Over 50 pounds to lose?

I'd like to hear from those 50-somethings who have at least 50 pounds to lose.  I believe that those of us with high BMI's or who are "morbidly obese" not only have a long road ahead, but we have a "fat" self-image that has to change during our weight-loss if we are ever going to maintain that loss.

I know a lot about gaining weight.  I am 51 and have been very overweight for 20 years.  At my heaviest I was 100 pounds overweight.  I have paid for all the diet programs, I have donated thousands of dollars to gyms without using their facilities for more than 2-3 months, I have lost some weight only to gain it all back and then some.  I know what it's like to not be able to fit into public seating and to shop at the "special" clothing stores where they segregate fat women.

I know a little about losing weight.  I lost 88 pounds two years ago, then gained 50 of it back a year ago.  I joined CC in September 08 and have lost 39 pounds so far.

I know nothing about maintenance, and find that I feel fatter now then when I had lost 10 pounds.

So to all of you out there who can relate, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Well here I am, I am 51 years old, and have 60 lbs to lose. This is the heaviest I have ever weighed, more then any of my 4 pregnancie weights!   I have always struggled with weight loss, not as much as now though, it was always 15-20 lbs overweight before. Seems once I hit 50 my whole metabolism just quit. I  also have underactive thyroid. I was diagnosed with that 18 years ago.

I also Normal 0 <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> sabotaged my diet, two years ago. I had gotten so close to my target weight, then I decided to quit smoking. The rest is history, still can't believe how much weight I put on in just 2 short years.

I found CC just last week, the same day I decided to quit smoking, if I can keep this up maybe I will still manage to lose weight. I did lose 4lbs this past week!  And I have not even had a drag on a cigarette!  I have to make a life change here, and now, and thanks to CC, and everyone I have been talking to on here, I think I am on the right path!

Liz

Am I in?  I started writing a message and got booted.  I'm 50, have been up and down in my weight since my teens.  My goal is to lose 30 kilos - starting today!  By August 11th I should have reached it if I'm good!  I'm an ex-u.s. army brat living in Greece now.  Married and I have a 13 yr old son.  I've never done calorie counting per se, I've followed WW and a dietician.  My serious problem is night binging.  My husband works out of town, he's here usually on weekends so when my son goes to bed all hell breaks loose.... I'm going to work on going to bed early, that alone should keep me from consuming and extra 500 worthless calories.  How about you two?  What are your difficult times of day?

My name is Sue I'm 52 and I have 55 pounds to lose, if I hadn't stopped keeping track of what I was eating last summer who knows where I would be at in my weight loss.  From January 08 - May 08 I had lost over 20 pounds. From May 08 - Jan 09 I have gained back all but five of them.  I know I have to keep track of what I put in my mouth and I have to exercise.  Since neither of those is something I've ever even thought about before last year it's hard to change the mind set.  I really do believe that in some ways skinny is a way of thinking.  Skinny people, at least those I know our age, are always thinking about what they are putting in there mouths and are really good about staying busy with exercise type activities.  Even if the exercise is walking, it's healthy for us. 

I think we need to realize why we eat when we eat.  For me it's when i'm lonely or bored.  Both which I could fix by going to the fitness center.  Oc course when I start feeling like that I also feel depressed and don't want to go anywhere.  Wouldn't it be great if there really was a magic pill that could give us that skinny mindset. :(

Here, here Sue, there are pills for everything - why not a magic skinny mindset pill!  Would you believe that since last summer I've promised myself to go for a walk every evening, I've gone I think twice... I even considered getting a dog to force me to take it for a walk but I'm not sure even that would do it. 

Yes you are in lol!

That has been my problem, the night binging, err eating. My Husband works construction so he comes home devours supper then maybe an hour or so later is eating snacks, I do not work out, but certainly do enjoy the snacking. It is easier when I smoke, because then I would light up, when he was snacking. But as I had said earlier I did quit smoking two years ago, hence all this weight, now I have quit again and I am really trying not to snack with him. Yeah everyone says well eat something healthy while hes snacking, for some reason, those carrot sticks just don't hold up to the cheese and crackers.  As far as exercise goes... I have been seriously thinking of starting something. I know I need too. Right now counting the calories is quite a bit for me to do. I have been on here for a week, maybe next week I will get more of an incentive to start working out.  I do have a dog, but its pretty cold outside so taking walks is something I plan on doing in the spring. I wish SOMEONE would invent that skinny pill!

Liz

 lconalis   I was really good about exercising almost daily last winter and spring but a soon as summer hit I thought I should be doing something outside . . . Yeah right that didn't happen.  The only thing that did happen was me getting out of the habit.  Why is it that when you are trying to stop a bad habit, eating, smoking, whatever., it takes for ever to quit but when you miss a week or two of doing something healthy it feels almost impossible to start up again. GRRRRR  Someone once told me that you don't have to actually go for a walk in the evening you just have to put your shoes on and walk out your front door.  I guess the mindset is that if you are out your door you will keep going.   Now if I can just get those shoes on and the darn heavy door open.lizstang1  I have this picture in my head of a bowl of fresh fruit next to a bowl of chips (one of my personal loves, and a bowl of fresh vegies next to a bowl of chocolate.  I know which ones I would be eating.  And I know it wouldn't be the right choice.  Why do I think the people telling you (eat something healthy) are probably 100 pound cuties?  Something that helped me for a while with those nights in front of the tv munchies was crocheting.  I found that if I kept my hands occupied they weren't shoving food into my mouth.  You must live up north like me, we aren't expected to get above zero until this weekend. BRRRRR   I would recommend a Leslie Sansone (I think that's right) dvd.  You can pop it into your player and walk whenever you want and the weather doesn't matter.  It might help thru the winter months.

Actually, I think there is a new skinny pill called Accomplia.  It is supposed to take away your desire to overeat and also to smoke.  Prescription only.  I would ask your doctor about it. 

Alice

You can add me to the group that needs to lose 50+ pounds.  I was OK, not thin, but a healthy weight until I had two babies in less than two years.  I never lost my pregnancy weight and my youngest is now 28 years old.  Then I picked up another 20 pounds when menopause started.  I lost that last year, but still need to lose another 50 to hit my "ideal" weight.  I would be happy if I could just lose another 35 though.

My problem is a combination of a terrible sweet tooth and my "see food" diet.  If I see food, I eat it.  I have banished sweets from the house, but I can't find a solution to "game day" when we put a lot of snacks out for guests and then I eat them all.  I am logging foods again and working out.  I am determined to lose at least 25 pounds this year.

I agree that maintenance can be a problem.  I was really tired of trying to lose at the end of last year and decided to take some time off.  I did OK for a month and then completely lost it between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I gained 7 pounds in a little over a month!  I guess maintenance means never letting go completely.

 moonduster   Thanks for letting us know.  It shouldn't really surprise me that there would be some kind of a skinny pill.  But I was joking, I'm sure for some people that would be the right way to go, but for me I know I can get it off and keep it off if I just keep track of what goes in and exercise. 

clharr   I think that for those of us who have allowed ourselves to get overweight we  will never be able to not keep track daily of what we eat if we want to keep it off.  That is such a daunting thought but being overweight for the rest of my life is also a daunting thought.  Somehow we just have to figure out ways to keep it interesting.

Isn't it horrible, it takes so long to lose but the pounds are just waiting around the corner when you relax for a minute...

I'll be your friend if I can figure out how to do it

The easiest way to add a friend is to click on their picture or name to get to their profile page.  You will see Add Buddy near the top of the page.  Just click on that.  If I remember right there is a box that comes to let you add some text, if so, it is a good idea to add a little note in the box that comes up so that when the person sees the notice that you have added them, they will have some idea of who you are.  If I remember wrong (somethat seems to happen more all the time), send them an email introducing yourself.  That person will then do the same thing to add you as their buddy.

Wow, awesome, I started this topic before work this morning, and came home tonight hoping for even one response - this was my first time initiating a topic.  So many things have been said today I could agree with, including...I don't have any friends on here either!

The night eating, the "see-food diet", having no control over sugar and/or anything with white flour, I can relate to all of us.  We didn't gain 50+ pounds binging on vegetables!

For me, what has helped, especially when I'm starting back on a healthy eating/exercise plan, is to focus only on what I can do today for my health.  I don't think about how far I have to go, or doing it forever, or any of that.  Because I found that when I only focused on today when I was eating junk, the days just flew by, the weight grew and grew, and before I knew it months/years had gone by.  So I think of those months/years the same way - if I just focus on today, soon days/weeks will have passed and I will have lost weight.  I will be feeling better about myself instead of worse.  The time passes either way.

And you know, at our age "the rest of my life" isn't nearly as long as it was when I was 20-30-40.  So perhaps I CAN do something for "the rest of my life", especially if it means the healthy part of my life will last longer.

The thing I have to do is plan my food weekly (shopping) and daily (preparing) and eat every 3 hours or so.  If I allow myself to get hungry, then good decision-making goes out the window and impulse eating kicks in.  And like I said, I NEVER have an impulse to over-eat celery!

So what motivates you to keep losing weight now?

Hello Everyone,

Count me in! I'm 52 and I've been trying to lose 65 lbs since June 2007. I was on a roll but when I hit the -45 lbs mark last summer I got stupid.  Now, I'm trying again.

Yes, mad4moon, I know a lot about gaining and losing weight. I tried a lot of diets out there. But maintaining weight always eludes me! Someday I'll get the hang of this.

I find whenever I have down time to be my problem eating time. If I'm busy I'm fine, my mind is off food. But just give me one minute when I'm home with time on my hands and wham, I'm eating something.

I'm at my best when I keep a food log. It helps keep me honest. I also work out twice a week. I'll walk for 30-45 minutes then do strength training for 45-60 minutes. I do have to add more cardio but the winter weather has me on the tread mill which I really hate. Boring.

Good luck to all of us!!!!

mad4moon  I love the idea of just taking it one day at a time, (12 step program for overeaters ).   For me to stay on track I need to have healthy food in my house at all times, if I get an attack of the munchies and I don't have fruit and vegies in the house I will find something bad and if I go out to buy something it will most likely be a bag of chips that I will eat until they are gone.  Never a good idea. 

Motivation should not be much of a problem at our age.  We see people all around us suffering from weight related illnesses even if we ourselves aren't.  And I suspect that anyone our age who is at least 50 pounds overweight is having problems getting around and getting things done that would be reduced by losing that extra weight.

For myself, I have cholesterol and triglyceride counts that prompt lectures and meds from doctors.  I am very worried about type 2 diabetes.  While the work I have done on improving my physical condition last year has made things like getting up from the floor and climbing stairs a lot easier, I want to be able to hike again.  I am hoping to have grandkids pretty soon and I want to chase them around, take them to parks, and be a really fun grandma.  That takes strength and getting rid of that 50 pound burden I am carrying everywhere.

The problem for me is not so much motivation, but the discipline to achieve what I want.  Resisting food is hard, but I can do that.  Making myself exercise is even harder.  But I have to do it.

Lean and strong, that is my mantra.  I will get there.

Hi guys... I'm new to the group.  I'm hoping for some support here.  Did any of you watch the Oprah 'Best Life' series last week?  It sure lit a fire under me!!  I so identified with her.  I felt myself keep saying, yea! that's me... Anyway, I hadn't used the Calorie Counter tool in awhile, but I am again.  Got me a little pedometer to keep track of my steps.  I have just a heck of a time finding the energy to hop on the treadmill, so I'm trying taking the stairs and parking to the back of the lot at work.  I used to have more determination in the morning to get up and exercise, but now it seems it takes me longer to 'wake up' and get going and by that time, I'm running late and need to hurry and get ready for work.  I work 9-hour days (to get every other Friday off) and when I get home I am whopped.  I am in a fairly stressful job, so my mind is also tired when I get home.  My Fridays off, I generally try to do something active, but not always.  Now for eating, I can generally keep my food intake under control and I am focusing on the most healthy choices to hopefully 'feel' better and stronger.  My downfall is when I get home in the evening, I just don't want to give up that glass (or 2) of white wine.  Yes, I know... lots of calories and slows the metabolism... but, I try to compromise with my caloric intake.  So, I can't follow the 'Best Life' as it doesn't incorporate wine.  I remember not terribly long ago that the pounds would melt off...  so easily!!  Now, not so.  I thought I had been at the same weight forever in the last year... but it has dropped a little.  So, using the Calorie Counter tool here was good as it showed me that I had progressed... at least some.  Oh yea... and one more thing... I am also more determined at this point as I have a Mexico cruise coming up in less than a month... I wanted to be much thinner than I am by now, but alas, at least a little firmer with a tighter tummy would be acceptable...   

I agree that getting around just got harder and harder, the heavier I got.  Getting out of bed in the morning - being 100 pounds overweight is a disability!  I didn't have high blood pressure (believe it or not) but I was retaining water - my ankles would be huge by the end of the day.  Uncomfortable AND unattractive.  Acid reflux.  Sheesh, what else?

I cannot have any trigger foods in the house - for me there's no such thing as eating one cookie or having 1/2 cup of ice cream.  If I "cheat", it's having a bowl of high-fiber cereal that wasn't a part of my plan, or honey in my tea. 

Which doesn't mean I never have cookies or ice cream.  I plan a treat meal (or in the case of Christmas, day) every month.  I make sure that I eat foods that I will really enjoy and savor.

Now that I'm down 77 pounds, I can cross my legs instead of sitting in chairs like a logger.  I am wearing clothes that represent who I really am, instead of tents that I (falsely) think hide my fat from the world.  My ankles have bones instead of pillows!  No acid reflux.

Has anyone read any good weight-loss memoirs?  I just finished "Half-Assed" (she lost 200 pounds in 2 years).  My favorite has been "Passing For Thin". 

Jumping into this thread although it looks like it kind of came to a halt over a month ago.

There are alot of common themes to what keeps people overweight and what keeps them away from exercising. What gets, and keeps, people motivated is a different matter.  I turned 54 this last month and was right at 300lbs.

I've spent years coming up with excuses and it was easy just to simply ignore the weight and keep buying larger clothes.  Every year for the past 5 years I've told myself that I was going to lose the weight and get back into shape before I had another birthday. But, nothing motivated me no matter how many pep talks I gave myself. I knew that I had to have a reason and a goal and it had to be one that I really felt strongly about, not just one that I'd made up that I'd forget about in a couple of weeks.

What finally did it for me was that I've finally decided that I might not want to be alone for the rest of my life.  My wife passed away about 10 years ago from cancer and although I've had a couple of short relationships that didn't go anywhere I'd pretty much given up on that part of my life.  One easy way to avoid relationships is to layer on the weight, avoid exercise, and then use that as the excuse to avoid others.

So, now, for completely superficial reasons,  I've lost about 30 lbs over the past 4 weeks and have about 70 to go. I expect this is going to take at least the next 6 - 8 months. 

Then.. well, we'll see when I get there.

Luck and happy thoughts to everyone...

Good for you billo255 - sounds like you've made a decision based on long term gratification and not today's.

I too am slowly headed in that direction.  I've been discussing for months to just start walking... finally I started yesterday and went again today.  Tomorrow I plan on going again, someone here said that just put your foot out the door and the rest will happen on it's own.

Good for you, we're with you all the way =)

Welcome, Billo255!  Whether you're walking or running, it's a marathon and not a sprint when you have a significant amount of weight to lose.  I don't think it is a superficial goal when you want to lose weight in order to attract a life partner - and you want to live long enough to enjoy your time with that partner.  At our age obesity becomes more than a dating obstacle - it's a health hazard!

It sounds almost like a part of the grief for your wife was a disinterest in the future - and that now you are ready to heal that part of your heartache.  We're here for you, as you are here for us!