40 year old women and older who has lost 40 or more lbs - HOW THE HECK DID YOU DO IT???

Shurmenator

I'm still coming back daily b/c you folks are so dang motivating. Whether you've made your goal, still working on it or just started all of your stories really relate with me and reconfirm that ... I CAN DO IT!!!!

luvwords1996

This thread is so encouraging! Great job, everyone!

amos481

Good job ladies!!

jbmom91

I love these stories.

Doublemeasure

Hi, I am 57 and after being fat most of my adult life and yo-yo dieting I realised I had got too big again (this was last Sept 2014) I had a photo taken of myself (with a very slim celebrity) and it was an "Oh f%%k, what have I done" kind of moment! So, I vowed to sort myself out again and for good this time! I was introduced to MFP and here I am one year later and 31 kilos/70 pounds lighter! I kept logging and went back to the gym (after 10 kilo loss) and discovered the indoor rower. I will admit I am not perfect, I take my new habits with me and have breaks from dieting when I go on holiday, I think it helps! But I am not greedy anymore! I am not looking for the next food stop! I have another 29 kilos to go, and I will get there. I am training for indoor rowing competitions now and am getting very fit overall. I wish I had known about MFP years ago now. But better late then never.

IF I CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN. SO JUST GET ON WITH IT AND EMBRACE THE NEW YOU IT WILL CREATE! :-)

Jesea

I'm 44, have lost 50+ pounds since January 2012, although this year has been more about maintenance than I'd like, I still want to lose 15 more. I've played around with a variety of plans since starting, but what has really worked for me is keeping calories low (around 1200, I'm short) and working out 4-5 times a week. I found that I feel much better when I skip gluten, although I've never had an official diagnosis. I went from wearing a size 16 (almost 18) to a 6, from XL/XXL shirts to S/M.

The most important thing for me has been MFP and my supportive friends. When I see them posting workouts, it reminds me that I need to get mine done. They are there when I'm doing well and there when I want to eat all the cookies. They are my inspiration!

doesthisappmakemelookfat

Wow! Bump. This is fabulous

LaceyBirds

I'm a month away from turning 60. I'm 5'6.5" and started trying to lose weight somewhere around late spring of 2014 when I weighed an all-time high of 230 pounds. I ate less calories than I had been eating, but was still eating in an unhealthy way, consuming very little protein, lots of pasta, just unhealthy. I spent a great deal of time being in a state of gnawing hunger that would cause me to not be able to go to or stay asleep - hunger would wake me up, then I would get up at 3 in the morning and eat. I "dieted" some days, not others, so my weight loss was slow, and I felt bad physically, but I managed to lose 21 pounds.

I found MFP in mid-April and everything changed. I have logged in every day and logged everything I have consumed since then. I started reading the Success Stories thread every single morning, and now have several other threads that I find motivational bookmarked and read those too. I bought a food scale a couple of weeks after starting here, and started using it religiously about a month later - took me a while to get into that habit, but now I weigh almost everything - no more measuring spoons and cups. I found that I am rubbish at estimating portion sizes, although I am getting better.

I started walking in the pool in July, but had to curtail that after a couple of weeks due to hurting my knees. I then started walking around my neighborhood at the beginning of August for 30 or so minutes a day, and was doing that faithfully, except for a few days with hurt knees and my other chronic health issues, until a week ago when I was semi-attacked by a big dog in the neighborhood. The dog didn't bite me, but charged me and head-butted me - no injuries, but it has really freaked me out so I'm taking a short break. Other than that, I have done no exercise of any kind, so my weight loss is basically by lowering my calories alone.

As of Thursday, I'm down a total of 51 pounds, 30 of those since starting MFP. I have 44 pounds left to my goal, but I'll decide if I want to go that low when I get closer. I am rarely hungry - I get hungry around meal times, which is what it should be - no more ravenous hunger. As I've progressed in this, I find that it is just as important to me to meet my nutritional requirements as it is to lose weight, so I structure my menu around that fact. I have IBS and can't eat many vegetables (no salads), so I eat a lot of baked chicken, sandwiches, greek yogurt, avocados and make sure I get my fiber and calcium in, and I take a multi-vitamin every day. I count EVERYTHING, even one Altoid, Tums and my multi-vitamin. I drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day, and, when I want a treat, such as fast food or sweets, I either plan or adjust my daily menu around them so they fit into my calories and macros/micros. I still eat fast food, but I don't get sides or soft drinks anymore - I get unsweetened iced tea and just a sandwich. I get a donut about once a week, and eat ice cream about once a week too.

As so many people here say, if I can do it, anybody can do it. I had given up completely, so this is actually still kind of a surprise to me that I have lost this much weight. But, at this point, I have no doubts I will succeed in reaching my final goal. And then the hard part begins - maintaining.

Good luck to all! You can do it!!!

PeachyCarol

I'm 53, started MFP when I was 52. I've lost 66 pounds in 10 months so far and am still losing.

What I've done? Learned how much is appropriate for me to eat, and taken steps to adjust my habits to eat the right amount. I use a food scale and log accurately.

In the beginning, I practiced mindfully eating very slowly and chewing thoroughly to learn how to feel full on less food. I think this was an important step for me.

I have psoriatic arthritis and started exercising by walking down to the corner with a cane. Now I can walk 3.75 mph over 5.5 miles and have started jogging. I also strength train with a personal trainer. Over the summer, I water jogged at our swim club.

I got a Fitbit and try to get 15-20K steps a day. I've found that being active helps my arthritis, my energy levels, and my weight loss goals. I get to eat more food!

I still eat the same foods I've always eaten, I just have a much better sense of the appropriate portion sizes.

I also have an underactive thyroid, but it's appropriately medicated and it's not been a problem for me to lose weight. So far, I've found this whole process to be an enjoyable, empowering one. I've discovered a passion for exercise, and have conquered the control food used to have over me. I feel like a new person, or more to the point, I finally feel like the person I've always had the potential to be.

I think we all have the potential to rock middle age and beyond.

agbmom556

bump....bump

AnnPT77

I'm 59, and have lost 44 pounds since mid-April 2015. (I'll add that I'm hypothyroid, and of course menopausal, since people seem to think those are deal-breakers as well.) I've been overweight to obese nearly all of my adult life, except a few years during/after college.

I'm 5'5", SW 183, CW 139, GW 125-130 (genetically, I have no hips; surgically (the breast cancer), I have no breasts - in case you're thinking that's a little light).

In April, something snapped. Or clicked, I dunno. It was time to lose weight, and I was suddenly committed. The reasons had to do with health problems that kept coming up, that would've been much less likely if I were at a healthy weight: Breast cancer, sleep apnea, bad knees (torn meniscus in one), high cholesterol, borderline blood pressure, and most recently adenomyomatosis of the gall bladder (it's an inflammatory/cholesterol-related thing).

I started by eating at my TDEE for goal weight of 130, estimating calories consumed. I lost about two pounds a week, steadily, until mid-July when I plateaued. Learning that my TDEE at my then-weight (around 154-155) was getting pretty close to my goal-weight TDEE, I decided I needed to calorie-count for real.

That's when I joined MFP, started weighing and logging my food (and exercise beyond activity level). The two pounds a week losses began again, and continued. I'm now trying to slow the rate to about 0.5lb/week to coast into maintenance in 10 pounds or so.

I'm quite consistent about CICO (try to balance over days with some preparatory or follow-up cutbacks, within reason, or get some extra exercise). I'm absolutely conscientious about logging - even bad days - and estimate when I have to (meals at others' homes, restaurants, etc.).

I've been fairly active for about 12 years (shortly after the breast cancer, which was 15 years ago). I row 3-4 times per week in the on-water season, less in winter. I take spin classes twice a week. I ride my bike once in a while (currently once or twice a week) in season. I haven't added a lot of new "cardio" (I call this stuff "fun" not "cardio", usually). I have re-started some resistance training, which I did fairly consistently for a couple of years a few years back, and hope to do more once we're off the water for winter.

I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, but I have been for 41 years, including the time I got fat & stayed fat. I eat mostly whole foods, not because it's a religion, but because I think they're more tasty and satisfying. I mostly cook from scratch at home. I live alone (widow), so I have nearly complete control of my eating.

It helped me to experiment with timing of food during the day, and composition of what I ate (protein/fat/carbs) to see what was most satiating and sustainable.

I wasn't smart enough to take real before & after pictures, so below is the best I have. The before is quite old - around the time I started rowing a dozen years ago, but a similar weight to where I started losing this year. The after is about 10 pounds ago, around 149, mid-August. They don't look *that* different to me, other than the extra gray . . . until I think about the fact that those loose red after shorts are the exact same shorts as the tight red before shorts. Got a ways to go yet (at least 20 more pounds < these pics, and some recomposition, ideally, after that).




TL;DR - sorry!

STLBADGIRL

Shurmenator wrote: »

I'm still coming back daily b/c you folks are so dang motivating. Whether you've made your goal, still working on it or just started all of your stories really relate with me and reconfirm that ... I CAN DO IT!!!!

I second this! I am so happy that my MFP family was generous enough to share their testimonies and victories!!!! I swear a burst of motivation and hope exudes every time I read a post in this thread.

_nicole_jane

Thank you all for sharing. I'm 45 and 237 pounds. I've been a member of MFP for a while, but have never committed to it consistently. Your stories and advice are so inspiring that I'm making my shopping list now and am ready to do this! Thanks, again!

NH_1970

I had a health issue happen, where it was either lose weight or go on medication. I chose lose weight.

So learning what worked and what I am supposed to be doing for calories on MFP helped me, tracking helps me when I do it, but I've been tracking long enough now to learn about how much I should be eating or not eating.

I drink a lot of water - avoid colas any kind of colas unless I have a headache and then the doc said tylenol and a coke (ick) and that solves it, and stay hydrated, avoid salts, sugars and processed foods as much as possible. Do I still have them? sometimes but not like when I was gaining weight.

I eat now when I am hungry or I start to feel on edge because sometimes my stomach doesn't send the pangs out or the empty feeling out but what does is my mood/feeling which isn't originating in my stomach. When I feel edgy it's either too much sugar, so I check and see if I've had too much sugar, if not am I hydrated enough? if I am then I check and see if I'm menstrual or premenstrual if I am I take that into account, eat just a couple of tablespoons of protein food with a veg, wait and see if it's really hunger and my mood has changed or if it's pms/menses. If it's hunger what happens is my stomach will actually then I dunno wake up and be like okay that's what it is and my mood is mildly satiated until I prepare a balanced meal.
If it's hunger than I eat something balanced and a full meal until I feel comfortable, I don't over eat or binge. I don't get that feeling of dis ease within my body or from being too full anymore.

I also prayed for help because I couldn't stop over eating especially when I was emotional, on my own. I posted "Is it about the void? Fill it with something else" on my fridge. I started to recognize when I was mindlessly eating, or if I was eating because something in my brain was bothering me like being angry at someone, being uncomfortable with what someone had told me, or acted towards me, I started paying attention to what was going into my body.

I got active - I walk, I lift mild free weights, I sometimes belly dance or do yoga or dance, I sometimes do tai chi or cardio workouts.

I eat a lot less, I realized it's okay to eat a lot less, because before I was slowly killing myself with food and my body reacted by giving me a major health signal. Which was confirmed by doctors.

I write notes to myself weekly or when I have time but especially weekly in the beginning about "Why I want to lose weight?" and was honest since no one but me was going to see them anyways.

I read on here about setting mini goals instead of one big one, so I do those on my weight loss ticker and when I hit one I am so darn proud of myself. Reaching a goal also releases good chemicals in the brain, and who can't use good chemicals?

I continue to ask for help from the deity I pray to. I also bless my food that it may be of the highest vibration to me, and recognize where it came from. The earth grew it or sustained it at one point, I thank the earth, I thank the plant or animal that gave it to me. I moved spirituality into my eating.

Oh but I also got educated about carbs/proteins/fats like I'm sure anyone who has tried to lose weight or gain health in the past has done, so I had to 'learn' how to eat healthy, and not just crap.

Oh and I'm not in a rush, I'm just consistently losing.

44 and 40 lbs lost so far.

vicky1947mfp

NH_1970 wrote: »

I had a health issue happen, where it was either lose weight or go on medication. I chose lose weight.

So learning what worked and what I am supposed to be doing for calories on MFP helped me, tracking helps me when I do it, but I've been tracking long enough now to learn about how much I should be eating or not eating.

I drink a lot of water - avoid colas any kind of colas unless I have a headache and then the doc said tylenol and a coke (ick) and that solves it, and stay hydrated, avoid salts, sugars and processed foods as much as possible. Do I still have them? sometimes but not like when I was gaining weight.

I eat now when I am hungry or I start to feel on edge because sometimes my stomach doesn't send the pangs out or the empty feeling out but what does is my mood/feeling which isn't originating in my stomach. When I feel edgy it's either too much sugar, so I check and see if I've had too much sugar, if not am I hydrated enough? if I am then I check and see if I'm menstrual or premenstrual if I am I take that into account, eat just a couple of tablespoons of protein food with a veg, wait and see if it's really hunger and my mood has changed or if it's pms/menses. If it's hunger what happens is my stomach will actually then I dunno wake up and be like okay that's what it is and my mood is mildly satiated until I prepare a balanced meal.
If it's hunger than I eat something balanced and a full meal until I feel comfortable, I don't over eat or binge. I don't get that feeling of dis ease within my body or from being too full anymore.

I also prayed for help because I couldn't stop over eating especially when I was emotional, on my own. I posted "Is it about the void? Fill it with something else" on my fridge. I started to recognize when I was mindlessly eating, or if I was eating because something in my brain was bothering me like being angry at someone, being uncomfortable with what someone had told me, or acted towards me, I started paying attention to what was going into my body.

I got active - I walk, I lift mild free weights, I sometimes belly dance or do yoga or dance, I sometimes do tai chi or cardio workouts.

I eat a lot less, I realized it's okay to eat a lot less, because before I was slowly killing myself with food and my body reacted by giving me a major health signal. Which was confirmed by doctors.

I write notes to myself weekly or when I have time but especially weekly in the beginning about "Why I want to lose weight?" and was honest since no one but me was going to see them anyways.

I read on here about setting mini goals instead of one big one, so I do those on my weight loss ticker and when I hit one I am so darn proud of myself. Reaching a goal also releases good chemicals in the brain, and who can't use good chemicals?

I continue to ask for help from the deity I pray to. I also bless my food that it may be of the highest vibration to me, and recognize where it came from. The earth grew it or sustained it at one point, I thank the earth, I thank the plant or animal that gave it to me. I moved spirituality into my eating.

Oh but I also got educated about carbs/proteins/fats like I'm sure anyone who has tried to lose weight or gain health in the past has done, so I had to 'learn' how to eat healthy, and not just crap.

Oh and I'm not in a rush, I'm just consistently losing.

44 and 40 lbs lost so far.

Great post.

2manyhats

Love these successes! You ALL rock!

DorisSilver50

I am 50 years old and in January 2015 my husband and I went on vacation with me weighing in at 171# (5'4"); after seeing pics of myself I was shocked at the rolls around my middle. Clothes were tight at size 10 but I refused to buy anything bigger. I was down to only 5 pairs of pants that I could wear to work! I have been a yo-yo dieter my entire life. Weight was a critical factor in my poor self-image. I remember weighing 95# in third grade, 122# in 5th grade, up to 165# in 8th grade. In January I weighed more then I ever had (not pregnant). Between 1991-1999 I had 5 children and went down a size (due to stress in the marriage) with each child until the last when I put on 52# during the pregnancy (different marriage). I lost all of that when I took a stressful job as Administrator of a Nursing Home (and smoking 1/2 pack a day). I left that job (and smoking) and ballooned up to the 171#. I have arthritis (from many injuries over the years...total klutz) in my hips, knees and neck. Walking after sitting was painful and I had to decide whether I wanted to continue on that path and likely need a wheelchair by 60 or do something about it...I chose to do something about it and have not looked back since!

I currently weigh 131.5# and allow myself to fluctuate between 130-135#. Wearing size 4. I did Nutrisystem for 5 months and working out daily until reaching goal then switched to MFP while still working out daily. I had a bad fracture of my wrist July 4 (I did mention I was a total klutz...right? lol) which resulted in surgery a week later, off work for 7 weeks (no working out during any of this) but I managed to maintain my weight. I am still not completely back to working out regularly but my dietary habits have become a way of life. I don't prohibit myself from eating/drinking anything, just do so with an eye towards total caloric intake. Never thought I could lose weight so quickly and keep it off despite having a "real life":) I am in awe of the folks I have met on MFP and you all inspire me every day!

vicky1947mfp

DorisSilver50 wrote: »

I am 50 years old and in January 2015 my husband and I went on vacation with me weighing in at 171# (5'4"); after seeing pics of myself I was shocked at the rolls around my middle. Clothes were tight at size 10 but I refused to buy anything bigger. I was down to only 5 pairs of pants that I could wear to work! I have been a yo-yo dieter my entire life. Weight was a critical factor in my poor self-image. I remember weighing 95# in third grade, 122# in 5th grade, up to 165# in 8th grade. In January I weighed more then I ever had (not pregnant). Between 1991-1999 I had 5 children and went down a size (due to stress in the marriage) with each child until the last when I put on 52# during the pregnancy (different marriage). I lost all of that when I took a stressful job as Administrator of a Nursing Home (and smoking 1/2 pack a day). I left that job (and smoking) and ballooned up to the 171#. I have arthritis (from many injuries over the years...total klutz) in my hips, knees and neck. Walking after sitting was painful and I had to decide whether I wanted to continue on that path and likely need a wheelchair by 60 or do something about it...I chose to do something about it and have not looked back since!

I currently weigh 131.5# and allow myself to fluctuate between 130-135#. Wearing size 4. I did Nutrisystem for 5 months and working out daily until reaching goal then switched to MFP while still working out daily. I had a bad fracture of my wrist July 4 (I did mention I was a total klutz...right? lol) which resulted in surgery a week later, off work for 7 weeks (no working out during any of this) but I managed to maintain my weight. I am still not completely back to working out regularly but my dietary habits have become a way of life. I don't prohibit myself from eating/drinking anything, just do so with an eye towards total caloric intake. Never thought I could lose weight so quickly and keep it off despite having a "real life":) I am in awe of the folks I have met on MFP and you all inspire me every day!

Congrats. Love your story and your success.

amflautist

I'm 74 and I've lost 65 pounds in the past 4 years. I did it because I wanted to be healthy. I was lucky to have a small group of mfp friends - all dedicated and all rigorous about logging and walking every day. Open diaries count! Exercise works! I lost 50# in the first year. I'm still working on the last 10#. I will get there!

One of my favorite mfp friends during the journey is 15 years older than I am! Anyone of any age can do this. It's your attitude that counts, not your age.

odirish

mvogtle wrote: »

Hey! I am 50 yrs old and have been doing MFP for a long time with no results. When I keep it at the limit of 1200 calories I never lose any weight! I have started a great program called Isagenix which helped me drop 15 last year, but broke my foot and gained it back. I am starting fresh tomorrow and need to lose 60 or more lbs!! I am going to continue with my Fitness pal at 1200 calories.. Hopefully I can lose!!