Intro

This blog details how I succeeded in losing weight and getting fitter and how I intend to maintain it.  My way isn't for everyone but I'm sharing how I did it and to let other 'mature' women know they can as well.

A typical yo-yo dieter, I decided at age 59 that I did not want to be unfit and fat at 60.  I wanted to get fit and healthy and stay that way.

I have lost 34 pounds and reached what is a healthy goal weight for me.  I intend to continue to build muscle and to tone.  The more muscle we have, the more efficiently we burn calories.  Weight bearing exercise builds bone density which is a concern at my age.  Working out is for life, not just for losing weight.

Motivation & philosophy

What motivated me this time around is turning 60.  I still felt young but knew I'd feel even better if I was a healthy weight and more fit.

The negatives of being overweight/obese

• Health: possible high cholesterol, plaque in the arteries, making the heart work harder, visceral fat (intra-abdominal fat) which can cause cardiovascular disease, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased risk of breast cancer, increased risk of colon cancer due to bad diet.  
• Comfort: clothing never fits right, waistbands too tight, uncomfortable bras, bending over to tie shoes and having uncomfortable pressure on the abdomen, getting breathless too easily, not being able to get comfortable in an airplane seat on a long flight. 
• Vanity:  hating photos of myself so much that I delete them, feeling frumpy and unattractive, having a fat face!  

The positives of being a healthy weight & physically fit

• Feeling younger and healthier
• Enjoying shopping for clothes
• Clothes fit much better and are much more comfortable!
• Not having to avoid looking in full-length mirrors or windows
• Much easier to do physical things that are enjoyable - hike, bicycle, any physical activity
• More energy

I've dieted off and on since my late 30's.  Somehow I never thought about how to maintain the weight once I lost the excess.   This time I did.  This time I'm determined not to need to go on a weight loss diet again.  A huge percentage of dieters gain back what they've lost within a year.  I won't be one of them!  Yo-yo dieting is very bad for health.

Something I try to keep in mind is to ask myself - Which is better?  Indulging in a  high fat, high sugar treat for 10 minutes of pleasure, or 24 hours of being a weight and size I am comfortable with?

I notice often that many obese women claim they are comfortable with their size.  They are either lying or in denial.  Other women tell them that they are beautiful just the way they are and there's no need to be thin to look good.  Sure, you can be big and beautiful but making obesity all about outward attractiveness is being self-deceptive.  You can't be healthy and obese, at least not in the long term.  How many obese people are there who are over the age of 80?  Not many.  Obesity is BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Food

I try to limit processed food and artificial sweeteners, eat fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, protein, and some fat free dairy.  My weight loss plan was 1300 calories.  When I hit a plateau my online diet group advised me to vary my calories and my workout.  I was in a rut having the same calories every day and the same workout routines.  So I increased my calories to 1500 every few days, added power walking to my workouts, and added a few new floor exercises.  It worked.

Since I live in the UK I use metric and my food measurements for calories are generally kcal (same as calories) per 100 grams.  I find it much easier and more accurate to weigh my food in grams and mls than to use cups or ounces or tsp, etc.

A typical day's menu might include......

Breakfast:

• porridge (oatmeal) made with 100 ml of skimmed milk and 150 ml of water and microwave.  When finished I add 100 ml of milk, 10 g of raisins and 3 g of crushed almonds  239 cals 
• Black tea with 100 ml of skimmed milk 35 cals

Mid-morning and throughout the day

• Black tea with lemon  0 cals

Lunch:

• tin of tuna in brine mixed with 40g extra light mayo and onions on 2 slices whole grain bread  395 cals
• fat free yogurt - 44

Snack:

• grapes 100 g   61 cals
• clementine   30 cals

Dinner:

• salad (dark leaves including spinach, a mix of iceberg lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tomato, cucumber, celery) with one tbs fat free vinagrette   50 cals
• vegetable curry with Quorn pieces (calculating calories for this is very difficult as my 'chef' does not use a recipe and uses different ingredients each time, so I use the calories of the highest caloric density ingredients which is usually about 100 cals / 100 grams).  I weigh 300 grams of the curry and add 300 cals to my meal total.  I knew I was cheating myself out of calories as many of the ingredients had much fewer calories.  I then began to measure out 350 grams instead of 300.    300 cals
• rice - calculated as dry weight and divided by 3 servingss, 1 for me, 2 for husband   110 cals
• diluted squash (orange and mango fruit drink)  8 cals each glass

Snack:  

• low cal hot chocolate mix with a splash of skimmed milk to cool and add milkier taste   50 cals
• packet of dried apricots, or packet of melba toast   75 cals
• OR packet of baked crisps   98 cals

Throughout the day I drink herbal teas and water.

TOTAL 1308

TIPS:

Avoid diet snacks made with artificial sweeteners like cakes, biscuits/cookies, cereal bars, etc.  They don't satisfy a craving for sugar, they make you want more, and often people will eat the whole package or box.   They also make you hungrier.  Except  for a small carton of yogurt and hot chocolate mix I avoid artificial sweeteners.

I save my fruit portions for mid-afternoon, and I eat a salad about an hour before dinner to take the edge of hunger and keep me from wanting to overeat at dinner.  At first I tried not to snack at all after dinner but it made me miserable.  I have a small snack after dinner, usually less than 200 calories.

Allow occasional treats or the feeling of deprivation will make you quit.  Dark chocolate is a good way to get a chocolate fix.  Not as sweet so you can eat a couple of small squares.

Occasional meals at restaurants or having guests for dinner did not affect my weight loss.  In fact, occasional days of higher calories seem to give metabolism a boost.

Tracking calories:  I keep an excel database listing the foods/drinks I most often consume.  I have a daily log where I list everything I eat and drink and the calories and excel totals them.  I copy this data over to my daily blog on my diet support group.

Exercise

I have a home gym which includes an exercise bike, a set of dumbbells, a jump rope, a floor mat.

My routines have included:

Every other day I use 3, 4, and 5 kg weights and do 4 sets of 10 for 5 routines

Every other day ab crunches, squats and other lower body toning exercises

Cardio 5 or 6 days a week which includes one or more:

• 45 minutes of a tae bo routine (moderate/high intensity) including rope skipping in 8 sets of 25
• Exercise bike
• Power walking

I used to belong to the local gym but haven't belonged for 5 years.  For various reason I am not rejoining until after my birthday.  Plans are to go 3 days a week and workout 2 days a week at home.  

Support

I joined an online diet support group (free) which included a forum for discussions, a personal blog and weight tracker for each member, and the ability to give and receive comments on each others blogs.

All members do not use the same weight loss method, but all have the same goals.

This was and is extremely helpful as the members are very supportive of each other. I doubt I would have progressed as well if I had not been in this group during the last 3 months of my weight loss diet.

I am on maintenance and am staying in the group as this is much more challenging than taking the weight off to begin with.  I plan to remain a member of the group indefinitely.

Maintenance

My plans to maintain my healthy weight are to continue counting calories but at a maintenance level with reasonable treats or meals out.  Holidays will require using my own judgement.  Jeans or trousers getting tight in the waist are a good indicator that I'm overdoing it!

Workouts will continue but with one more day of rest per week than before.  I will rejoin the gym after my birthday and plan to go 3 days a week and use the resistance equipment and a few of the cardio machines.  Since I have my own set of dumbbells I will use those at home.  Two days a week I will workout in my home gym or go hiking or bicycling or power walking.

My goals now are to maintain my size (weight will change with muscle gain), build more muscle, toning.

I have a scale which measures fat, muscle and a range of other stats.  Waist size is also a good indicator of progress or maintenance when weight itself is not the best indicator.