<p>BMI 20.2. (I feel like I am reporting my SAT!!)</p>
<p>My weight had been creeping up since I turned 40, and I finally faced facts: the only way to (a) eat, drink and be merry and (b) look the way I want to look and feel the way I want to feel is to do 1 hour of cardio (elliptical machine) 4-5 times per week. Usually play tennis once or twice as well. It was either up the exercize or cut out all my hedonistic pleasures. No contest.</p>
<p>It took me about 3 months to lose 20 pounds just through exercizing a whole lot more and eating healthy, sensible meals. I began with 45 mins of cardio and then after about three weeks upped it to 60 minutes. After the bulk of the weight came off i have probably lost another 5 lbs or so since then. Now at a good healthy weight (not skinny but slim). Any further and I will lose my bust-- so here is where I stop!</p>
<p>Now I do intervals where every 10 minutes I will do a short burst of 2-3 minutes at top speed till breathless, then recover back at normal pace. Normal pace for me is a heart rate of about 150 and top speed takes it up to about 165. </p>
<p>Note: IPOD IS CRITICAL!!! I HATE TO EXERCISE (it is sooooo boring!) but I love to feel good. Tennis is much more fun, but just does not shed the lbs. Ditto long walk with gabby friend. NOT EFFICIENT. If weight loss is the goal, forget walking, forget arm weights, go straight to jogging or elliptical and work at a pace that makes it hard to talk to the person next to you.</p>
<p>I feel MUCH better and have more energy and ENJOY choosing my clothes in the morning with no fear of pinching waistbands.</p>
<p>Anyone who needs encouragement, I am here for you!</p>
<p>I have lost 30 lbs since November with the help of a dietician: lots of walking with an ipod, change of diet, smaller portions etc. etc. I have 10 more to go before I finish. I have given myself one year. A sidenote: in the same time period I have gone through breast cancer surgery and radiation. I am determined beyond determined! I am 60 with a bmi now of 23. I am going for a bmi of 22 and holding and holding. Another sidenote: I feel better than I have in years and I have very little in my closet that I can wear. Isn’t that wonderful! I am going shopping when school ends next week.</p>
<p>I totally would. Firstly, it has kept me “honest” while I have been relearning to deal with food. I would go at the beginning every 2 weeks to weigh in. Now I go once a month. Secondly, I take various medications including thyroid and she is trained to know what goes with what. That has been so helpful. She trained in NYC area and has her degrees from there. Thirdly, changing bad habits is a full time job and having a person who has been there for me has been helpful. Fourthly, she knows people in the area for instance when I start weight training in September who can help me under my circumstances. I don’t think I will ever stop going to see her even if it is once every 6 months.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4- Thanks for starting this therad. I had been thinking about starting a weight loss/exercise challenge thread.</p>
<p>I too, had let myself gain way too much weight. I kept telling myself, I was going to do something about it. Thought about weight watchers ect., but never did anything. </p>
<p>In April, I received a flyer in the mail about a bike expo at a local bike store with a coupon for bike clothing. Decided to stop by, and look for something for my biking kids. A rep from the local bike club was handing out information so I grabbed some. I was looking at the bikes and found a closeout that peaked my interest. Ended up buying a road bike that weekend, and joining the bike club. I’ve been biking six weeks now, and have lost 20 lbs. I’m no longer obeese. Still have 30+ pounds to loose, but am confident I can do it. I am enjoying myself and meeting lots of new people. I feel better. Wondering why I waited so long to do something.</p>
<p>Adding my thanks too, EK, for this thread. It really hit me a couple of weeks ago that I’ve been putting off taking care of ME for far too long (and 40+ excess lbs to show for it). Another year till empty nest status, but I am not willing to wait till then to start some new habits. I have decided that as I spend the next year helping D with her college search, I’m also going to use it as the same calendar to work on ME – and hopefully a year from now, when we are celebrating TWO graduations (D’s high school, step-D’s PhD), I’ll be well on the way to my new transition and not feeling like I put myself on the back burner for yet another year.</p>
<p>Well, I have tried Curves, but muscle building is just not for me. And I was so hungry when I did it! Could not stop myself from eating huge portions!
Ok, so coming this Monday I am going to report to you how much weight I have lost since yesterday (that is when I hopped on the scale :). Everyday as my kids are swimming I will be jogging for an hour. Will stop eating at 6 P.M. and will try to increase my fiber intake.</p>
<p>I am rooting for you! I think it is easy for us as moms/wives to put me on the backburner. A few weeks back, I was getting ready to go biking, and my H came home and wanted to go out to eat. My typical response would have been to forget biking and go out to eat. Instead, I replied that I had to go biking, and if he could wait we could go out afterward. My college aged son was shocked at my response. </p>
<p>Kelowna,
I’ll look for your report. Good luck with the jogging.</p>
<p>I joined this site called sparkpeople after reading about a man who sold his internet auction site to Ebay for millions and then took several million to start this site to “spark” people to a healthier lifestyle. Much of it is for weight loss, but there is lots of info and boards on various health issues. Been doing it one week now and down 6 lbs!!</p>
<p>I’m turning 50 soon and am studying to be a Certified Personal Trainer. It’s never too late to get healthy and fit. And I’ve realized that us “Boomers” aren’t going just accept that aches and pains come with getting older so I figure I’ll always have clients. Plus, I think many women my age would rather be trained by someone like me than a cute 20 year old female trainer. (Now a cute 20 year old male trainer is a different story :)) </p>
<p>I take an exercise class with many young moms and I can keep up with all of them. They are amazed when I tell them how old I am and can’t believe I have children in college- it does wonders for my ego.</p>
<p>As of this morning 20.8. And this is in my “fat” mode. My “non-fat” mode is about 20.3. And, BTW, I now weigh 8 pounds more than I did in college. The only time I have weighed more than this is when I was pregnant - gained something like 60 lbs each pregnancy but lost it in 3 months afterwards (hugely fat babies…). </p>
<p>I only manage to exercise twice a week, with only 20-30 minutes of cardio. I try to take the stairs a lot. I pretend I’m doing situps when I drive. I do squats and lunges as I blow dry my hair…I eat bread. </p>
<p>My whole family is on the non-fat side by nature. But the break nature gave me is eroding and this morning I couldn’t fasten one of my pairs of pants. Uggh. I hate middle age. I already gave up my M&Ms and milk in the afternoon. I already cut back on cheese and crackers with my wine. The days when I could eat whatever I wanted are gone. How are the mighty fallen.</p>
<p>The only ray of hope is that I go to China next week and I always lose weight there.</p>
<p>Now why am I bothering if I am already this weight? Because my identity is thin. I have always been kind of thin. I like being kind of thin. I was skinny as a kid - I’m not going for skinny any more. But being thin, well, it cheers me up when I look at the jowls beginning to form around my mouth. It makes me feel young. I like it when from behind a young man looks at me - even though I feel bad for him when he realizes he was looking at the butt of someone old enough to be his mom:).</p>
<p>So I say you go girls! And boys too if anyone’s in the game. Getting into a good pair of jeans is fabulous for the morale. Also the heart, they say. And hey, I want to live long enough for my kids to have to take care of me.</p>
<p>Nothing fantastic to report. I have lost 0.5 lb. Will have to drink more water.
Good luck in China Alumother - I loose weight efortlessly when I go to Europe. It is all the walking versus driving a car.</p>
<p>I was just thinking about this. In terms of eating - I have eaten vegetables and no mayonnaise and fish and not a lot of chips ever since I was a kid and my mom started cooking to help my dad lower his triglyceride count. Even when I could eat whatever I wanted, I still ate a hell of a lot of salad:). Living in America, I think staying lean has to be a conscious and committed decision. In other words, no such thing as losing weight and then being done. Unfortunately. Kelowna, just keep focused.</p>
<p>3 pounds gone sensibly in week one! already starting to feel sooo much better. especially enjoying the fresh fruit and vegs that are so temptingly abundant at farm stands and downtown farmers markets all around…</p>
<p>The fresh fruit and vegetables sure help. I’ve been avoiding the cafeteria at work,and taking the time to pack a few things for lunch in the AM. The longer days are a help also. I don’t feel as tired in the evening and there is time to do something outside.</p>
</p>