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I am 56 years and lost over 50 pounds last year through a combination of regular exercise (joined the YMCA and stopped by the pool every day to swim) and a whole foods/mostly plant-based diet. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and decided that the monthly membership fee was cheaper than blood glucose test strips and Metformin.
I cut out processed convenience foods, white flour, white rice, sugar, and red meat, and stuck to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Stopped buying fast food lunches (I work FT) and dining out.
Ended up saving a ton in food expenses, feel great, look great! A1C is normal and blood glucose readings are normal now. My GP couldn't believe it. LOL
The weight may come off more slowly as we age, but don't kid yourself into thinking it can't be done.
I was just saying why some give up to being fat. I have worked out and documented my diet for years and I am very honest (weigh everything). I know a lot about nutrition and eat cleanly. Maintaining my weight and even losing weight (after holiday eating) was always easy and simple for me. But those same tactics now are exponentially harder as I get into the late 40's/50's. Yes I can tweak my diet and eat even less and add more strength training (recommended for aging) but that just feels like an even bigger mountain to climb. OP asked about people "giving in" to being fat and I think this is a huge reason why people do.
I had the same issues until I finally just recorded everything I ate and limited everything to total 1700 calories a day, gross. The "healthy" foods I ate added up to a lot of calories when I actually counted.
For example, 16 OZ of brown rice is 437 and 16 oz of plain oatmeal is 318. That is the amount that fits in a normal bowl.
While I always knew a Big Mac was 540 calories and would avoid, I would eat a nice big serving of brown rice or plain oatmeal knowing that they were "healthy."
I am 56 years and lost over 50 pounds last year through a combination of regular exercise (joined the YMCA and stopped by the pool every day to swim) and a whole foods/mostly plant-based diet. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and decided that the monthly membership fee was cheaper than blood glucose test strips and Metformin.
I cut out processed convenience foods, white flour, white rice, sugar, and red meat, and stuck to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Stopped buying fast food lunches (I work FT) and dining out.
Ended up saving a ton in food expenses, feel great, look great! A1C is normal and blood glucose readings are normal now. My GP couldn't believe it. LOL
The weight may come off more slowly as we age, but don't kid yourself into thinking it can't be done.
I ask because I've recently upped my workout routine to challenge myself to lose 10-15 lbs. I'm a person who doesn't fat shame, brow-beat, or criticize people due to their size but for me, I can never accept being fat personally or even overweight which is what motives me to work out and I'm late middle-aged.
I travel a lot with work which involves staying for six weeks or longer across the country so I can't always maintain the same exercise schedule. Of course, some days I'd rather stay in bed instead of getting up at 6 am to run when I'm at home or walking four miles in a hilly area after dinner. I've remembered over the years that many of my friends have given up on working out. One associate even said "forget about it, I'm just fat" meaning she is tired of working on her body and is at peace with remaining fat. Has anyone here done the same? What pushed you to do so?
Surprisingly, I've heard from quite a few people over 55 who said their doctors told them to give up. Doctors apparently are telling patients in late middle age that it's not possible at that age to lose weight, so they should just accept the new normal.
I am going to be 70 next year. I do not wish to chase the perfect figure anymore. I eat very little, yet I remain about 30# over my ideal weight. I figure that nature might be causing me to store it in case I need the reserves later. Anyway, in every case, either eating or anything else, my goal is to do as I darn well please, if possible.
I miss the size 12 me, when everything looked good, but I can still rock a tunic. LOL.
It really helps if you can meet one or several people close to your age or with similar fitness goals and meet for walks or otherwise encourage each other.
There are days I ache and really don't want to ride my bike anywhere, but I want to hang out with my friends. Most of the time, the aches are nearly gone by the time I've had coffee and loaded my bike into the rack.
I am going to be 70 next year. I do not wish to chase the perfect figure anymore. I eat very little, yet I remain about 30# over my ideal weight. I figure that nature might be causing me to store it in case I need the reserves later. Anyway, in every case, either eating or anything else, my goal is to do as I darn well please, if possible.
I miss the size 12 me, when everything looked good, but I can still rock a tunic. LOL.
I think at 70, it's not about your figure. It's more about maintaining flexibility and mobility. A little weight loss may or may not figure into that.
Upping your workout to drop 10-15 lbs is probably the wrong approach. If you need to drop those lbs you should address your diet and that's exactly why people may say "forget it I'm just fat" because they don't want to address the intake
If you read the OP, it said that that s/he is traveling for work for 6 weeks at a time, which can often make having a regular diet really difficult. If you are not in a hotel room that offers a regular kitchen, that is really going to limit what you are able to eat during that time. If you are stuck with the hotel breakfast offerings, sometimes they are healthy and sometimes they are not. Additionally, you can't guarantee your work location will allow you to store food, so you may end up having to go out for lunch. Again, if you don't have a real kitchen, storage is going to be difficult. The exercise end might be the OP's only option if there isn't much that can be done for food.
And yes, it is your diet you have to address. You can work out all day long but if your calories aren't under control, you'll fail.
I gave up wine, sugar, and white flour.
Every once in a while I'll have a piece of dark chocolate or a mimosa but in moderation.
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