Become my fittest before hitting 40!?!?!

mcevoytray

Hola, do you think it is possible, or, have you yourself, become your fittest at 39 / 40 or in your early 40's?!?!?!

I am trying to lose the last 10lbs that I have been carrying for 5 years since I gave up cigarettes. I can lose 3-4 lbs of it, but it always goes back on.

I have shifted my attention to getting back to, and trying to out-do, the fitness level I was at then. Yes, I was fitter when I was a smoker. As I gave up cigarettes I was starting a new relationship and gained the 'Happy' 7lb pound and was introduced to Red Wine! Friday night at the gym was swapped for snuggling in front of a film (movie) with a glass of red wine!

5 years later I weigh 10+ lbs of where I would love to be and while I exercised on and off over the five years I am not at the level I once was.

I have been told, "Ah, you are almost 40, you won't get your weight back down or hit that fitness level again"! I am choosing to ignore this....hehehe.... and I am hoping I can do both!

I am getting married in September, but this is a retuning to my old fitness lifestyle rather than a 'Wedding Diet'. Although, fitting more comfortably into the wedding dress I bought on sale will be a bonus :-)

Please send on any words of encouragement, they will be greatly appreciated and best of luck to you on your fitness / weight loss journey.

lavrn03

Oh it's possible...I just lost 55lbs this past year and only 15 more to go! I turned 40 this past Nov. I'm in the best shape of my life. I work with 50 other women age ranging from 20s to 60s!! I can tell you that your age will not prevent you from doing anything you set yourself up to do!!
I can say it's much HARDER to lose it but not impossible to.
Do you strength train?? That is going to be the key to your success.

Good luck!! You can friend me!

Ps: half my friends are dreading turning 40 other half don't care. I wanted to kick that door open and say "40s here I am..now let's do this!"

mcevoytray

Hey, thank you for your reply. Congrats on your loss!!! That is a fantastic achievement!!

Yes, I want to kick the door down to my 40's in my best shape both physically and mentally.

I have a good mix in my fitness plan. For strength training I do Kettlebells and will soon introduce suspension training. I am not sure if this qualifies as strength training? For cardio, I have Spin, Rebounding and my Pilloxing class starts at the end of this month. When I have dropped the few pounds it is a cardio class I will take from my regime. For toning I have Pilates and my Pilates Reformer starts this Sunday, very excited for this class.

How about you, how did you manage to stay motivated to get the weight down? Was your diet very restrictive or just substituting in healthier options?

mcevoytray

PS. I do not know how to friend you - Doh!

lavrn03

Just friended you!

My diet: restrictive at first and then just started reintroducing healthier options after awhile. My goal was to find a routine with my diet that I can stick with for LIFE... To go with all the ups and downs I might face.
Limiting simple carbs has been helpful. I don't have crazy cravings at all. When ever I find I've over indulged in simple carbs I tend to eat more a few days after and start to have cravings. Once my body "detoxes" from it again, I'm back to no cravings.
I incorporate snacks into my diet I love so i don't feel like I'm missing anything.

In regards to strength training, look into actual routines that use Dumbbells and barbells. They will build muscle faster.

The hardest part for me is the slow progress. I'm constantly reminding myself slow and steady. Many people lose all this weight and are considered skinny fat. I didn't want that. I've gained a decent amount of muscle while still losing weight.

This gets harder as im reaching my goal weight. I'm only 10lbs lighter then I was in May but I've lost inches all around.

You may find your number may not move or move a little BUT your clothes are lose... This is still a win!

X69Cancer

I'm 38 and have recently gotten in the best shape I've been in since highschool. I do cardio on my own and focus on eating clean. I started doing yoga and pilates and it's really helped me to put on muscle. I've lost 20 pounds since August and put about 10 of that back on as muscle. It can definitely be done.

It's funny because just last year I had accepted the fact I was out of shape and honestly thought, "Oh well, guess I'll just never be in shape again."

hh353

I'm am in better shape now than I was in my 20's - I competed in my first bodybuilding competition when I was 40! So YES - you can absolutely be in your best shape at 40! And "cringe" I also did fitness bikini contest! However I am not an exibishionist by nature - so standing on a stage half naked was NOT for me!! Hell my poor husband has never seen me run around naked!! Lol - I hated being on stage like that - But it did give me a goal! And a couple tropheys collecting dust in my garage. I still lift weights for toning purposes not muscle building. The more muscle you have the more fat you burn and you also loose weight faster! It does help!! It makes me sad when I see all the women at my gym on eliptical machines and ignoring the weights! I do the elliptical for 20 min tops! I spend an hour on free weights- as we age you loose muscle! You have to do more than walk to gain it back! Good luck! Please!!! Lift some weights ladies!! You won't get huge like a guy I promise!!

ljpark

While I love cardio, including running, cycling or spinning, it is YOGA that actually moves the weight from my body, and improves my muscle definition. I was VERY surprised when I discovered this after 1 month of no cardio due to ill health. I amped up on YOGA, and it made such a big difference. However, as I enjoy cardio and the benefits which it provides, a mix of both is what I currently do

sanfromny

I turn 39 on Saturday. My goal is that a year from today that I am heading into 40 being fit and fab. It can be done.