January/February weight management challenge

[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.

[Catrin]

I've a resting metabolic rate test scheduled fro March 16, now we will know If I am eating too few calories or not...I suspect that I am, but don't want to change things without more information and professional guidance. The latter wouldn't be so important if I hadn't already reversed diabetes once...

I have an appointment right after that with an experienced sports nutritionist/dietitian so all of that, combined with my bod-pod evaluation two weeks ago, should give me a really good snapshot of where I am at 52.

I seem to have settled again at a new weight (134), but at least it is lower than it was. I am more concerned about my core body fat however, which is the driving force behind all of this. It isn't healthy, and the older I get the harder it will be to lose. Frankly I don't care if my weight really changes, but that my composition does.

[Crankin]

3 pounds down today.
Phew. Now I just have to feel better, so I can start working out again.
Catrin, I am interested in what your evaluation shows and what the dietician says.

[Catrin]

3 pounds down today.
Phew. Now I just have to feel better, so I can start working out again.
Catrin, I am interested in what your evaluation shows and what the dietician says.

So am I, will update afterwards