Losing Weight After 50
logemana
Posts: 2 Member
Hi I’m Amy. I’ve lost 23 lbs using MFP and have another 40 to go. Trying to increase my activity and took a 3 mile walk. But my knee hurts. Trying lose weight after 50 is a little different for me. I will say it’s more about the food than the exercise for me. Thoughts?
6
Replies
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Great job on your loss! Its CICO (calories in/calories out), no matter if you're 30 or 60. Now, over 50 can present different challenges; hormones, menopause, aches and pains we didn't have at 30, but it still is math. Plus it's more important for us mature ladies to strength train to keep our bones strong. I'm 51, lost 30 last year, and then fell off the wagon. Only gained 7 back, but ready to get back to business. Good luck to you and don't allow age to be an excuse.10
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I think most people get more weight-loss benefit from managing calories than from exercise. I have to work really hard for the better part of an hour to get around 300 calories of exercise, and skipping eating 300 calories takes no time at all, and much less effort.
Had you been walking much before the 3 miles? If not, maybe that was just a bit much for a start. I went for a 4-mile walk the other day, after not doing any distance cloase to that for several months, and really paid for it knee-wise, because my knees are not that fab to start. I've been rowing & spinning regularly, but walking is a different stressor, and I should know by now that I personally need to work up in distance over a period of time, not just jump back in. It usually helps me to ice the knees after exercise that provokes them.
It's also possible that walking isn't the exercise for you, even though it's excellent for a lot of people. I don't walk as a main part of my activities because that's definitely true for me. (I just try to walk far enough, often enough, that I keep conditioned for things like art fairs and music festivals, where walking is key to having fun.) But other activities work for me, I've found, after experimentation. I do OK with exercises that don't have much impact or knee torque, so rowing & cycling work well for me. But individual circumstances/conditions vary.
Is there a pool near you? Water exercises are easy on the joints. Something like yoga or Tai Chi could also be something to try. Strength training is great, and automatically scaled to our current capability level, because one can start with lighter weight.
I lost around 50 pounds at age 59-60, and didn't really change my exercise level at all to do it. (I was pretty active, but had been since I started rowing in my mid-40s after decades being mostly sedentary.) So, eating changes alone are enough for weight loss, but exercise is good in other ways.
I always say: Sensible calories for weight management + well-balanced eating for nutrition + exercise for fitness = best odds of long-term good health . . . which is what most of us want, right?
Best wishes!8 -
Hi I’m Amy. I’ve lost 23 lbs using MFP and have another 40 to go. Trying to increase my activity and took a 3 mile walk. But my knee hurts. Trying lose weight after 50 is a little different for me. I will say it’s more about the food than the exercise for me. Thoughts?
The good news for you is that it’s easier than after 60 but with desire, discipline, patience and perseverance, it can be done.
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I'm 50, while I lost my weight 5 years ago and I'm maintaining now.
Where we are hormonally (menopause) can definitely effects things physically as in sleep and all the not so fun side effects. Keep in mind age isn't the reason we can't lose weight and keep it off, the its all about how much we eat and how we move (or don't move). Maintaining isn't difficult as long as you keep the same principles as you did while losing.
Engage in activities and exercise you enjoy and that are low impact if you have any limitations or pain/discomfort like your knees. Build upon any exercise you do slowly doing to much too soon is going make you sore and possibly injure yourself. Congrats on the loss so far. 6 -
I know how you feel. Maybe, rather than taking one long wall, you can do a couple of shorter walks. As we get older, movement is so important for us.3
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Since I turned 50 it seems like my body wants to add belly fat and lose muscle mass even though I’m the same weight I have been. I feel like I keep needing to raise the exercise bar and lower calories to maintain.
What are your walking shoes like? Perhaps it’s time for a new pair, and if you went from zero to 3 miles maybe it was a bit too much to start. Congrats on the weight loss!2 -
Congrats on the weight loss. Something to consider are your shoes maybe they have worn out and are not giving you the support you need. When my knees begin to hurt I get new running shoes immediately. It keeps my knee pain away. Just a thought2
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I had knee issues too. Finally had a knee replacement. Which solved all those issues. Before that, though. I found exercises in the pool and the rowing machine (both nom-weight-bearing) were both quite doable (just wish I had done the replacement sooner).1
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Age isn't really the main factor at all for weight loss.
Losing weight is always mostly about how much you eat whatever your age.
Injuries aren't unique to aging either - I started wrecking my knees and back way back in my 20's and 30's.
There are some differences in that the rate of fitness improvements and recovery from exercise are slower as you age. I definitely have to train a bit smarter rather than go all out all of the time. But my volume of exercise is higher than ever but I've built that up steadily and progressively over a long time period.
For health and fitness my 50's have been a great decade and losing the excess weight has noticeably reduced the pain from my old injuries.
Keep it up Amy, it's worth it.7 -
Last year I turned 50 & I lost over 50 pounds. It seems like it's so much easier to gain the weight now than even 5 years ago, but for me, it was all about 2 things. Eating better & finding a workout that you can't wait to do again & again, which was 9Round (35 minute kickboxing workout). When I was lifting & running, it was so easy to find excuses to skip a day. Now I find excuses to get to 9Round more.3
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Hi Amy:). I’m 62 and lost over 40 pounds over this past year. For me, it’s had nothing to do with my age and everything to do with staying within my calorie goals consistently.
It’s infinitely doable!7 -
Age isn't really the main factor at all for weight loss.
Losing weight is always mostly about how much you eat whatever your age.
Injuries aren't unique to aging either - I started wrecking my knees and back way back in my 20's and 30's.
There are some differences in that the rate of fitness improvements and recovery from exercise are slower as you age. I definitely have to train a bit smarter rather than go all out all of the time. But my volume of exercise is higher than ever but I've built that up steadily and progressively over a long time period.
For health and fitness my 50's have been a great decade and losing the excess weight has noticeably reduced the pain from my old injuries.
Keep it up Amy, it's worth it.
I'm 67 and I completely agree.3 -
Since I turned 50 it seems like my body wants to add belly fat and lose muscle mass even though I’m the same weight I have been.
Every body wants to do that, regardless of age. There is really only one way to not lose muscle - resistance training. Moving them alone won't do it. And deficit, while it may help with the loss of belly fat, won't help with muscle preservation.1 -
I'm having great success after 60 and encourage you not to wait. I've learned there are 3 related facets to physical well-being: weight, health, strength; and each has a primary method of control: calories, nutrition, exercise. Using the methods to improve the facets is moving me so much closer to well-being. After a year I'm physically a different person in many ways.
It sounds like you made a couple of mistakes that many others and myself have learned the hard way too.
(1) Exercising past the point of pain yesterday discourages you from exercising today. For me the "no pain no gain" approach is discouraging. Walking is my thing too, but I began doing a slow mile every day. After a week I increased to 1.2 miles. Over a year I've slowly increased to 3 miles with an 8% incline.
(2) Expecting to lose weight fast by exercising more. Weight isn't going to drop fast without damaging health or strength. The fastest weight loss I've ever seen are people on chemo therapy. Biggest loser weight loss are not the long term winners I plan to be.
Instead of dieting then gaining it back, I'm improving my behaviors that resulted in my obesity by planned eating eating for weight loss and nutrition and by daily walking for strength. Commit to a year of serious effort and you'll achieve beyond your highest hopes.6 -
I read somewhere that diet is the driver and exercise the passenger 2
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Hi I’m Amy. I’ve lost 23 lbs using MFP and have another 40 to go. Trying to increase my activity and took a 3 mile walk. But my knee hurts. Trying lose weight after 50 is a little different for me. I will say it’s more about the food than the exercise for me. Thoughts?
When I started walking again at age 47 I started with a mile and worked my way up.
When my mom was in her 70s she was training for hiking in the Grand Canyon and for her 80th and 81st birthday went hiking in the White Mountains. (I pet sat the dog
) 5 -
What was you activity level prior to this?
I had extensive damage to my left knee and used the elliptical when I first started out on MFP. This evolved to walking and currently to running. Along the way I also started lifting heavy using a progressive resistance program and this helped more than anything. Key point though I hired a professional to ensure that my form was perfect when I get started off again.
Give it time and take it slowly. Your body is adjusting and building up capillary beds to support this new activity.1 -
Bottom line is you must keep moving; at minimum walk and stretch everyday. It's good for your heart and metabolism. Don't use those aches and pains as an excuse to avoid exercise. Yes it's frustrating, find a personal trainer who understands your needs. Good luck!2
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Age isn't really the main factor at all for weight loss.
Losing weight is always mostly about how much you eat whatever your age.
Injuries aren't unique to aging either - I started wrecking my knees and back way back in my 20's and 30's.
There are some differences in that the rate of fitness improvements and recovery from exercise are slower as you age. I definitely have to train a bit smarter rather than go all out all of the time. But my volume of exercise is higher than ever but I've built that up steadily and progressively over a long time period.
For health and fitness my 50's have been a great decade and losing the excess weight has noticeably reduced the pain from my old injuries.
Keep it up Amy, it's worth it.
I'm 67 and I completely agree.
I am 67 too. I am losing weight in my 60’s and it isn’t any harder than it was when I was in my 20’s.
I bought into the whole idea that, “it’s harder to lose weight over 40”, and figured, why try?
It takes commitment, dedication, and perseverance, no matter what age you are, and most people, with no medical issue that could affect weight loss, can do this. There are many, many people here, adults of all ages, that have done, and are doing it.
I exercise more now, than I have done in decades. Losing the weight has made a lot of difference in my mobility.
3 -
Hi I’m Amy. I’ve lost 23 lbs using MFP and have another 40 to go. Trying to increase my activity and took a 3 mile walk. But my knee hurts. Trying lose weight after 50 is a little different for me. I will say it’s more about the food than the exercise for me. Thoughts?
It's more about the food than exercise for everyone, regardless of age. Exercise is great for overall health and well being and has the added benefit of increasing energy expenditure to some degree...but for most people, that degree is relatively small as compared to the calories being expended just being alive and going about your day to day.3 -
missysippy930 wrote: »Age isn't really the main factor at all for weight loss.
Losing weight is always mostly about how much you eat whatever your age.
Injuries aren't unique to aging either - I started wrecking my knees and back way back in my 20's and 30's.
There are some differences in that the rate of fitness improvements and recovery from exercise are slower as you age. I definitely have to train a bit smarter rather than go all out all of the time. But my volume of exercise is higher than ever but I've built that up steadily and progressively over a long time period.
For health and fitness my 50's have been a great decade and losing the excess weight has noticeably reduced the pain from my old injuries.
Keep it up Amy, it's worth it.
I'm 67 and I completely agree.
I am 67 too. I am losing weight in my 60’s and it isn’t any harder than it was when I was in my 20’s.
I bought into the whole idea that, “it’s harder to lose weight over 40”, and figured, why try?
It takes commitment, dedication, and perseverance, no matter what age you are, and most people, with no medical issue that could affect weight loss, can do this. There are many, many people here, adults of all ages, that have done, and are doing it.
I exercise more now, than I have done in decades. Losing the weight has made a lot of difference in my mobility.
I agree. I lost 40+ lbs in my 60s. The real issue is that most of us let ourselves get more sedentary and do less to preserve muscle mass as we age. I understand why. Career and family responsibilities, especially if we have a desk job, time pressure. It is more difficult than when we were young to stay active.
But, if we increase out N.E.A.T. (or keep it high) and mind our calories, we can lose weight just fine. I feel that the age thing is really an excuse for these other factors.
Personally, I walk, intentionally or otherwise, 4 to 5 miles per day (sometimes more) and weight train 3 to 4 times per week. I am at the lowest weight and body fat I've been since I was 30. I'm am fit and can do pretty much anything I ever could. I just may not be able to do it as often. As sjomial pointed out, recover from vigorous activity becomes a little more of an issue.3 -
Just breaking this down to the math there is a greater impact from calories than exercise in the average individual.
1200 kcals intake vs 600 kcals of an intense exercise session.
To ensure success monitor and control you intake and output.1 -
I just turned 56 yesterday and I have lost 37 lbs over the past 3 months. When I am at work I just get up and walk up and down the hall every hour or so...just to keep moving. When I am at home I use a recumbent bike for my cardio exercise....it is easy on my back and knees.3
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missysippy930 wrote: »Age isn't really the main factor at all for weight loss.
Losing weight is always mostly about how much you eat whatever your age.
Injuries aren't unique to aging either - I started wrecking my knees and back way back in my 20's and 30's.
There are some differences in that the rate of fitness improvements and recovery from exercise are slower as you age. I definitely have to train a bit smarter rather than go all out all of the time. But my volume of exercise is higher than ever but I've built that up steadily and progressively over a long time period.
For health and fitness my 50's have been a great decade and losing the excess weight has noticeably reduced the pain from my old injuries.
Keep it up Amy, it's worth it.
I'm 67 and I completely agree.
I am 67 too. I am losing weight in my 60’s and it isn’t any harder than it was when I was in my 20’s.
I bought into the whole idea that, “it’s harder to lose weight over 40”, and figured, why try?
It takes commitment, dedication, and perseverance, no matter what age you are, and most people, with no medical issue that could affect weight loss, can do this. There are many, many people here, adults of all ages, that have done, and are doing it.
I exercise more now, than I have done in decades. Losing the weight has made a lot of difference in my mobility.
I agree. I lost 40+ lbs in my 60s. The real issue is that most of us let ourselves get more sedentary and do less to preserve muscle mass as we age. I understand why. Career and family responsibilities, especially if we have a desk job, time pressure. It is more difficult than when we were young to stay active.
But, if we increase out N.E.A.T. (or keep it high) and mind our calories, we can lose weight just fine. I feel that the age thing is really an excuse for these other factors.
Personally, I walk, intentionally or otherwise, 4 to 5 miles per day (sometimes more) and weight train 3 to 4 times per week. I am at the lowest weight and body fat I've been since I was 30. I'm am fit and can do pretty much anything I ever could. I just may not be able to do it as often. As sjomial pointed out, recover from vigorous activity becomes a little more of an issue.
All of this.
I lost all of my weight starting at age 52. I'm 56 now. I weigh less now than I did when I was 13 (a traumatic school weigh in burned that weight into my brain!).
I have purposefully worked to increase my N.E.A.T. because I'm short and tiny and like food too much to eat how many calories I'd get if I were sedentary.5 -
What scares me a bit is how little I can eat now to lose weight. I weigh food, track it daily and exercise 5 times a week burning 300-400 calories a session yet I cannot lose weight eating 1600-1700 calories anymore -- but I can maintain. I have to drop it close to 1200 for the scale to start budging and that is without eating back calories. Is this what is going on for anyone else?1
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I have found that my new fitness tracker overestimates the calorie burn, so I had to tweak my height to get it to be more in line with my real calorie burn. That said, overall, my activity level has decreased from age 55 to 58 because I am less involved in daily activities such as clothes shopping and school socializing for the kids.0
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