Women Over 40
trudiebamford
Posts: 88 Member
I'm sure you've all heard the famous Cybil Shepherd quote, "when you're over 40 you have to choose between your face and your butt" (well, she didn't say butt!). Do you think it's true?
At 5'10" and 152 lbs, my BMI is 22. Clothed, I'm happy with how I look. Unclothed, I can see a good way to go still. My legs & hips mainly. I think I'd need to get down to 140 lbs to be really happy with my body - but my face is really thin at my current weight, and I fear I might start to look gaunt/sick/old if I pursue my ultimate goal weight. Thoughts?
At 5'10" and 152 lbs, my BMI is 22. Clothed, I'm happy with how I look. Unclothed, I can see a good way to go still. My legs & hips mainly. I think I'd need to get down to 140 lbs to be really happy with my body - but my face is really thin at my current weight, and I fear I might start to look gaunt/sick/old if I pursue my ultimate goal weight. Thoughts?
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Im 40, and 5'11, quite a large frame. In my 20s and early 30s I was very slim.....I wouldnt want to be that slim now, my goal is to get to around 180, im currently 200 but have already lost 46lbs. (I gained alot of weight in my mid 30s). When I was slim (160ish) I had no boobs, no bum and a noticeable thigh gap. I thought I looked great but its not a look I want now in my 40s.
I.dont know anyone who is completely happy with how they look without clothes on anyway, id go with how u feel in a nice dress or even a swimsuit.
But yeh, I think if I was worried about facial sagging, wrinkles etc id probably prefer to carry an extra 10lbs or so.0 -
No, but I'm not overly concerned with how I look to other people. I did that in my late teens and 20s and it didn't impress/attract anyone. I won't get the attractive body/look I want without paying for surgery. If you think you'll look better losing more weight, then do it. You could also try strength training while eating at maintenance (recomp).4
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The one thing we do have control over is our weight and our body composition. I will just say that after 1 year of losing weight, I stopped losing weight before I got to my goal and concentrated on body composition changes and stopped worrying about fat loss anymore.
If you want to look good naked and this is a goal, work for it.. start strength training your body and you can change the way it looks. It will not be 100% perfect, as there are just some things you cannot reverse 100% though the aging process, but you will be amazed at what you can do with what you have... AND yOu will also be amazed that just being stronger physically will make you stronger mentally and all these thoughts will not even be that important to you any longer..2 -
I started to get that scrawny face last time I lost weight, when I was around 36. I don't have it now, 10 years older, at an even lower weight and after a greater loss. But I think my body fat % was lower then. I have some loose skin now (stomach, upper arms, thighs) that I didn't get last time, and my breasts are shrinking for the first time. I'm quite happy with my weight/body shape, never been happy with general appearance, but I don't think that's ever going to change, so I have stopped worrying.0
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I'll be 50 in a few months ... I'm fine with my face, and getting happier with my body.
But I'm more concerned about what I can do than what I look like.1 -
I'm 44, 5'7", relatively large frame and down to 160 lbs. I like how i look clothed as well, and feel that i have way to go unclothed, similarly as you, mostly legs I lost 60 lbs, and now starting to see a few problem areas with a bit extra wrinkles and some sagging skin. That's bothering me enough that I'm considering to stop and not go much farther.0
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Thanks ladies! I have a small frame. And I do a lot of strength training. My goal is definitely body recomposition.1
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At 5'10" 140 seems awfully low. I'm 5'7" and at 140, I think I looked really good (but I'm also medium build and very curvy - hourglass shaped). I think you would probably do better with doing some weight training and some body weight exercises to tone and shape your muscles - the definition will probably give you more of what you're looking for.2
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trudiebamford wrote: »I'm sure you've all heard the famous Cybil Shepherd quote, "when you're over 40 you have to choose between your face and your butt" (well, she didn't say butt!). Do you think it's true?
At 5'10" and 152 lbs, my BMI is 22. Clothed, I'm happy with how I look. Unclothed, I can see a good way to go still. My legs & hips mainly. I think I'd need to get down to 140 lbs to be really happy with my body - but my face is really thin at my current weight, and I fear I might start to look gaunt/sick/old if I pursue my ultimate goal weight. Thoughts?
Squat it till its hot
(And lunge it, step it, deadlift it...well basically follow a progressive resistance programme with decent progression)0 -
just read you already do strength training. 0
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trudiebamford wrote: »Thanks ladies! I have a small frame. And I do a lot of strength training. My goal is definitely body recomposition.
For how long have you been doing strength training and what's your program? I wasted years with low weights/high reps before the boards here taught me that heavy weights, low reps was the way to go for women as well as men.0 -
I guess I'm lucky in way as I have a round face even when I lose a lot of weight my face doesn't get too thin. People can still tell I've lost weight in my face, but not so I look scrawny.0
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I always hated my legs even before I put the weight on
I don't now
And I really do credit proper progressive heavy lifting (free weights with decent sets and heavy weights) for the shape
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I do have a very small frame - my wrists are less than 6".
Well, this is my current workout routine:
Mon, Wed, Fri: 45 minutes exercise bike & weights (I have a recumbent bike, I do intervals on it, alternating between the highest resistance for my legs, and lower resistance where I lift free weights at the same time - currently I'm using 12lb weights)
Tues, Sat: 20 minutes rowing machine, 30 minutes barre class
Thurs, Sun: 45-60 minutes HIIT barre class
I wore my Fitbit Charge 2 for the first time today during barre class, and was very pleased to see that it is as tough as I thought it was - 350 cal in 45 minutes! I am always drenched in sweat by the end.0 -
I'm 48. Your facial appearance can be modified with cosmetic contouring. Search "Gossmakeupartist" on Youtube or Facebook. He has tons of tutorials, and it doesn't cost a penny to learn. 0
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Powders that diffuse light, and highlighters in the places you want to look larger, will help your face look fuller if you like. Also, your hairstyle factors into this. Long straight hair will make your face look thinner. Wearing a style that creates volume will help, and layering around your face.0
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I'm almost 55 and am pleased with my weight loss and workout results.0
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trudiebamford wrote: »I do have a very small frame - my wrists are less than 6".
Well, this is my current workout routine:
Mon, Wed, Fri: 45 minutes exercise bike & weights (I have a recumbent bike, I do intervals on it, alternating between the highest resistance for my legs, and lower resistance where I lift free weights at the same time - currently I'm using 12lb weights)
Tues, Sat: 20 minutes rowing machine, 30 minutes barre class
Thurs, Sun: 45-60 minutes HIIT barre class
I wore my Fitbit Charge 2 for the first time today during barre class, and was very pleased to see that it is as tough as I thought it was - 350 cal in 45 minutes! I am always drenched in sweat by the end.
That's a cardio programme0 -
It doesn't sound like you are lifting heavy or using a structured program. Both are a MUST. I am 48 yrs old, 5'9" and ~150lbs. I used to weigh 135lbs before I started lifting 7 years ago; although I am heavier now I can still wear the same size in clothes.0
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HR monitor will not give accurate readout on calorie burn for a HIIT programme1
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trudiebamford wrote: »I do have a very small frame - my wrists are less than 6".
Well, this is my current workout routine:
Mon, Wed, Fri: 45 minutes exercise bike & weights (I have a recumbent bike, I do intervals on it, alternating between the highest resistance for my legs, and lower resistance where I lift free weights at the same time - currently I'm using 12lb weights)
Tues, Sat: 20 minutes rowing machine, 30 minutes barre class
Thurs, Sun: 45-60 minutes HIIT barre class
I wore my Fitbit Charge 2 for the first time today during barre class, and was very pleased to see that it is as tough as I thought it was - 350 cal in 45 minutes! I am always drenched in sweat by the end.
That's a cardio programme
Agreed.
OP - why not take a few sessions with a personal trainer with the goal of learning a progressive resistance program?
If you try to do weights while doing cardio, both will suffer, and IME, especially the weights.0 -
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trudiebamford wrote: »
Again HRM won't be accurate ..largely are accurate for steady state cardio..running, rowing, elliptical etc under specific intensities up to lactate threshold not classes ...take a percentagetrudiebamford wrote: »
Well you have to do what's best for you...weight training is not the only way but you aren't doing strength training so work on intensity, incline, pace etc ...you want to focus on legs? Throw in squats lunges and step ups
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I'm 60, and lost down to near the lower end of the healthy BMI range for my 5'5" height (for good reasons we don't need to go into here, none of which had to do with vanity).
FWIW, my face initially looked somewhat drawn and gaunt once I reached goal weight, but it has materially improved in the 7-8 months since (not just my opinion, have had friends say the same). I'm not totally certain, but I think maybe I had some looseness in my facial skin, and that it has continued to tighten up as time passes, even at my age.
And here comes TMI: Initially, my a** looked like bulldog's face - lots of droopy bits - not good, not good at all. Thankfully, that, too, has improved!
So, if you drop weight, especially if you do so somewhat quickly, don't assume your immediate appearance results are your final appearance results. If things start to look scary to you, one strategy would be a maintenance break for a while, to see if the worrisome effects reduce with time, then lose more later if you decide you can accommodate it.
Good luck!0 -
This is where building muscle comes in. I lost about 22 lbs after 45 but I had some muscle to begin with and I started Stronglufts and built some more. Retaining muscle looks youthful. I have depression and I find strength training to be very helpful with that. Following a proven program is best. Do some cardio after if that is helpful for your mood.0
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Not over 40 but close enough. My face looked terrible at 120lbs so I started to exercise and strength train and that seemed to improve many of my issues. I'm a 110 now and my face is no longer gaunt and my butt no longer flops around when I go downstairs. I strength train three times a week and I walk for about an hour to an hour and a half every night (very relaxing). Exercise made all the difference in the world. With exception of my breasts, my body is back to what it was in my late teens early twenties. Sadly, from gaining the weight and then losing my boobs have stretch marks that I could hide quarters in...I think surgical intervention is my only option at this point, and I don't know if I'm brave enough to take that route
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