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MyFitnessPal Community

Anyone over 60 with weight loss success story?

Charlottegetfit2

I'm 61, seem to have no metabolism anymore. Having a very tough time losing weight. Would love to hear from people in their 60s who have had success losing weight.

Replies

RainaProske

Me! Me, me!!

I started on my 60th birthday. I'm 67 now and haven't gained any back.

RainaProske

I lost the equivalent of another me, plus. YOU can do this!!

luluinca

I'm 66 and began this crazy journey in 2013 at 63. I've lost about 70 lbs and it hasn't really been that difficult. I pre-log my food for the day since I'm the one doing most of the cooking, we have no children at home anymore who beg for cookies, french fries or ice cream, so I buy what I want that's healthy at the store. I exercise because I also have time for that now and not only do I love it but it's good for me.

It's been an interesting and eye-opening journey and I'm so happy and healthy. No meds which shocks every doc I go to and my orthopedic surgeon told me not too long ago that I was the healthiest 65 year old he's seen in his office in years.

Stick to logging, some exercise (a little cardio and more weight training) and you'll be fine. The metabolic changes with age are primarily due to lack of exercise! So get your groove on and do it!

SavedByGrace26356

Hello Rockyniki: I've always had a hard time losing since I have Hashimoto's disease and take medication. Have you had your thyroid checked out. I know our metabolism slows some as we age and we have to work harder. I'm new to MFP and find that preplanning my dinner, drinking more water, and doing light exercises is helping the scale move a little. Please friend me if you're looking for friends.

SavedByGrace26356

Raina, you're amazing! Great photo.

llbrixon

61 going on 62 in August. I started MFP again in November 2015. I have lost over 35 pounds! This time the weight is staying off! I am getting to old playing the weight loss games. I am going to do it right this time.

Rocknut53

I'm 62 and first started MFP in January of 2013, lost 26 pounds or so, fell off the wagon and gained back 16. Started up again this January and have lost 39 pounds. I reached my goal weight in early June and decided my belly and thighs were still too fat so lowered my goal by 10 more pounds. I have 5 to go. I have to be honest with you, once I got my head into this 100%, it's been the easiest weight loss ever. I agree with luluinca, lack of exercise is responsible for age related sluggishness (my opinion). I hike 3-4 days a week (last week while on vacation I logged 26 miles). I feel better and stronger than I have in 25 years. You, too, can do this. Now, if I could get my husband on board....

MikilouB

I am 60 and started this journey in March, as of today I have lost 32 pounds. I agree with Rocknut...once I decided to take this seriously, it has been easy. Logging my food and making sure I move everyday has taken a little if the hard work out of it!!! I know I can eat this way for the rest of my life. And I plan to it to be a long one!

lorrpb

SW 301
CW 157
GW 150
age 61

I recently posted my 2 year progress pics.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10419681/2-year-transformation/p1

Here is more about my journey. These have been posted before. I also posted more info in the "100 pounds without surgery" group.

My Newspaper Article Feature:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10347057/my-success-story-made-the-front-page-of-the-newspaper?new=1

My Podcast Interview:
http://40plusfitness.libsyn.com/lorraines-commitment-to-health-and-fitness

vingogly

I'm 69 and started making changes to my eating habits 3-4 years ago (health reasons). I've lost 73 pounds in that period; about 40 pounds in the first year, then maintenance for a year or so, then the rest since last November. I did a variety of exercises in the first year including weight training, cardio, and pilates, but the only exercising I'm doing now is walking. I plan on getting back into weight training soon.

I want to lose another 14 pounds -- that's taking forever. But it's OK; things slow down when you near your goal.

annc3333

Rockyniki,

I have always been a pretty good loser, in fact, I lost 75 pounds in my mid-40s and kept it off for an entire decade. But after taking a medication known to cause weight gain, I have not been able to lose a pound--I was on it for a year and gained 10 in that time even with trying hard not to. And in the 1.5 years since I've been off of it I have put on another five.

I have tried over and over to lose even five pounds. I have been obsessively careful to weigh every bite. I have double and triple checked the items I eat a lot for accuracy. I only use listings from USDA figuring they are the most accurate. I keep my calories around 1300 and my carbs around 100 or so.

Last February I made another major effort. I stuck exactly to the plan--1300 to 1400 calories and around 100 carbs. I only had two days where I went over (around 2200 and 2400). The first week I lost 1.4 pounds, the second week I lost .6 pounds, the third and fourth weeks I lost .4 pounds, and for the last six weeks I lost nothing at all. Plus I was starving all the time and got insomnia. Insanity! So I gave up the calorie counting and just ate what I wanted--another two pounds added in the next two months that will not budge.

Two weeks ago I started again, 1200 to 1300 a day, I have doubled my usual walking routines, more hills, faster, further. After two weeks I've lost 1.4 so that is something. But I will have to see if it continues or not.

I just gain easy and lose slowly anymore. It is beyond frustrating. I have had my thyroid checked and I am perfect in that regard. I am working very hard to stay off the scale because it just leaves me defeated. I figure at this point, I have to accept the extra pounds and just work very hard on building my body with a very healthy diet and as much exercise as I can manage. I feel that my body is changing--getting less bloated looking, even if the scales aren't reflecting much.

I'm writing all this just to tell you you are not alone in the slow loser category. Many women our age can lose weight but I've been off and on diets my entire life now and I think my body just adjusts to lower calories very easily.

Take care
Ann C.
(PS, Yes, I tried upping the calories and that didn't help at all either.)

annc3333

Oops, I just saw that you specifically wanted success stories! Mine is a success story at excepting myself for where I am at. :P

Charlottegetfit2

Thank you everybody for your comments and support. I should also mention that I am on medication for anxiety. I swear it seemed like I gained 15 pounds overnight. So I went from being 30 pounds overweight to 45 pounds overweight. I do work out approximately 3 times a week and am trying to increase that to 5 days a week. Some days I do good at logging my food and others, not so much. But I do feel more determined than I have in a long while and support on MFP is going to help tremendously. .I am going to reach my goal and stay there this time!!

LaceyBirds

rockyniki wrote: »

Thank you everybody for your comments and support. I should also mention that I am on medication for anxiety. I swear it seemed like I gained 15 pounds overnight. So I went from being 30 pounds overweight to 45 pounds overweight. I do work out approximately 3 times a week and am trying to increase that to 5 days a week. Some days I do good at logging my food and others, not so much. But I do feel more determined than I have in a long while and support on MFP is going to help tremendously. .I am going to reach my goal and stay there this time!!

I firmly believe that the reason for my success is my discipline in my daily logging. I log every bite, every sip, every vitamin, every Altoid. My high weight was 238 about three years ago - I started actively trying to lose at 230, lost 21 before I discovered MFP in April 2015, and 60 since then. I've done it by calorie counting alone, no exercise, for reasons. I weigh pretty much all my food, and weigh myself every morning. I record it all, the good and bad. I make sure I meet my protein, fat and fiber each day and all the micros too, yet I still eat fast food, candy, ice cream and anything I like as long as I can fit it into my calorie goal for the day. I'm 60 and a half. It can be done, but it takes a lot of discipline. There is a wonderful thread for women 55 and up that I read from the beginning to the present that has helped inspire me, and I have lovely friends on MFP that have helped me keep going when I struggled. Good luck to you, there are tons of us older women that have lost weight when we thought we couldn't at our ages, and you will be able to do it too.

community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10047153/55-65-year-old-womens-success/p1

Rocknut53

rockyniki wrote: »

Thank you everybody for your comments and support. I should also mention that I am on medication for anxiety. I swear it seemed like I gained 15 pounds overnight. So I went from being 30 pounds overweight to 45 pounds overweight. I do work out approximately 3 times a week and am trying to increase that to 5 days a week. Some days I do good at logging my food and others, not so much. But I do feel more determined than I have in a long while and support on MFP is going to help tremendously. .I am going to reach my goal and stay there this time!!

Logging ALL my food EVERY DAY has been paramount to my success. Otherwise, I can't know for certain if I am eating at a deficit. I consider my food scale, my body scale, MFP, MapMyHike, and S Health (on my phone to count steps) as tools in my weight loss tool box to help with my mission. I weigh myself daily just because it helps me to keep focused. If I want to splurge a little on extra food or a beer or glass of wine I will exercise more to make sure I've burned enough calories to account for the extra calories in. My challenge for the near future is determining maintenance calories, that worries me somewhat because I don't ever want to fall off this wagon again.

middlehaitch

I am 62 now but lost my weight when I was a menopausal 54yo. I have maintained my weight loss for 6+ years.
Counting calories and starting to move more were the key for me.
I started doing both of the above the same week and haven't looked back.
I am fitter and stronger than I was in my 40's.

With age we naturally start being less active. This lowers our metabolism by 50-100 cals per decade (depending on weight, height and gender) from the age of 20-ish on. With the lack of activity comes the loss of muscle, this too helps lower ones BMR.
(My BMR at 62is about 200 cals less a day than it was at 22)

A reasonable calorie deficit with plenty of protein, research is showing that older people need more protein than previously thought as it helps with muscle retention even when not exercising, combined with an increase in activity, both daily activity and formal cardio and resistance/weight work is the method that worked for me.

Like losing weight at any age it takes consistency and determination.

Me at 54yo 5'1 and 130lbs vs me at 62yo 5'1 and 105 lbs.

Me 58yo 105lbs

Me 62yo 103lbs. Body weight, hand weighs and machines, then heavy lifting have helped not only preserve bone and muscle density/mass/strength, but also contoured my body into a much more pleasing shape.

You can do it, there are a good amount of us 60+ on here to inspire you and cheer you on.

Cheers, h.

dutchandkiwi

My mother recently lost about 15 Kg She is 72

cbstewart88

I am 61. Began on 4/1/2016 with 32lbs. to lose. I have lost 20 as of 7/11/2016. At 1200 calories/day. Faithfully weigh and measure all food and log every day. Alternate days of one hour treadmill/weights with days of one hour of yoga. Weight dropping slowly now - but not too worried. I feel and look so much better - that seems to be encouragement enough for me to keep plugging away no matter how long it takes...

agbmom556

middlehaitch wrote: »

I am 62 now but lost my weight when I was a menopausal 54yo. I have maintained my weight loss for 6+ years.
Counting calories and starting to move more were the key for me.
I started doing both of the above the same week and haven't looked back.
I am fitter and stronger than I was in my 40's.

With age we naturally start being less active. This lowers our metabolism by 50-100 cals per decade (depending on weight, height and gender) from the age of 20-ish on. With the lack of activity comes the loss of muscle, this too helps lower ones BMR.
(My BMR at 62is about 200 cals less a day than it was at 22)

A reasonable calorie deficit with plenty of protein, research is showing that older people need more protein than previously thought as it helps with muscle retention even when not exercising, combined with an increase in activity, both daily activity and formal cardio and resistance/weight work is the method that worked for me.

Like losing weight at any age it takes consistency and determination.

Me at 54yo 5'1 and 130lbs vs me at 62yo 5'1 and 105 lbs.

Me 58yo 105lbs

Me 62yo 103lbs. Body weight, hand weighs and machines, then heavy lifting have helped not only preserve bone and muscle density/mass/strength, but also contoured my body into a much more pleasing shape.

You can do it, there are a good amount of us 60+ on here to inspire you and cheer you on.

Cheers, h.

Amazing!

pondee629

Born Jan, 1955. Started July 4, 2015@ 220#s. July 11, 2016 186#s. Weight loss after attaining the age of 60+, is doable.

middlehaitch

@pondee629, did you mean to type started July 4 2015?
If you really did lose 30+lbs in a week, wow!

Seriously, you are looking good, and obviously enjoying your new lighter, healthier, fitter life.

Cheers, h.

pondee629

middlehaitch wrote: »

@pondee629, did you mean to type started July 4 2015?
If you really did lose 30+lbs in a week, wow!

Seriously, you are looking good, and obviously enjoying your new lighter, healthier, fitter life.

Cheers, h.

Yep, fixed the typo, Thanks for the heads up

Charlottegetfit2

@middlehaitch . You look amazing!! What an inspiration you are.

1Nana2many

You can do it. To me the key is logging every bite and sip every single day and keeping as close to calorie goals as possible. Using a food scale to be sure you are REALLY eating the amount you think you are makes a difference. Every day is a new day. Move a little more today than you did yesterday. Eliminate negative self-talk. You CAN do it. You ARE WORTH THE EFFORT! Make the commitment!

dejavuohlala

69 and been on MFP for three years have lost 50lbs