New here

[Cheeki1960]

I'm new here, but not new to weight loss.
This is my ohhhh thousandth time to start... Last time I lost 100 pounds then when I couldn't walk 7 miles a day, I gave up and invited those pounds back plus some of their friends.
This time I've been more determined to reach my goal to lose 135 pounds and so far I've lost 45.6 pounds in 15 weeks.
I'm doing low calories because I still can't get out and walk much. Living in the boonies should be a walkers dream, but it's not. People let their dogs run loose and it's not fun when you have to walk backwards to make sure someone's dog isn't trying to stalk you from behind.
Anyway, I really can't afford fancy diet food, so I'm working on losing weight on regular, everyday fare.
I don't consume a lot of sugar. I drink coffee, water and diet drinks.
I set my calories at 1000 a day, but for the most part I eat around 700. I don't get hungry very often. My activity level dictates how much I eat. If I'm not active, I don't eat much. If I've got an active day planned I eat a little more.
I've often described my activity level as slightly above that of a coma patient.
I'm almost 60 years old, I'm not going for beauty queen. I'm going for better movement, less pain in my joints and feeling good most of the time.
I'm not going to run any marathons because I hate to run.
I just want to fit comfortably in something besides leggings.
Well, that's me. The fat chick and skinny chick in my head are always fighting for domination.

 

[alligatorob]

Hey Cheeki, welcome and congratulations on the 45+ pound loss! And in just 15 weeks, no small accomplishment.

700 to 1,000 calories a day is low, be sure you are getting enough and eating healthy. Nothing wrong eating everyday fare, just make sure you are getting enough nutrients. Have you spoken to your doctor about the low cal diet? I was on a similarly low calorie diet for over a year, and I did talk with my doctor about it. Just want to make sure its not putting your health at risk. In my case it did work, I lost a lot of weight, but now I am struggling a bit with a low metabolism that resulted from the low calories. Not that it wasn't worth it, it was, but I wish I had started exercising sooner. I know you say that's not practical for you, but I have found even doing an at home workout can help. Have you tried that?

I can see some parallels in our situation, I have also lost and then regained a lot of weight in life, working hard to keep that from happening again.

Why don't you start a diary on our weight loss diary page https://weight-loss.fitness.com/forums/weight-loss-diary.9/ ? I have found it the best way to take advantage of what the forum has to offer.

I am looking forward to following your progress!

 

[overlandflyer]

...I'm doing low calories because I still can't get out and walk much. Living in the boonies should be a walkers dream, but it's not. People let their dogs run loose and it's not fun when you have to walk backwards to make sure someone's dog isn't trying to stalk you from behind.

Anyway, I really can't afford fancy diet food, so I'm working on losing weight on regular, everyday fare.

I don't consume a lot of sugar. I drink coffee, water and diet drinks.....

it shouldn't be too hard to find a friend who plays golf... have them pick you up a nice old metal shaft 5 iron. did you know a 5 iron used to be called a "mashie"? as a personal protection device posing as a cane while walking,, it should be very effective. just remember to keep your head down & follow through.

your past weight loss with extended walks is something similar to what i've dealt with. i'm 66 with moderate arthritis so just about everything but walking is off the table these days. but i don't do marathon walks... just enough to get me moving sometimes every day, but sometimes a few times a week. if it's only across the street to the market, it 20 to 30 minutes of moving, though i can occasionally still crank out a few miles.

weight loss through diet and exercise (eat less, move more) has two problems... eventually you're going to get tired of eating so little and more importantly, you aren't going to exercise excessively for the rest of your life. i have faced the fact that i used to eat too much because food is so available. but everyone has to deal with that on their own terms. i found a solution in intermittent fasting.

i've been in maintenance mode for almost two years but even when i was losing weight i ate no special diet food. the change i made was to eliminate almost all processed food and severely cut back on sugar. i rarely (even before this spring) eat out. luckily i live in SoCal and in a rather large city, so the availability of healthy food at reasonable prices is not as much of a problem as it might be for some.

good luck.

 

[Cheeki1960]

I do a lot of housework and yardwork, plus I love building stuff.
I have 15 cats, 2 dogs and a yard full of chickens, so I'm not just laying around.
It doesn't take much food to give me energy. I just don't eat til I'm stuffed. I eat enough so I'm not hungry.
I save most of my eating for dinner. That way I can enjoy a full fledged meal with my husband.
I like big meals and that was my biggest problem. So one nice big meal preceded by a couple of small snacks every day helps me stay on track.
Lower calories all the time might be a problem, but on weekends I do eat a substantial amount of food. Through the week I stick with 1000 or less, cycling calories helps keep me from spending my weekdays looking for treats.

 

[Cheeki1960]

Hey Cheeki, welcome and congratulations on the 45+ pound loss! And in just 15 weeks, no small accomplishment.

700 to 1,000 calories a day is low, be sure you are getting enough and eating healthy. Nothing wrong eating everyday fare, just make sure you are getting enough nutrients. Have you spoken to your doctor about the low cal diet? I was on a similarly low calorie diet for over a year, and I did talk with my doctor about it. Just want to make sure its not putting your health at risk. In my case it did work, I lost a lot of weight, but now I am struggling a bit with a low metabolism that resulted from the low calories. Not that it wasn't worth it, it was, but I wish I had started exercising sooner. I know you say that's not practical for you, but I have found even doing an at home workout can help. Have you tried that?

I can see some parallels in our situation, I have also lost and then regained a lot of weight in life, working hard to keep that from happening again.

Why don't you start a diary on our weight loss diary page https://weight-loss.fitness.com/forums/weight-loss-diary.9/ ? I have found it the best way to take advantage of what the forum has to offer.

I am looking forward to following your progress!

I decided I can't maintain 7 miles of walking once I reach maintenance. I do what I feel I can do for the rest of my life.
What things do I know for a fact I'll be doing til the day I die? Housework, yardwork and barnyard work. That's an everyday thing.
On weekends I eat like any normal person and cycle calories through the week.
My weigh in day is usually around 1200 calories and the rest of the week I eat lower.
I eat when I feel a tad hungry and save most of my calories for a nice big dinner.
I've changed my sleeping habits from going to bed in the wee hours of the morning and sleeping in to going to bed before 10pm and rising between 5 and 6am depending on whether it's the weekend or week days.
I try to be very active on weekends doing shopping, joint projects with my husband and sometimes taking leisure trips that require a lot of walking.
So far, no I'll effects. As a matter of fact I feel much more energetic.

 

[Llama]

I do what I feel I can do for the rest of my life.

That´s the best mindset you can have! I do agree with Rob you have to be careful to get all the vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and protein in to keep your body healthy and active in the long run. Not just on the weekend.

 

[Cheeki1960]

I eat pretty healthy. Very few sweet treats. Mostly proteins, veggies and fruits. Filling foods that keep me energized. It doesn't take much. It didn't before I got fat. I just let emotional eating take over.