Harder to lose as we age!

Cyulrichsen

Need Motivation and Support:
Yo yo'd my whole life, never a happy in between!
Now 62 have medical issues and struggling!

L1zardQueen

But it is not. As we age we move less. How are you struggling?

MaltedTea

Hi there, @Cyulrichsen! It would be interesting to hear more about what your struggles are.

If you're looking for people similar in age to you to chat with, then perhaps this thread for mature MFPs, in their 60s and over, would be helpful...

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10718336/60-yrs-and-up/p95

callsitlikeiseeit

its all math. its not harder, it just SEEMS harder. We may be more sedentary, we may be more 'married' to certain foods or snacks, we may not have the energy or endurance for activity or exercise that we used to. There can be any number of reasons why it SEEMS harder.

But, barring any medical conditions that could interfere.... it is all about calories in and calories out. Simple math.

rosebarnalice

I'm turning 60 soon, and yes, I've found it harder to lose as I age- mostly because my various aches and pains make it tougher to exercise like I used to.

So I've had to find activities (like swimming!) that are easier on the joints, and recognize that the days of 4-hour workouts are behind me.

The good news is that as I've aged, I find my body is MUCH more responsive to what I eat--or I'm at least more aware of it. Too much salt, fat or carbs, or not enough fiber and I DEFINITELY feel it more in my joints and guts the next day. Makes it easier to load up on the veg and log honestly

Naomipearl84

@Cyulrichsen Yes, as we age our metabolism slows down, we lose muscle mass as part of the normal aging process in addition to being more sedentary, which slows it down even further. Different foods we used to be able to eat may cause us to gain weight. It is normal for our weight to fluctuate based on stress, hormones, food intake, level of exercise, and many other factors. The old standards of increasing your intake of veggies and proteins while consuming some healthy fats, and reducing your intake of processed foods and sugar, can be found any diet plan whether we're talking keto, paleo, heart healthy, meditteranean, etc. That's typically a good place to start!

@callsitlikeiseeit There is quite a bit of research regarding medications and diagnoses that can impact your metabolism, and therefore reduce your caloric output. So even though it may be about calories in and out, there is a lot that can impact that, and therefore it is not "simple math". In regards to being "Married" to certain foods, some people don't have access to certain foods depending on where they live, their ability to access them, or afford them, they may not know the correct foods to eat for their body, which may vary! Food intolerances can cause weight gain or loss.

Some people may be more sedentary due to arthritis, or other things going on. People who struggle with their weight are many - that's why we're all here, isn't it? It's not just math. It's a human body that's very beautiful and complicated machine with many factors at play.

88olds

There’s a calorie target where you will lose weight. You just have to find it. It can take a lot of trial and error. Plus, as we lose, we have to keep adjusting the number. Calculate a modest calorie deficit, make a plan, crunch the numbers and see what happens. Don’t go to pieces if the number that the calculators give you doesn’t seem to work. The process isn’t all that exact. Just keep experimenting until you get it.

Age. Don’t let your brain wreck you. You might be surprised and this might not turn out to be the monumental struggle you think. Consider this- weight loss has two parts, eating in a calorie deficit and living with it. This was some of my experience- at age 44 I had HBP, sleep apnea, debilitating back pain and a seemingly permanent cough. I weighed 285 lbs. I was in trouble. I quit drinking alcohol, “watched what I ate” and started a modest exercise program. In about 18 months I lost about 65 lbs.

Then I hit the gym. I trained with weights, and gained muscle. I quit losing weight but I didn’t care much. I felt great. My wife liked the changes. Life was good. This went on about 10 years before I got back to weight loss. I stumbled around and finally joined Weight Watchers. WW was just dressed up calorie counting. I started a food diary and worked the program. It worked. I’m 70 now. I’ve been maintains under my WW goal of 184 lbs since 2006.

Why am I telling you this? Sometimes I wonder why I wasted so much time being miserably overweight. Sometimes I kick myself for not doing something about it sooner. But this- in order to lose weight I had to grow up first. When it comes to growing up age is a distinct advantage. It’s not automatic as we well know. But age has some advantages. Even my WW experience, why didn’t I do that sooner? I wasn’t ready. When I was a kid of 45 I wasn’t going to do all that weighing and measuring and tracking. No, I was going to go to the gym and pump iron.

So age may have a small downside but might also have a big upside. Don’t be discouraged. You might be surprised. I sure was.

springlering62

88olds wrote: »

Why am I telling you this? Sometimes I wonder why I wasted so much time being miserably overweight. Sometimes I kick myself for not doing something about it sooner. But this- in order to lose weight I had to grow up first. When it comes to growing up age is a distinct advantage. It’s not automatic as we well know. But age has some advantages. Even my WW experience, why didn’t I do that sooner? I wasn’t ready. When I was a kid of 45 I wasn’t going to do all that weighing and measuring and tracking. No, I was going to go to the gym and pump iron.

So age may have a small downside but might also have a big upside. Don’t be discouraged. You might be surprised. I sure was.

Preach.

springlering62

@Cyulrichsen there's a whole passle of us here on MFP who have lost substantial amounts of weight in our 50’s and above. I started at 56.

Heck, someone posted here yesterday that was in their nineties.

There’s so much misinformation out there that can get in your head and fill your mind full of “I can’t”

As @88olds says, you have to find your “I can”.

Zinka61

I'm 60, and while I think it's a little harder, it's not un-doable. I'm maintaining, but feel free to send me a FR if a friend would help.

ridiculous59

I recently posted this on another thread:

I would say that every age bracket has its own set of challenges. For example, the university student trying to lose weight is under stress during exam times, is away from home, peer pressure to drink (so many calories!), etc. The young parents who are juggling work, small children, finances, and are sleep deprived. The busy households with teenagers, scheduling proper mealtimes around their jobs and after school activities. Empty nesters who are getting re-acquainted with their spouse plus work pressure because by this time they may have more career responsibilities. Then there's retirement, with its change in routine and less disciplined days.

Of course I'm generalizing, but the point is that every age has its own battles. The great thing about being older is that often we have more time to devote to the process of losing weight. I have less outside noise in my life, less demands on my time. I think at any age we can find excuses for not buckling down and doing what needs to be done. But that's what they are: excuses.

I lost 90 pounds in my mid 50's. As a 61 year old sedentary woman I can only eat 1500 calories in maintenance. That's not alot, so I "move" a minimum of 60 minutes per day. I need it for my mental health as well as my physical health and couldn't imagine a day without it. And I have to be vigilant about my calories or the scale creeps up.

Bottom line: Its no harder in your 60's. Just different challenges.

springlering62

ridiculous59 wrote: »

I recently posted this on another thread:

I would say that every age bracket has its own set of challenges. For example, the university student trying to lose weight is under stress during exam times, is away from home, peer pressure to drink (so many calories!), etc. The young parents who are juggling work, small children, finances, and are sleep deprived. The busy households with teenagers, scheduling proper mealtimes around their jobs and after school activities. Empty nesters who are getting re-acquainted with their spouse plus work pressure because by this time they may have more career responsibilities. Then there's retirement, with its change in routine and less disciplined days.

Of course I'm generalizing, but the point is that every age has its own battles. The great thing about being older is that often we have more time to devote to the process of losing weight. I have less outside noise in my life, less demands on my time. I think at any age we can find excuses for not buckling down and doing what needs to be done. But that's what they are: excuses.

I lost 90 pounds in my mid 50's. As a 61 year old sedentary woman I can only eat 1500 calories in maintenance. That's not alot, so I "move" a minimum of 60 minutes per day. I need it for my mental health as well as my physical health and couldn't imagine a day without it. And I have to be vigilant about my calories or the scale creeps up.

Bottom line: Its no harder in your 60's. Just different challenges.

That is really really well put. One of the top half dozen things I’ve read on MFP!