Do you remember going to college and the first year (move, retired)

[luvmyhoss]

You would gain the Freshman 15? It took a long time to get rid of the extra weight.
Fast forward to retiring. The first year of not working and it's so easy to start
packin' on the pounds, but very very had to lose them. The Senior 16 or more.
So I started to exercise more, but my joints object, I swear I eat the same or
less. We even combined lunch and dinner to one meal, but not helping. What
to do?

[rjm1cc]

I think exercising does help the joints but you also have to be sure you are doing exercises that are ok for you. Talk to your doctor and then put in an hour a day. Could be walking around the block.
Not sure about combining meals. Might do some web searches. I think eating a little 4 or 5 times a day might be better.

[Curmudgeon]

What worked for us was getting out of the kitchen for the most part. Breakfast is usually a kefir fruit smoothie using agave nectar as a sweetener. Lunch is a salad or other lo-cal something. Dinner is cookeed on the grill - boneless, skinless chicken breast, fish fillets or steaks, lean cuts of pork or beef, usually about 4 oz. portions, accompanied with fresh vegetables from our own garden during the spring, summer and fall, everything seasoned well or marinated in light marinades we make ourselves. If beverages, whole grain cereals and other items need sweetening we use stevia. For snacks we make oatmeal cookies with dried fruits and unflavored whey powder. We also bake our own bread from locally milled, whole grain flours. Most cooking is done with extra virgin olive oil and we use flax and other light oils for some things.

While this may all sound a bit labor intensive, and it is, we're retired, have the time and healthy foods are delicious when properly prepared

[cdelena]

I hear people say that college was the best time of their life... but certainly not for all. I went to college at night and it took many years of painful struggles... working a long day, staying awake in classes, getting home to only to do review and study, trying to relax enough to get to sleep and start over in the morning. I don't know where freshman class work ended but I certainly did not gain during that period. I am subject to gain now but it is understandable, days are much shorter.

[rational1]

> We even combined lunch and dinner to one meal

Skipping meals might not be a good idea. I read that people who skipped breakfast tended to gain weight.

[in_newengland]

I could not put weight on in college to save my soul!

I also remember when the thought occurred to me that I had not ridden in a car for months because we were not allowed to have cars. I walked and walked and walked. From the off campus house to class at 8am carrying books, back again. Back to campus again to go to the library and back home again. About 1/4 mile each way, maybe more.

Walking around campus and seeing cars and thinking how strange it was that I hadn't ridden in one in such a long time. Climbing stairs to get to classes. Walking to the drugstore, to the little grocery store, to the bus stop.

The cafeteria food was horrible and we were not allowed to have cooking facilities so I didn't eat much.

Eventually I put some weight on by eating a lot of extra calories over the summer when I was back home at my parents' house and I still think it's the eating that puts on the weight more than the exercise taking it off. That's how it worked for me anyway. The extra weight stayed on regardless of all the walking.

I think eating very small low cal meals would do the trick. I know that now if I look at a piece of cake I will gain weight.

[StealthRabbit]

Do you remember going to college and the first year

My first yr was very short... I couldn't handle the queue @ registration, so took a yr off. (To pursue professional Motorcycle Racing...) The Next yr, my College records had a BIG note attached... "NO SHOW" .

Weight gain and eating was never part of my college career. By age 18 I was working 3 jobs and caregiver for a disabled parent. High School was my all time HIGH wieght. I was still at my HS weight at my most recent 'master's' graduation (post age 50).

Excercise for me has always been (I broke an ankle, which I never got 'set', so cannot 'run')
1) Farming
2) Bicycling
3) Swimming (try to do 1 mile in 1/2 hr 3x / week)

WORRYING... metabolism... I'm always in some kind of a FIX (bind).

Fortunately I have LOW BP.... but, my parent was disabled at age 49 from a massive stroke. (that parent was a professional "WORRIER", and was running 7 businesses when their world caved in.) sounds "ALL-TOO-Familiar"

Eating.... While I have VERY bad habits (Ice Cream and poor eating timesI seldolm take time to eat during daylight hours, so find myself eating supper at 11pm - midnight, breakfast at 6 AM.... )

I am not gaining (too bad) BUT... I will be back to HS weight in 6 wks!!! Inspite of an upcoming trip to Asia next month (where I eat well and often).

I look forward to going back to college as soon as I get 'Senior tuition deferral', for food, I will ask my youngest kid... he got by the final semester by crashing free food events on campus. (None of my relation has ever 'enjoyed' (?) the benefit of a 'college' meal ticket.) But many have added that extra 15# joining the military

[mortpes]

Most do not believe the actual number of calories needed to sustain life. It is very low. Try this. Get a coffee cup. Do not eat anything that is not in the coffee cup. Stop the wide plates, super size salad plates, etc. Stay with the cup. Two to three cups per day is all you need. Add fluid and fiber. Also pick up a glucose testing kit. Never eat anything unless your glucose drops to the fasting morning glucose level. For example is the fasting glucose level is 110 and you check your glucose level at 11 AM and it is 140 then you are not ready to eat. Wait until it is 110 and then eat. Eventually this glucose check/eat will teach you to know when to eat or when you need to eat. You will eventually train yourself to even drop to below fasting on days of very low physical activity.

[Cattknap]

Due to health problems, my husband was told by his vascular doc to quit eating meat and if possible go vegan - so that is what we did....I did it also - almost a year ago now. I have gone from a size 16 to a size 6 - I am 5'10....my husband lost 40 lbs...honestly we feel absolutely amazing - so few aches and pains now....I love to cook and have learned to cook tasty, healthy, low fat plant based meals - it really is amazing how good food without meat and dairy can be....I have always struggled with my weight - now there is no struggle...we simply don't keep the things in the house that cause us to be overweight.....we also exercise 4 times a week - including 3 reps of weights and 45 mins to 1 hr. on the treadmill each time. Why didn't we do this long ago?

[luvmyhoss]

Originally Posted by mortpes

Most do not believe the actual number of calories needed to sustain life. It is very low. Try this. Get a coffee cup. Do not eat anything that is not in the coffee cup. Stop the wide plates, super size salad plates, etc. Stay with the cup. Two to three cups per day is all you need. Add fluid and fiber. Also pick up a glucose testing kit. Never eat anything unless your glucose drops to the fasting morning glucose level. For example is the fasting glucose level is 110 and you check your glucose level at 11 AM and it is 140 then you are not ready to eat. Wait until it is 110 and then eat. Eventually this glucose check/eat will teach you to know when to eat or when you need to eat. You will eventually train yourself to even drop to below fasting on days of very low physical activity.

I believe you!
I broke a body part and couldn't move much. So I limited my food actually didn't want to eat.
So maintained my weight.
But so much harder now in this transitional phase.
I tried to wait until I was hungry, but I could imagine pangs that weren't really there.