Anyone had major success later in life?

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  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,227 Member
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    I did not read all the replies, but you are only 40. I am 50 and lose just fine. I have many people I know here who are even older. It will require eating at a moderate deficit, say a goal of 1 pound per week, measuring your food intake carefully, and being consistent, but 40 is far from any sort of age where it will be an issue.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    Jeez.... I'm turning 45 this week and far from ready to die yet....

    I lost about 50lbs just by sticking to my calories and strength training. 40's is no excuse for anything. There are plenty of people here who are longer in the tooth and killing it. Make a plan and stick to it and you will too.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Brocksterdanza wrote: »
    I feel like a gain and lose the same 10 pounds over and over. I'm almost 40(male). I know metabolism slows as we age but i wonder if it is a nearly impossible feat. Im a big guy as it is 250... and i would love to weigh 205-210... i used to weigh 325... im just not sure if I'm setting unrealistic goals for myself. I recently completed the spartan trifecta and felt that was a major accomplishment for me nearly being 40. I have some in my gym telling me to really pound out cardio and do simply maintenace weight training. That these 2 will butt heads if you combine the 2. Im a coach and i know that the two can coexist for the common good, but on the other hand realize that if i do too much cardio, ill begin to lose muscle. I guess my question is if i lift and combine cardio and keep my caloric deficit at about 750 a day, will i lose the weight and maintain the majority of my muscle. Also, how important do you feel protein shakes? I am struggling to get my protein numbers each day. Thanks gang!

    No offense but most of what you think is untrue.

    Metabolism doesn't slow down as you get older , people do sometimes though.

    I've bulked when running at least 60 miles a week. If you eat enough and do resistance training, you will not lose muscle . When you do cardio and lift it can drain your energy to where you might not lift as heavy or often as if you didn't. So you might not gain as much muscle, but proper fueled you will not lose muscle.

    Protien shakes are suppliments that can help you add calories when you might not have enough. Running and lifting together during s program would be a good example for some people. I enjoy real food, and have no problems eating enough calories for the most part do I don't waste my money.

    Main thing is eat your minimums macros and do progressive resistance training and if you are truly eating in a deficit, you will be "in good shape".
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,221 Member
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    I'm 43 and have lost 120 lbs (with about 30 left to go). You can do it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2016
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    I started this journey eleven months ago at age 48. Today, at 49, I weigh 50 lbs. less. I am female, very short, perimenopausal, and have thyroid disease. My husband started 10 months ago. He has lost 100 lbs. He is 45 years old. Yes, it can be done.

    We don't drink protein shakes. There are probably some delicious ones out there but I don't like to drink my meals.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,139 Member
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    Perimenopausal 49 year old woman here ... I started with MFP when I was 48 and lost 25 kg/55 lbs in two sets of 16 weeks ... and thus dropped to the weight I was in the early 2000s, and also my high school weight. :)

    The year before I started that, my husband who was 58 at the time, also lost the same amount of weight, back into his normal BMI range.

    As for protein shakes ... I don't drink my calories.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Brocksterdanza wrote: »
    I feel like a gain and lose the same 10 pounds over and over. I'm almost 40(male). I know metabolism slows as we age but i wonder if it is a nearly impossible feat. Im a big guy as it is 250... and i would love to weigh 205-210... i used to weigh 325... im just not sure if I'm setting unrealistic goals for myself. I recently completed the spartan trifecta and felt that was a major accomplishment for me nearly being 40. I have some in my gym telling me to really pound out cardio and do simply maintenace weight training. That these 2 will butt heads if you combine the 2. Im a coach and i know that the two can coexist for the common good, but on the other hand realize that if i do too much cardio, ill begin to lose muscle. I guess my question is if i lift and combine cardio and keep my caloric deficit at about 750 a day, will i lose the weight and maintain the majority of my muscle. Also, how important do you feel protein shakes? I am struggling to get my protein numbers each day. Thanks gang!

    I dunno, what do you consider "major success"? I'm 54 years old, 6'6" tall, was 270 lbs. in September of 2015. This morning I weighed in at 214 (56 pounds lost). I've lost 15% - 20% bodyfat and am wearing 34" waist pants (was wearing 42" waist pants last September). I lift weights 3x/week, ride my mountain bike and run 3-5 miles two or three times a week. I'm in the best physical condition I've been in since I was 20-21 years old and aesthetically my body probably looks the best it ever has.

    "Almost 40" isn't anywhere near over the hill (nor is it "later in life") and your goals are nowhere near impossible or unrealistic, given the proper dedication and focus. As to your bolded question above - run a reasonable calorie deficit with adequate protein intake, get on a well-designed strength training program and do sane amounts of cardio and you'll have no problem losing the weight and maintaining the majority of your muscle mass.

    If you're gaining and losing the same 10 pounds over and over, my first observation would be that your diet isn't in check. You can't out-train a bad diet. Establish a reasonable calorie deficit and stick to it first and foremost - exercise is a great thing for a lot of reasons, but calories are what matter when it comes to weight loss. Calories to lose the weight, exercise for optimal body composition.
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,821 Member
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    69 still trying how csnbe 40 later in life OMG where does that leave me ?
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Brocksterdanza wrote: »
    I feel like a gain and lose the same 10 pounds over and over. I'm almost 40(male). I know metabolism slows as we age but i wonder if it is a nearly impossible feat. Im a big guy as it is 250... and i would love to weigh 205-210... i used to weigh 325... im just not sure if I'm setting unrealistic goals for myself. I recently completed the spartan trifecta and felt that was a major accomplishment for me nearly being 40. I have some in my gym telling me to really pound out cardio and do simply maintenace weight training. That these 2 will butt heads if you combine the 2. Im a coach and i know that the two can coexist for the common good, but on the other hand realize that if i do too much cardio, ill begin to lose muscle. I guess my question is if i lift and combine cardio and keep my caloric deficit at about 750 a day, will i lose the weight and maintain the majority of my muscle. Also, how important do you feel protein shakes? I am struggling to get my protein numbers each day. Thanks gang!

    How long did it take you to lose those 120 lbs?

    Maybe you lost them too quickly.

    Did you alter your calorie deficit in line with losing weight?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Brocksterdanza wrote: »
    Sorry, just have always heard that after 40, you are on the backside of your life... didn't mean to ruffle feathers... my apologies

    It actually made me smile.
    I was talking with same aged friends over the weekend and the penny dropped that if I call myself "middle aged" at 56 I will have to live to 112..... :neutral:

    In my 50's I lost my the extra weight (30lbs) I carried around for 20 years to get back to the weight I was in college, got very fit (still setting PB's for distance cycled in a day) and restored my strength/muscle.
    The balance of cardio and strength training really should come from your personal fitness/strength goals rather than weight loss goals - plus that vital thing called enjoyment. If you don't enjoy it then it's far less likely you will stick to your program. "Pounding out the cardio" sounds a very short term view and no fun at all.
    I do more exercise at goal weight than I did when losing weight simply because I enjoy it and enjoy feeling strong/fit.

    Personally I know I need to strength train x3 a week to make progress. I very rarely do strength and cardio in the same sessions as I like to really focus on that day's activity with no compromise, alternating days is my preference. My cardio varies from 3 - 4 hours a week in winter to 8 - 9 hours a week in the summer cycling season.
  • Brocksterdanza
    Brocksterdanza Posts: 208 Member
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    It took me roughly about 14 months or so to lose the weight.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    I love protein shakes (and bars) to get in extra protein!! I struggle to get enough cuz I don't like to eat large portions of meat.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    I wouldn't count 40 as later in life....

    but yeah at 42 I decided enough with yogo dieting/gaining weight and found MFP... been in maintenance for almost 4 years now. Age is just a number.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    And I sure hope it's possible to have success later in life... I'm almost 36 and finally getting strong & fit for the first time in my life. I plan to keep it up as long as possible and be healthier & hotter in my late 30s & 40s than I was in my 20s & early 30s!
  • DM01234
    DM01234 Posts: 317 Member
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    Totally. I didn't start until I was 47. 3 years later I'm in the best shape of my life.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited November 2016
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    No dice OP, sorry but you are finished. I mean I'm nearly a decade older than you and I think I'll be dead in another year or two, three tops! Better prepare yourself and your loved ones because you never know when now.

    Seriously though, 6 months before I turned 45 I was tired and obese and I decided I was going to get in much better shape and dropped 45 pounds, while maintaining most of my muscle then added muscle back after the weight loss. Ended up around 8-10% BF and ripped nicely by the time I hit 45. I've been bulking and cutting in mini cycles since and put back on about 20 pounds but still have abs to show for it, a better than 1000lb powerlifting triple and can run 5K in 23 minutes and I just finished a Spartan Trifecta last month. So being nearly 40 isn't the issue as so many have pointed out you just need to find a plan that you like and execute it.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Almost 40 is nothing (I'm 38), there's people here that are in their 60s, 70s and beyond who have lost the extra weight and are maintaining their losses.

    Eat at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals (you can figure that out by entering your stats into MFP), and then stick with it. Simple as that.

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