Hi, I am new to EmpowHer - great site! My story is that I am 55 yrs - 5'5" tall and weigh over 225 lbs. I have one son who is just about 30 yrs - so I can't say I am still trying to lose "baby" weight! I have tried many diet plans & programs and spent thousands of $$$ and still I am obese. I suffer from hypertension and take medication to keep my BP down - I have been warned by my doc that I am a candidate for diabetes. I have osteoarthritis in my knees and back. I am post-menopausal having had a total hysterectomy over 10 yrs ago. I steadily gain weight, level off for a while and put on a few more pounds. It is true I don't get much exercise. I would probably go for walks if I had someone to share the experience with, but I live out in the country on a farm and my nearest neighbour is 10 miles down the road! I do not have a thyroid problem. I so need HELP!!! My husband - the Farmer - is fabulous at encouraging and supporting me, but doesn't have the time or is too exhausted at the end of the day to exercise with me. He starts his day at 5:30 am. (YUCK) I do work part-time in an office.
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Hi, Kokokatz!
I am in menopause too, and I swear that the word "menopause" wants to just bring an extra 25 pounds along with it, doesn't it? And it all seems to be gathered in our midsection, our belly, where it's obvious no matter what we wear. I share your pain. I'm working on my weight too.
Susan gave you great information. I'll just add some things that are helping me:
-- My iPod. Please, if you don't have one, spend the money on one for yourself. There's no way to tell you how much more you'll enjoy your walks if you have your favorite music with you. Downloading music is very easy and you can use the iPod for motivation. Tell yourself that today, you'll walk three songs, turn around and walk three songs back. When that gets easier, do it for four songs. You can also buy audio books and listen to them while you walk. I'm doing that right now and I have to tell you, today I did NOT want to do my walk but when I remembered the audio book I'm listening to, I wanted to go because I wanted to listen to it some more. That kind of motivation is worth the cost.
-- Are you a constant snacker? I am. It does NOT work for me to not be able to snack. I am a grazer. If I was an animal, I'm sure I'd be an animal who grazed all its life. So my commitment has to be to have enough fruits and veggies in the house so that I can graze constantly if I want to. I need to be able to munch strawberries and blueberries for breakfast, baby carrots mid-morning, slices of cucumber, grape tomatoes, celery, on and on. That's a lot of fruit and veggies to have in the house. It takes work to buy enough for about 3 days (I don't buy more cause they don't stay fresh) and get back to the store in the next three days, not to mention the washing, chopping or cleaning. But if you'll commit to just this, it's amazing what it will do. You don't have to remake all your menus if you'll just remake your snacks to start with. And occasionally throw in something like a spoon of peanut butter or hummus spread on a whole wheat tortilla, or a container of vanilla-flavored yogurt with some granola thrown in.
-- if you need companions, check out weightwatchers.com's bulletin boards. You don't have to be a member of Weight Watchers to participate in the forums. You can find groups of people there at all levels of weight loss, trading tips and encouragement (and sometimes discouragement, when they need some support). Here's a link:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/community/index.aspx
-- do you have something comfortable to walk in? a loose-fitting t-shirt and a comfy pair of shorts and a good pair of sneakers? It doesn't matter if you wear the same thing everyday to do your exercise in, but it's got to be comfortable. I get out of bed and put my exercise clothes on in the morning (I work at home like you), and then whenever I've done my walk, that's when I shower and put on clean clothes for the day.
-- Do you have a goal? It can be daunting to look at the entire amount we think we need to lose. We feel like we'll never, ever get there. Chop that up into pieces. Make your first goal 5 or 10 percent of your weight. Studies have shown that at 10%, there is a noticeable improvement in quality of health. In your case, that would be either 11 or 22.5 pounds. You can do that! And when you get there, then you just bite off another 5 percent. I find it much more realistic to think about this way.
We want you around for a long time, too. Please write back and let us know how you're doing. I promise I'll let you know the same.
July 14, 2009 - 9:55amThis Comment
WOW!!! What great information and responses I am getting. I really like your comments especially about how to keep motivated and moving with iPod. I don't have one - yet. What a great idea to listen to audio books! I love reading and being read to! This is such a good idea!
July 14, 2009 - 10:51amI too, am very much a grazer. However, most of my grazing is done with cheese and crackers, cookies (I bake cookies once a week) and I do nibble on fruit and raw veggies. I really think that excercise is the key to my success in losing the weight I have put on. I truly am not motivated to exercise - however I think with the iPod idea I could do that and be consistent. I also have a pedometer that I can use and see how many steps I take. I would need to drive to a park in town to do this, but it would be worth it. I live in a beautiful and awesome place with mountains, lakes and rivers. Lots of scenery and wildlife. I am excited about starting my journey with the tips, encouragment and support I am getting.
I agree with you that setting goals are important. It is much easier to "chunk" down the weight I need to lose into "bite-size" pieces. Attainable goals.
Thank you again for your great response. Have a great day!
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