Actually this won't be the whole journey as I've been trying to lose weight for a long time, but I consider every day (and every diet!) a fresh start. You know, today's the first day of the rest of your life. I don't even know whether I will manage to update this diary but I will try. I am fairly new to this site and mostly lurk.
I am 65 years old, 5' 4" tall and weigh 165.5. I range from 162-169 but mostly stay around 165-167. My doctor says 145 lbs would put me at a healthy weight, but he has agreed it's ok if I lose more. I got down to 145 about 5 years ago and felt I still needed to lose more. So I'd like to be about 130 lbs but am not sure that would be good at my age. So that's my goal for now but will see how it goes.
While I'd like to lose it NOW!, I know it's probably better to lose it slowly and after all I've been fat a long time so what's a few more months...I'd be happy to lose it by my birthday which is in Feb, but even if it takes a year, that's ok, as long as I'm losing. I'd like to lose about 1-2 lbs a week but not sure that's realistic.
I want to lose weight to prevent health problems...I'm already on BP and High Cholesterol meds, and I am a Type II diabetic (no meds) but all these are stable. I also want to be able to fit clothes better. I carry most of my weight around my middle and this makes it very hard to find clothes to fit. And of course, I want to look nicer and I want my dh and children to be proud of me and I want them to see I can accomplish this.
How I'm doing it -- a dietician put me on a diet to keep my BS stable and also lose weight. The problem is I have trouble being consistent on it as I am a snacker and feel the need to eat more often. So I am kinda combining that with two other diets...the Diabetic Diet and the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet as well. Each has certain principles that seem to help me.
Exercise - I workout at a gym 3-5 days a week, always try to get in 5 days and did this week! I do stretching, low impact aerobics and some muscle work with bands and light weights. I used to hate exercise but now I love it! I esp enjoy stretching and weights. I also enjoy walking with my dh and when we are traveling we do walk most days.
Support needs - I think the best support for me is just being able to talk about dieting issues with others who are going through the same thing. I tend to talk about it to my dh all the time and I know he gets tired of hearing it. He is very disciplined with eating and doesn't understand my struggles.
Obstacles - food! LOL I really enjoy eating! Snacking esp has always been my downfall. I finally got to a point where I rarely have trouble controlling my portions at meals and I have always eaten healthy meals, but snacking esp in the evening can mess up everything. Now I'm eating 6 small meals a day and this seems to be helping me and keeps my BS stable. While it's not such a big problem any more, occasionally I do still eat for emotional reasons I know and I am trying to work on that. Oh and I tend to get hooked on certain foods..like right now it's mochas...I make my own and I will drink too many if I'm not careful.
Why I have a weight problem - I was very skinny until I was 26 when I finally attained a perfect weight. But shortly after that I gradually began to gain. I couldn't grasp the fact that I could actually ever be over weight so I just kept eating as my appetite grew and I bought bigger sizes of clothes! And with two more pregnancies, by 34 I was overweight and raising 4 children, I was busy and my appetite grew and I just gained more and more. Still it took me until my mid-50s to get to my highest weight of about 187. I guess I had a very high metabolism earlier in life because I really ate a lot! Now I gain so easily but it's very difficult to lose!
Lifestyle changes - I've already changed a lot. I have finally resigned myself to the fact that I simpley cannot eat like I used to. Each time I am on a diet, or even read a diet book, I learn something new. Now I'm trying to put it all together. I eat more healthy...more whole grains, much more vegetables now. I never used to exercise so going to the gym is a real change for me! But I've been doing these things for about 5 years now. The biggest change I have made recently is going to the 6 small meals.
I have lost weight in the past...I lost 20 lbs on the Free Diet a couple times. I lost 10 just cutting back on my eating, and I lost 33 lbs on the Prism Weightloss Program about 5 years ago. This program most influenced me as that's when I changed to whole grains and for a while I dropped refined sugar entirely. I lost mostly though just because I restricted my calories to 1200/day. Unfortunately after reaching my goal I went back to overeating and gained back 2/3 of what I'd loss within ten months, but I still eat more healthy since going through the program and I'm thankful I never gained it all back.
What has not worked for me - feeling like I have to eat certain foods or giving up certain foods entirely does not work for me...I rebel. I have learned to use diets that specify certain foods as a guide rather than sticking strictly to those foods, but I do keep to the general principles and limit my intake. Also I need to weigh myself daily....one of the things Prism did for me was it helped me get past emotional reactions to the scale because we were not allowed to weigh. But now I'm past that..I may not like what I see but I use the scale as a tool and just keep trying and I find weighing is helpful to me and not detrimental.
I track all my foods and many nutrients in a software program. This helps me face my food decisions and make better ones. It's a tool like the scale.
I cook most meals. We eat small amounts of beef and chicken and have fish 1-3 days a week and lots of vegetables..mostly fresh. I eat small amounts of rice or potatoes, but recently much less. We rarely eat out...and on our budget it is usually fast food when we do, but most of the time I am careful and make as wise a decision as I can. It is mainly my snacking now that I am working on controlling.
Three favorite foods? That's a hard one as it changes often. But I guess overall, it would be beef, potatoes and ice cream! But honestly I also love fruits and vegetables.
Favorite restaurants - I don't really have favorites and we rarely eat at sit-down restaurants although I'd loved to be able to more. I really don't care much for fast food...it's just that it's cheap and convenient.
If I lost weight - I'd feel freer, lighter, move more easily, enjoy my view in the mirror more and I'd go shopping!
When I lost weight before I noticed my hot flashes went away and sex was better too!
Eating when not hungry? Yes, I sometimes still do but am working on that and am doing much better. The six meals a day is helping me feel more satisfied on less food.
Binging - haven't done this recently but in the past I have often.
Hiding food, eating in secret - Yes I used to do this but haven't recently.
Eating as a reward - oh yeah, I used to do that and still sometimes but doing this less as I now know that losing weight is a much better reward.
Watching TV is when I am mostly tempted to snack so that's been a big problem for me! Not so much at the computer but sometimes it happens.
Snacks - as I've already mentioned these are/have been my downfall! I will snack on most anything...if there are not sweet/salty snack foods around I will pig out on toast and jelly or peanut butter or honey, I can even overeat on carrots and ranch dressing!
Goals - daily - to stick to my calorie limits, eat 6 meals a day and eat healthy meals including lots of lean protein.
Monthly - would like to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Not sure it's realistic though.
Yearly - would like to reach my weight goal!
Rewards - haven't rewarded myself. I've thought of paying myself a $1 a pound, and/or a shopping trip...will think more on that...
Well I think you all know me pretty well by now...:-O
I am 65 years old, 5' 4" tall and weigh 165.5. I range from 162-169 but mostly stay around 165-167. My doctor says 145 lbs would put me at a healthy weight, but he has agreed it's ok if I lose more. I got down to 145 about 5 years ago and felt I still needed to lose more. So I'd like to be about 130 lbs but am not sure that would be good at my age. So that's my goal for now but will see how it goes.
While I'd like to lose it NOW!, I know it's probably better to lose it slowly and after all I've been fat a long time so what's a few more months...I'd be happy to lose it by my birthday which is in Feb, but even if it takes a year, that's ok, as long as I'm losing. I'd like to lose about 1-2 lbs a week but not sure that's realistic.
I want to lose weight to prevent health problems...I'm already on BP and High Cholesterol meds, and I am a Type II diabetic (no meds) but all these are stable. I also want to be able to fit clothes better. I carry most of my weight around my middle and this makes it very hard to find clothes to fit. And of course, I want to look nicer and I want my dh and children to be proud of me and I want them to see I can accomplish this.
How I'm doing it -- a dietician put me on a diet to keep my BS stable and also lose weight. The problem is I have trouble being consistent on it as I am a snacker and feel the need to eat more often. So I am kinda combining that with two other diets...the Diabetic Diet and the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet as well. Each has certain principles that seem to help me.
Exercise - I workout at a gym 3-5 days a week, always try to get in 5 days and did this week! I do stretching, low impact aerobics and some muscle work with bands and light weights. I used to hate exercise but now I love it! I esp enjoy stretching and weights. I also enjoy walking with my dh and when we are traveling we do walk most days.
Support needs - I think the best support for me is just being able to talk about dieting issues with others who are going through the same thing. I tend to talk about it to my dh all the time and I know he gets tired of hearing it. He is very disciplined with eating and doesn't understand my struggles.
Obstacles - food! LOL I really enjoy eating! Snacking esp has always been my downfall. I finally got to a point where I rarely have trouble controlling my portions at meals and I have always eaten healthy meals, but snacking esp in the evening can mess up everything. Now I'm eating 6 small meals a day and this seems to be helping me and keeps my BS stable. While it's not such a big problem any more, occasionally I do still eat for emotional reasons I know and I am trying to work on that. Oh and I tend to get hooked on certain foods..like right now it's mochas...I make my own and I will drink too many if I'm not careful.
Why I have a weight problem - I was very skinny until I was 26 when I finally attained a perfect weight. But shortly after that I gradually began to gain. I couldn't grasp the fact that I could actually ever be over weight so I just kept eating as my appetite grew and I bought bigger sizes of clothes! And with two more pregnancies, by 34 I was overweight and raising 4 children, I was busy and my appetite grew and I just gained more and more. Still it took me until my mid-50s to get to my highest weight of about 187. I guess I had a very high metabolism earlier in life because I really ate a lot! Now I gain so easily but it's very difficult to lose!
Lifestyle changes - I've already changed a lot. I have finally resigned myself to the fact that I simpley cannot eat like I used to. Each time I am on a diet, or even read a diet book, I learn something new. Now I'm trying to put it all together. I eat more healthy...more whole grains, much more vegetables now. I never used to exercise so going to the gym is a real change for me! But I've been doing these things for about 5 years now. The biggest change I have made recently is going to the 6 small meals.
I have lost weight in the past...I lost 20 lbs on the Free Diet a couple times. I lost 10 just cutting back on my eating, and I lost 33 lbs on the Prism Weightloss Program about 5 years ago. This program most influenced me as that's when I changed to whole grains and for a while I dropped refined sugar entirely. I lost mostly though just because I restricted my calories to 1200/day. Unfortunately after reaching my goal I went back to overeating and gained back 2/3 of what I'd loss within ten months, but I still eat more healthy since going through the program and I'm thankful I never gained it all back.
What has not worked for me - feeling like I have to eat certain foods or giving up certain foods entirely does not work for me...I rebel. I have learned to use diets that specify certain foods as a guide rather than sticking strictly to those foods, but I do keep to the general principles and limit my intake. Also I need to weigh myself daily....one of the things Prism did for me was it helped me get past emotional reactions to the scale because we were not allowed to weigh. But now I'm past that..I may not like what I see but I use the scale as a tool and just keep trying and I find weighing is helpful to me and not detrimental.
I track all my foods and many nutrients in a software program. This helps me face my food decisions and make better ones. It's a tool like the scale.
I cook most meals. We eat small amounts of beef and chicken and have fish 1-3 days a week and lots of vegetables..mostly fresh. I eat small amounts of rice or potatoes, but recently much less. We rarely eat out...and on our budget it is usually fast food when we do, but most of the time I am careful and make as wise a decision as I can. It is mainly my snacking now that I am working on controlling.
Three favorite foods? That's a hard one as it changes often. But I guess overall, it would be beef, potatoes and ice cream! But honestly I also love fruits and vegetables.
Favorite restaurants - I don't really have favorites and we rarely eat at sit-down restaurants although I'd loved to be able to more. I really don't care much for fast food...it's just that it's cheap and convenient.
If I lost weight - I'd feel freer, lighter, move more easily, enjoy my view in the mirror more and I'd go shopping!
When I lost weight before I noticed my hot flashes went away and sex was better too! Eating when not hungry? Yes, I sometimes still do but am working on that and am doing much better. The six meals a day is helping me feel more satisfied on less food.
Binging - haven't done this recently but in the past I have often.
Hiding food, eating in secret - Yes I used to do this but haven't recently.
Eating as a reward - oh yeah, I used to do that and still sometimes but doing this less as I now know that losing weight is a much better reward.
Watching TV is when I am mostly tempted to snack so that's been a big problem for me! Not so much at the computer but sometimes it happens.
Snacks - as I've already mentioned these are/have been my downfall! I will snack on most anything...if there are not sweet/salty snack foods around I will pig out on toast and jelly or peanut butter or honey, I can even overeat on carrots and ranch dressing!
Goals - daily - to stick to my calorie limits, eat 6 meals a day and eat healthy meals including lots of lean protein.
Monthly - would like to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Not sure it's realistic though.
Yearly - would like to reach my weight goal!
Rewards - haven't rewarded myself. I've thought of paying myself a $1 a pound, and/or a shopping trip...will think more on that...
Well I think you all know me pretty well by now...:-O
Last edited:
I remember once when I was about 18 asking the doctor to give me something to help me gain and he told me he wished all his patients were like me! I also remember ordering a product called "Weight-On" or something like that...tasted terrible, like yeast but I tried them a couple times cause I thought I was too skinny. Now I am very thankful that at least I started out thin. 
...as I ate way too much! I pretty much got my days calories in that meal! I felt a little too full when we left and needless to say, I was regretting what I'd done! The only positive thing I can say is I did take about 1/2 of my entree home, but I realize now I was already full enough after the appetizer and I also ate a small dessert!! 
The holidays are just a tough time for anyone on a diet I guess.
