Dropped 20 pounds and it immediately improved my lab work! Try it! (veggies, hormone)
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truth is weight loss should be something that's doable. Considering it's a lifestyle change (as it should be), it needs to be something that you can live with.
the key to my loss was finding something that I could live with that didn't drive me batty.
im not going to say it was easy or effortless, because it wasn't easy reconditioning myself since I had some pretty ingrained bad habits but other than that it wasn't impossibly hard. The real test, to me at least, is after the loss. it's been 18 months since I hit my goal (being out of the "overweight" category) and a year of staying in the 150 lb range. to keep myself on track I goodwilled all of the bigger clothes and have retained only a few size 12s. This has encouraged me to keep my weight down because I don't want to buy new clothes.
Oh boy do I get that! I used to keep some larger sizes of clothes around for weight gain. My weight (138-140) had been steady for a long time so I Goodwilled most of those clothes. I gained a little over 10 lbs this past winter. It kind of snuck up on me slowly! Really bummed me out when I recently had to buy a size 10s in shorts and go up a size in my scrubs for work!
I've been working on getting that weight off but it's been harder than I expected. I've never had to work at losing extra weight. Im thinking, now that I'm older, it doesn't come off as quickly as before. So off I go, before the heat sets in, on a 5 mile fast walk.
Oh boy do I get that! I used to keep some larger sizes of clothes around for weight gain. My weight (138-140) had been steady for a long time so I Goodwilled most of those clothes. I gained a little over 10 lbs this past winter. It kind of snuck up on me slowly! Really bummed me out when I recently had to buy a size 10s in shorts and go up a size in my scrubs for work! I've been working on getting that weight off but it's been harder than I expected. I've never had to work at losing extra weight. Im thinking, now that I'm older, it doesn't come off as quickly as before. So off I go, before the heat sets in, on a 5 mile fast walk.
After menopause it becomes almost impossible, for me anyway. I usually fluctuate between 5 and 10 pounds. If I get up to 10 I eat less and move more and that usually does the trick. Right now I am 7 pounds above my target weight and it aint going nowhere. Diet is clean, and the exercise is intense enough to burn decent calories. At 56 its not the end of the world.
Oh boy do I get that! I used to keep some larger sizes of clothes around for weight gain. My weight (138-140) had been steady for a long time so I Goodwilled most of those clothes. I gained a little over 10 lbs this past winter. It kind of snuck up on me slowly! Really bummed me out when I recently had to buy a size 10s in shorts and go up a size in my scrubs for work!
I've been working on getting that weight off but it's been harder than I expected. I've never had to work at losing extra weight. Im thinking, now that I'm older, it doesn't come off as quickly as before. So off I go, before the heat sets in, on a 5 mile fast walk.
It is harder as you get older. I have to earn every bit of my body. In my twenties, I could get away with working out only 2-3 times a week and weigh less. Not anymore, especially if you don't want your body to be soft. I'm crazy, in that I am turning back the clock. My mid life crisis involves really pushing myself physically more than before. I really wanted to get the weight off before menopause because I know my metabolism is nowhere near where it used to be but it has improved due to working out.
Right on, rialise - we can jump start our metabolism and rev it up by including exercise - both before and after menopause.
Stress also increases cortisol levels, which add weight to our midsections.
I am not an exercise fiend, but I do stay active - water aerobics, yoga, working in the yard, walking, treadmill, SOMETHING active that makes me sweat a little every day. But right now I have a messed up wrist in a cast and that has mentally been messing me up. But thankfully I think my metabolism is still up from what it used to be. And my stress is WAY down. THAT took more work than adding exercise.
I can't emphasize getting stress under control enough. GET MORE SLEEP if you need it. Work on issues internally and externally to remove stress factors in your life. In my case, it was grieving over losing three of our four elderly parents in three years, inheriting my mom with dementia, the long reaching effects on other family members and our dynamics, and having to settle various estates in three states. Not only was all that weighing on me mentally and emotionally, I was comfort eating, gaining weight, and basically began to feel unattractive overall - and bitter, sad, spring loaded, defensive, etc.
One day I realized - I am giving the BEST relationships in my life what's left over emotionally. They should be getting the best of me, not the leftovers! My priorities are wrong! And I am shortchanging myself and the most loving people in my life and life is slipping by me! Not only that, I was now prediabetic, my blood pressure was up, and I was drinking three glasses of wine every night just to try to unwind. The writing was on the wall - and it didn't say anything nice.
I decided to totally change my focus. I began by going through my house and taking down or out every single item that made me feel sad, or pensive, or whatever, including pictures, mementos, etc. I didn't throw them away, I just put them in a big box and put it in storage. I replaced pictures of old, dead people and gnarly family members with pictures of my husband and me on vacation, grandkids, even our dogs! I booked a big vacation a few months out for my husband and me. I decided to do estate work for an hour each morning, before my husband got up, and as soon as he got up, I would put it away and be done til the next day or whatever (and I got it all done in a few months). I began exercising. I totally changed the way I ate. I began drinking a lot more water and a lot less wine. I began going to bed a little earlier and found that without three glasses of wine under my belt, I was sleeping a lot better.
And when I lost 30 pounds, I went out and bought a ton of new clothes (I had to) including new bras and panties! Pretty ones, not old lady ones. And I gave away all my "fat clothes." I got them all out of the house. And then we went on vacation.
I started getting manicures. And I started wearing heels again - because I love them and I'm not fat anymore and life is short and why the heck not!
I go see Mom two or three times a week but I don't usually stay an hour - I usually stay half an hour. I lowered my expectations of our relationship to ZERO and so I'm never disappointed or frustrated now, with her moderate dementia and her bizarre statements, habits, etc. If I feel myself starting to get frustrated I just say, "Well, Mom, I love you - gotta go!" and I leave. There's nothing to be gained by trying to reason with a person with dementia.
I bought sexy, pretty new underwear and sleep wear (and even lounge wear) and took back my role as best friend with benefits with my husband, who was very happy to get me back.
So anyway, I think weight loss is not just something physical - you have to get your head in the game first and foremost.
After menopause it becomes almost impossible, for me anyway. I usually fluctuate between 5 and 10 pounds. If I get up to 10 I eat less and move more and that usually does the trick. Right now I am 7 pounds above my target weight and it aint going nowhere. Diet is clean, and the exercise is intense enough to burn decent calories. At 56 its not the end of the world.
I'm just glad I will nip this 10lb weight gain before it goes up to 15 or 20! I don't weigh myself often but noticed my pants getting snug, ignored it, now they're too snug. I tend to gain weight in my behind first and foremost. Ugh! I've tweaked my diet and really amped up my walk routine. I am very active, busy and on my feet at work three days a week, too. Just taking longer than I anticipated. I agree it's not the end of the world, but dang it, I have a lot of summer clothes I want to wear!
I'm just glad I will nip this 10lb weight gain before it goes up to 15 or 20! I don't weigh myself often but noticed my pants getting snug, ignored it, now they're too snug. I tend to gain weight in my behind first and foremost. Ugh! I've tweaked my diet and really amped up my walk routine. I am very active, busy and on my feet at work three days a week, too. Just taking longer than I anticipated. I agree it's not the end of the world, but dang it, I have a lot of summer clothes I want to wear!
Its much less daunting to lose 10 pounds than 20 thats for sure. Thats why I never go past it. I am like you, no weighing, just how my leans fit.
I have an hourglass figure and I have always lost belly fat first. I am finding now that my belly fat is a little more stubborn.
OK, a few months ago I was headed toward a midlife crisis, and not a psychological one. I just thought that being fluffy and inactive and not sleeping all that well, aches and pains, and being prediabetic was part of typical middle age.
But I didn't want to become diabetic and since I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, and my blood sugar was creeping upward and now into the prediabetic levels, I felt like it was inevitable unless I took some action.
So I cut out carbs and sugar and unhealthy fats, and began exercising more regularly. Long story short, I have lost 22 pounds since February 1. And the other day I had my yearly physical.
My blood pressure was 106/66! My fasting blood sugar was back down to 88 when it had been over 100! ALL my labs were within completely normal range, except that my healthy HDL was high. I take that back - I had had a slight uptick in triglycerides but I think that is due to eating more red meat than I usually do while cutting back on other stuff, so that's easy to address. My doctor wasn't concerned about this and in fact was very impressed overall. I am 56 and feel better than I have in years!
I just wanted to post this to encourage others to lose some weight. Even a little weight loss can have a pretty immediate and positive impact on our health.
WOOHOOO!
WOOHOO IS RIGHT!! Great job! Weight is something my Husband and I take very seriously now that we are in the *mumblemumble* decade of our lives. And we've both experienced such amazing positive life changes by dramatically improving our diets and physical activities, which then led to weight loss.
I love this quote: "food can be medicine or poison." Absolutely correct, and I treat it that way. My Husband got a sort of "second life" when he had a dramatic weight loss a couple of years ago. He put some of the weight back on when life got hectic, but now that he knows how amazing he can feel with all that weight off his body, he's already back on track and losing weight again. I'm really proud of him and it motivates me to keep living the healthy life too.
Of course - it helps to be in more balanced/happy places in our lives. My own personal experiences were that when I was in an unhappy/unbalanced or even toxic place in my life/relationships - I tended to gain wait and/or have more trouble losing weight, but once I flushed some old toxins from my life... the weight was much easier to keep off, which only reinforced a happy/balanced cycle of well-being.
We both have a couple of chronic health conditions that immediately improved with weight loss and healthy eating, so I'm not surprised that your numbers got better so quickly.
OK, a few months ago I was headed toward a midlife crisis, and not a psychological one. I just thought that being fluffy and inactive and not sleeping all that well, aches and pains, and being prediabetic was part of typical middle age.
But I didn't want to become diabetic and since I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, and my blood sugar was creeping upward and now into the prediabetic levels, I felt like it was inevitable unless I took some action.
So I cut out carbs and sugar and unhealthy fats, and began exercising more regularly. Long story short, I have lost 22 pounds since February 1. And the other day I had my yearly physical.
My blood pressure was 106/66! My fasting blood sugar was back down to 88 when it had been over 100! ALL my labs were within completely normal range, except that my healthy HDL was high. I take that back - I had had a slight uptick in triglycerides but I think that is due to eating more red meat than I usually do while cutting back on other stuff, so that's easy to address. My doctor wasn't concerned about this and in fact was very impressed overall. I am 56 and feel better than I have in years!
I just wanted to post this to encourage others to lose some weight. Even a little weight loss can have a pretty immediate and positive impact on our health.
WOOHOOO!
The most important thing in your post is that you never once mentioned diet.
Simply by changing what you eat and how you eat rather than starving yourself is the way to lose weight as well as regular exercise.
And it doesn't matter how old you are.
I'm in my sixties and my BP was getting a little high around 135/85 so I cut out booze,dairy,sugar,bread and pasta for one month as well as adding an extra mile to my daily walk and I dropped 20 lbs and BP is back to 105/70
In a month.
And never once felt hungry.
A huge bowl of salad or leaf vegetables and some lean protein like chicken or fish is all you need.And a piece of fruit for dessert or breakfast.
It ain't rocket science.
Although it helps if you're not lazy with an excuse for everything which is how most of my fat friends are.
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And we've both experienced such amazing positive life changes by dramatically improving our diets and physical activities, which then led to weight loss.
