Older Women Unite!

This topic contains 20 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by Trying Harder 8 years, 7 months ago.

Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)

Trying Harder

10:27 am
27 Jan 15
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Seems like there is alot stacked against us. Changes in our hormone levels…our calcium and magnesium needs.

I’m doing my best to to the Fast Diet exercise levels. The 3 short bursts in my weekly swimming hour. I’m trying to up that to 3 days a week swims! Other things like running, bicycling oooo I hear my knees aching out loud again! And reading those gym programs like squats and weight training ? Ugh.

I’m curious to hear weather any of you gals have any special tips ? Things you have found useful in dieting/achieving a weight stability and how not to fall off the wagon?

Thanks To Dr Mosley we all just might make some progress!

TH

Stef.

4:24 pm
27 Jan 15
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I am not entirely sure whether I qualify for “older women unite”. I am 50 years old this year and menopausal.

Until May 2014 I was a complete couch potato. The only activity I did was occassionally skiing and walking my dogs. I sincerely contemplated at that point in time to get myself a motorized scooter to walk my dogs!

Fast forward, nine months later I am running half marathons, working out seven days a week and I am in my best form ever. I have reached goal weight a couple of months back and I’m very nicely maintaining my weight.

What happened? I started by getting myself a pedometer, just for step counting and to encourage myself to move more. I downloaded the free app C25K to get myself into running. This worked much easier than I thought. In no time I was running 5 km without running out of breath. From there I progressed to the next free app C210K and a short while later I was running 10K. This was followed by a couple of races. I can’t tell you how proud I was to have accomplished those!

I was getting into serious running by then. I bought myself a multisports watch to keep track of my training. I knew I could not run every day without injuring myself so I spiced things up by working out on the elliptical trainer.A short while later I introduced some weight training to help me build muscle for my running.

The walks with my dogs got longer and longer which kept them happy and me healthy. Soon I was walking instead of 2 km regularly between six and 10 km. The fresh air helped my mood. My menopausal symptoms became much easier to deal with.

So here I am now nine months later running my next half marathon in two weeks. I have never been fitter in my whole life. I love sports and any activities that are sports related. In former days such activities as hiking were a pain in the butt. I was always the last one in the group could not wait for it to be over. These days I’m in the front of the group, the first one up the hill, smoking my 15-year-old son in the pipe!

So it can be done. Age should not hinder us from participating in sports. The other day I was sitting in the plane next to a lady who was was in her mid 60s. I told her proudly off my running achievements, perhaps showing off a little bit…when I was finished with my stories about all of my achievements she told me that she was a runner herself. She had participated in marathons in Philadelphia, in New York, in Portland, in Seattle, and over the last five years she had taken part three times in the Boston Marathon. She had not only participated but she also won in her age group. She told me that her times got better once she hit 60…

Needless to say, I was speechless…

Best of luck on your journey, keep in mind older women can rock!

Stef.

DoitinParadise

1:53 am
2 Feb 15
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Hello DoitinParadise here
Like the rest of you ladies I am older and going through menopause, I have pt on alot of weight around my midriff, so would love to lose it there.

I have just started today and so far so good. I have a question though, is it ok to eat 3 times a day on the fast days? What would you recommend?

Good luck to all of us!

Applepie

6:26 am
2 Feb 15
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DiiP You can eat 3 times a day if you like or save your calories till the evening or even, don’t eat at all! I tried that last week and it is surprisingly easy.
The important thing to remember is to stay under the 500 calorie limit.

Good Luck!

Trying Harder

9:40 am
2 Feb 15
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Wow Stef!

You sound like you are made of special stuff not couch potato material!

I started a slightly more physical effort last week in addition to my swimming 2 hours every week. Dance class! Came home after the second class with a bruised rib.

Bit more delicate than I was at twenty. And probably in those days I would have kind of smoothed that over saying it’s nothing and just tried to plow on through! Not a good idea to force anything either. As it will only put off an injury healing.

I’d say you were pretty lucky if your knees weren’t giving you any trouble especially if you had had many years without much physical effort and a year later were running marathons.

Would you mind sharing with us what your first days, weeks and month were like with your new physical regimen? Were you dieting (5:2 or other?)???

Best to you and thanks again for sharing.
– Trying Harder!

Trying Harder

9:44 am
2 Feb 15
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Oh and I’m 54 and in my first year of post menopause. Feel pretty good apart from a few extra pounds to carry around. Don’t have any hot flashes or things like that.

So when I wrote Older Women Unite ! Yes, I was talking about well..gals like us!

– Trying Harder !

Trying Harder

1:51 pm
16 Feb 15
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One thing I am finding difficult is social eating.

Two things :

You go for a meal at someones house, they pile and pile and pile the food on. I try and say a gentle thanks but no! It’s like you are offending them by not accepting another helping. Another glass of wine. I get this alot. I can’t stand dieting conversations. When anyone asks me, I say i’m trying to live a slightly more balanced life between eating and exercise than my previous 50 + years. But that’s it.

The “just say no!” comments from very thin people while putting another serving of pasta on my plate because “wouldn’t want it to go to waste, now would we ?”

Oh I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime!

“Oh you’re no fun to eat with any more. People that are on a diet are no fun.”

Uh right. Believe you me, it’s no “fun” for me either. I never bring up the fact that I am on a diet. I can’t stand dieting conversations. When anyone asks me, I say i’m trying to live a slightly more balanced life between eating and exercise than my previous 50 + years. But that’s it.

” You look fine the way you are !” (this most often from family/close friends, all naturally thin people!)

I’m just skirting obesity frankly! So Um. Great! Glad you think so! But I’m not talking about looking in the mirror! I’m trying to do something about what I feel !

And I feel (in italics there) as there is less and less ease of movement in my body.

oh it’s a battle.

-Trying Harder !

Trying Harder

2:09 pm
16 Feb 15
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sorry! Cant edit that previous post!!!

next time!

-Trying Harder!

Annie55

1:00 pm
24 Feb 15
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That’s me…. one of the older women!
I’m 59 and the weight has been creeping on for a few years.
I used to be able to drop half a stone in a week to fit in an outfit, ah but now those days are behind me so I must try harder too!

I’d heard about the 5.2 a while back but thought I’d get Christmas and a holiday out of the way before I committed.
So now here I am, day two.

I work full time, which also involved driving so lots of sitting… not great
I walk the dog a couple of times a day so I intend to walk faster and for longer.. please encourage me 🙂
I’m 60 at the end of July so I have a goal.

Annie

Trying Harder

6:22 pm
24 Feb 15
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oh Annie!

We are sooooo with you ! It is so worth it to have that goal!

The diet is great and that tracker thingy up in the right hand corner is a great way to see a difference. Who would have thought! The thing is, with this diet, your body is changing. But it’s subtle change. And that tracker is one way to follow the change.

Not to obsess over what you are weighing every day. But once a week? I’ve found that really helpful. And I always write a little note to myself about what happened in the previous week.

Change is gonna come!

Good luck with the work thing…I can’t remember where it was here in the forums but one woman had an office job and she was always making work for herself where she had to get up and walk somewhere. Take the stairs etc. She had a lot of clever ways to be “up and about” throughout her day.

-Trying Harder

sassymatron

5:01 pm
25 Feb 15
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Hi Trying Harder, I’m new to the forum and I feel quite positive. I also walk my dog twice a day and most days do way over 10000 steps, but I don’t agonise over it if I don’t. I’m 68, a bit stiff and arthritic but dance once a week but, I eat too much! you need to think more positively to help yourself I think. Steff is a blazing example for us all. Like you I don’t think long distance running is for me, having an injury to my knee years ago which now shows up as arthritis, but there are always alternatives. up to a few years ago I was dinghy sailing. My advice as an older person is please don’t set yourself artificial barriers, you will already put failure into your mind. have a go at something different and see what you like. good luck!

Trying Harder

5:28 pm
25 Feb 15
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Oh I’m so with sassymatron on the ‘don’t set up artificial barriers” and “have a go at something different” counsel! Indeed “there are alternatives” !

I had some knee trouble so running is out for me too.

But swimming is in! That sensation of just closing my eyes and just floating after having done an hour of laps (every ten do a really fast one as Dr Mosley suggests) is just great.

-Trying Harder

PJBR

3:42 pm
18 Jun 15
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applepie
I understand you have a forum and i would like to join but I cannot find it.
will you help?

Trying Harder

6:32 pm
18 Jun 15
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Hi PJBR

applepie can be found by clicking on her name which takes you to her intro page with a bit about her and the threads she has started on 5 /2 !

The name of her thread is “Hello Fellow Fasties!”

best
Trying Harder

Teejaykay

2:18 pm
19 Jun 15
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Hi everyone, just wanted to join this thread as I am “older” too — 51 later this year — and have found weight going on (guess where) in the middle since menopause. Hardly any exercise in my daily life — sometimes manage to muster energy enough to walk, but otherwise housework is as strenuous as it gets!

I am planning to start this diet tomorrow and have come onto the forum to help motivate myself. I was not overweight most of my life and need to get control of this, am not enjoying menopause at all but guess I have to do something about that myself.

Don’t think I will ever reach Stef’s inspirational level! — but have to start somewhere.

Trying Harder

6:19 pm
19 Jun 15
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Awwww!

Nothing wrong with housework as exercise TJ !

Good luck in getting started. We have all been where you are at, starting out. Not feeling particularly motivated oh yes! Been there ! But our experience is that it is possible to get things in order with one’s body. Make peace with yourself.

Be nice to yourself in ways other than eating!

Take a bath! Cream up! Massage those tired legs and feet that are probably saying we are tired of carrying around so much weight!

Have a float and a swim at your local pool…dont worry not everyone is a bathing beauty! Water is wonderfully relaxing. It carries you no matter what your weight !

5/2 is a simple tool. It’s not rocket science. Alot of info here on the forums but more than anything here in the forums are others like yourself that have decided that their bodies simply can’t go on as before. Courage!

best,
Trying Harder

Trying Harder

6:33 pm
19 Jun 15
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One thing I’m battling at 54, is nighttime leg cramps.

I don’t think this has anything to do with dieting or 5/2. But deal with it I must. My auntie has the same at 95 as does my Mom at 81. We have tried everything. Calcium and magnesium supplements…those help alittle but not all the time.

my latest thing is riding around on on a bike for at least 30 min before bedtime! We have free bikes here in Paris so that makes this program possible !

Found that by looking at the Mayo Clinic site…they can’t tell us why we have these but they mentioned riding a stationary bike before bedtime. They didn’t say for how long. But there you have it. This is very common with women post menopausal etc etc.

-TH

lazycat

7:14 pm
19 Jun 15
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Have you tried tonic water for leg cramps? I had restless arms and legs and had read that tonic water helps with cramps and restless legs. Anyway I tried it and no more restless legs. Tastes better with a large gin in it!

Trying Harder

7:41 pm
19 Jun 15
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yes yes! Used to drink tonic water but stopped drinking sugary bubbly drinks some time ago. Also any sugar free bubbly drinks. And sadly no more alcohol except on rare social occasions when I’ll have and reallv enjoy, a glass of wine or…champagne! But thats an exception and not my daily routine.

Tried even quinine tablets several years back when I was deep into another diet which were prescription. Those worked but they are no longer sold here in France!

Nah am sticking to my bike riding which offers a bit of exercise in the mix ! i dont belong to a gym and wouldn’t know what to do in one either. Nor can I run marathons like Stef. Not even sure I could run around the block let alone run a marathon.

Thanks for thinkin’ of it though La Cat! There is probably someone reading this forum thread that CAN make use of that! Lots more readers than there are courageous posters! But that’s the way it goes in social media !

-TH

Trying Harder

7:51 pm
19 Jun 15
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Oh and forgot to mention.

I’m down fifteen kilos since starting 5/2 in mid January ! That may not be as fast or as much lost as alot of posters here in the Forums but it seems pretty steady to me and not anything that I’ll be gaining back anytime soon. I’ve really managed to get the better of some pretty bad eating habits !

Last time I went on a massive diet (Six years ago) for a year and a half (with a doctor and herbal supplements!!! yuck! ) my work partner said she would never let me do that again. I was always in bad humour and felt and acted terrible! Never again !

As a teenager was bulimic!

5:2 is the first time I’ve really acted responsibly vis a vis taking care of myself.

So something must be working! yes it feels great!

yay 5:2 !

-TH

Trying Harder

9:14 pm
26 Apr 16
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Here I am a year and a half later. I only do the 5:2 diet every once in a while now. Had my gall bladder out two months ago in an emergency operation so I’m going easily on meself.

The one thing I can tell you is while i haven’t yet met my goal of “normal” weight, i’ve been going steadily down since starting 5:2. Startin at 88kg I’m now 74. And i’d rather the slow but steady decline than a massive one.

Yes! It was encouraging when in the first few months the pounds, seemed like they were flying off me every week !!

But I do feel warned: my surgeon said after what she called “quick” weight loss, some of us older women start producing those gall stones leading to gall bladders becoming a problem and having to be removed. That is all history but believe me no fun what so ever.

I’ve got another ten pounds or 5 or so kilos to go.

As the better weather is coming, riding a bike, dancing and walking will certainly seem more attractive to all of us that don’t do gym workouts.

We have made it through the winter folks!

Onwards ! Or should I say downwards!

TH