay on track.

Karen, it sounds like you have some scars from some pretty drastic dieting adventures. You are right that we need to be careful with our bodies...after all they are the only ones we have. The diet industry is a big money maker so we really need to watch out that we don't end up a victim of their bottom line. That is one of the really great things about CC...it is free!

Yes Terry your right.  I have body scares - sort of speaking.  Each diet I went on there were or course the so called experts and the diets did work to take the weight off, but did nothing to keep it off or teach me how to.  That is exactly what I like about CC.  I am losing weight now with eating healthier, exercising more, and getting support from folks who completely understand the frustration of losing weight.  I hope I can be just as supportive as well.  I have learned a lot over the years and if I can share some of my experiences I'm glad to do it. 

I can't wait to ware the fun clothes!!!  I have a leather skirt I would like to get back into and I still have my small jeans.  I've kept clothes in almost all sizes so when I lose the weight I have something to wear for a while. 

Keep up your good work..  I know the last few pounds always seem the hardest to get off. 

I would just love to have this last 20 pounds off and buy a leather skirt and wear it when my daughter comes home.  It makes me laugh just picturing her face.  lol

Hi Raemarie,

I am struggling with the break the snack habit at night too.  I do really well all day long.  I even keep Mike N Ike's in the candy jar on my desk in my cube for others to pour out of - right within reach - but I don't eat them......until I get home!  Around 9 PM, I walk, like a zombie, right over to the covered candy jar with Mike N Ikes in it and have a handful.  I open up the fat free Pringles and each an inch stack.  Then I get up in the night - and go do that again.

I want to be done with that routine.  I'm telling you that I'm not doing it tonight and tomorrow I'll tell you if I succeeded.

How about you?  Are you going to stop eating after supper tonight?  Just tonight?  Let me know how you do.

PS - I LOVE the FLYlady stuff.  more on that later

Linda

I understand, Karen.  I went on the Adkins and my cholesterol went sky high!  I'm STILL struggling to get it back under control!  Tomorrow, I go get my blood work done and I'm hoping I'll see a change.

Anyway, the best thing about this site is the sane advice about eating for LIFE!  I've been doing this for three weeks and, already, I feel better.  I haven't lost much, but I've lost a little.  And I'm walking more.

How are things going with you?

Linda

Hey Linda,

I'm doing very well.  When I start to feel like I need something, I make popcorn.  I've always been more a salty eater then sweet.  So, it's potato chips and stuff like that I have to be careful with. 

My cholesterol is good.  Last time I had my blood work done all my numbers were good.  I had a Chem panel done which checks everything.  I eat oatmeal for breakfast most of the time, and I think that has helped somewhat.  I have hi-blood pressure (hypertension) and that's more of my concern.  I know it is weight related.  I was on blood pressure pills a few years ago and once I lost weight and was able to stop taking the medication.  Of course, it was with doctor supervision.    That is one of the reasons I have been looking into the black foods (black rice, black vinegar, black beans, black sesame seeds etc) - I have discovered they have nutrients to help with certain ailments like hi-blood pressure.   Besides I like the way they taste.  I eat brown rice but discovered I like the black rice better. 

Hope all goes well tomorrow.  Having others to talk with that share some of the same issues helps a lot. 

I thank everyone here for being so supportive.

Karen

 

Hey ladies!

Thursday is my day to take care of my 80 year old mother-in-law that is wheel chair bound. It is my day for mega temptations. She has a box of chocolate truffles out in the living room all the time. The whole house is full of what I think of as danger foods, cookies, sweet rolls, corn chips, pudding cups, candy bars etc. I usually bring fruits and veggies to eat while I am there. Since we got live in help that cooks for her it is even worse. The caregiver cooks really fatty food and cooks way more than the two of them can eat. Today there were left over pork chops covered in Cream of Mushroom soup and bread stuffing.

I managed to make a salad for lunch for myself and had a baked potato and an avocado for dinner. I wanted to eat the cookies in the pantry for a snack.

I have a recommendation for you ladies that are having night time snacking issues. Eat lighter during the day leaving more calories than usual for the evening. Get rid of the candies and chips and unhealthy snack items in your house so they are not an option. Then allow yourself popcorn, fruit, cheese and crackers, frozen non-fat yogurt or other snacks. Use your leftover calorie count with the snacks and get the extra fiber or a bit of protein  that will satisfy you. Don't try to fight your body but rather acknowledge the evening as your preferred snack time. Make choices during the day that allow for you to be able to snack at night without going off track. It is your body you are trying to care for in a healthy way. Your body is not the same as everyone else's. There is nothing wrong with eating in the evening if that is when your body likes to eat. When we embrace our body and it's needs it becomes easier to live in healthy harmony with our body.

Hugs,

Terry

Hey everyone,

Just to say hello, in the same boat as eveyone here except Terry who has almost reached the final goal ( and very well done). I was reading through some of the entries and I too was/am an evening snacker. Slowly getting out of the habit, and it is a habit, when my mind is occupied by something else I never think of snacking.

Just a note of caution that I thought might be of interest to you all. While doing my weekly shop today I fancied some cheese and picked up a brand we have here in Ireland that is supposedly low cal and low fat. BUT I also picked up a pack of White Stilton with (dried) apricots, a very tasty and very light crumbly cheese. On comparing the calorific values of the two I found the "low"  brand had the same cal value as my preferred cheese and had 3gms more fat per 100 gms plus the Stilton contained a little fibre from the apricot. Guess which I chose, my point being that we don't have to lose the tasty, enjoyable things just be a little more aware and eat a "little" of what you fancy and keep within the boundaries.

Good luck to all.

Hello All,

I know I've been missing for awhile. Welcome to all the new writers.

I've been just maintaining, by a thread! I was a little sloppy this week. I just finished my workout and Jane (trainer) said a lot of people are having a hard time right now, our bodies are thinking warmer weather and the winter is just staying put (actually in Boston it is colder today than it's been in awhile). Well, that's a little comfort. But it was Bev's reply to my journal that got me back in the forum.

I glanced over the entries for the past few days. Everyone seems to be doing OK. That's just great. I'm thrilled for everyone.

And you know what, since my food was sloppy this week, a little too much sodium, a little too much fat....my nightsweats were awful! So now when I see food that's not the healthiest, not only do I think 'calories' 'weight gain', I now think 'nightsweats'. So if that doesn't make me be healthy, I don't know what will!

Thank you all for being here!

 

Hi mcs1229,

You know I've been talking a lot about the Black foods. I saw part of a program one day while I was working on the computer and got immediately interested in what they were talking about and did some research. Some of my research included foods that would help with some of the menopause condition and found that Black Soybeans offered some of the nutritional value that helped to reduce the effects.  Here is an excerpt of that

Black Soybeans
Kobe-based food manufacturer Fujicco and the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Shizuoka have published a series of studies about the health benefits of black soybeans in Soy Daily and other journals between 1999 and 2002. (thesoydailyclub.com/thesoydailybackissues/fuj iccoblksoy.asp). In these studies, they claimed that isoflavones from black soybeans are helpful for improving skin and ease menopause related conditions, as well as helping to prevent high blood pressure by accelerating nitric oxide production. The study also showed black soybeans may prevent fat buildup and lower blood cholesterol levels.

Fujicco is currently developing an isolate of the black soybean and expects to produce an ingredient for various applications such as bakery products. Based on its study, Fujicco introduced a RTD tea product called Black Bean Tea that contains 40 mg of soy isoflavones and was granted FOSHU (Foods for Specified Health Use) status for bone health. 

A successful black soybean beverage has been developed by House Foods called Black Bean Cocoa. Not surprisingly, it is a blend of black soybean juice and cocoa. The idea behind this product is to promote isoflavones from black soybeans and the benefit of polyphenols from cacao.  The product contains 20 mg of soy isoflavones and 140mg of polyphenols (as anthocyanins) per serving. House Foods said that it is targeting middle-aged women for antioxidants and menopause. It has sold over $ 50 million in the first year of its introduction.

Other black soybean products on the market are black soybean milk from Kibun Food Chemiha (kibunfc.co.jp) and black soybean coffee from Cigario (cigario.co.jp).

I have been eating the black foods now for a couple of weeks my blood pressure was at a dangerous hi of 160/95 and when I checked it again yesterday is was 134/85 and much improved pressure reading and my pulse was down from 96 to 69, and the nicest of all is I am losing weight and feeling very good. 

My official weight in is on Saturdays and so when I got on my scale this morning I was down another 2 pounds and I am so excited.

Here is a link that if you are interested:

 Japan’s Nutraceuticals Today - Foods in Black for Better Nutrition :: News :: Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center

Hope everyone is doing well today..  Weather is pretty good here and so I'm going to take my dog for a nice long walk.

 

 

 

Thanks for the article...I don't know anything about black soybeans. I will read it. Gratz! on losing 2 pounds. It is rainy and overcast today here in California. I did my pilates this morning but didn't do my usual walk. I think I may just do the treadmill.

I have an article that I saved to my hard drive last year. I want to share it but I am not sure if it is ok for me to copy and paste it without permission. It is about a sacred food, Chocolate! I have come to a different level of respect for chocolate than I ever had before. I have had a mad love affair with chocolate since early childhood. It truly is an amazing food and as such requires special handling and reference! I will pull up the article that helped me see things differently and try to copy it to the thread here and hope it is alright to do so. I have tried to find the place I got it from originally so that I could just link it but I can't find it.

The Lowdown on Chocolate

A little pleasure--even the fattening kind--has a place in your life

  -- Tuesday, January 24, 2006

By Geneen Roth, Prevention columnist

My friend Annie says that chocolate tastes like meatballs. Although she is incredibly wise, and I value her advice about many things, she is ignorant about this one, undeniable truth: Chocolate, especially the 77 percent bittersweet kind, is manna, perfect, and tastes like shooting stars. It is as necessary as sleep or water or exercise.

In fact, I was recently at a street fair where some vendors--I swear--were selling their chocolate as a vitamin supplement. When I raised my eyebrows at their $40-a-pound boxes, they asked me if I was willing to go the extra mile for my health. They pointed out that chocolate is chock-full of antioxidants, that it prevents plaque from forming in the arteries, and that the fat in chocolate does not increase cholesterol levels.

By the time I left their booth, I felt as if I would be neglecting my health if I didn't eat chocolate every day. So, of course, I bought some. I didn't need convincing because I consider chocolate to be part of the food pyramid, along with fruit, vegetables, and protein. To me, chocolate is proof that ecstasy is available on a daily basis, and so I offer the following wisdom from my years of research and appreciation.

Pleasure Is Good
First, carry your favorite chocolate with you at all times. Don't depend on restaurants or on other people's definitions of good chocolate. I have been shocked and dismayed by what even my best friends consider good chocolate. Devil's food cake with marshmallow filling and gooey icing. Milk chocolate with raisins and nuts. Treats with names like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Ding Dongs. Yodels. If you want to make sure that you get the kind of chocolate you prefer, slip it in your pocket, your purse, or your eyeglass case. Don't leave home without it.

Second, don't be ashamed to eat it in public; you never know where it might lead. A few months ago, a television producer asked to interview me for a show he was developing. We met for dinner, and at the end of our meal, I whipped out my purse, pulled out a bar of bittersweet chocolate, broke off a square, and offered him one. His mouth, which had been hanging open since the chocolate first appeared, closed in time for him to say yes. We shared a silent moment of ecstasy as the chocolate melted on our tongues; then I put the bar back into my purse, and we proceeded with the meeting. A week later, he called and told me he wanted me to appear on his show.

"I liked you before you took out the chocolate," he said, "but that clinched it. Someone who speaks about weight loss, eats chocolate every day, and stays at her natural weight knows something other people deserve to know."

What I know is that things, tastes, people, and activities that give you pleasure are good. Not everything that tastes good is bad for you. Chocolate has a place in your life, but like any relationship, you need to pay attention to it.

My third principle of chocolate wisdom is therefore: "Suck, don't chew." Take time with chocolate. If you pop it in your mouth while you are driving, reading, watching television, feeding your children, or talking on the phone, you will keep reaching for more. Soon, you will finish the whole bag or box or bar. You will have missed the taste because you weren't fully present. You will believe that chocolate and you have a dysfunctional relationship and cannot be in the same room together any longer.

Just One Kiss
In my classes, chocolate appreciation begins with Hershey's Kisses. Students hold a Kiss in their hands, smell it, and rub it on their lips, savoring every part of the experience. When they place it in their mouths, they pay close attention to how the taste unfolds. To the explosion of sensation on their lips, tongues, throats. To the difference between sucking on a piece of chocolate and inhaling it. Two or three rapturous minutes pass. They open their eyes, astonished. They can't believe what happens when they pay attention to what they love (a lesson with a wide variety of applications). "One little piece of chocolate tastes so big," they say.

They've never eaten just one. The one in their mouths was always merely a precursor to the one they were reaching for, and the 10 more after that. Some of them say they thought they were going to love the taste, but are shocked to find that it's too waxy. Others say it's too bland, and they prefer bittersweet chocolate. Still others say that if anyone had ever told them they would be satisfied with just one Kiss, they wouldn't have believed it, but they actually don't want another.

One final chunk of chocolate wisdom: Bring enough to share. Trust me, no matter what is going on at the table before you take out your chocolate, the tone will instantly change when you unveil the wrapper. Conversations will stop. Eyes will gleam. People who didn't notice you before will suddenly find you scintillating. When you share your chocolate, you become everyone's friend.

Chocolate reminds us to wake up, pay attention, stop reaching for what we don't have, and focus on what we do. It teaches us that we don't need a truckful of love to satisfy our hungry hearts. When we pay attention, enough is possible, here, now, right this very moment.

There are many doors to wisdom. Why not choose one that tastes like shooting stars?

Savoring Chocolate
Before you dive into the Godiva, follow these simple guidelines:

The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, sit down. Remember that 1 piece tastes no different than 20 pieces. Focus on the taste in your mouth. Allow yourself to notice how it feels on the roof of your mouth, your tongue, the sides of your cheeks, and in your throat. Notice whether it tastes like you thought it would. Enjoy it thoroughly. Let yourself have that much.

Geneen Roth is the author of six books about emotional eating, including When Food Is Love.

 

I carry my chocolate with me everywhere I go except on my morning walk! Hope this was fun for you all to read!

Terry

Hi Terry,

You are right on with the chocolate thing.  I caught a show very briefly one day and it was all about the health benefits of eating chocolate.  Not processed chocolate thou, natural chocolate.  It was, I believe, someone talking about different receipts that they added natural coco to- like in meatballs and some other foods.  I can't remember who it was and I have been researching the net to find it.  They have a receipt book out but I can't remember their names. 

I catch a lot of shows like that while I'm working on my computer but since I'm only half listening to start with I don't get all the info.  I was lucky to have caught as much of the show on the black foods as I did.  I usually have the TV on for company while I'm working on the computer.  Just for back ground sound.   I would like to find out more about the chocolate because there are so many health benifits.

Thanks for the info.  

Karen

 

 

Happy Sunday everyone, It is a nice sunny, Sunday here. They are calling for freezing rain early tomorrow morning so it may be a tricky drive in to work. Wish spring would get here already. I love all the posts here. This is the first spot I go to on CC after inputting my weight. Such a wealth of info. Marie, thanks for the kind words. I love that I can help someone else, like you all help me. Yarroc, I have never heard of black food before. I will have to look for some of this in our local health food store. I think the only thing I have had is black beans. I will try to use it more often I think. Pollockh, what an important lesson to learn: to read all the lables. That not all things marked as light or low fat are better nutritionally then the regular versions. I find that if I want sour cream that I am much better off with low fat, rather then fat-free. There is only a little bit of difference calorie wise, and I find the fat-free does not satisfy me and I end up using more. Other things I don't miss the fat at all. I think this is along the same idea as Terry's info that one piece of chocolate tases no different then 20, so savory that one piece instead. I was very succesful in my quest last week to walk 10,000 steps for 5 days. I picked 10,000 because it is double my normal number, but is still reachable. Plus it is easy to remember. I am going to reprogram my pedometer to 11,500 this coming week. Soon I will have to start some weight training as well. Maybe in a week. (Feel free to remind me of this ladies!!).

It has been my experience, Bev, that this road we are all on is a tricky one. It takes a good while to learn what we need to be watching for and what things cause us to stumble so we know what to avoid. Sounds like you are making good progress with recognizing the pothole types that tend to trip you up, liking eating out of the box instead of serving up one portion.

I knew I would make it to my goal when I realized that I had learned how to keep chocolate in my purse and in my house at all times and I don't eat but 18 calories worth in any one day...many days I don't eat any! This was a major break through for me...I remember when I couldn't even get chocolate home from the store unless it was powdered cocoa. Even the baking chocolate I ate...sometimes before I had taken out what I needed to make the Christmas fudge or whatever chocolatey treat I was suppose to be making for some event. Now I can have a big bar of Green and Black's 70% Dark Chocolate in my purse and I can even share pieces with others...I didn't share well before either unless there was such a plentiful supply that I couldn't eat it all myself which was more than I had ever seen in one place, or it was someone else's.

Thanks Bev for sharing about the pedometer thing. My hubby says I don't need another gadget which is true but perhaps if I start to get bored with my usual outdoor walking and the treadmill I can spice up my routine with one of those pedometers.

I need assistance...I am trying to post one of those TickerFactory.com weight tickers on my bio. I went to the site and made a ticker and got the code cut from the site and pasted it in my bio but I see the code and not the ticker. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? I used the HTML code.

Terry