How do women over 60 get in shape?

[Shelley]

Hi all!  I am starting this thread to help all the ladies from our old forum get started up again over here in the new place.  Hope you all find this thread.  Getting in shape after 60 has its own challenges especially when you have lost muscle, have slowed metabolism and hormone changes.  How are you getting and staying fit?  What s working for you?  

[Daylight]

Good luck and welcome. Slow but steady is the best. Hang in. Fitbit does help to motivate.

Sent from my iPad

[Shelley]

Welcome Eileen!  Be sure and take measurements periodically or watch how clothes fit.  Some of your fellow over 60 year olds have been noticing slow weight loss but getting more toned and getting into smaller clothes because of the regular exercise.  There are lots of approaches to losing weight and we are all individual in genetics and other factors that effect weight loss.  But saying that, if you are interested in reading an approach that has worked well for me, check out Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Eat to Live and/or go to his website and read about the "Nutritarian" method of eating.  I have had great success with eating a mostly plant based diet.  I realize that method of eating is not for everyone, but following his plan plus walking daily has helped me to lose 28 pounds since mid-Sept, drop 50 points in cholesterol, and reverse pre-diabetes and come back into a normal blood sugar ranges.  The groups and forums are great for support and you are not alone! 

[SunsetRunner]

I'm with you, I am not a jogger -- more like a walker!

[eileenjez]

I'm definitly not a jogger. I'm happy if I can get to 3 mph walking. Since I started this program I have caught colds twice. I had to take two weeks off the first time and last week off this time.  I've been lucky if I get one third of the steps I was getting before. Boy do I feel like a slacker!  I'm looking forward to getting back to the gym on Monday. Since this is a short week at the gym I'll be able to get back up to speed.

eileen

[Linda]

Hi all and welcome to the new ladies who found us recently! Shelley, I forgot about this forum 😕 I guess I thought we'd all migrated over to the group. Hmmm, perhaps I need to check more frequently....

[Carol]

Shelly is right when she said to watch inches as well as weight.  I've only lost about 11 lbs since mid Sept., but I've lost 2 inches from my waist, 2 from my hips and some from my thighs.  I did manage to gain muscle in my calves, too and my legs are much stronger than they were.  I am about to go through all my slacks and put the big ones away and bring out the next size down.

[Linda]

Carol, that's fantastic!!! Congratulations!

[Shelley]

I think most of us are over in the group section now.  But when the new forums started I agreed to help it get going.  I have been checking in every now and then and letting the women know about the Women Over 60 group in the Activity Groups section.  There are a lot of us over 60 women using Fitbit and we can support each other in our goals.  I hope people will gravitate to whichever venue feels best to them.  It seems like the Group is more active than the forum and I like that.  

Eileen, I am on my second cold in a matter of weeks.  It does interfere with the exercise regime.  Yesterday and today, felt too bad to get my walk in.  I had a lot of things that I had to do today, so have managed to 7500 steps without the walk but none of them are "very active."  The important thing is to get back out there as soon as we feel better.  I find that I get out of the habit and then don't want to get going.  But once I go, despite not feeling like it, I start to get back in the habit.

Carol, congratulations on losing two inches.  That is great!  You are a testament to the benefit of exercise even if the scale isn't showing a lot of change, clearly you are getting fit!!  A pound of muscle is smaller than a pound of fat and takes up less room.  That is why you can weigh the same but still be smaller.  Let's all keep moving and building muscle!

[Chamois]

get well soon

[Shelley]

Thanks, Chamois!

[yogini-gayle]

I think one of the biggest mistakes we make as we age (I'm almost 66) is that we don't fully understand just how much our metabolism does slow.  We think we are exercising sufficiently and the pounds keep going on or we fail to lose--then many of us give up. Almost all the major studies on fitness are done on young men.  So the implicit data isn't there for older women to understand what we need to do.

I work out 5-6 days a week.  I work with a personal trainer 2 days a week.  In September I cycled 320 miles from NY to DC with 220 other people.  Prior to the ride I was cycling about 150 miles a week.  Yet I haven't been able to get under 150 lbs in over 2 years.  Am I fit--absolutely.  I'm strong. My resting heartrate is 52 bpm. No one ever believes I'm even close to being 65. Yet I really want to lose 10 lbs.

I think the fitbit might help.  Yesterday was the first day I used it. Showing me how many calories I actually burned all day is a big help.  I use a heart rate monitor when I'm working out which gives me an accurate calorie count as well as monitors the zones I'm working out in and my heart rate.  But the fitbit tells me what I'm burning the rest of the day.  Even after working out for 1 1/2 hours yesterday and walking to and from the gym, I burned less than 2100 calories. I'm a very healthy eater, I juice, eat lots of whole grains, rarely eat sweets, don't eat fast food or junky snacks and don't drink soda. At my age, I'm supposed to eat about 1850 calories to maintain. So if I'm burning less than 2100 calories even after exercise, I'm not going to lose much if anything.

So as much as I hate to, I'm really going to have to count calories and pay more attention to portions. I'll keep you posted.

[Shelley]

Yogini-Gayle, your exercise regime and fitness level are inspiring to me.  I have been saying that we can be fit and strong at this age and you are proof!  I am trying to get fit and it helps to read about others who are in the kind of shape you are in.  I feel like I have got the diet part down, in a way that is working for me to get healthy and lose weight but I do not exercise anywhere near what you are doing.  One thing I have noticed with me is that I cannot lose if I am eating grains.  I ate a lot like the way you described that you are eating and ate only whole grains but my body would not lose.  Many times, I would have lost a little bit, then have some brown rice and gain it all back in one night.  I now eat a green smoothie with chia seeds for breakfast, big green veggie salad for lunch which also has walnuts or sunflower seeds, and beans and greens and some other cooked veggie like some sweet potato or curried veggies or something like that for supper and the weight is steadily coming off pretty quickly.  Beans have carbs and calories but because of the resistance starch, you do not absorb all the calories and the fiber is very filling.  I get full and satiated and all my cravings for sugar and snacking has disappeared.  I used to love to snack on tortilla chips with hummus and thought that was relatively healthy but it packed the weight on.  I treat corn products like tortiallas as a grain and try to stay away from them as a rule.  I use the Aria scale and according to it, I am losing fat, and not much muscle.  I have read that veggies, especially greens, have many more nutrients in them than grains do.  Another thing that can interfere with weight loss is oil.  Oil has 100 calories in one tablespoon and has very little nutrition in it.  You get a lot more nutrition getting your fats from the whole package like eating raw seeds and nuts.  Rather than use oil to saute, I now water saute and I eat my salads with vinegar but no oil.  Seeds and nuts should be eaten with other food and not alone because there is a synergistic effect.  Eating mostly vegan, you do not have to count calories.  Most of what I have learned about all this comes from Dr. Joel Fuhrman's books and Forks Over Knives documentary.  If you haven't seen that documentary, try to watch it.  The son of one of the doctors in the documentary is a fire fighter and an athelete in great shape and he eats vegan.   So, I share this just to share my experience and what has worked for me.  I know diet can be very personal and genetics can play a part in it too.   But this could possibly be a way you could get those 10 pounds off.  I have lost 28 since mid Sept.

[yogini-gayle]

Shelley, I actually do eat an almost vegan diet.  I also juice (green mostly) and use a nutitribullet because it keeps the fiber.  I have, of course, seen Forks Over Knives but didn't know about the book.  Have you seen Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead?  That's an inspiration if ever there was one.  I don't eat a lot of grains.  I eat quinoa which is technically not a grain, several times a week.  Maybe twice a week when I've really worked out hard I'll have a five grain hot cereal.  I do eat lots of lentils and beans.  I think though we each have to figure out what foods affect our bodies in adverse ways.  We do need fats and olive oil is a good one.  I also use coconut oil--also healthy but all sparingly.  

I really think the fitbit Force and the food log are going to help me immensely. Thanks for your feedback and Iook forward to more sharing.

[Daylight]

Shelley you are also an inspiration

Sent from my iPad

[Daylight]

I have figured that one out. Was told to eat 800 cal to lose weight by a doctor. Now increasing exercise and watching. Still not going anywhere fast as I wound up with a cold. Also feeling lost with out my fitbit. Forgot charger cord. Brought computer. Oh well must be a reason. Walking daily. No gym available here. Floor exercises on occasion Between dog and granddaughter hard to get down there. Will figure out how to have them help lol

Sent from my iPad

[Cande]

I think too much "blame" and excuses are made for "slowed metabolism" and "hormonal changes," as reasons it's hard to stay fit.  Diet really IS important, as is DAILY exercise. And by diet I don't mean eating your fruits and vegetables (though that's a given), I mean cutting out every bit of junk and crap. As a realtor, most of my colleagues are women, and many of them "say" they want to lose weight, but they still come into the coffee room and throughout the day can be heard, "I really shouldn't, but..." and then they take a cookie or some other so called treat someone has brought it. Then they'll TELL you about their diet, etc., but they SHOW you by their actions they don't really care.  I don't wish to offend anyone. And there may be special cases where a hormonal disease or another disease that causes an abnormally slowed metabolism really does cause weight gain, or the inability to lose weight and build muscle, but that's rare. Each person must take control over her own fitness goals and commit 100% to that goal. No Excuses.

Repeat this mantra: "No candy, no cookies, no crackers, no snacks, no chips, no cakes, no pastries, no sugar on or in anything, no sugary or diet drinks, no alcohol, and no second helpings" You might say, well, then what's left? Just great food. Good luck!

[DonnaJ]

Well you are offending me. As we age, our metabolism slows down, we also lose muscle tissue and I'm sure you know you can't burn fat without enough muscle mass. Before you criticize all women because a few dared to eat a snack think of who you may offend in the long run. I went to a lot of expense last year to find out why when working out in the guy constantly and cutting my diet I wasn't losing weight which was extremely frustrating. I was told by experts that I had built up a lot of muscle which weighs more than fat. Every body is different and the last thing an older person wants to hear is how we are using excuses like are children playing a game.


Donna///dwynn97669@aol.com

[Linda]

Cande, I'm sure you meant well, but I also took your sentiments and the message personally. All of us here are doing the best we can...or we wouldn't be here at all. Yes I have days where I slip up, or days that I'm hurting too much or just too fatigued to get a good couple of walks in. Maybe I will have a bite of something that isn't the best choice for me once in a while. I know what I'm doing when I do it and I know the consequences. I definitely don't need or want a lecture from a stranger. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get to know a bit of people's history and challenges before making a blanket statement condemning their attempts to get healthier. We can all just do the best we can. Our physician and my husbands dietician have both explained to us that age and certain health issues that we have WILL slow our metabolisms and there ARE genuine health issues that are real, whether you wish to believe that or not.

[kflannery]

ok i usually don't weigh(pun intended) in on these posts...but.....I agree somewhat with what she said, we can get fit at this age, or at least improve our fitness...losing weight is a mind game as well as a body game...you have to believe in yourself and your commitment to shedding the extra pounds and also increasing your exerise...can i workout like i could 20 years ago...no...but i can still move and get in some exercise....can I always eat clean?  well I can try, but i also know there will be days when i fail...but i WILL get back up and I won't make excuses for myself....I am 65 years old and ran my first 7K on Thanksgiving morning..have another coming up on New Year's day.....so we can do it, it takes us a little longer but we can get there.....I don't agree with her offensive tone and tactics..we need to remember to support each other and celebrate our success every step of the way....

[Linda]

Well said Kflannery! What I was trying to say and not articulating well. Thank you.