On my way to 63kgs

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ecky1

New member
Hi, I'm a 53 years old English woman living in Spain. I have been overweight for about 15 years. My highest weight was about 90 kgs.
I had got to the stage where I just sat around on the sofa and watched the TV. My mum passed away last year and it affected me badly and made me even less motivated to get up and do anything. After a while I decided that I was so unfit and that I owed it to my family to get fit and not risk my health so I started to walk a lot. I then bought a Wii fit once I had got a bit fitter.
At the end of January I decided to really work on the eating part of it so joined weight watchers. By then I had already lost about 6 kgs so joined weighing 83.6kg and now have lost 11 more kgs and weigh 72.6kg.
I've found that wearing a step counter makes me a lot more conscious of what I do and I have been a lot more active since wearing it.
I'm trying to see it as a change of lifestyle rather than a diet that will come to an end. That makes it so much easier if I overeat at a meal. Previously on diets I would give up completely after just one session of pigging out but now I just see it as normal that sometimes I overeat and then compensate by going a bit more careful for a few days.
My 20 year old daughter is losing weight with me which makes it easier and she has lost 9 kgs and only has about 5 kgs to go.
I'm struggling a bit at the moment because I have 5 house guests here on vacation for 2 weeks and I am spending too much time sitting around chatting and it is much more difficult to eat healthy food. Hopefully I will get back on track when they leave next Wednesday.
I really enjoy reading everybody elses stories and will enjoy having a diary even if nobody reads it. xx
 
eyckmans, good luck to you and to your daughter.

As long as you walk on a regular basis, ideally every day, and eat 4-5 small
meals every day, every 3-4 hours, made up of fresh veggies, fruits, and small
amounts of starchy carbs, lean protein, and maybe small amounts of walnuts,
and don't forget to drink plenty of water, you will get to your goal without
any problems. Remember that when it comes to food that is not that healthy,
you can always choose to eat small portions of it.

It might not nourish your body like natural whole-foods, but at least you will
not gain any weight, and will feel much more in control.
 
Thanks for the advice and support. That is basically what we are doing with the occasional lapse, but even on the lapses it is nowhere near the amount that we used to eat. We have one or two squares of chocolate instead of a couple of bars for instance.
I really need to drink more water as I don't get thirsty very often and tend to forget. I write everything that I eat down but only write down drinks with calories so maybe I need to write down all drinks so that I have more control over it and to remind me to drink more.
Val
 
Keep doing this and reaching your ideal weight will be a breeze!

Can you write an example of what, when, and how much you eat on
the average day? And what is your ideal weight that you are aiming for?
And what about cardio-exercise, do you do it on a regular basis?
 
An average day would be cereals(30g) for breakfast with skimmed milk.
Lunch would be a decent sized amount of fish, chicken breast, maybe chicken sausages or burger, a medium sized potato or bread and lots of veg or salad,
Dinner is often a weight watchers prepared meal or a ham salad sandwich.
On other days I'll make pasta with tomato and prawns and we often make stir fries with chicken, veg, prawns and rice.
On hungry days I make cauliflower soup and eat that between meals along with the normal fruit and low cal yoghurts.
Just about every day I have a treat of a small piece of chocolate or a weight watchers dessert.
I can honestly say that I haven't felt hungry as I tend to eat every few hours.

Exercise is a lot of walking. Usually an hour and a half a day of brisk walking and I live in a very hilly area so a lot of climbing hills.
I also have a Wii and several times a week I do jogging, step ( I bought the feet to make the step a proper height), hoolahoop, boxing etc. I start off with step to warm up and then alternate between the other exercises. I need to start doing muscle building exercises soon but wanted to do more aerobic ones first to lose the weight.
I have gone fairly off track due to my house guests and haven't exercised properly once since they have been here but will start again as soon as they leave on Wednesday morning. I haven't been and got weighed yet but am pretty sure that I will have gained a couple of pounds so will really step up the exercise next week.
My ideal weight would probably be about 63-65 kgs. I don't really want to go much lower because of my age as I don't want to go too wrinkly as I have seen happen to friends that get really slim. I weighed 49 kgs when I was in my 20s. I think I will decide what weight I want to be when I get there.
Thanks again for your support and help.
 
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eyckmans, you have proper nutrition pretty much "right on" especially the
frequent meals, and the food sources from which you are getting your
calories. Even though I don't know you, it really makes me sort off feel
proud to see people taking charge of their lives that way.

...and those moderate snacks are an excellent choice, because my own
three cheat meals per week have helped me to lose my excess weight in
the past and are helping me to maintain it without ever craving those foods
that are unhealthy when eaten in large amounts.

And your exercise strategy is perfect!

So, taking this into account, you can be pretty sure that you will arrive at
your health goal in the nearest future.

When you arrive though, you will have to make small adjustments, because if
you keep going this way you will get down to those 49 kgs, or maybe even
lower...lol

Anyway, good luck, even though you don't need that much with the way
you are approaching this, and I look forward to your posts about your and
your daughter's weight loss journeys.
 
Thank you so much you have made me feel on a real high. I have been out of control with my eating and a real couch potato for so long now that it is great to hear somebody say that I have now got it right. I have realized that there is no secret to weight loss just a matter of moving more, eating less fat and sugar and smaller portions. I have so many friends that are on crash diets at the moment that don't want to listen to what I have to say on the subject and I feel sorry for them. It is as though something has finally changed in my head and I don't think about it at all as a diet. If people ask me if I have been dieting I tell them that I haven't but have made a permanent change in the way I eat and exercise. It really is quite easy once you make the change in your head. I'm not even worried about lapsing this couple of weeks as I know that as soon as Wednesday comes I will be back to what is now my normal eating and exercise pattern.
 
Hiya eyckmans,

Yup...its not hard to do is it. You just need determination...just like you have.

Way to go! Keep us posted on the progress!
 
Good for you, that REALIZATION about proper nutrition and exercise is the
awareness that changes everything upside down.

You don't have to worry about calories, diets, carbs, protein, fats, vitamins,
minerals, etc., etc., etc., -- obviously, you must take them into account,
but not worrying about them anymore is truly TRANSFORMATIONAL, without
a doubt.

By the way, taking small vacations from a very healthy lifestyle once in a while
does wonders, for example I go to Amsterdam twice per year, and have the
time of my life for two weeks walking around that great city by foot, and
enjoying everything that amazing city has to offer.

And, while I am there I eat more of those things I like, and that in my regular
life I don't eat. Actually it's almost impossible, because there are so many
food places there that for a person that loves these foods (like me) has
to try these things!!!

I continue to eat the five meals during the day, but the first four have
deserts in them, and only the last one doesn't. I also go for a fast walk
for an hour before going to sleep, and for another one in the morning,
on an empty stomach, before hitting the breakfast bar in my hotel in the
moring. I probably go up ten times to get more food, and most people are
quite shocked by it actually. But, I don't care because I love food, and allow
myself these pleasures for a total of four weeks per year. And since I walk
all day around the city, and plus do additional double cardio every day, I
never gain any weight while I'm there.

So yes, if you stick with 80-90% healthy foods and do exercise on a regular
basis, you will never have to worry about excess weight again. If you gain
a pound or two, you will always know how to "effectively" burn it off!!!
 
I agree that it is important to relax at certain times especially while on vacation and that is why I'm not beating myself up about not being so in control these last couple of weeks while I have visitors. When I really think about what I have eaten over the last week or two it is still much less quantity and healthier than how I used to eat and if I put on a pound or two I'll soon lose it again. It's better than feeling deprived and resentful that I 'can't' eat certain things.
Yesterday for instance I made paella and had a not too large plate and I made a weight watchers cake and ate that instead of the more fattening desserts. I drunk some alcohol which I don't normally do but nothing too drastic.
I love feeling fitter and lighter and get a shock everytime I look at my legs and see a normal shape instead of huge tree trunks. I lot of the weight that I have left is around the tummy area so I will need to start doing abdonimal exercises soon.
 
Hi thanks for the encouragement. I know I can do it this time as I don't remember ever in my life being so positive about weight loss.
Flumes said:
Hiya eyckmans,

Yup...its not hard to do is it. You just need determination...just like you have.

Way to go! Keep us posted on the progress!
Click to expand...
 
I love feeling fitter and lighter and get a shock everytime I look at my legs and
see a normal shape instead of huge tree trunks. I lot of the weight that I have
left is around the tummy area so I will need to start doing abdonimal exercises soon.
Click to expand...

...by the way, the fat that is around the tummy area will go away when you
reach an overall lower body fat percentage, and while abdominal exercises
are good for strengthening the muscle under the excess body fat, they don't
have a serious impact on lowering the fat on top of the body fat.

...it is to your advantage to do simple weight training exercises, and in the
exercise part of this forum there is a lot of good information.

...as you increase your muscle mass slowly, your metabolism goes up, and
burns off more calories during the day.

...but in the end, the ultimate tool is cardio, this is why I walked twice per
day, in the morning and in the evening in the last part of my weight loss
program many years ago.

...this basically means that when you reach that weight you are aiming at,
and you still have tummy fat, and you want to get rid of it, you will have
to choose to either continue losing more body fat, or choose to live with
the way that it will look at that time.

...the theory of spot-reducing body fat in certain areas by targeting that
area with exercise, sadly does not produce the results that most people
are looking for. So while it is good to do some abdominal exercises, the
other muscle groups should be exercised also, and by doing this you will
increase your muscle mass and your metabolism (because muscle is a
metabolically active tissue and your body must burn off calories in order
to sustain it, so the more muscle -- the more calories burned during the day)

...I just thought I tell you that so that you don't feel frustrated like many
people that do ab exercises but don't see the results.

...as I started approaching the 10% body fat in my weight loss program, only
then my abs started showing up, and this was confirmed by my trainer, so
he told me not to waste too much time with ab exercises, just to stay focused
on building muscle using weight training to increase my metabolism and
to stay focused on doing as much cardio as possible to burn off the
unwanted body fat.
 
You've just made me very happy with that information. I love doing aerobic exercises but really hate doing abdominal exercises so it's great to know that I can carry on the way I am now. I am realistic about it and don't expect the flat tummy that I had when I was younger but really enjoy being able to go and buy clothes without ending up in tears because I looked so awful.
 
Well then, you can consider yourself very lucky, because to create a flat
tummy, aerobics and a healthy diet is all that is needed.

If you want to increase your metabolism in the future, you can use some
kind of resistance training, but if you don't like abdominal exercises, imo
you can skip them and do the exercises that you like.

A good approach is to go to a gym for one month and find exercise that you
like doing there, get the coaches to show you howto properly do the basic
exercises, and then buy yourself some dummbells and work out at home to
save the money and the time.

Once you create some impressive results by eating healthy food and using
aerobics, then you can look into weight training if you will have the energy
for this type of physical activity.

It is without a doubt a good idea, but it isn't a "must." As long as you eat
right and do cardio-training you will reach your goal and then maintain it
with ease. And then you will never have to feel upset when you go shopping
for clothes, and will achieve inner peace because you will know you can
easily control your weight in the long term!
 
Hello there! I'm pretty new on this site, too...and I'm also an expat! I'm an American living in France-just a stone's throw from Spain, relatively speaking.

I have found your diary really interesting so far and look forward to reading about your progress. I just know you will reach your goal, as you seem quite determined and very sensible.

I wish you (and your daughter!) the best of luck.
 
Thanks Rox, I've been really good today with my eating and have just been on a walk for an hour and a half with my daughter. I like to walk with other people as the time goes so quickly when you are chatting. I'm lucky enough to live in the island of Mallorca about a couple of minutes away from the sea so there are so many lovely places to walk. Just one more day with my guests and then I can get back to normal.
 
Great advice yet again Alex. I have been toying with the idea of joining a gym at some time. I always kept well away from gyms as was too embarrassed because of my weight but think that in the future I will probably dare to brave it.
It is so encouraging to know that I am on the right track. :)
 
eyckmans said:
Thanks Rox, I've been really good today with my eating and have just been on a walk for an hour and a half with my daughter. I like to walk with other people as the time goes so quickly when you are chatting. I'm lucky enough to live in the island of Mallorca about a couple of minutes away from the sea so there are so many lovely places to walk. Just one more day with my guests and then I can get back to normal.
Click to expand...

Good for you! And how great that your daughter is there to exercise with you. I often feel badly that I live so far away from my parents, especially my mother.

ITA about walking. I used to have a good group of friends to walk with regularly. The time just flew! But then we moved away...

Mallorca must be lovely. The walks here are pretty as well, but it's very hard going, with so many mountains. It must be nice to walk on a nice, flat beach...
 
Had a great day today. I live within about 20 minutes of 3 water parks and used to really enjoy them until I had a really embarrassing experience. I wrote about it in another thread
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topi...-dumb-things-people-say-you-2.html#post694125
Today for the first time in years I went on lots of the slides, floated round the river in a rubber ring without fear of getting stuck and walked around in my swimsuit without covering myself up with a towel. It was so much fun.
I took a chicken salad sandwich and some fruit with me so that I wasn't tempted by the fast food which is all they sell in these places.
In the past I've always felt that people were staring at me and daren't go on the slides incase I made a fool of myself. The steps to get up to the top of the slides was good exercise so although it was in general a fun relaxing day there was still quite a lot of moving about involved.
Just had a lovely prawn and boiled egg salad with a slice of brown bread followed by water melon so feel full and happy.
I am the primary carer of my elderly father who has parkinsons as well as many other illnesses and can't be left for more than an hour or two at a time but today my auntie and uncle who are staying with me looked after him all day while I went to the water park with my cousin and her children. It made it even nicer as I rarely get the opportunity to have a day out. :)
 
Mallorca is beautiful. It is very hilly where I live so we get a really nice walk as we can combine hills with a walk on the beach and get a really good workout.

Rox said:
Good for you! And how great that your daughter is there to exercise with you. I often feel badly that I live so far away from my parents, especially my mother.

ITA about walking. I used to have a good group of friends to walk with regularly. The time just flew! But then we moved away...

Mallorca must be lovely. The walks here are pretty as well, but it's very hard going, with so many mountains. It must be nice to walk on a nice, flat beach...
Click to expand...
 
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