55-65 year old women's success?

Looking for some inspiration. I lost my "chronic" 40 lbs of overweight with reasonable ease at age 45, and maintained for a couple of years. However, my motivation at this age is different, and is my ability to exercise with the same intensity has also decreased. Now, i don't want to hear all that stuff about how "age is just a number" -- There are many physical and emotional differences between women who have passed through menopause and those who are in their youth or who are pre-menopausal.... perhaps as many as between girls before menarche and teenagers who are growing into women. Anyway, I would be really interested in hearing from post-menopausal women who have lost significant weight and their experiences with that. Congratulations and high-fives to you all and your efforts!

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unknown

Someone on my newsfeed posted this: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2011/07/huckabee-eating-his-words-unfortunately-pancakes-too.html

This is an "old" blog but the blogger noted in the first paragraph that with Huckabee in the news, this blog gets attention. It talks about interviews given by Governor Huckabee when he had first lost weight (over 100 pounds) and his eventual regaining.

For some reason this blog made a big impression on me. I'd love if those of you who have successfully kept the weight off find the reasoning similar to your own, in relation to how you are managing to maintain your loss.

The last paragraph kind of sums it up:

The key to successful, permanent maintenance lies in a healthy respect for the damaging effects of the food that got you fat. It involves learning, planning, and never underestimating the power of our modern diet to take over. To avoid being overwhelmed again, each maintainer needs to build many walls of defense.

- See more at: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2011/07/huckabee-eating-his-words-unfortunately-pancakes-too.html #sthash.A9IUhKQM.dpuf

unknown

sodakat wrote: »

Someone on my newsfeed posted this: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2011/07/huckabee-eating-his-words-unfortunately-pancakes-too.html

This is an "old" blog but the blogger noted in the first paragraph that with Huckabee in the news, this blog gets attention. It talks about interviews given by Governor Huckabee when he had first lost weight (over 100 pounds) and his eventual regaining.

For some reason this blog made a big impression on me. I'd love if those of you who have successfully kept the weight off find the reasoning similar to your own, in relation to how you are managing to maintain your loss.

The last paragraph kind of sums it up:

The key to successful, permanent maintenance lies in a healthy respect for the damaging effects of the food that got you fat. It involves learning, planning, and never underestimating the power of our modern diet to take over. To avoid being overwhelmed again, each maintainer needs to build many walls of defense.

- See more at: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2011/07/huckabee-eating-his-words-unfortunately-pancakes-too.html #sthash.A9IUhKQM.dpuf

I have only been maintaining for about 18 months. Statistics show that over 80% of people that lose the weight, gain it back (many people gain even more back) within 5 years. This is a very staggering statistic. So I am not in the elite group who have kept the weight off. I will share what has made me successful so far, for what it is worth. I have lost over 160#, over 1/2 of my body weight. I started MFP on 3/12/12 @ 290# morbidly obese and 60 years old. For me it is just constant vigilance. Logging everything I eat and drink and monitoring my weight. It has to be that way for me. While I am good now at estimating portion sizes, I will never be comfortable with not logging. It is a long road. Hopefully, I can be successful at keeping the weight off. One thing for sure, I am healthier than I have been in decades. I went from being out of breath walking up a flight of stairs, to a person that goes to the gym every day I can for at least an hour (my streak right now is I have been at the gym every single day since 2/2/15). If I can do this, most anyone with no existing medical issues can also. Age is just a number. It is not easy becoming healthier at any age, but we have to believe that we are worth it and use every effort to achieve our goal.

unknown

snowflake930 wrote: »

sodakat wrote: »

Someone on my newsfeed posted this: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2011/07/huckabee-eating-his-words-unfortunately-pancakes-too.html

This is an "old" blog but the blogger noted in the first paragraph that with Huckabee in the news, this blog gets attention. It talks about interviews given by Governor Huckabee when he had first lost weight (over 100 pounds) and his eventual regaining.

For some reason this blog made a big impression on me. I'd love if those of you who have successfully kept the weight off find the reasoning similar to your own, in relation to how you are managing to maintain your loss.

The last paragraph kind of sums it up:

The key to successful, permanent maintenance lies in a healthy respect for the damaging effects of the food that got you fat. It involves learning, planning, and never underestimating the power of our modern diet to take over. To avoid being overwhelmed again, each maintainer needs to build many walls of defense.

- See more at: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2011/07/huckabee-eating-his-words-unfortunately-pancakes-too.html #sthash.A9IUhKQM.dpuf

I have only been maintaining for about 18 months. Statistics show that over 80% of people that lose the weight, gain it back (many people gain even more back) within 5 years. This is a very staggering statistic. So I am not in the elite group who have kept the weight off. I will share what has made me successful so far, for what it is worth. I have lost over 160#, over 1/2 of my body weight. I started MFP on 3/12/12 @ 290# morbidly obese and 60 years old. For me it is just constant vigilance. Logging everything I eat and drink and monitoring my weight. It has to be that way for me. While I am good now at estimating portion sizes, I will never be comfortable with not logging. It is a long road. Hopefully, I can be successful at keeping the weight off. One thing for sure, I am healthier than I have been in decades. I went from being out of breath walking up a flight of stairs, to a person that goes to the gym every day I can for at least an hour (my streak right now is I have been at the gym every single day since 2/2/15). If I can do this, most anyone with no existing medical issues can also. Age is just a number. It is not easy becoming healthier at any age, but we have to believe that we are worth it and use every effort to achieve our goal.

I read a lengthy review of the Refuse to Regain book and learned that she spent 7 pages talking about falling in love with exercise, compared to 1 page average on the other 11 steps of maintaining a weight loss. Clearly you agree that exercise/movement is vital. I don't think I've faced that fact enough.

Thanks so much for the details of how you are "doing it".

unknown

Through that same (refuse to regain) blog/website I found something specific to us: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2015/03/controlling-weight-after-menopause-and-other-tips-for-the-over-50-life.html

I think this one is my current favorite:

7. Remake yourself every five years

Your time is more precious now and the way you fit in the world is different. Are you still wearing your hair the same way? Is your personal style a version of what you sported in 1982? Do you have some vague idea of wanting to learn Japanese that you've never acted on? After 50, we should be assessing our health, our style, and our goals more frequently. This is the creative part of the exercise. To avoid invisibility, we must be doing something that is stimulating and that stimulates those who know us. Don't be fearful. A nice part of being over 50 is that no one cares if you're outrageous.
- See more at: http://www.refusetoregain.com/2015/03/controlling-weight-after-menopause-and-other-tips-for-the-over-50-life.html#sthash.rhhl7G9Q.dpuf
-

unknown

Thanks, @sodakat. That is a good reminder. That's why I don't have tattoos. I don't like anything I liked when I was 19! I personally like being older (except for the aches and pains.)

unknown

Thank you, sodakat, for the 'refuse to regain' link. Interesting, and I will share with friends. So much wisdom there. I'm 61, post menopausal, retired educator, but working part time. I love the statement about exercise until you love it. I recently made a decision I'm not 'off work' once I leave the campus parking lot where I work. I'm off work when I leave the gym parking lot -- after work. It was too easy to make excuses to drive straight home. This week I added home row machine for 20 minutes in the morning to my afternoon workout routine (cardio, resistance, then light weight training every other day) My goal is to get metabolism and body energized and drop weight in the process. I try to keep food intake at around 1300 calories (I'm 5'1"). Walking a local labyrinth once a week helps keep me centered on my health goals.

As a former slim, active, athletic person, I'm not going to be satisfied until I get this 30-40 excess pounds off my body. Funny thing -- you gain 2 pounds a year after age 40 and boom! You're 60 years old and 40 pounds overweight. Oy. Slow progress, but I'm sticking with it.

Love all the encouragement I read on the community sites. Some days, it's just what I need! Blessings and progress all around.