January/February weight management challenge

[Crankin]

OK, good thing I weighted myself for the challenge before I went on vacation. I gained back the exact amount I lost. I knew I was eating a lot, but I thought some of the very intense nordic skiing and snow shoeing might mitigate some of it.
Sigh... back on phase one of my plan.

[emily_in_nc]

OK, good thing I weighted myself for the challenge before I went on vacation. I gained back the exact amount I lost. I knew I was eating a lot, but I thought some of the very intense nordic skiing and snow shoeing might mitigate some of it.
Sigh... back on phase one of my plan.

I totally feel your pain! I didn't weigh myself for a week after our trip, and I was still up (and still am today). I think our bodies just become awfully efficient at "the gain back" when we hit our 50s. Even when we're active. I'm beginning to think I've just got a new setpoint and will never be back to what I weighed when I was working.

I'm probably overly paranoid about even a small amount of weight gain b/c my mom was a skinny mini til she hit her mid- to late-40s, then started packing on the pounds, though not eating outrageous amounts or anything; it seemed to be more of a hormonal change. At 77 now, she's never been able to get the extra pounds off. I look just like her and am built like her as well so know I have that propensity. One major difference is that she never exercised, and I am very active. I am hoping that will be enough to keep me from ending up where she is. I refuse to go on severely restrictive diets b/c I know those don't work for me in the long run.

[ny biker]

FWIW, my mother is 74 and she lost almost 20 pounds recently. My father had to change his diet due to a pre-diabetic condition, so she made changes to the kind of carbs they ate -- different kinds of bread, sweet potatoes instead of white -- and lost weight pretty easily. She is active in terms of everyday activities, like carrying laundry up and down stairs, but does not do lots of exercise other than that.

[emily_in_nc]

FWIW, my mother is 74 and she lost almost 20 pounds recently. My father had to change his diet due to a pre-diabetic condition, so she made changes to the kind of carbs they ate -- different kinds of bread, sweet potatoes instead of white -- and lost weight pretty easily. She is active in terms of everyday activities, like carrying laundry up and down stairs, but does not do lots of exercise other than that.

That's great, ny biker! Wish my mom would have that kind of success. She does get that type of housekeeping exercise too, and she already sticks to a low-carb diet for the most part (with occasional splurges at restaurants). She is savvy about nutrition, a great cook, and eats no fast food or junk. She's also on thryoid medication for hypothyroidism, so she's done everything she can other than "real" exercise. And I know she won't do that -- I long ago gave up nagging her to take walks or anything more strenuous. She actually has lost about 10 lbs. over the past year, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to what she would like to lose.

On the plus side, her cholesterol and blood pressure are great, and she's quite healthy, no diabetes, etc. But once she added so many fat cells over the years, she's found that she has to STARVE herself to shrink 'em back up. I think she did herself in with lots of yo-yo dieting in her 30s (anyone remember "The Cambridge Diet"?) and 40s and really screwed up her metabolism.

[Crankin]

My mom also was extremely thin (and gorgeous) until she was about 54. Well, she was still gorgeous. She *did* exercise, walking very vigorously, to the point that nurses at her check ups often asked if she was a runner. The weight gain started after menopause, and then a couple of years later, she was diagnosed with a liver disease. She finally didn't have the strength to walk and gave up. She died at 67, very skinny, but as a result of having a transplant that didn't work. My mom also ate very healthy foods and was a fabulous cook, but like me, she went out a lot and food was a huge part of her life. I always say she was born in the wrong time; she was very athletic, but there were no outlets for it. She always went riding with me, when I was about 10 or 11 and people made fun of her!
So far, I've avoided the huge weight gain. But, I'm OK with having to be this watchful. I was able to maintain the lower weight and still go out. It's just that on vacation we had 3 meals a day made by a French chef whose cooking is so good, we put up with the fact his inn is kind of decrepit and dirty! It's like having a personal chef.

[goldfinch]

It's just that on vacation we had 3 meals a day made by a French chef whose cooking is so good, we put up with the fact his inn is kind of decrepit and dirty! It's like having a personal chef.

It sounds worth it to me! Yum!

[Crankin]

In the end, it was. But, the dirt finally got to us and we explored and found a new place to try that will also help us try out new touring centers, as well as ski where we were this time.