I know I need to lose weight (veggies, Alli, overweight)

[Bette]

Two years ago, I lost 15 pounds over a 2 month period. Then, I lost the motivation I guess and it crept back on.

Now, I don't feel "well" sometimes; can't put my finger on it and I do have burning in my throat so I'm trying to figure out which foods trigger that. I have not eaten pizza, anything with tomatoes lately at all.

I used to love Italian food and I've not had it for 3 years.

I'm trying to walk about 1-2 miles each night but I will start swimming also. I really need to feel better. I used to feel like scaling a wall but I don't feel like that right now.

I'm not a good fruit or vegetable eater but I'm drinking a drink each day now (16 ounces - no sugar) - one is kale based called Greenenergy.

How soon before you feel a difference? I want to hear your stories.

BTW, female, late 50's. I would like to lose 45 pounds. I know losing 20 would really help; the rest could come off slower.

Example: I do crave ice cream but I've been trying to go 2-3 days without it; how long before that craving goes away completely?

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by Bette

Two years ago, I lost 15 pounds over a 2 month period. Then, I lost the motivation I guess and it crept back on.

Now, I don't feel "well" sometimes; can't put my finger on it and I do have burning in my throat so I'm trying to figure out which foods trigger that. I have not eaten pizza, anything with tomatoes lately at all.

I used to love Italian food and I've not had it for 3 years.

I'm trying to walk about 1-2 miles each night but I will start swimming also. I really need to feel better. I used to feel like scaling a wall but I don't feel like that right now.

I'm not a good fruit or vegetable eater but I'm drinking a drink each day now (16 ounces - no sugar) - one is kale based called Greenenergy.

How soon before you feel a difference? I want to hear your stories.

BTW, female, late 50's. I would like to lose 45 pounds. I know losing 20 would really help; the rest could come off slower.

Example: I do crave ice cream but I've been trying to go 2-3 days without it; how long before that craving goes away completely?

Lots of "I plan on...." and "Im gonna" around here. Just do it. The money you spend on that expensive Greenergy drink would be better used by purchasing a really good book on nutrition or on better food at the market.

Italian food is on no one's healthy food option list. You can get by with whole wheat noodles and low fat turkey ground meat and low sodium sauce with ZERO parmesean cheese. But really, you need to eat a lot of veggies and lean meats with minimal fruits (sugar).

Once you switch to eating right/healthy, you feel it almost instantly. Especially when you combine that with exercise. Its amazing how quickly you really feel it. You have more energy, you sleep better, the whites of your eyes are clear and sparkly, you lose desire for fatty sugary foods, and you just feel better and happier. It really is almost instantly when you eat right.

[Niftybergin]

I'm female, mid 40s. Started a full 100 pounds overweight. Am down about 37 pounds in 4 months through clean eating and moving more.

It started for me in February. I was sick with a bad sinus/upper respiratory infection that I couldn't shake, and spent about 4 weeks on antibiotics. Missed a lot of work, spent a lot of money on medical-related expenses. Was miserable. And the sickness fell into the context of my just generally feeling very old lately...old and stiff and sore. My brain was getting sluggish -- I was forgetting things often, had a hard time focusing at work. My body certainly felt sluggish and I had no physical (or mental) energy...no desire to DO anything. My skin was incredibly dry and frequently itchy and was starting to look haggard and crepey, and my hair was shedding excessively. I was in 2X clothes and felt disgusted with the way I looked and dreaded being out in public.

A couple weeks later -- March 13 -- I woke up and decided to stop eating added sugar and processed food. I went cold-turkey. The first day was hard, but honestly...that was the only real hard day. I'm not a complete teetotaler, but my added sugar is probably less than 10 grams per day, and I don't eat packaged/processed food.

When I started, I was "on a diet" with the goal of losing weight. Three weeks later, I went for a physical and bloodwork, and that's when everything changed for me. In just 3 weeks of not eating added sugar and processed food, I'd lost about 11 pounds and my total cholesterol and LDL had both gone down by more than 50 points each. My bloodwork revealed that I had some serious conditions brewing: fatty liver disease, for one. But I also saw that what I was doing was improving my HEALTH. My body was reacting positively to the changes I had made. And from that point, GETTING HEALTHY became my primary goal. Now I think of food as medicine. When I eat my veggies and fruit and fish and healthy fats, I know I'm healing my liver and helping my internal systems return to optimal health.

I started 100 pounds overweight, so I NEED to lose weight. And I am. But I really think of the weight loss as a side-effect of getting healthy. The better I feed my body -- wholesome foods, quality supplements, plenty of water, healthy fats...and avoiding things like excess sugar, processed food, and alcohol -- the healthier it becomes, and it continues to lose weight. It is coming off very slowly now -- about 1 pound per week -- but I don't care about the pace of the weight-loss. I KNOW I'm healthier than I was. I go back in early October to have all the bloodwork re-done so we can see where my numbers stand then. I'm really looking forward to it!

Today -- 4 months after I started -- I'm 37 pounds lighter; I've lost about 7 inches off my waist and lost my hard "sugar belly"; I've gone from size 20W pants to size 16 Misses (that's about 4 sizes); I've gone from 2X tops to L and XL; my hair quit falling out and my skin has dramatically improved...not dry at all anymore; my face looks better (brighter, thinner, clearer, smoother); my lower back pain is greatly diminished, and so is the pain in my feet an ankles; my brain fog is gone; I have more physical and mental energy; I'm more sociable and approachable.

I'm still obese, but honestly, I haven't felt this healthy in AGES. Food is medicine!

[Bette]

Encouraging, helpful, different slant.

Getting healthy is the goal, thanks!

[riaelise]

In all honesty it wasn't eating healthy food that made me feel anything. I found my motivation and saw a difference the moment I started strength training in earnest. Within two weeks I started getting definition and that in turn encouraged me to exercise more. I'm not saying that I don't eat healthy because I do 80 percent of the time. But I found my motivation through fitness.

Ps I still like and eat sugar. I just eat smaller amounts. Life's too short.

[akristy733]

Originally Posted by Bette

Two years ago, I lost 15 pounds over a 2 month period. Then, I lost the motivation I guess and it crept back on.

Now, I don't feel "well" sometimes; can't put my finger on it and I do have burning in my throat so I'm trying to figure out which foods trigger that. I have not eaten pizza, anything with tomatoes lately at all.

I used to love Italian food and I've not had it for 3 years.

I'm trying to walk about 1-2 miles each night but I will start swimming also. I really need to feel better. I used to feel like scaling a wall but I don't feel like that right now.

I'm not a good fruit or vegetable eater but I'm drinking a drink each day now (16 ounces - no sugar) - one is kale based called Greenenergy.

How soon before you feel a difference? I want to hear your stories.

BTW, female, late 50's. I would like to lose 45 pounds. I know losing 20 would really help; the rest could come off slower.

Example: I do crave ice cream but I've been trying to go 2-3 days without it; how long before that craving goes away completely?

Keep it up with the good work of walking for 1-2 miles everyday, you will not see the result in a weeks unless you cut down your calories intake and avoid those unhealthy food. If you can cut down the calories needed by 10%, you should see tremendous result after a week.

Don't give up and keep it up.

[city living]

Originally Posted by Bette

Two years ago, I lost 15 pounds over a 2 month period. Then, I lost the motivation I guess and it crept back on.

Now, I don't feel "well" sometimes; can't put my finger on it and I do have burning in my throat so I'm trying to figure out which foods trigger that. I have not eaten pizza, anything with tomatoes lately at all.

I used to love Italian food and I've not had it for 3 years.

I'm trying to walk about 1-2 miles each night but I will start swimming also. I really need to feel better. I used to feel like scaling a wall but I don't feel like that right now.

I'm not a good fruit or vegetable eater but I'm drinking a drink each day now (16 ounces - no sugar) - one is kale based called Greenenergy.

How soon before you feel a difference? I want to hear your stories.

BTW, female, late 50's. I would like to lose 45 pounds. I know losing 20 would really help; the rest could come off slower.

Example: I do crave ice cream but I've been trying to go 2-3 days without it; how long before that craving goes away completely?

Tomatoes are known to cause acid reflux in many people. That is probably what you are experiencing since you said you feel burning. There are things you can take on occasion without avoiding an entire food group if you'd like to do so.

Sometimes my body physically doesn't want me to do anything and I have to FORCE myself to walk. That's the key---even when you don't feel like doing it, you still do.

Back when I was losing weight, I never cut out any foods. Never. I always just cut back on portions and I might not eat something everyday. You can say, "I will only have ice cream once a week." And do that. I don't believe in cutting out sugar, fats, etc. People forget how moderation is key. Buy a food scale and see how much one serving really is of the foods you want to eat.

[Luckyd609]

Losing weight for women in their 50's is like shoveling crap uphill. It is doable, but it takes patience and perseverance. 15 pounds in two months is out the window. Plan on it taking 3 months plus. And the good part is, it comes right back without diligence!
The best plan of action is shaping up your diet with protein rich foods, good mono saturated oils, a variety of whole grains - quinoa, bulgar, farro, etc... and lots of veggies. Drink lots of water. Look at the calorie count on your 'green energy drink'. Count calories. Chew your food as opposed to drinking it.
As far as exercise goes focus on strength training. We lose muscle mass as we age so preventing that and putting more back on will help your metabolism. For cardio try tabata or HIIT - look them up if you need to. Walking is great for stress relief but at our age wont do much for calorie burn unless you tackle hills. Swimming is excellent.
Losing weight may be your number one goal, but if you follow the above you will start to feel great and be healthy.

[gasol2]

Getting healthy is the goal, thanks!

[FaithfulTiger]

I am not in my 50's, but I know that sometimes when I don't feel "well" I'm actually craving more meats? If I start ordering more meats instead of french fries and things I feel a lot better.