Success for Women over age 50?

[townsra]

I'm only on Day 6 and I still feel pretty bloated.  I was hoping to hear from some women over 50 yrs of age who have been successful.

 

I am post-menopausal and am hoping to lose some weight, though my primary goal is to just get off the "sugar train"!.

 

Hoping to hear from some women in my age--range.  Thanks!

[NY2LA2MONTREAL]

Hi Towns

I am 65 (yesterday) and "sugar" was my middle name. My husband and I finished our first Whole 30 last Friday. We feel fantastic For my birthday we went out to dinner and ordered an oreo cake. The plan was to share the slice of cake 4 ways. When the moment came...I put my fork in and took a bite and a half. I savored that bite and a half and very shortly thereafter I felt a headache and my stomach started gurgling. I DID NOT FEEL GOOD. So no more cake for me. I REALLY FEEL I TAMED THAT DRAGON---because in a previous life I would have consumed the whole cake

Now I am just enjoying a little fruit with my meal - it is my treat and a refreshing addition to my meals.

So you want hope ... how's this?? Within a few days my husband was taken off 2 diabetic meds, my knees stopped hurting, my skin looked softer and smoother (very reassuring to this new 65 year old). The day after the Whole 30 I got into a blouse I couldn't wear 6 months ago.

My husband needs a new belt and both his and my watches are loose.

Trust me the program works. We are continuing eating this way because we love the food and results.

Most of us post a daily log of the food we eat daily. I found it a great tool and kept me honest. I suggest you keep one too.

This forum is filled with so many people who are here to help you. The moderators know their stuff and we're a great help to me.

Good luck just know the program works

[Stegner]

I'm 59 and finished a whole30 two weeks ago. I lost about 10 pounds, but more importantly, I weighed myself only once in this 6-week period, on day 31, and didn't care that much about the number. So liberating - and so overdue. I want to get on with the rest of my beautiful life without being on a diet and for me, this is the ticket. Stick with it, sistah.

[GFChris]

There is a past thread of people over 60 who did a Whole30 here. 

[janeroyal]

Have struggled with my weight since freshman year in HS.  I'm now 58.  Tried every diet, lost and gained again.  Struggled with each diet to get the weight to even budge.  Started eating Paleo in January.  Tried my first Whole30 in March that ended in April after I did a restart.  Lost 7 lbs during those 6 weeks.  Since January I've dropped 40 pounds, maybe more.  I never did reintro as I learned there are food items I can live without.

 

The support here is phenomenal.  Find a discussion that started around the time you did and join in.

 

You have to do the work, put in your 30 days and go from there.  We are all different and will all have different results.  I didn't pay attention to the 'timeline' of what to expect.  Again, we are all different.

 

I feel too many people set themselves up for failure because they don't experience what other's say they experience.  GIVE IT TIME.  Give it 30 days!!

 

You can do this.  You will do this.  One day at a time

[northwoodsmom8]

I'm on day 30 of my first round.  I turned 54 on the 4th.  I weigh tomorrow and do hope the scale budged **but** the way I feel is PHENOMENAL so I'm trying not to look at this one measurement as a testimony of how I did. 

 

I have SO much more energy!

 

I had a knee injury in May and I've been struggling for 4 1/2 months.  This week I was able to go for two walks without pain!  Now, this may be coincidental, and maybe I would have felt better anyway,  but I do think that eating this way is good for the joints. 

 

I'm not dealing with that downcast felling and find I'm not easily discouraged but have more fortitude to deal with the challenges.

 

I'm sleeping SO much better!  8 hours and getting up completely rested and ready to face the day.

 

NO HEARTBURN!  This is huge!

 

I'm doing at least another Whole30 and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do 3 full rounds.  I do hope that the weight will eventually budge but I'm trying to be patient and take 

janeroyal's advice and be patient.  BTW, janeroyal, CONGRATS on 40#'s.  Can you share what you feel has been the most significant factor for that change?

[janeroyal]

northwoodsmom8 - For me it's been perserverence.  Eating paleo helped me lose initial weight before starting a Whole30 in March, so I was excited to see what the Whole30 could do.  I was also committed to the process.  I realized mid-March that my tuna contained soy.  Instead of just 'brushing it under the rug' - I started again at day one.  I was doing this for me, not anyone else.  

 

I started eating within an hour of waking up.  That's made a huge difference for me.

 

I don't skip meals any more.  My body needs three meals a day to keep going.

 

I eat LOTS of food.  In the past I'd eat a salad for lunch and call it good.  Now I eat a good portion of protein, some carbs and lots and lots of veggies.

 

I eat plenty of fat.  I've shied away from fat in the past thinking the fat was making me fat.  No more of that!

 

By the end of my Whole30 I was sleeping like a baby, I wasn't bloated and gassy like I'd been for years, My sugar demons have gone away, I wasn't taking handfuls of Ibuprofen for arthritis pain.

 

People ask me every day how I lost weight.  I tell them I haven't lost weight, this weight has fallen off me!  It has!  This has not been hard for me.  I don't feel deprived.  I'm eating more than I ever have in my life.  The difference is I'm eating fuel for my body, not just food.

 

When I started in January I didn't know how I'd make it a week.  Looking back I've knit together 8 months + just by attacking one day at a time.

[NY2LA2MONTREAL]

northwoodsmom8 - For me it's been perserverence.  Eating paleo helped me lose initial weight before starting a Whole30 in March, so I was excited to see what the Whole30 could do.  I was also committed to the process.  I realized mid-March that my tuna contained soy.  Instead of just 'brushing it under the rug' - I started again at day one.  I was doing this for me, not anyone else.  

 

I started eating within an hour of waking up.  That's made a huge difference for me.

 

I don't skip meals any more.  My body needs three meals a day to keep going.

 

I eat LOTS of food.  In the past I'd eat a salad for lunch and call it good.  Now I eat a good portion of protein, some carbs and lots and lots of veggies.

 

I eat plenty of fat.  I've shied away from fat in the past thinking the fat was making me fat.  No more of that!

 

By the end of my Whole30 I was sleeping like a baby, I wasn't bloated and gassy like I'd been for years, My sugar demons have gone away, I wasn't taking handfuls of Ibuprofen for arthritis pain.

 

People ask me every day how I lost weight.  I tell them I haven't lost weight, this weight has fallen off me!  It has!  This has not been hard for me.  I don't feel deprived.  I'm eating more than I ever have in my life.  The difference is I'm eating fuel for my body, not just food.

 

When I started in January I didn't know how I'd make it a week.  Looking back I've knit together 8 months + just by attacking one day at a time.

Touche... my husband and I are now on Day 44....and we are sticking with it.   Don't you just love the turnaround.  Who'd a thunk.

 

To our new lives

[townsra]

Day 9 and so far so good.  Not ever really hungry and I am less bloated. 

[levi2014]

I'm 52 and also post-menopausal.  The second week of the Whole30 I felt bloated with head-aches, but that lasted only a few days.  I'm on Day 22 and feel I could go another thirty days.  I feel great, my clothes are looser, and I'm sleeping better.  The Whole30 is a great reset plan because it helps us to weed out the foods we can no longer tolerate the way we did when we were young.  Stick with it...I've found that if I surround myself with the Whole30 compliant food, then I don't obsess over the food I'm allowed and that makes eating this way much easier.

[Stegner]

Last night, I was driving late at night (11 PM - hah) and it crossed my mind that I would be driving past 2 frozen custard restaurants that would be open at that time. My brain sort of asked my mouth if it would be worth it and the answer was no. It was not so much that I was able to resist a craving - I didn't really have a craving. I had a passing thought. This is something new for me. I like it.

[QuilterInVA]

I'm 74 on finish8ing Day 26 today. I know I have lost weight because I'm into pants I couldn't button before I started. I have so much energy my house is now spotless every day and I get it done in half the time. I added a third class at the Y on Wednesdays. I do yoga and water aerobics 5 days a week and strength training 2 days. I sleep better and the cravings are gone. I live 1/2 mile from Dairy Queen and don't even think about stopping. I actually am eating a real breakfast for the first time in years. I was doing a protein shake before going to the gym because I thought I had no appetite for food. Now I love eggs, but sweet potato hash, spaghetti squash and meatsauce with an egg on the top, chocolate chili and zucchini giner soup are also on the breakfast menu. I wish I knew about eating like this many years ago.

[NY2LA2MONTREAL]

My words exactly

CONGRATS TO ALL OF US

[northwoodsmom8]

Stegner--Isn't it WONDERFUL to not have cravings!  I would have never thought this possible!!!!

 

  janeroyal--THANK YOU for writing this!  How encouraging!

[gothope77]

Hi,  I'm 9 months in and it changed my life!  I had a major sweet and bread tooth that I never dreamed I could tame.  But I have!  I was pretty strict Whole 30 for 60 days (starting Jan. 23rd.)  Then added some Paleo treats here and there and stopped asking restaurants to alter my food.  I just made better choices, like skipping the bread, chips and tortillas.  I have been primarily Paleo since finishing 60 days.  I have lost 30# since January and barely have to think about what I eat now.  I was NOT a cook.  We ate out a LOT!  But now I cook at least 6 days a week, pack a lunch 5 days a week and have gotten pretty good at it.  It's a lot more work to eat healthy!  But I lost my bloat, lost chronic shoulder pain (a nice surprise,) lost my sugar demon, and gave up counting calories and Points!  Hang in there!!!  It's worth it.  And don't jump right back into old habits on day 31.  I've read so many stories of people doing that and it's diet suicide.  Consider it a new way of life and gradually experiment with things you love or enjoy a treat now and then at events that hold special meaning.  It's worth it!!!  Good luck!

[townsra]

I'm on day 19 and food boredom is setting in....I eat meat, potatoes, veggies but apparently not enough variety.  I eat some fruit but not a lot because I was a major sugar addict, notice I said WAS.  I eat a handful of cashews for a snack once a day.  What's your favorite meal now?

[GFChris]

I'm on day 19 and food boredom is setting in....I eat meat, potatoes, veggies but apparently not enough variety.  I eat some fruit but not a lot because I was a major sugar addict, notice I said WAS.  I eat a handful of cashews for a snack once a day.

Are you eating the cashews out of hunger or habit?

If it's hunger (meaning you feel like you could eat something bland like steamed fish and broccoli), that can be a sign that your earlier meals aren't big enough. Play with your protein, veg and fat portions until you get to a place where your meals satiate you for 4-5 hours. Until you get there, if you're hungry between meals, have a mini meal of protein carb and fat, or at least two of those components. Nuts are a fat on a Whole30 and are recommended to be limited. Avoid eating them alone.

If it's habit, use the W30 to help you choose a non-food habit instead between meals.

[Azcowgirl12]

I began my W30 on 9/1 and completed the 30 days in which I was very strict with.  I will be 52 in December and have gone through surgical menopause (12/2004) and have no "parts".  I had been on synthetic HRT since 12/2004 with no relief from symptoms and began bio-identical HRT 08/2011 with tremendous results.  But back to W30, during my 30 days, I lost 15 lbs, and can't believe how much better I am feeling (no acid reflux, sleeping throughout the night and more soundly, clothes fit much better, allergy symptoms are lessening quite a bit, energy is through the roof, no sugar/carb cravings anymore, no counting calories, or no portion control either).  I work full time as an electrical engineering technician and attend school online full-time to obtain my degree in electrical engineering.  So it would seem crazy to tackle a wedding cake project for some dear friends of ours (cake decorating is a hobby that I enjoy doing), but I did.  I made a large wedding cake (enough to serve 150 guests) in which the wedding was yesterday (10/3).  My husband and I also provided the BBQ beef & pulled pork for their wedding.  90% of what was served was W30 compliant EXCEPT for the cake, slider buns, and the beer that was served.  I did not drink any beer but did have about three shots of Patron Silver tequila, straight-up, no salt or lime, which was nursed over the course of the night.  100% Agave Tequila is normally my drink of choice if or when I drink only because not only is it Paleo approved but I have been drinking it for years now, so I know for a fact that the headache was not tequila induced.  My only downfall last night was that I had a piece of cake that I tried (it was a new receipe and I wanted to make sure that it was a keeper).  Today, I have had the worse headache and low level pain in my gut and can attribute it to the cake & buttercream icing.    Now that the wedding is over and I have figured out what my trigger is, I am getting back on track with W30 today and leaving the sugar/gluten out. To me, the benefits of feeling great definitely outweigh the temptation!

[Stegner]

I'm on day 19 and food boredom is setting in....I eat meat, potatoes, veggies but apparently not enough variety.  I eat some fruit but not a lot because I was a major sugar addict, notice I said WAS.  I eat a handful of cashews for a snack once a day.  What's your favorite meal now?

Chicken pozole verde minus the hominy. I think the recipe is from epicurious. It's a rich chicken soup with pumpkin seeds, tomatillos and peppers - garnished with chopped raw vegetables instead of tortilla strips and cheese. Most of my meals are pretty basic, meat and vegetables, but I use basil and cilantro pesto - minus the nuts - to brighten them up. I think this kind of herb mixture is called pistou. it's just fresh herbs, lemon juice, garlic and sea salt blended in a food processor.

[derpydawg]

My mother has been eating a paleo type of diet for the last year and a half.  I'm not sure about her initial results but she dropped 75 lbs in the first year and she's able to fit in my skinny grandmother's clothes now.  And she's dating.  The horror.

 

My mother is 65 years old, and she's managed to drop her blood pressure medication.  I wouldn't mind seeing her off everything but that will take some time.

[derpydawg]

I'm on day 19 and food boredom is setting in....I eat meat, potatoes, veggies but apparently not enough variety.  I eat some fruit but not a lot because I was a major sugar addict, notice I said WAS.  I eat a handful of cashews for a snack once a day.  What's your favorite meal now?

 

Small avocado.  Slice in half, sprinkle with salt and lime juice.  I usually eat one of these for breakfast along with coconut oil coffee.

[KerleyL]

Hello, I just finished my first Whole30. I lost about 6lbs, definitely sleep better, and feel more in control of my sugar addiction. I never felt amazing or experienced tons more energy. I was anxiously awaiting for both those feelings. I always ate compliant, but I ate way, way too many handfuls of nuts. I believe I'm going to do another round, trying very hard not to snack. It's really hard for me especially in the evening. I must say, I have had a really great time learning new recipes, making my own almond milk, kombucha, exploring new websites, etc...It's definitely a lifestyle change and not a diet. I like that. 

[BetsyR]

I am on Day 31 and have no desire to stop.  I feel so much better and sleep is so great.  I got my husband to join me, and it has been life changing for him.  A he approaches 60, he has so much more energy and his digestive system has never been better.  He has also lost between 8 -10 lbs.  This is where the rub comes in - I weighed myself this morning, and I maybe have lost 1 or 2 lbs!!!  I have been diligent in sticking to the plan, so needless to say, I am a bit disappointed.  I am 59 and have had success losing 30 lbs on the Weight Watchers Plan just 3 years ago.  I had gained about 10 lbs back and so wanted to lose that and another 10 I had still not gotten off.  I realize that this plan is so much more than a weight loss plan, and I did not go into this for that specific reason.  However, so many of you lose weight, so I am a bit discouraged.  But, I am not giving up.  Just curious if others have experienced little to no weight loss and any suggestions anyone may have.  Thanks.

[GFChris]

 I weighed myself this morning, and I maybe have lost 1 or 2 lbs!!!  I have been diligent in sticking to the plan, so needless to say, I am a bit disappointed.  I am 59 and have had success losing 30 lbs on the Weight Watchers Plan just 3 years ago.  I had gained about 10 lbs back and so wanted to lose that and another 10 I had still not gotten off.  I realize that this plan is so much more than a weight loss plan, and I did not go into this for that specific reason.  However, so many of you lose weight, so I am a bit discouraged.  But, I am not giving up.  Just curious if others have experienced little to no weight loss and any suggestions anyone may have.  Thanks.

Yes, many people have had a similar weight loss experience as you. Most notably, moderator Tom Denham.  He lost 2 lbs per month on a continuous Whole30 for several months (where he was previously stalled on his weight loss). He went from 215 to 185 in 15 months.

You'll get to where your body needs to be for your health - keep focusing on those non-scale victories. 

[Stegner]

Any updates from the women over 50? All is well here - it's been some months since I finished W30 but I continue to eat according to the template.... unless someone else is cooking for me and then I'm willing to gratefully partake. There is usually a price to pay but it's not so much, for me.

I woke up this morning with such a beautiful feeling of having been so deeply asleep that I had to come back to myself - that I just had to tell somebody about it. Life is good. Cheers, y'all.