Need Support From An Older Person Like Me

[4Maddie44]

Hi, I live in the UK.  Is there someone who is in the 60s or 70s who would support me?  Preferably in the UK.  I want to lose weight so I look decent at my son's wedding in Turkey in May this year.  I cannot do proper exercise because of arthritis, but I like walking.  Alas dog died, so cannot walk him now.

I need to lose about 40lbs.  I have done it before, but always put weight back on.  I am on anti-depressants, and they make me crave carbohydrates.  I need willpower.

[Barb135]

Just ran across this thread and wanted to say hello, to both of you.  We all try to support each other, so we'll help all we can.  

I'd like to invite you both to join our new weight loss challenge, which you can find at the following link:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Weight-Loss--Dieting/NEW-YEAR-NEW-CHALLENGE/show/1654765

I recently retired, too, so have to be careful to stay active, also.  I, also have hypothyroidism, which makes losing weight extra hard, because my metabolism doesn't work right.  

marc23 - how about making those crackers, breads, pastas whole grain (and watch portion sizes), rather than eliminating them completely?  Whole grains are a wonderful way to get fiber, which helps fill you up, and because they are complex carbs, they take a long time to break down in your system, so you feel fuller longer.

[marc23]

Thank you for your message. This is day three for me, so today I figured out how to make a profile. That is now complete.

How are you doing with your weight loss program today?  Are the charts working for you that his site provides?  In only three days, those charts have really made an impression on me! I've already made significant changes. the most important ones being: no sodas of any kind (I am drinking green tea); way less carbs (no potatoes, breads, crackers, or pasta); and no processed foods (only fresh or organic). I also took a Vitamin D supplement today, since the chart said that I had a vitamin D deficiency.

I know you are excited about the wedding. I believe you can do it!  I have 20 pounds to lose to get to a normal weight for my height. We can lose those pounds together.

By the way, I have suffered from depression since I was 12 years old.  Really bad depression!  I have taken everything and gone to counseling for decades. What finally worked for me was to accept it as normal for me and proceed onward. I only take St. John's Wort now each morning. I keep myself occupied with one million things to do (as in force myself). And (this is the MOST important one): my mental health Bible is FEELING GOOD, The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns, M. D.  It is a clinically proven drug-free treatment for depression which is COGNITIVE THERAPY. This is a super guide for helping one retrain the brain to think in a different pattern.

Best wishes with your weight loss program. I am here to support you.

[4Maddie44]

Hello, Thank you for your message.  You have not put any details about yourself, or any photos.

Welcome to MedHelp.  I have been a member for a time now.  I am on various sites, but mainly the depression site.

I am grateful for your support.  Thanks.

[marc23]

Sorry, I do not live in the UK. Instead, I'm In Nashville, TN, USA. I am recently retired after 43 years in the classroom. After being so active, now I am gaining weight and it is alarming. I would most certainly support you in your efforts to lose weight for the upcoming wedding, because I know how hard it has been to lose weight. I just found MedHelp.org on Google apps. I can enter every food item and it is transformed into pie charts and bar graphs to help me with nutritional food intake. I do believe this will work. I was astounded that on my first day that my food intake was way over the limits for my age (64). Also, I ate way too many carbs!! So, today, I am going  to do much better. Actually seeing those charts has done a world of good for me.  While I was teaching I was in a Weight Watcher group. That was awesome because I could use the points for the foods and add them up and it worked for me. But, now that I am home, I have to be more self motivated.  I really think that the MedHelp site will work.  Perhaps you'll find people from the UK and that is okay, but I am available if you dare try.