Groups > Getting Fit and Healthy in Your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond

I am 48, and I LOVE food.I follow the weight watchers plan, which is have everything in moderation.I recently was introduced to a wellness program and I use the products I found 2 things to be very important Fiber and Supplements. Both kill craving, and better yet give you the feeling of being lighter.Next to my tooth brash I have my fiber drink yummy 12 gr.of fiber and I drink it morning and evening, and I take the supplements. I workout 3-4 times a week at the Gym and try to take walk on the beach . I lost 10 LB and have 10LB to go.

Good for you for moving forward and deciding to make the change.

Hi, Meas,

Felicitations for your continuing progress. And encouragements to all you others as well!

Last year was a key year for me. Widowed for nearly 4 years, I took a hard look at myself in January and realized that I had a capital that I couldn't afford to waste. It was the photos taken during the visit of my college roomie (still best pals since '62!) that brought me up short. 5' 5" tall, I was up to about 165#, still wearing size 14 but pushing the limits. I was what my grandmother always called 'pleasantly plump'... but I knew I should weigh in closer to 125-130# to look and feel my best.

I'm on my way; currently I'm at about 135# and comfortable in a size 12. The remaining pounds are around my hereditary little round tummy, and I am determined that they should go eventually. Hmmmm... liposuction, anyone? :O

I have always eaten wisely, but perhaps too well. I didn't really change my eating habits much, as I have followed the 'Diet for a Small Planet' philosophy (Google this if you are interested in nutrition or ask me if you want to know more; it's not a product line or anything, just a very reasonable way of life where eating is concerned.) since the 60's and am very health conscious. I just had to get serious about portion control (it's hard to cook for just one after 40 years) and keep temptations (read: corn chips and salty mixed nuts) out of the house.

Here's a typical day: Breakfast: 1/2 cup yogurt; muesli (with nuts and dried fruit) or dry multigrain toast or ry-krisp; unsweetened fruit juice and a fruit, usually a banana except when berries and seasonal fruits are available.

Lunch: fish, chicken, eggs or meat (maximum 100 gram portion); 1/2 c. rice or other grain; vegetables and a salad or an avocado half. I allow myself a few squares of 72% chocolate and maybe 2 whole grain cookies for dessert if desired.

Dinner: usually a vegetarian or light meat meal: pasta, risotto, omelette, a big chef's salad, or soup and sandwich; fruit from the bowl for dessert.

If I want a snack, I make popcorn from scratch in the MO (mostly air!) with just a dash of salt, or I eat a few unsalted nuts - not because I need to limit salt intake, but because they do not give me the 'cravies' as the salted ones do.

I do not eat low fat dairy products as I find them inferior in taste, though I will use lowfat yogurt for cooking or salad dressings occasionally. I prefer to eat less of a better product. Soy milk has its place in my kitchen but it cannot replace sour cream in all recipes for me. I have learned to love the taste of bread without butter(the secret is good bread - I often make my own), so I save my butter for cooking certain dishes. I use olive oil for dishes I consider 'Mediterranean' in character, a melange of oils for the others. I use garlic, herbs and spices in my cooking, a bouillon cube for grains and pastas, and not much salt, to allow the real flavor to shine. If each bite is savory you will want to linger over it, you will eat more slowly and thus consume less.

The setting counts as well. I never eat standing up - except tasting out of the pan ;) - and set a pretty table for myself, just as I did when we were two. Presentation counts!! And digestion in better when one is happy and relaxed.

So, the big changes I made were:

Kicking snack food temptations out of the house.

Cutting back and monitoring portion control. (If I make too much, it goes to leftoverland (well, I try to be good!) for another meal or into the freezer.)

Exercise more! Signed up at the gym and work out 3 days a week. Go up and down the stairs more often on purpose (which isn't difficult 'cause I forget why I went up more and more often). Get up and dance when I hear a great song on the radio. Mow my own lawn and pull my own weeds. Learned to fish for shrimp last summer and am now hooked on walking in the ocean when I visit my friends there - it did wonders for my legs and knees! If you're not near a coast, got to a lake or your local pool and just WADE up to your calves in the water! (Swimming's great, too, of course, but I do a great rock imitation.)

I do take some food supplements - vitamins/minerals, spirulina, antioxidants - but I would never replace real food with synthetic. Just eat the simplest and most complete foods you can, and you can cut miles off your trip around the supermarket and dollars off your bill. Though the walk is really good for you...

I guess I've been lucky; with age my sweet tooth is disappearing, so that I am not even tempted by anything but my chocolate, which is fairly low in sugar, or less sweet things like shortbread or pound cake. I am more attracted by 'rich' than 'sweet', so I know what to watch out for. (We're not talking men here; in that case it's more the reverse...)

I hope my experience can be useful for some of you.

Bonne courage!

I am 46 and have changed my eating habits and drinking habits. In Feb of 08 I decided I had to make a change. I was 170 lbs at 5'4. I knew that if I joined a regular gym I would never go so I found a fitness center that is private and in order to join you have to have a personal trainer. I work out 3 days a week with my trainer and 2 days on my own and do cardio 5 to 6 days a week. I am now at 142 and have met my goal. I feel great. I eat 4 egg whites scrambled in the morning with a starch...Cream of wheat. Then 3 hrs later I have a whey shake. 3 hrs later I have lunch, a protein meat..chicken or lean beef usually, a salad and a red small potato. This should be the last starch of the day. 3 hrs later another whey shake then dinner, protein meat/fish and a salad. NO Starches for dinner. Before bed is a whey shake. I feel like I am in the best shape I have ever been in.

Good work, Annemarie.

It's just a matter of philosophy, but I prefer to have a small meal of low meat or non-meat proteins at the end of the day. They take longer to digest and that means no growls in the night, for me.

With this diet you may be in need of more fiber. May I humbly suggest that you try Roman Meal or any other whole cereal instead of just C of W? And vary the potato with other whole grain starches or with sweet potatoes/yams, which are a mine of goodness.

And fruit and vegetables? I don't see them here? They will give you indispensable vitamins and antioxidants and again, fiber, which is very protective of the digestive tract.

Do you have a problem with cholesterol? Unless you do (and even if you do), there is no reason to cut out egg yolks. They've gotten bad press, but they contain lecithin, which takes care of any cholesterol they may have, and complete the ideal protein that is an egg.

It does feel good to find your ideal weight and be active, doesn't it? I feel better now than I have since I was 39... bonne courage!

I eat salads with my lunch and dinner with veggies in the salad usually asparagus or broccoli. I take fiber pills daily and I try to stay away from fruits cuz they usually upset my stomach and too much sugar for me. I really am not an egg eater and prefer just whites. The yolks gross me out. Oh and I hate sweet potatoes/yams something my mother still doesnt get with me.ha ha ha. I also get my fiber from the whey shakes I take

OOOooops! sorry I mentioned them!

I love asparagus, too - used to have it in my garden - but only fresh or frozen. I often make a tray of fresh veg with dips -hummus, curry, Boursin, guacamole - and in the winter I make lots of veg soups, chunky or blended. Last night I had a spinach frittata with mixed grains and goat cheese - it was great. I also eat avocados (very beneficial oils) nearly every day - in salads, on the half shell, or try a half mashed in with tuna salad... can you tell I love food?

BTW I checked out your photo and you look superb! Felicitations!