looking for friends - 50s and female and getting fabulous!

[frauline_annie]

Hi!  I'm looking for some friends for motivation and support.  I'm 51, female, and working on losing 30 lbs.  My A1c is pre-diabetic so I'm shedding some weight to try and get it under control. 

Anyone?

[LisaGall18]

My cholesterol is sky high and I need to motivate to exercise and change my diet to lower so I can avoid being on medication.  It's nice to read that it is possible to do in just a couple months.  Congratulations!  Thanks for posting.  Now I know I can do it too!  

[SandieS]

Hi! I'm Sandie and almost 57!  I'd love to be fitbit friends!  🙂

[LisaGall18]

My cholesterol was 260!  I'm giving myself 2 months to get it down before I give in and take medication!  I weigh around 160 and should weigh around 130.  So I need to lower my cholesterol at least 60 points and drop 30 pounds.  I'll be logging in here for encouragement.  My kids live out of state and my husband is quite thin (although he has alot more aches and pains then I do).  So I am truly going to try to get connected on FitBit.  

[Pennalynn]

My total cholesteral was 230 back in April. Two weeks ago is was 178, safely in the "normal" range. I didn't make changes to my diet and activity levels until mid-June. So it only took a couple of months to get my numbers into the healthy range. (I'm 48, 5'9" and weigh 235lbs. I need to be around 180-185lbs).

If I can do it, you can do it!

[Elenita]

Hello all!  

I'm over 50 and trying to lose about 8 lbs.  It may not sound like much but boy is it tough!  

How many calories a day do you eat?  I'm doing 1200 and find it very slow going.  Plus I'm doing "The Firm" exercise videos which are grueling....about 3-4 days a week.

[Ferro]

I understand I would love to lose 10lbs, I eat about 1100 cal. But I'm not getting to my goal. I do cheat every once in awhile which is my problem. I'm just keeping at it.

Sent from my iPhone

[LisaGall18]

I'm not sure I'm doing this right with the postings.  I'll keep trying.  I have just decided to try using the FitBit to the fullest and log my food and try to balance to the goal I've set.  Does it really work?  Has anyone done it for any length of time?  I've been on every diet imaginable but I've never counted calories which seems so basic but I've never done it.  I'm an accountant so it's in my nature to want to balance things.  Let's hope this works.  If FitBit is correct with their assessment of how long it'll take to take off the weight I want to lose, it'll be Christmas day when I reach my goal.  What a great present that would be to myself! 

[juliev_lee]

Hi LisaGall18 !!!!  I've had my Fitbit since July 3rd and have lost 10lbs - bottom line is consuming less calories than you burn.  I log everything I eat - have changed my eating habits almost 100%!! No processed foods or sugar and much less gluten.  Eating healthier and keeping my steps up has been key.  I try to consume about 200 calories less than I burn each day - doesn't seem like much but it's worked.  Good luck with your tracking and weight loss - if you keep at it - it will work!! 🙂

[LisaGall18]

Thanks Juliev_Lee for the encouragement!

[DDFly]

I am getting very frustrated because I was doing okay and then this past
summer I have gain about 7 lbs so now in addition to the 25 lbs I wanted to
lose, I have to lose now almost 35 lbs. I get over 10K most days (5/7
days) and eat okay but I don't write it down. I hate doing that. UGH!!!
I wanted to lose by Christmas this year.

[BarbHELLO]

You might try writing it down for a week or two. Don't forget that piece of candy you pick up at someones desk or the donut that someone brough in and left in the lunch room. But what I do is really boring. I don't count but I eat almost the same thing every day. Most of the time one piece of fruit can be switched for another etc. But just keep trying. If you aren't losing that your body is used to what you are doing and you have to switch something, eat less/ exercise differently or more.  Good luck.

[woofaloo]

DDFly, to actually see a difference in what you are eating you have to write it down, but not as much as if you weigh serving sizes.  I was amazed to find what an actualy tablespoon of mayonnaise and 4 oz of chicken really looked like.  I use my fitness pal that syncs with my fitbit dashboard as far as calories go.  You have to dedicate yourself to yourself is the only way I can describe it to take away some of the misery of logging each bite.  You should even log your exercise too if you do more than walking.   Everytime you think logging food is a pain, know that YOU are doing this for YOU .  

[LisaGall18]

I'm trying to really start using the FitBit beyond just a pedometer.  I think it'll take a little time to get in the habit of logging everything.  Yesterday and today, I logged everything I planned to eat for the day which started me off on the right foot straight away.  There was one discrepancy so adjusted it last evening.  I suppose doing it this way on a work day is easy but may not work as well on the weekend.  They say habits form in about 6 weeks.  Hopefully, I'll give it that long to take hold.  If I'm doing it right I should have lost approximately 10 pounds.  I would be ecstatic!!!  I'm going to give it a go.

[LisaGall18]

I'm in the exact same spot.  I get my 10K most days but ate and partied too much this summer so it's time to get back to the grind.  I guess in our 50's we have to be ever vigilant or the pounds just pack on.  I'm trying to log food on my FitBit and balance out to their suggested calorie intake vs my steps for the day.  Hope it works.  I've never counted calories either.  I have about 20-25 pounds to lose.  The FitBit estimate of when I should be able to accomplish by is Christmas Day.  What a great present to myself that would be!

[135soon]

Hi am 56 and need to lose 40lbs also. Ive had my fitbit since Christmas, but just started about 3 wks ago competing with other fitbit users. Competing really forces you to keep moving. So far I have lost 10 lbs. I also try to watch what I eat. Ice cream is my weakness though. I try not to indulge more than once a week. Nice meeting everyone.... Supporting one another will help us all reach out goal.

[BarbHELLO]

Ice cream is my down fall too. I found sugar free Blue Bunny Ice Cream at WalMart. Vanilla is 90 cals for a 1/2 cup. The flavors are more cals. I have one of those little pudding cups, I put a little bit of cut up fruit in the bottom and then a scoop of ice cream on the top. Yum!

I still have 18 lbs to lose (and never regain). I've been on a plataeu for a while. 

Good luck with your steps!

[psuaims47]

HI Ladies I am 47 i hope that is to young i have been working on my weight for years and i am getting closer to my goal!! i am a work in progess i love my fitbit and it keeps me in check and i am looking to make some new friends so. My name is Amy i look forward on hearing your stories as well.

[Raviv]

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@DDFly wrote:
I get over 10K most days (5/7 days) and eat okay but I don't write it down. I hate doing that. UGH!!!

---

The bar code reader on the smart phone app is a big help to me.  Both Fitbit and My Fitness Pal have one, so you don't have to search.  Just hit the bar code picture, let it scan, then choose the amount you're eating.  Plus, once you've logged the foods, they're easier to find later.

It's really a huge wakeup call as to how much you're really eating and where the most effective changes can be made.

Foir instance, if I go across the street to Del Taco for lunch, I can have a dollar taco and a quesadilla, which doesn't sound like it would be much.  But it's 660 calories, 38 grams of iffy fat and 41 grams of carbs in one meal.  And that's assuming I don't get a soda or a tea with some sweetener.

On the other hand, I can go to the same place and get the same taco but replace the quesadilla with an order of chips and salsa (not on the menu, but it exists) for 355 calories, 19 grams of the iffy fat and 32 grams of carbs.

[MDS61]

Hi 135soon

10 lbs in 3 weeks!  Congrats!!  I need to lose 30 lbs and would love to hear details on what your'e doing!  

[Mermaid3011]

@MDS61

I think 30 lbs are absolutely doable until the end of this year. 

I personally have lost 65 lbs since January, which may not be 10 lbs in 3 weeks, but it hasnt been hard either. All I did was 

a) switch to real food, nothing processed, little to no dairy, cheese, meat or fish; mostly plant based foods with yummy recipes from different cook books and cooking classes

b) use my fitbit daily and try to get those 10k steps in every day

c) started practicing yoga once a week, now I am going 3-4 times a week and it's amazing for body and mind

d) around half way I added a workout program from Beachbody to my routine. My coach doesnt let me slack off and thanks to her I broke the plateau and am now working towards the last 35 lbs to make the -100 lbs complete!

🙂