Starting new habits, letting go of old

maryrunnells

Good morning, I am 65 years old ( I know that sounds old but I don’t feel old) and looking forward to being the healthiest I can be. My goals are to lose 30 lbs in 6 months and to build muscle and strength. I’m looking for positive, people to encourage and support me and who I can encourage support in our journey.

AnnPT77

Hello, @maryrunnells, and welcome to the Community!

No, 65 doesn't sound old. (I'm 68 .)

Losing 30 pounds in 6 months is a somewhat ambitious/aggressive goal IMO, but for sure huge progress in 6 months is very achievable. (It took me just under a year to lose 50-some pounds at age 59-60 back in 2015-16. I've been maintaining a healthy weight since.)

Building muscle is a slower proposition (likely to be even slower while weigh loss is happening alongside), but very achievable at our age and older. Strength improvement usually precedes muscle mass gain, and strength feels good and is useful in daily life, so there are multiple wins in that course of action.

You probably already know this, but getting adequate protein is also key for strength/muscle gain, and there's current advice that those in our demographic will benefit from spreading protein through the day (vs. concentrating it all in one meal such as dinner). I found this helpful:

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

Wishing you huge success!

frhaberl

Hi @maryrunnells. I'm 48 and hope to continue to not feel (or act) my age well beyond where you're at now.

AnnPT77 has given some great insight. I wanted to second her observation that 30 lbs in 6 months could be an aggressive target, especially if you don't have a lot of weight to lose. I actually don't have a problem with aggressive targets, as long as you're confident that falling behind won't derail you. About a year ago I mapped out my full 80 lb weight loss journey in a spreadsheet. I had a column for "Target Weight" and rows for each week. The important thing I did up front was have another column labeled "Adjusted Target" between "Target" and "Actual". If I was tracking off of my "Target" for 4 weeks in a row, I recalculated my "Adjusted Target" values and populated through the end. I incorporated a 6 week pause in weight loss over the holidays and had weights at which I would slow my pace (dropping from 1.5 lb/week to 1 lb/week to 0.5 lb/week). I highlighted landmark weights and when I should reach them. I update my spreadsheet once a week with NSVs in the comments, as well as the other things I have been tracking (weight, BMI, % bodyweight lost, VO2 max, measurements).

Early in this journey the adjustments I made were generally to reflect faster than pace losses. Then I would hit a bit of a stall and go look at the "Target" and remind myself that I was still ahead of where I originally expected to be if my weight loss had been linear. As I've gotten closer to my goal weight, I've realized that sustainability and balance are more important than hitting a certain weight by a certain date. I've chosen to slow my weight loss pace a bit earlier and get comfortable with adding weeks to the date when I'll reach my target rather than subtracting them. It may sound strange where you're at, but I am actually more proud of those adjustments than I am the earlier adjustments. It's built my confidence that I will continue moving in the right direction, even when the results are taking longer than expected.

All of this is to say that we're here to support you in achieving your goals, no matter how long it takes.

maryrunnells

Thank you for your thoughtful and inspiring comments. All good things to keep in mind. Definitely going to start a spreadsheet!

maryrunnells

Ann, thank you for the research-based article and reminders about building muscle mass and strength-building. My main goals are to increase strength and flexibility, reduce blood sugar, and lose 30 lbs ( in that order). The timeframe will keep the weight loss in the forefront of my mind but I am willing to make adjustments. The protein increase is something I will watch carefully since I believe when I don’t get enough I get tired and self-sabotage. Thanks again for the support, greatly appreciated!