Hello I'm JoAnn

JoAnn9225

Im a senior 57 trying to lose weight and build muscle any suggestions are appreciated

Nova

Hello and welcome to the community!!

There are some great threads created by our members, stickied to the top of each category that may be helpful. Just look for "Most Helpful Posts - whatever the category name is”.

For example:

• Most Helpful Posts - Getting Started (Must Reads)
• Most Helpful Posts - Health and Weight Loss (Must Reads)
  
• Most Helpful Posts - Success Stories (Must Reads)
  

You can also ask your questions in any category that interests you, read posts or questions made by other members, join a group, or add some friends.

Here are some frequently asked questions that may also be helpful: FAQ's

AnnPT77

Hi, Joann, and welcome!

I'm a senior woman, too (68). I've been here for a while, loss then maintenance.

Fortunately or unfortunately, gaining muscle is a matter of manageably challenging strength training and good overall nutrition, plus patient persistence, because it's a slow thing . . . especially alongside fat loss. But it's good to start strength training right away: At minimum, it helps us keep our existing muscle while losing fat, and increases strength (which is useful in daily life and feels good).

Fat loss is simple, just a matter of eating at a sensibly moderate calorie deficit . . . but not easy psychologically every single second. Striving for fast loss can be a trap: If we have a fair amount of weight to lose, a big calorie deficit can make it hard to stay the course long enough to reach goal weight, plus can trigger fatigue that makes us rest more, move less and burn fewer calories in our daily life routine (counterproductive!).

So, moderate calorie deficit, maybe 0.5%-1% of current body weight lost per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that range unless severely obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications. And more patient persistence, if you have a fair amount to lose, because it will take time. (I lost around 50 pounds, class 1 obese to a healthy weight, back in 2015-16 at age 59-60, have been maintaining a healthy weight since, after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity.)

Wishing you success: The results are worth the effort!