Are you a good "dieter"?

[dez1978]

I am not.. I swear I am SO annoyed by food tracking and the whole calorie counting torture. I AM a good exerciser. I love weight lifting, hot yoga, walking, biking. I used to love running but my knees are having none of that these days.

My mid life crisis was losing 50 lbs on keto and weight training and getting in amazing shape. Like many others though, some of the weight has crept back on and I find myself searching for motivation again.

How are you doing? Same? Do either food or exercise seem to be a harder problem?

I did keto for 3 years and managed to keep the weight off. Then I ate my way thru 2020, gained it back and haven't been able to lose it since lol. Exercise is a problem for me, because of the time factor. I already skip my lunch break to make up for being late so that I can get my kids on the bus in the morning. Then when I get off work, most of the time it's a rush to get home, and get them fed and to whatever practice they need to be at. If it's nice out, and there is a place to do it, I don't mind walking while they are practicing. But during the winter, I'd have to do it at the track in the dark and cold, and I'm not down for that lol. By the time we get home it's 815 and I need to get them 2nd dinner and showered and to bed and I'm ready to get myself to bed lol.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

At our "advanced" age, for me less weight and more reps is what I go for. Then on the treadmill I go for my version of the 12-3-30 workout.

Admittedly, my swing could be a lot better but flexibility is the real issue. I just try to play the fairway, moving the ball forward with clubs I know I hit well. Been playing the last couple weeks even though we've been in the 30-40's and managed to scrape low 90's. For me, that's enough to reward myself with a couple beers after . Pickleball is a whole other story -I love the pace of the game and it's a good workout. We tend to play mixed doubles and fortunately my GF is still a good athlete at 60 and takes the pressure off me!

We play a lot of mixed doubles too, my wife was a very good tennis player back in the day so she took to pickle ball easily. She makes me look good out there!

I worked all winter stretching, doing yoga with my wife, and doing swing speed exercises trying to get some of my distance back in golf. I shot 85 Sunday afternoon, but it was quite chilly and windy. I hope when spring finally gets here for good I have some lower scores coming. My 18 year old hits it a mile and I have to just ignore that when we play …… just play my game. Pretty embarrassing when he hits his 19 degree hybrid pass my driver swings though!

 

[Beezle2]

I did keto for 3 years and managed to keep the weight off. Then I ate my way thru 2020, gained it back and haven't been able to lose it since lol. Exercise is a problem for me, because of the time factor. I already skip my lunch break to make up for being late so that I can get my kids on the bus in the morning. Then when I get off work, most of the time it's a rush to get home, and get them fed and to whatever practice they need to be at. If it's nice out, and there is a place to do it, I don't mind walking while they are practicing. But during the winter, I'd have to do it at the track in the dark and cold, and I'm not down for that lol. By the time we get home it's 815 and I need to get them 2nd dinner and showered and to bed and I'm ready to get myself to bed lol.

You have a lot going on! Sometimes we just have to wait for life to change. You are doing a good job out there

 

[Cadiewampus]

Agree ...reduce carb/sugar intake and you will lose weight. There are so many good reduced carb options/recipes out there right now -use an "eat this, not that" mentality

I should have said reduced complex carbs like those in white break , pretzels, Bagels etc. I do eat whole grain carbs from time to time. One of my general rules if something has more carbs than protein precentage wise in it I don't eat it.

 

[dez1978]

You have a lot going on! Sometimes we just have to wait for life to change. You are doing a good job out there

Lord knows it doesn't feel that way sometimes. I know I will miss this one day, and I remind myself of that regularly. But right now, I just need a nap lol. I love that we live where it's quiet, but all the running and distance to get somewhere is a pain.

 

[dez1978]

Agree ...reduce carb/sugar intake and you will lose weight. There are so many good reduced carb options/recipes out there right now -use an "eat this, not that" mentality

While I certainly do agree to a certain degree with this, as women age, it really just isn't that simple. Hormones really do a whack job on your body as you hit perimenopause/menopause, and it just isn't a matter of calories in/calories out, or eat this, not that. I eat less now that I ever have, and even when I do pretty strict keto and track macros and all the things, I barely lose anything. It is infuriating. As a family, we do dirty keto pretty often, which is eating the low carb breads and options you can get at the store vs clean keto, using whole ingredients and cooking from scratch using only keto ingredients. Dirty keto used to work for me and it still works pretty well for my husband and my kids like most of the stuff. But for me, it doesn't seem to matter what I do anymore. Short of going on such a calorie deficit (like 800 cal/day), I just don't lose, and that isn't sustainable.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I should have said reduced complex carbs like those in white break , pretzels, Bagels etc. I do eat whole grain carbs from time to time. One of my general rules if something has more carbs than protein precentage wise in it I don't eat it.

Smart move, as little changes to more complex carbs can help greatly. For example I love potatoes, but a sweet potato substituted is close and helps scratch the itch. Whole grain bread vs white bread. Not perfect, but a more complex carbohydrate.

 

[dez1978]

Also something interesting that I learned recently regarding weight. We took our youngest to a pediatric specialty clinic because he tends to be a bit overweight. He is very athletic and is always moving. Like 25-30K steps a day, even on school days. Thats a lot for a 9 yr old! He wrestles, which is a very weight centric sport, and he has goals in mind. Because he moves so much and does so many sports, yet is still overweight, his dr referred us there. My big thing that I wanted to get from that appointment was for him to see that his weight doesn't mean he is fat, or that there is anything "wrong" with him. It's just a number on a scale, trying to foster body positivity and all that, bc I never want him to feel bad about himself. For reference, he is 4'10 and about 125. So we go over diet, which is pretty healthy, and the low carb thing, and all of his activities and just all the things. The dr said he really isn't the typical overweight kid that they see, who isn't exercising and is eating all the junk. So they ran blood work, which was all fine, and she did a cheek swab to check for a genetic thing. I don't have the test back so I can't tell you what the mutation is called. But there is something that is being researched now that they are finding may cause obesity. So even if he is doing all the right things, and is other wise a healthy strong kid, he might fight this his whole life bc of genetics. As a parent its frustrating because my oldest is 12, and might be 95 lb soaking wet and needs to gain weight, so it's difficult to balance that out without making anyone feel badly about themselves. Low carb works the best for us as a family bc there are plenty of high fat/high protein things for him, and good things for the youngest too.

 

[leebee]

Timely topic. I just started back at the gym this week and I am mortified by my weakness. I had bariatric surgery 8 years ago, lost 110 pounds, and kept it off. Then, in Dec. 2022 I had a knee/leg injury that put me on crutches for almost 6 months, culminating in knee replacement surgery in June of 2023. There were some hiccups along the way, including gaining about 18 pounds (so I went back to low carb/tiny portions/mindful eating and have lost 10 of them), but the docs finally decided it's OK for me to go back to the gym. Before the fall I was riding the bike at setting 13 for an hour, no problem. NOW? I could barely do 10 minutes at a setting of 3. Took a 5 min break, did it again, and then again after another break. By last night my knee was so swollen I could barely walk. Today I am limping around. I think tomorrow morning I'm going to try walking and build up the the bike. I have lost SO much strength- it's no wonder I gained weight and have been struggling to lose it!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Sorry about your knee, @leebee! I hope you're able to build strength back gradually.

 

[Beezle2]

Timely topic. I just started back at the gym this week and I am mortified by my weakness. I had bariatric surgery 8 years ago, lost 110 pounds, and kept it off. Then, in Dec. 2022 I had a knee/leg injury that put me on crutches for almost 6 months, culminating in knee replacement surgery in June of 2023. There were some hiccups along the way, including gaining about 18 pounds (so I went back to low carb/tiny portions/mindful eating and have lost 10 of them), but the docs finally decided it's OK for me to go back to the gym. Before the fall I was riding the bike at setting 13 for an hour, no problem. NOW? I could barely do 10 minutes at a setting of 3. Took a 5 min break, did it again, and then again after another break. By last night my knee was so swollen I could barely walk. Today I am limping around. I think tomorrow morning I'm going to try walking and build up the the bike. I have lost SO much strength- it's no wonder I gained weight and have been struggling to lose it!

I feel you Take it easy on the runway as you get back into it. Be patient and kind with yourself. I was damn near in tears over my knees the other day. They just hurt all the time any more and sometimes it's hard to keep fighting.

 

[leebee]

Thanks to @PollyannaMom @Beezle2 , and everyone else for your kindness! This morning went much better, now that I know some of my limitations and what to expect. Two days in, an eternity to accomplish my goal! NOW to get back on the dieting bandwagon. SIL and his son, the resident 7 year old, are allergic to nuts, so the peanut butter, mixed nuts, cashews, etc. live on the bureau in my bedroom. They call my name at night. They mock me. I was never a night-snacker until the Nuts moved in! Gotta get better about that!

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

My elderly aunt who I help take care of is fighting a knee issue right now. She has terrible knee pain that makes it hard to walk. Her weight has ballooned due to this and it makes the problem worse. I hurt for her so much because the quality of her life has been so diminished due to this knee issue. So, I hurt for those on here that are fighting a knee issue as well, and I hope you get relief from the pain soon.

 

[summerlyangel]

I'm a pretty good dieter. But, I'm also a very slow loser no matter what I do. At my heaviest 6 yrs ago, I was around 190 and 5'4. I was chubby, but I didn't look obese. Still wore a 10/12. I developed diabetes, though and had some other health issues uncovered. I was sick and most of it was due to stress from a really hard life coping with 2 kids with autism, 2 other kids with their own needs, full time job, DH that traveled most weeks for work, aging parents that needed care, no family within 2 hours for help, and severe lack of sleep because the youngest with autism did.not.sleep.

Ok, that was a lot! hahaha. But, in response, I was determined to get healthy and stay off of insulin and I did! I lost 50lbs on strict keto, but was really too sick to do any hardcore exercise at the time. I did walk and was active in my daily life and job. I maintained pretty well for a few years, but then after a couple of bouts of Covid that almost took me out, I started gaining a few lbs here and there and my health started deteriorating again. Not much, though, I was only up 20lbs to 157ish. I know this doesn't seem like a lot to someone that struggles with much higher numbers, but even this amount was killing me. I am very sick if I'm not close to the middle of my healthy bmi range. The crazy part is that I was being cautious of my intake and tracked and weighed religiously. I was strictly limiting processed foods, high carbs, sweets, breads, etc, but still continued to gain around a lb per month. All of my blood work was going backwards and I had to go back on BP meds and diabetes meds last fall. I'm no longer strict low carb, but I still avoid the things listed above. I east around 1200 cal/day and walk about 10-12K steps daily. I dance around a bit and get outside some. I have some physical therapy exercises that I do regularly. I eat lots of veggies, some fruit, and protein. I have lost that 20lbs since August and looking to lose a few more before maintenance to see if I can improve health a bit more. I would love to start a simple weight training program rather than just using body weights. Gotta find the time and energy!

TLDR: I'm a great dieter, but a relatively slow loser. I'm pretty good at maintenance until my body wants to revolt then I have to find something new that works. Exercise has never been key to my success while actively dieting, but it does help a bit with maintenance for me.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I could have written this. Same age. Same weight loss. Been on WW about the same amount of time. Only thing is I don't do the treadmill. We do try to walk every day. I do the same on vacation and weekends. I continue to track my intake and also weigh myself everyday just to keep accountability.

Same age, but rather than WW, I got diagnosed with Prediabetes so I've been in a class for avoiding diabetes for 8 months, and lost about 23 pounds as part of the program. Moving more is one recommendation, but I have a neurologic condition and can't walk. The other problem I have is that I love sweets, especially ice cream. But the problem of the moment is that now that I've reached my "target weight", I'm so afraid of regaining what I struggled so hard for that I still eat as if I were on a diet. Portion control is the key for me.

 

[Christine]

For most of my life, I've had a pretty great metabolism. I've actually been a big eater, ate what I wanted and didn't have problems, in fact I may have been a little underweight through my 20s. The 30s came and the weight slowly started creeping up but it was fine, I was happy to gain some. Had my first child and retained 10 of those pounds. Had my 2nd child and got back to that weight. I was pretty good for YEARS but in my 40s I could see things going in a bad direction. During that time I could just cut the junk and drop 10 lbs. As I've aged that has gotten harder.

Probably 5 years or so ago (probably more) I started doing MyFitnessPal and that was really helpful. I can always get back down to where I need to be, but to be honest I felt like the MFP app got be way to consuming with tracking and counting and it was such a chore. But I've done it enough that I've become really good at eyeballing.

I do yo-yo a bit but I probably never get higher than 20 lbs above where I want to be, but that 20 lbs makes me feel YUCK and I actually can go up close to 2 sizes with that.

As for exercise, I've just never been an athletic/doing-type of person. Not sure why. Probably just my nature. I'm more of a sit-around-and-read person but I've had my stints of running, "aerobics" in the 80s and 90s, walking, etc. All very forced on my part. I've got a typical ectomorph physique with lax ligaments/tendons and I get hurt easily. I was doing REALLY well at the gym towards the end of COVID with cardio and weight training. Then my knee started hurting. IT DID NOT GET BETTER FOR OVER A YEAR. The knee is better but it has now transitioned to my hip and that is not getting better. Yes, I see an orthopedic doctor for it and we don't yet know what's wrong, but anytime I seem to get anywhere with my fitness, something more than just pulling something starts and takes me out. Several years ago I was running and caused posterior tibial tendonitis and had to have full foot reconstructive surgery.

As I age, I have less calories to play with so I have to restrict more and more. It seems like you can't lose weight in menopause. I can but I get very little to eat to accomplish that.

 

[texaslover]

Such an interesting topic and I love everyone sharing their personal journeys. I absolutely hate that women consider and constantly think about weight while many men (not all, I get that) do not have the same societal pressure. And that for many women their worth is defined by how they look which is very tied to how small they are. However, there are health implications that need to be considered as well. So complicated.

I was an active teen/young adult, playing softball and cheerleading. I worked out by doing those activities and also running, weight lifting, etc. to be in physical shape to do them well. I enjoyed it. When I went to college I continued going to gym classes like aerobics, weight lifting; I also did the typical college girl diet of eating fast food and then fasting and wearing saran wrap while working out because I felt "fat". I started to grow into my genes (grandmothers and great grandmothers were short/circular people ) and gain some weight. I was probably a size 8 at this time. One Spring Break I accidentally walked out in front of a slow moving car in my bikini and a guy yelled, "Move your fat ***!" Looking back, my *** was actually quite nice and toned, just not tiny - it would have been appreciated in this BBL era lol. This sent me into a spiral of attempted weight loss. I had to have kidney surgery (not for diet reasons, a birth defect was discovered) and went on a 1000 calorie a day diet bc I couldn't work out. I lost weight and was probably a toned size 6 coming back from that summer. I was, of course, applauded for worrying about my fat *** and taking care of that grossness which made me continue eating very little. I kept it up until I graduated from college. I thought about weight constantly through my 20s, 30s, and 40s and kept myself to a size 8/10 fluctuating based on having a baby, work demands, how much I could get to the gym, etc.

I'm 57 years old and wear a size 10. My knees started going in my late 40's from all the different high impact workouts I'd done over the years, years of cheerleading and jumping, and bad genetics. I struggled with working out and would tear up with pain after walking for a short time and especially after doing the HITT classes I was still trying to manage because, by this time, I was fat at a size 10. I finally had double knee replacement last year after saving money for five years to pay for it. I now walk when I feel like it, do resistance training with bands and weights when I feel like it, and I stretch daily. I eat what I want within reason - I don't eat high fat for days on end because it makes me not feel good and I understand that. I don't snack much, it's just not my thing. Sometimes I eat blueberries and a scoop of chicken salad for a meal and sometimes I eat a McDonald's cheeseburger. I went to Disney recently and walked 20,000 steps each day easily. But I don't do that on a regular basis. I walk probably 6000 steps on average at work (teacher/teacher adjacent). I drink wine and whiskey with my friends. I eat pasta if someone asks me to go out to dinner. I look pretty damn good for 57 and don't act my age. I'm sure some people would find me unattractive and too big. I wish we put more emphasis on actions and how people contribute to the world rather than how they look but that probably won't ever change. My 84 year old mother just told me she ate 1/2 a Cobb salad for lunch and will only have a few handfuls of popcorn tonight because it was "a lot and full of fat". She is tiny but grew up with her weight being her worth.

 

[mumto3girls]

Am I a good dieter?

Nope. Absolutely not. My biggest failure in life. I am short and really really need to restrict calories in order to lose weight. I like to eat and hate feeling hungry so it is a battle all day every day. I am fairly active which helps—most days I get 8000-12,000 steps just from my normal activity and a bit of walking. I can’t do too much more activity—flat feet which is managed okay unless I get much above 10,000 or so steps for more than a day or two. I did start some weight training in January and am still doing upper body, but temporarily stopped with lower body because one of my knees is hurting. I know that won’t impact my weight much—it really is food, but I am hoping being stronger will help as I age.

 

[aprilgail]

So they ran blood work, which was all fine, and she did a cheek swab to check for a genetic thing. I don't have the test back so I can't tell you what the mutation is called. But there is something that is being researched now that they are finding may cause obesity. So even if he is doing all the right things, and is other wise a healthy strong kid, he might fight this his whole life bc of genetics. As a parent its frustrating because my oldest is 12, and might be 95 lb soaking wet and needs to gain weight, so it's difficult to balance that out without making anyone feel badly about themselves. Low carb works the best for us as a family bc there are plenty of high fat/high protein things for him, and good things for the youngest too.

Growing up in a family of 4- all ate the same foods, same amounts etc- I got fatter and fatter and they all stayed thin- I was the active one- played softball, always riding bikes etc- my brother sat in the house and read books- never active- him thin- me fat, all my life. Diet after diet, gym after gym the weight just didn't go, under Dr's care for weight, nutritionists etc- followed them to the T and nothing- The blessing came last year in the form of the weight loss help from the med Mounjaro- lost 140 pounds so far in the year, at the gym 1-2 hours a day, eating the same healthy foods I have always tried to eat but the meds flipped some switch in me that is finally allowing me to drop the weight. It is a miracle. I am actually going to do 2 of my bucket list things now that I am able to walk miles every day, going to Greece for 2 weeks and going zip lining which I have always been to fat to do! For my birthday my friend is taking me zip lining, mounter coastering, hiking a waterfall and atv riding- I am SO pumped to be able to do all that now! My daughter who has the most horrendous diet of a lot of fast food and junk is 24 years old and 96 pounds! It is crazy- just looking at her food I will gain weight LOL.

 

[AustinTink]

I’m a big believer in Intermittent Fasting. I generally eat whatever I want just not past the dinner hour (we eat between 6-7) and then not again until about 11am the next morning.

I have a big glass of water in the morning with my Emergen-C packet and my vitamins but no food until mid-morning. I have a lot more energy with intermittent fasting and my gerd is under control. My weight has not fluctuated at all since I started doing it even with the throws of menopause messing up plenty of other things in this old body.

Exercise is 30 minutes of yoga a day (specific poses for lymphatic drainage) and walking my dog around the neighborhood. We typically do a couple miles a day.