40 ish year olds??

leannehathaway1

Hi All! This is my first post though I've been a member for a while.
I am almost 40.. over the past couple years I have gained 15lbs, most of that was immediately following having an IUD put in so I blame mostly hormones and a little bit of lifestyle. I have been BC free, working out 5 days a week and eating a very clean 1200 calories for a month. I am struggling to lose anything!! I am only down 4lbs so far and I feel like I've work so hard it's disheartening. I used to diet for a week and drop 5.
So I'm looking for similar experiences.. wondering if my age and hormones are making it difficult for me. Any suggestions how to get this weight loss moving!
Thanks and good luck to you all!

JenMc14

4 pounds in a month is pretty good if you only have 15 to lose. The less weight you have to lose, the slower it goes, for many.

SuzySunshine99

A pound a week is an excellent rate of loss, especially when you don't have that much to lose.
Just be patient and adjust your expectations. It took you a couple of years to gain 15 pounds....you're not going to lose it in a few weeks. Good luck!

jkattnet

I was just thinking this same thing in the locker room. I am 41. 4 years ago, I started a lifestyle change and lost 28 lbs in 4 months. I kept the weight off (thanks to Advocare) but had a baby in 2015 and now he is 2 and I am holding onto weight that does not want me to let it go. I do know fat gets more stubborn and difficult to lose as women get older, and especially if there isn't that much to lose. I'm 152 lbs...Started 1/1 at 156. Advocare + 1 hour cardio/weights/group exercise + 1200 cal/day diet. 4 lbs isn't much to show for all this hard work! Trying to get back to 135 lbs... this is gonna be a long road!

walkdmc

I agree with the others on your progress, it's great! I've found I really need to limit carbs the older I get, especially the simple kind like sweets, cakes, etc.

DanSanthomes

Like everything when you're over 40, things take more time... :-) I used to be able to drop 7lbs in 2 weeks without thinking - it now takes me over a month to lose 3!

Just be patient and don't beat yourself up. It seems to take a while to get the loss engine started but then it's steady away after that - providing you stay the course. It's worth it - I feel so much better as I'm closing in on my target.

leannehathaway1

Thanks for the encouraging words.. I keep telling myself a loss is a lass but I'm feeling very impatient. And a little pissed at myself for not maintaining my fitness level over the past couple years lol I guess I just have to be more patient with myself

ds41980

I am 46 and I decided to get serious so I set a goal to lose 1lb per week and since july of 2016 I have lost 32 pounds. Its do able it just takes commitment and time. I had to accept it was going to take a long time to lose it all.

leannehathaway1

That's awesome! Good for you!

shawnp2

As we age we can't work out as hard. I know I dont lift with the same intensity I did in my 20s'. However, I lift far more intenesly then many men my age! You have to reset your expectations and just stay focused on your goal. Effort=Results.....Have you tried the ketogenic diet? I am seeing some impressive body recompisition in my first full month of this protocol.

AmyOutOfControl

I have also found the weight loss is harder the older I get. I used to be able to drop weight quickly without any trouble. Now that I am "40ish", I am lucky to lose 2-3 pounds a month with careful diet and exercise.

I also have to be careful with working out - no crazy weekend warrior workouts over 40 unless I want to develop an injury in muscle/bones I previously did not know existed. Getting old is stupid

Lounmoun

I'm 42. I started at 40 years and obese and dropped about 25 lbs. I have about 16 lbs to get to a healthy weight.
It is harder and slower the closer you are to a healthy weight.

SusanMFindlay

I guess I'm the odd one out. I haven't found it any more difficult to lose at 40 (after two pregnancies) than I did at 33. I think that's because I'm quite active - and I think that it's easier to lose weight when you're more active because you get to eat more (and it's easier to "budget" for splurges) since you burn more. Since activity level usually goes down with age, I think that may be why some people find it harder to lose weight as they get older?

Sumiblue

I never really tried to lose weight until my 40s. 45, to be exact. I'm 47, now. Once I found what worked; small deficit, consistent workouts (weights) & higher protein, the weight came off easily. Now I'm trying to tweak stuff-get a bit leaner and keep my hard earned muscle.

sasafras21

I wish I had the time, does anybody have four kids, school working on second masters and a full time job? I'm trying to walk on my lunch break but I'm exhausted! But I struggled with an eating disorder for so long and now I want to do this the right way, btw never lost the other way. Now that I'm 40 I'm struggling to get the last 10 lbs off

vabarnes15

I'm sure this has already been said, but I bet you're loosing body fat & gaining lean muscle so you've actually lost more like 6-8lbs. Also...if you're working out that often, make sure you're eating enough so you're not burning muscle for energy & storing fat as too few cals:)

Sumiblue

vabarnes15 wrote: »

I'm sure this has already been said, but I bet you're loosing body fat & gaining lean muscle so you've actually lost more like 6-8lbs. Also...if you're working out that often, make sure you're eating enough so you're not burning muscle for energy & storing fat as too few cals:)

You don't gain muscle that easily. One needs to be eating a surplus of calories, or at least maintenance calories, getting enough protein and be doing some kind of regular resistance training to gain muscle. 1200 calories sounds low, plus with added exercise net calories are even lower. Not a recipe for muscle gain.

Sumiblue

OP, 1200 calories is supposed to be the base calories recommended and eat back some exercise calories on top of that. Unless you are very short and very sedentary, 1200 is too low.
If you only have 15 lbs to lose you shouldn't be trying to lose more than .5 lb/wk. give your body some fuel to run in. Look into metabolic adaptation. Give your body too little food and too much activity and metabolism starts to slow down to match reduced energy intake.