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

Original Post by carolf_new:

If any of those fit you, ask your doc about sleep apnea. I was *devastated* when I was diagnosed; it seemed to me a punishment for being overweight all my life. But now, they will have to pry my CPAP machine from my dead, cold fingers, if they want it back! I cannot tell you what a difference it has made in energy level, ability to sleep, concentration during the day ...

I'm glad it's working out for you. One of my motivations to lose weight was to see if it would help with my sleep apnea. I was never tested but my wife has been telling me for our entire married life that I not only snore, but also jerk so hard she wakes up and stop breathing... all classic apnea signs. So I successfully lose 40 pounds and there is no change. I was tested 2 weeks ago and was told I definitely do NOT have sleep apnea! How's that for power of suggestion. I became convinced I had it. The test reports said my snoring is "mild". I told the doctor my wife rates it "severe" and the doctor laughed and said she hears it all day long. I was almost disappointed to find out there isn't a thing wrong with me.

Still, I'm glad I was tested and would encourage anyone who has symptoms to have a sleep test. 

Hey Carolf, the more the merrier I say.   We do get all over the place don't we?  There are so many really super people here and very supportive.  I know I may have sleep apnea.  I don't always sleep through the night, sometimes I wake myself up gasping for air or I may wake myself up snoring.  But I don't have any of the other symptoms you describe and it's not often.  What is a CPAP machine?  I don't really know much about this.

Karen

Hi Angel, Welcome and good luck on the road to good healthy eating.

Carol, Welcome! Glad you found us! I love your posts.

Terry, I was reading your post and laughing so hard! I think my mom and I are mirror images to you and your mom! I thought I was reading my entry!

One year ago, Feb 2007, my husband's friend, Tom, was getting in shape for a vacation. He asked me to walk with him. Well at 254 lbs, it was an embarrassment that I couldn't do it. I attempted a few times and then I just stopped. Today I walked with Tom for the first time in 13 months. We walked 3 miles in 50 minutes. I had to tell him a few times to pick up the pace. He was amazed at how strong and fast I am. He also said I looked really good in my workout clothes! This is from the same man who told me last June to put the chips down and get off the sofa. And I did.

Day-to-day progress may seem slow, but when you look back on where you started, it's amzing to see how far you've come!

To all: keep it up! It's so worth it!

Be healthy!

Marie

Southcarolinaguy:  Sorry it didn't work out for you.  Some folks with sleep apnea don't snore at all, although that is rare.  I'm a very mild snorer - but snoring at all is relatively new.  It's not the gravity of the symptoms that matters.   All that matters is whether you get the sleep or not.  Some people have no symptoms at all, unless they have a partner who notices the stopped breathing.

That said, however, the diagnosis is not a magic bullet as far as weight loss is concerned.  I still have the weight, and I still have to lose it, safely.  But I have enough energy to move at all, let alone exercise, so it certainly will help! 

Karen - CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure.  It looks somewhat like a snorkling mask attached to a cute little black box.  The machines forces air *into* your nose --  that's the "continuous" and "positive air pressure" part.  You have to learn to breathe out against it.

The air pressure down the nose, over the soft palate into the mouth acts an air splint keeping the tongue down and forward.  Sleep apnea is caused when the tongue falls back into the throat and blocks the air tube.  When the neck is completely relaxed (as it is in stage 2 and 3 sleep) the tongue tends to fall back in some cases -- typically, but not exclusively, a thick neck.

The body goes into pure panic mode when the air is shut off.  Heart races, adrenaline pumps (which increases insulin, which increases risk of weight gain and diabetes) blood vessels expand, putting more strain on the heart.  Eventually, the body literally wakes you up with all this commotion, just enough to engage the muscles to bring your tongue out of the throat.  Then you go back to sleep.  Since you typically stay in state 1 sleep, you don't know you are waking.  To you it seems as if you have been asleep all the time.

It's a serious condition.  It should not be ignored.  A friend of mine had a sleep study which revealed he was waking, on average, every 2-3 minutes.  My sleep study revealed 8-minute cycles.  An immediate worry is that people who operate machinery, cars, etc. can literally fall asleep at the wheel from exhaustion.  But over time, the real problem is the strain on the heart.

Wow, lots of good info here.  I asked my daughter about my snoring, at one time she use to say she could here me through the walls.  She said, I don't snore like I use to.  But, I will be keeping an eye on it.  I don't really feel tired during the day, until about 3:00pm.  I call it my peek-out time.  I get a second wind and then I'm good until around 9:30pm or so when I'm ready for bed. 

Hopefully, its because I am getting healthier. 

Karen

My husband snores like a trooper and does stop breathing in the night.  I told him about this but he doesn't seem to concerned.  I am just afraid of waking up some morning and he wont be breathing at all.  When he does stop I lay there listening to him if I don't think he has started breathing soon enough I purposely push him or bounce on the bed to jar him.  I find this scary.

So is everybody ready for the weekend and the challenges that poses.  I seem to have a harder time on the weekend when food is readily available.  Even though I work at a desk through the week I seem to do better.  I don't have as much time to think about food.  I also am better at drinking water, since my water bottle is always in eye sight. 

I should look at the weekend as the opportunity to spend more time exercising.  This weekend will be spent shovelling snow I think.  They are calling for a major storm.  I love being out in the snow, but by March it is time for spring.  Saw my first robins a couple days ago and they are sooo confused by this weather.

I have done great reaching 10,000 steps every day.  This weekend I will try to get out some of my old exercise DVDs (or VHS ???) and see what I can do.  I haven't done any straighten training or cardio other then walking in such a long time.  I feel ready to get back to it now, but will have to start slow.  Does anyone have any favourites, that aren't too intense or complicated when starting out?

 Bev  197/186.5/135

Beav, like you I have to be extra vigilant at the weekends especially Saturday early evening and night, this seems to be the time when I have least to occupy my mind so of course the pantry calls but I'm learning not to listen and if I do the only thing that I find there is celery, carrots, grapes, apples, strawberries, pickles and if I'm absolutely desperate for something sweet I teaspoon of pure strained honey on a crispbread. Even if I was greedy enough to eat everything on the list it don't add up to very many calories. But I am trying hard (not very sucessfully, sometimes) to break  the snacking habit so I go for a walk weather permitting.

I have yet to find any other form of exercise, apart from my Curves gym, that I enjoy, I used to be an avid swimmer but having moved to live in the country we have no ammenities close and an hour drive both ways to a pool does not appeal at the moment. I have worked up to jogging a few yards every so often during my walk and I sometimes add weights when I'm walking, so I'm hoping that the combinations vary enough for my body not to become to accustomed to any one form of walking. We have plenty of hills around us as well.

I got a new picture of my grandson today (21 mths) and oh he is just so, so cute (I don't suppose for one minute he is any more cute that everyone else's grandchildren) I just want to pick him up and hug him but it's a bit difficult when he's in USA and I'm here. Can't wait for May, I'm not telling anyone there that I'm trying to change my lifestyle so I'm hoping they will be surprised when I get off that plane a different me!

Have a good weekend everyone, Dess

Oh, the weekend! I wish everyone 'good luck' with the challenges ahead.

Bev, the storm you're getting will be rain here, the forecast is calling for severe rain and coastal flooding. So, walking may be difficult for me this weekend.

I am refinishing the wood trim on my kitchen counter tops, (stain and 3 coats of poly). It does make cooking meals a bit of a challange. I try to do it early in the morning so by dinner time it's just slightly tacky. However today, I wasn't able to do it until 12 noon. I don't know if I'll be able to cook dinner or not tonight.

Be healthy!

Marie

Hey all...Ladies and Gent!

Sorry I didn't get to check in yesterday. Thursday is my day to take care of my mother-in-law.

Welcome to our new people!

I enjoyed reading the new post since Wednesday afternoon. I did not know that much about sleep apnea. I thought my night sweats were my last hold over from menopause but perhaps it is sleep apnea since I do have some of the other symptoms. My hubby snores and then stops breathing regularly. He wakes me up when he starts twitching to wake up enough to breath again. He says I snore and wake him up. He says I twitch a lot also but he has not noticed that I ever stop breathing. Sounds like we both need to get checked out for sleep apnea.

I had a new experience last night with food. On the way home from my mother-in-laws I decided to stop at the market to get a treat for dinner. I had been thinking about it all afternoon. I wanted tortilla chips. Usually when I feel this urge I go to our local Mexican food restaurant and order burritos and get a bag of chips that they make there that are hot. They are free with the burritos. The problem is that first I know they don't use a good oil to cook them in though they taste yummy, and secondly I think the calorie count on them is much higher than for better tortilla chips I could get at the market that are made with a healthier oil, no trans fats, and I don't have to buy a burrito and eat it when I really only want the chips. I realized that I was splurging on this which counts as my once a week whatever I want meal and if I cut out the burrito and got store bought healthier chips and some refried beans with no fat, I could probably keep this within my calorie limit and save my free meal.

I got tortilla chips made with healthy oil, 5 gms of unsaturated fat per serving. I was able to have two servings and one serving of refried beans. It was within my calorie limit so I didn't waste my free meal. I was able to stop eating the chips with the two helpings when I realized that I could have them more often than three times a year if I did it this way!

When I would buy the burrito to get the chips I would eat a whole lot more chips and eat the burrito. It was my free meal and it alone was over 1500 calories for the one meal. It didn't however seem to slow my weight loss down because I didn't do it often. However, I did feel deprived because I felt that this was a food that I could only have for a free meal. Tortilla chips are one of my weak points and a food that I have had to keep out of my house for lack of control. I have most of a bag of chips left in the cupboard now. One good thing about getting the burrito and chips was that there was nothing left over. I could eat the whole bag of fresh hot chips with the burrito and then there was no more.

I am testing my strength and flexing my new muscles here as I approach maintenance. I need to be able to face the things I fear and know that I am bigger than a bag of chips! I may have to throw the bag of chips away if it starts pressing on me and calling me from the cupboard where I left it. I will keep you posted on the battle of the chips!

I lost two pounds the week before this and no weight this week. It is not unusual at this point for me to have weeks when I don't lose anything. I know I will get there and the last bit here can go slowly because I have to learn to motivate myself with new things other than the rush I get from seeing a new low on the scale. Once I reach goal I need to have learned enough skills to maintain and I am just figuring out what those skills are for me. Being able to have chips in the house and not fall off the wagon is a skill I need to develop.

I will say that for the past year I have not bought a bag of chips, a carton of ice cream, cookies, candy, pastries or any of the foods that got me to morbid obesity! I could not have them in my house. I had a hard enough time being in my mother-in-laws house where sweets and pastries are a staple in her diet. The thing that saved me there was knowing that she is wheel chair bound and requires constant help to even stand up and sit on the toilet. She is able to feed herself and her mind is good but she needs to be bathed and dressed and moved physically from one spot to another by her caregivers. She lives on medications, taking over 15 different meds a day. Much of her illness was preventable if she had eaten healthy and exercised.  Knowing her and watching her health go down hill over the years has been a major motivation on my journey to better health.

My point here, as I share my attempt to concur my fear of tortilla chips, is that I don't recommend trying this when you are starting out. I recommend cleaning your house out completely of all those foods that helped you into the unhealthy place you found yourself that brought you here.  I am sharing my experience so that I have some accountability as I venture into new territory. Hopefully it will help you later when you get closer to your goal.

It may be that I find I just can't eat tortilla chips and they become a food like wheat that I just leave out of my diet all together. Certainly if I can't control how many I eat they are not healthy for me. Then like my bodies intolerance for the gluten in wheat that causes me health problems I must give it up.

It is a beautiful sunny though chilly day here. My morning walk was extraordinary with blossoming trees all around! Spring is so life affirming!

Hugs to you all!

Terry

Changling,

Please  talk to your husband.  He may not be concerned, and it is a very our generation male attitude to have, but he should be.

Here is the danger of sleep apnea:  

1. Lack of sufficient and sufficiently deep sleep leads to "sleep while awake" periods over time.  That's how someone with sleep apnea suddenly "wakes up" to find him/herself wrapping the car around a post.  Or getting caught in machinery ... The body will force rest if it needs it -- whether or not you are in bed.  This is a serious threat, just like driving drunk or under the influence of meds. 
2. The stopped breathing at night is a serious strain on the heart.  One of the symptoms of sleep apnea is waking up in the morning (or in the middle of the night) drenched in sweat.  I assumed it was perimenopause.  But once I was on the CPAP, it went away, so it wasn't that.  The heart working as hard as it does to get and keep oxygen flowing despite the malfunction of the breathing process is what causes that swear -- and you can see how 8 hours of that is a strain on the heart.
3. The cleansing and rest the body requires from sleep doesn't happen in stage 1 sleep -- it happens in stages 2-4.  With the sleep apnea, it is possible that you never get to 3-4.  And instead of 3-4 cycles of sleep, you only get 1 or 2.  Sleep is not helpful, and you don't get the health benefits from it.  Instead, you get the toxic buildup from the lack of true rest. 
4. The lack of sleep causes mental fatigue and fog, depression, chronic exhaustion ... It's not a good way to live.

He may not have sleep apnea.  But there is *no* reason to stop breathing in one's sleep that doesn't require medical attention.

I, too, shrugged it off.  I didn't think it was that serious.  It was, and is.  He doesn't know how much of his life he is missing. 

You are right to be scared.  Tell him how scared you are.  

Good luck.  Let us know how it works out, hey? 

Hey all, yes the weekends are the challenge for sure.  Yesterday was my birthday and so there is birthday cake in the house and while I am not much for eating sweets like cake, I just know I will have a slice.  But that's ok because I know I will not let it get out of control.  The weather here today is lousy.  It started to rain and has now turned into snow.  Since I am on a hill, walking today will be out of the question.  I usually like to take my dog on the weekends for a good long walk.  I hope tomorrow will be more complimentary weather. 

Hope you all have a fabulous week-end... 

Karen 

Happy Birthday yarroc.  Hope you had a good one.  And you just have to have a piece of your own birthday cake that is the law.

Original Post by changling:

My husband snores like a trooper and does stop breathing in the night. I told him about this but he doesn't seem to concerned. I am just afraid of waking up some morning and he wont be breathing at all. When he does stop I lay there listening to him if I don't think he has started breathing soon enough I purposely push him or bounce on the bed to jar him. I find this scary.

That describes my sleeping and my wife's reaction exactly. I'm sorry to say I ignored it for years and only recently got tested. In my case, the test was negative. My wife thought I my breathing was stopped but it actually became so shallow she couldn't detect it. That doesn't mean your husband doesn't have it. Getting tested is the only way to know for sure. Tell him it is covered by health insurance if there are symptoms, which there obviously are. If he has it, it can be dangerous in the long-term. Treatment is simple.  If he doesn't have it, you get peace of mind.

Oh my, the challenges a birthday brings.  I was good thou, I had some cake.  I didn't lose anything but didn't gain any too so that is good news.  My new job has had it's own food challenges but I have been bringing my lunch and keeping it real healthy. No unhealthy snacks - I bring my yogurt and fruit.   I usually bring in the SmartOnes or I'll bring my black rice and beans.  So far this week it's looking good. 

Hope everyone is good and thanks for the birthday wishes.

Karen

Hey all!

Happy days for me! I finally lost weight again after three weeks of no losses. I have now reached my goal for my birthday which was the 50 pound mark. I did it a bit early. I am now just 5 pounds from my ultimate goal! That means this place I am at now at 135 pounds is the high end of the range I will stay in for the rest of my life.

Last night I did something that has humbled me and brought me more fully aware today. I allowed myself to eat corn chips unconsciously to the point of feeling sick to my stomach. On top of this it was upsetting that I did it to cover up emotional distress. I am back to a conscious place this morning. I am examining the new tactics that my mind used to lead me astray.

I am standing back up and ready for a new day in my new body moving forward to make up the ground I lost last night.

Hope you're all doing well and feeling alive!

Terry

Congratulations, and good post. Two things that jumped out at me are

1) "135 pounds is the high end of the range I will stay in for the rest of my life."

Not, I'm going to try and maintain this, but I AM going to maintain this. With that mindset, you will.

2) "I am examining the new tactics that my mind used to lead me astray."

I didn't have any success until I really understood that this only appears to be a battle with my body. In reality, my body got right when my mind got right.

Deepak Chopra said something I heard for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it would have sounded crazy to me just a year or two ago but now makes perfect sense. He said that we indulge in something he called "The Myth of the physical". We tend to think of ourselves as physical beings who can only think because we have physical brains and that our physical selves determine our thoughts. He said that it seems likely that the opposite is true. Our physical selves are a manifestation of our thoughts.

The first time I heard the idea that we can control our lives by controlling our minds, I didn't realize just how hard it is to control one's own mind. Now that I'm on maintenance I'm figuring out ways to apply what I've learned along the way to all aspects of my life. It's actually pretty cool once you get momentum going.

Thanks southcarolinaguy for the encouragement!

 I think we are basically on the same page!

The important part is that I totally agree that I must control my thoughts by acknowledging what they are saying in attempts to gain control and take me back down the road from where I came. I am not going there though because I have other things to do in life!

Maintenance here I come!

Terry

Terry2:

A wise woman once told me, "It's not what you do that matters.  It's what you do next."

So, you binged.  What did you do next?  You 1) acknowledged it 2) acknowledged that you did for a reason, not just to do it 3) began working on how to not have to do it again and 4) picked yourself back up and got on with it.

Do you realize how HUGE that is?  Do you?

Yay you!

Good going Terry, I knew you would power forward.  It goes to how determined you are. 

Kuddos Kuddos and more Kuddos to you...

Karen