The Senior Corner - Are You Over 50?

September, 2008 - we now have a group!  It's called 60s 70s and Higher!  There are also age specific groups for all ages.  Please stop in an join, and please do participate.

Time for all of us older members to get to know each other.  All the youngsters have made themselves known so now it's our turn.

I was 65 in April, 2007, and happily retired.

How about you?

Looks like I might just be the oldest one here, 75 July 31, 2008. It's been a great life.

My husband was a Park Ranger and we moved all over, always living in a National Park until in 1990 we retired here to the southern Appalachians about 2 miles off The Blue Ridge Patkway and here we have lived ever sinse.

We loved every area of the country we were fortunate enough to live in and found great people everywhere we lived. All of your entries say all of you are the same.

I would love to be a part of your group. Claire, have so enjoyed your pictures and your sharing of your life since I found your site a few weeks back. Thank you for sharing!

Hi all, I'm so glad to have found like-minded folks to share the journey with.  I love meeting new people of all ages, and hope you will add me to your friends list - and reply to me directly as well as to this forum.

I am 64 years old. My husband of 46 years and I live in a small town in a beautiful rural area where we have diverse scenery in every direction. Within an hour I can be in either beautiful high mountain areas or in desert red-rock country, where there are many trails to enjoy riding my ATV.

I retired 2 years ago and love being available to help my grown children when they need me. (That is if I'm home.) My husband and I have traveled some, and spend our winters in Arizona.  I have 5 married children (therefore 3 wonderfun sons-in-law and 2 teriffic daughters-in-law), 15 grandchildren, and 3 great-granddaughters.

I have considered myself to be over weight all my life - but as I look back now, I'd be very happy to weight what I did when I was 35 years old (and thinking I was really overweight). I've been successful in loosing down to my goal weight 3 separate times in my life, but each time have gained all the weight back (plus a lot more), till now I am looking at over 100 pounds of excess weight. I've tried every diet from Weight Watchers to Medifast, and know that I have got to change my eating habits and life style to make a lasting difference - not only in my weight but in my health.

I've been lucky that my health has not been worse till now, but my eating habits have caught up with me! I've got to loose the weight now because I'm looking at heart problems, knee & hip pain, high cholesterol, HBP, and many other problems. This is the best time of my life - and I want to live to enjoy it!

I can use all the help I can get. I Hope to make new friends here to help me meet my goals. I'm looking forward to meeting some of you through this forum!

So you two winter in Arizona! We were there 5 years in the early 70's - 2 at Tonto National Monument and 3 at Grand Canyon. Since Tonto is usually little know - here goes. It's the site of 2 Indian cliff dwellings located near Roosevelt, Az. They are high on a hillside overlooking Roosevel Lake with the Sierra Ancha Mountains beyond as a backdrop.

Roosevel Dam had been an early T. Roosevelt reclamation project and its resulting resivoir on tne Salt River supplies Phoenix with much of its water, (at least when we were there). The park superintendent before us had been an avid gardener and had carefully maintained an all natural area of desert vegetation around the visitor center and the employee housing area. It was truly beautiful and we loved all of it.

We cannot stress enough the importance of making any changes in our lifestyle as soon as we can NOW. Each year, even months or weeks can be even harder and so many things can happen to hamper our efforts still more. I, too, have a considerable amount I need to lose, but for right now I thought I would work on it in chunks and pieces. I always have (who can forget?) in mind that ideal weight of those college days but in the past I have always found it overwhelming to reach such a long, far away goal. Right now I am striving to average losing around a pound a week 'till Labor Day. Then I will set up another goal of 5-10 lbs to Halloween, then to Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. I'm not recommending this method to anyone else. It is just that this is what feels right for me at this time.

Good luck to you in making your changes. I will be delighted to hear. ,

56 in Feb 2008 and 45 lbs over weight! I still don't understand about the calories. I'm told to use 1250 cal. per day and I walk 2 miles almost everyday on the treadmill , so do I still eat the 1250 or less when I walk?

I'm so confused!!!!!

Claire: from your journals, it sounds like you may be feeling a little better and getting on top of things.

Cteen: there's an 83-year old posting around here somewhere so you are still among the younger.

Grannyatv4fun: we are in the same weight loss challenge; hope we make our goals. I used to live in Tucson.

Brew1949: That's a pretty skimpy diet. Take a look at http://caloriescount.com, which differs by an 's' from here, for some incite and also at Nutrition Guide for Women.

Glad to see all of you on CC!

Awesome! I'm 50 and I found the Senior's Corner and I'm loving it. I gained steadily, 25 pounds overweight, and I've lost 6 pounds already. I just started on August 7th, so I think that I'm doing pretty good. I haven't been exercising as much as I want, but I will!  It was so inspiring to read that you were in the best shape of your life, because that is what my goal is! Why not?  

I accidentally hit post twice, so here's another discussion thread. I get tired of people saying it's "all downhill" starting at 40. If we take good care of ourselves (exception to those whose movements are restricted and have a serious disease of course) then I believe that we can achieve a lot more than we ourselves know!  Anyone out there of the same mindset? I would love to add someone as a friend with a positive outlook to chat one on one with!   

I agree.  It seems to me as I get older (now 57), things to do, places to go, and people to meet --- the opportunities abound.

I think I have a positive outlook, and I can certainly enjoy others with the same mindset.  My husband has a negative outlook.  The good point about that is that it makes me examine whether my outlook is realistic or not.  The down side is that it is frustrating sometimes.

Isn't this a wonderful site?  I have about 50 lbs to lose, and I am making progress (I think).    Right now it's a bit "uphill," and I can't wait to get to the "downhill" slide by the end of the year. 

My daughter has challenged me to run a 5K race on January 1st 2009 when I go to visit her in the States.  Boy, that has been a motivator for me. 

What motivates you?

okay - im 56 - male - overweight , thats why im here - want to loose 4 stone to start with but not think that far in front - tried all sorts of diets (could write a book) - my ambition is to look down my body and see my feet - lol

Hi Clair and Everyone:

I'm 61 and very happy with being a senior.  I retired from a state job in Alaska early and I'm now living with my husband in Kansas.  It was really hard to take that leap of faith and retire after working for so long, but finally did it and I'm glad I did.  I was afraid I wouldn't have enough to do and now I wonder how I did all this and work at the same time. 

I've been on a low-calorie weight loss program since Dec. of 2007 and I've lost 65 pounds.  I have 20 pounds to go to get to my goal weight.  Does anyone out there have any advice for me on how to get rid of the last 20 pounds for our age group?  Maybe some secret tips or something.  I know it's going to be a struggle and slow, but I'm ready.  I never get in a hurry on anything anymore . 

Have a great day everyone.  Thanks

Hi Granny Atv:

Boy can I relate to your story.  I gained and lost the weight so many times I'm dizzy.  This last time, I took my time and did some research and that's when I discovered Calorie Count Plus.  One thing we have that the younger set does not have is experience and my life experience finally tells me that you don't go on a diet to lose weight.  You find a food plan you can live with for life or you will just gain the weight back.  That's why I love Calorie Count Plus.  I can keep track of my calories for free and find foods that are good for me.  I will never be going off my program.  I'm on this program to stay because I know if I don't watch what I eat, it will come right back on and I don't feel that great when I'm heavy.  I've lost 65 pounds since December of 2007 and I have 20 pounds to go to get to my goal weight.  I know this last 20 pounds is going to be tough, but I don't care because I'll be counting calories the rest of my life. 

One thing I discovered is that you can have a lot of food on a 1,500 calorie diet and lose weight easily.  I've also uncovered some very interesting mistakes I was making before counting calories.  I was drinking too much milk (three times a day), eating too much meat (5 oz per meal), and bingeing because I was starving myself on diets.  I don't starve myself anymore and therefore I don't binge anymore.  I have chocolate everyday.  I love chocolate, especially Dove chocolate.  And I also have dessert every day.  Since I started including them in my program, I have not binged since and I've done this wtihin a 1,500 calorie program.  I now eat 3 oz. of meat at a meal (evening) and I drink Crystal Light instead of milk with my lunch and dinner.  I only have milk in the morning or as a snack (pudding).  And when I put all these items in the Calorie Count Plus site, my food intake gets anywhere from A- to a B+ grade.  So I know I'm eating correctly.  Also, the Calorie Count Plus site has helped me to find better foods to eat.  For instance, I used to eat string cheese and I found out that not all string cheese gets a good grade.  I looked it up on Calorie Count Plus and now I buy a better string cheese that gets a better nutritional grade. 

Well, anyway, that some of the things I discovered.  I hope this helps.  If you need additional information, don't hesitate to ask.

 

Hello everyone, I know I have been away to long but I have been doing some great things in addition to losing weight I have jumped back into school.  I am having a great time.  Moreover, my health is back to normal I just had a physical and its all good.  In any event, I have to start taking my long walkers again I haven't stopped they just haven't been everyday since I am studying. 

Very nice to see everyone doing so well hang in there baby it all good.

Hello Longwalker:

Welcome back.  I'm new to the message boards here, but I'm loving it already.  I'm 61 and I've lost 65 pounds since December 2007.  I have 20 pounds to go to get to my goal weight.  I've learned a lot about eating well from the Calorie Count Plus site.  My metabolism was totally messed up before I started and now I'm burning calories properly again.  I'm also walking again.   Before I lost the weight I could hardly get up and down the steps.  Now I run up them.  My husband is older than I am and he is now getting interested in losing too.  We will both be counting calories the rest of our lives and I never thought I would say this, but we will also be loving it.  Why?  Because it's simple with the Calorie Count Plus site and and it keeps your metabolism revved up.   

It sounds like your physical health is doing well too.  So keep up the good work and good luck with your studies.  I love to walk too but haven't done much walking this month because of the heat. 

 

Good Morning ribbon, It was great reading your message.  Have you tried any of the challenges they are great and loads of fun.  This is where I started and made the best of friends.  Well, I will be off on a very much needed walk in a while just finishing up some stuff around the house.  Good luck and keep me informed how your doing.  65 lbs that's great!

I am so excited to have found this site! I love being able to look up food labels. I have only one concern.. when I log my excercise, the calories listed are a great deal more than what the elliptical machine and the treadmill at my health club report. Has anyone else had this issue?

I have SOOOO much weight to lose, but I think I'm off to a good start. I'm 52, have a fantastic 14 year old daughter who is a dedicated ballerina, a wonderful husband and I'm dedicated to losing all this extra weight so I can enjoy them more.

I will be so glad when I can say I have lost 65 pounds!!!! Congratulations!

Hi Determined in Pa:

Welcome.  I'm glad you are here too.  This is a very good site.  I love it.  I never really could fully determine if I was eating healthy or not because I only had pieces of the puzzle.  But now, I know when I'm being good and being bad.  As far as the calorie count goes, be sure to check out the grams per serving you are eating.  The site uses grams, but will convert to ounces.  I finally figured out that there are 28 grams to an ounce.  That may be why you are coming up with discrepancies between your machine and Calorie Count Plus site.  There is a place in the log where you can change the weight from grams to ounces.  When you change the weight to ounces, the site will refigure the calories for you.  If you can't find it, let me know.  Click on logs and when you enter your food, there is a place at the bottom to change the weight of your food to ounces.   

When you get that weight off determined, you will feel so mcuh better.  Good luck this week and happy calorie counting.

 

Hello everyone,

I just found this forum and am so glad I did. I want to read back over some of the more recent posts to catch up. I will do that soon, I promise. I already recognize some of the names on here.  So I know I will enjoy hanging out here.

For those of you who do not know me, I'm a 53 year old wife to Larry (wonderful man - been married 35 years) / mom of 3 super kids (all married) / grandmother of 12 (all under the age of 12). I live in Corpus Christi, TX.

As my name suggests I am also a midwife. I love being a midwife and have been blessed to have helped 6 of my grandchildren into this world as well as many other beautiful babies. I deliver babies at home.

I've been a member of CC since May of this year (2008). So far, I've lost 25 lbs and almost 3 sizes in clothing. I am feeling better than I have in years. I want to loose 29 more pounds. So I'm getting close to my half way point. My half way point also happens to be the lowest weight I have seen in over 5 years. So, I'm really excited about that.

For exercise I mostly walk. I walk a lot - currently up to 7.5 miles a day. But I am also seriously considering joining the YWCA so I can get a variety of workouts and start doing some weight training to get more tone.

Well, like I said, I will read more posts soon. I look forward to meeting everyone.

~  Beth (you can call me by my name if you prefer)

Hi Beth,

I'm Lu, and I'll be 51 in September. It's great to read about your success. I have to lose about what you have already lost...25 pounds! So far, I've been a little lazy, so time to get serious about counting those calories again! Walking sounds like the way to go! My husband (we're newlyweds of 1 year and 4 months!) and I are going on a picnic today and getting some exercise. I plan on bringing plenty of fruit and water! 

I was a Texan, and lived in Austin, TX for 11 years before moving north to State College, PA. I visited Corpus Christi and went to Port Aransas for weekend getaways! 

I joined the YMCA and have been swimming a few times the last couple of weeks, and that is the most fun for exercise! Anybody else out there love to swim? 

 

Lu

Hi Lu,

thanks for the welcome. I also love to swim. I did water aerobics for the summer with some friends at one friend's home. But that all ended because school started up again and they were all teachers.

That's one of the reason's I'm considering joining the Y, to swim.

Enjoy your picnic. That sounds fun.

~ Beth

Hi Beth and Lu,

The swimming pool is my #1 form of exercise if given the choice. I was walking in the pool with 2.5 water weights on each foot until my back started hurting but still do the walking without wts for 25". Do at least 4 laps then more aerobics for about 1 hr total pool time at gym.