Being older and losing weight

Options
2»

Replies

  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Options
    I’ve lost 43 pounds this year at age 62. It’s been easier for me this time than in past attempts.
  • Blythmag
    Blythmag Posts: 252 Member
    Options
    workinonit1956 wrote: »
    I’ve lost 43 pounds this year at age 62. It’s been easier for me this time than in past attempts.

    Why do you think it has?

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    I found it far easier to lose weight in my 50's compared to earlier attempts.
    Food labelling and tools like MyFitnessPal helped enormously as it strips away excuses. The numbers are right there and it's up to you to take action on the data in front of you.
    When you accept responsibility for how much you eat and how much you move the rest follows relatively easily - age really isn't a factor in that.

    Also I simply had more "me time" in my 50's. Children and career took up less time so I used my time to work on improving my health and fitness - losing the excess weight I carried around for over 20 years was a part of that.
  • countcurt
    countcurt Posts: 593 Member
    Options
    I guess I’d ask a different question of the OP. Which is, why does it matter? If it’s more difficult, that is?


    Because you can’t control your age. Or your genetics. Or your gender. So, to the extent that any of these plays a role in relative ease of weight loss, you have no ability to do anything about them. The one thing you can control, which is the one thing any of us can control, is how much you eat. So if you eat fewer calories than your body needs, you lose weight. Regardless of any of these other factors that might impact the actual numbers.

    So, is it harder at an older age? Wasn’t for this 60 something guy who lost all the weight in his early 50’s and has managed to keep [most of] it off over the past decade.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Options
    I'm 67 and am 8 months into maintenance. The first year I was in weight loss mode I had a full time desk job and a long commute. It was easier this time (last time was more than 5 years previously) because I lost much more slowly. I think sometimes as we age we slow down our activity level, and that makes it seem like it was easer to eat more and lose faster in the past. I know when I started to be mindful of getting in more steps as part of my daily activity (just moving around more during the day, nothing big), it wasn't really any more difficult to lose than in the past.

    Sometimes just getting out of the mindset that "it's harder because I'm older" can really make a difference in motivation and perceived effort.
  • jaweeston
    jaweeston Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    I turned 63 3 weeks ago. I started Dec1st 2017 and I have lost 60#. I have 10 more to go. MyFitnessPal has helped so much to keep me on track. My weight has been an issue my entire adulthood. This time around I realized this was for me and my Health.....not for an event or a special date or to fit into an outfit. I wanted to be as healthy as possible. I hope you can change your mindset. Even if it is difficult it is worth it. Good luck. Stay connected for support.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Options
    Turn 60 in less than 2 months. Lost ~65 pounds to get to a BMI of ~24 that I have maintained for 8 months. I have also been working out and paddling quite a bit and will turn 60 with visible abs. Age by itself is not an excuse IMO.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    Options
    I am 65 and lost 30 lbs since July. I lost 40 lbs 5 years ago and kept it off for five years, then gained 25 lbs back last winter, maybe adult children problems, maybe could not quit eating after the flu. My scales were off 10 lbs which was very discouraging was part of it. ANyway started again in July and lost 25 plus 5. I eat half what I use to, just got in a bad habit and realized all that extra food I did not need. Now I ask myself is that extra food going to do anything positive for me? and put it back.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
    Options
    I'm 62 and the thing that got me moving was seeing a video of my obese body running around with my 3 year old grandson. It's a visual that's imprinted on my mind's eye, and, coupled with the fresh awareness of my reality (spent my birthday weekend browsing the social security website wondering if i could retire yet), I've found fresh and, hopefully, enduring motivation to stay true to my fitness goals.

    top that off with a bunch of cervical and lumbar vertebrae issues that sent me to PT.

    I'm confident that losing 60 pounds over the course of a year will go a long way to improvements on all fronts (and sides, and back!)

    MFP is my most used weight loss resource - i log everything i eat, every single bite, and pay close attention to calories and macros.

    Two months in and I'm down 20 pounds, and enjoying my shrinking appearance in the mirror. (any my food costs are down by 50% since I quit eating out every day and stopped drinking beer)

    good luck to us all!
    amyfb
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    edited November 2018
    Options
    nowine4me wrote: »

    I think the biggest difference is that as I turned 50, the incentive was more about health than vanity. Avoiding disease can be a strong motivator when you see people your own age getting diabetes, cancer and heart failure.

    ^^This is true for me as well. I am in my 60s and while I see many women older than me who are fit and healthy, there are many more younger than me who are terribly overweight and suffering from health conditions that tend to go along with obesity. I would like to live independently and in reasonable health into my old age. I am working hard to regain functional baseline after a health issue earlier this fall unrelated to fitness/weight and I have a new level of appreciation for maintaining my general health and fitness level so that I can recover fully from this sort of challenge rather than being unable to deal with the next one, a steadily down-hill progression. I (kind of) accept the inevitable decline but I want to be emulating the notorious RGB into my 90s :)
  • kds10
    kds10 Posts: 452 Member
    Options


    Just turned 50 this year...lost 25 lbs my goal is to be in the best shape of my life. I tend to believe that the older u get the more active you should be!
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Options
    53 and down ~130 lbs in the last 2 yrs or so
  • jan110144
    jan110144 Posts: 1,268 Member
    Options
    I am 74 and finding that if I eat properly and exercise the weight comes off. It is not quite as easy as it was 30 years ago, but I also had more weight to lose. Everything considered, I don't think it has taken me a whole lot longer than when I was younger. Tracking both food and exercise has been really important for me

Categories