Over 50 ladies - how did you finally lose the weight?
mrsgoodwine
Posts: 468 Member
What was the number one thing that worked for you
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Replies
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same thing that works for everyone else. calorie deficit.What was the number one thing that worked for you0 -
Eating the right amount of calories and increasing activity just a little bit.0
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You are clearly not a woman over 50.
same thing that works for everyone else. calorie deficit.What was the number one thing that worked for you0 -
Bump0
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Thanks!0 -
I stopped eating so much.What was the number one thing that worked for you0 -
I am, and I've lost 42 pounds.
You are clearly not a woman over 50.
same thing that works for everyone else. calorie deficit.What was the number one thing that worked for you0 -
I am 62. The same way everyone else loses, by eating less calories than my body burns.
I did not begin to exercise until I had lost 90#. At that time I began by taking short walks.0 -
Age is really irrelevant to everything but your BMR or TDEE.
Otherwise, it's the same for everyone - a calorie deficit, and only a calorie deficit.
Good luck.0 -
What was the number one thing that worked for you
A consistent calorie deficit.0 -
You are clearly not a woman over 50.
same thing that works for everyone else. calorie deficit.What was the number one thing that worked for you
No, but he is absolutely correct, it is the only thing that works, for anyone.0 -
Yes, I am aware of calories in and calories out. I am looking specifically for over 50 and post menopausal. I never had an issue losing by just creating a calorie deficiency - except now. The same things that worked for me then are not working for me now. Just wondered if anyone is doing anything different. More workouts, clean eating, vitamins - that sort of thing.0
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same as before. appropriate calorie deficit.Yes, I am aware of calories in and calories out. I am looking specifically for over 50 and post menopausal. I never had an issue losing by just creating a calorie deficiency - except now. The same things that worked for me then are not working for me now. Just wondered if anyone is doing anything different. More workouts, clean eating, vitamins - that sort of thing.0 -
Yes, I am aware of calories in and calories out. I am looking specifically for over 50 and post menopausal. I never had an issue losing by just creating a calorie deficiency - except now. The same things that worked for me then are not working for me now. Just wondered if anyone is doing anything different. More workouts, clean eating, vitamins - that sort of thing.
What I'm doing different is eating at a small calorie deficit, lifting heavy weights and getting adequate protein, to preserve lean body mass as I get older. I'm focusing more on cutting fat than on losing weight. This is an alternative to eating crazy low always on a diet and banging head against the wall because I can't lose that last 8 pounds. I am a lot happier with my body now than I was 7 years ago when I was 15 pounds lighter but had a comparatively higher body fat %.0 -
Yes, I am aware of calories in and calories out. I am looking specifically for over 50 and post menopausal. I never had an issue losing by just creating a calorie deficiency - except now. The same things that worked for me then are not working for me now. Just wondered if anyone is doing anything different. More workouts, clean eating, vitamins - that sort of thing.
What I'm doing different is eating at a small calorie deficit, lifting heavy weights and getting adequate protein, to preserve lean body mass as I get older. I'm focusing more on cutting fat than on losing weight. This is an alternative to eating crazy low always on a diet and banging head against the wall because I can't lose that last 8 pounds. I am a lot happier with my body now than I was 7 years ago when I was 15 pounds lighter but had a comparatively higher body fat %.
Thanks, deksgrl. I've always done cardio and I was just thinking the other day about adding strength training. I don't worry about bulking up so I would be okay with lifting heavy in addition to a calorie deficiency. For the record, I only have about 10 pounds to lose and they are hanging on for dear life.0 -
Tracking, tracking and tracking. Eating healthier and adding strength training instead of just cardio. I love to walk but I know I need to maintain muscle after 50. Good luck!0
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Yes, I do need to track better - most definitely. Thanks!Tracking, tracking and tracking. Eating healthier and adding strength training instead of just cardio. I love to walk but I know I need to maintain muscle after 50. Good luck!0 -
Yes, I am aware of calories in and calories out. I am looking specifically for over 50 and post menopausal. I never had an issue losing by just creating a calorie deficiency - except now. The same things that worked for me then are not working for me now. Just wondered if anyone is doing anything different. More workouts, clean eating, vitamins - that sort of thing.
What I'm doing different is eating at a small calorie deficit, lifting heavy weights and getting adequate protein, to preserve lean body mass as I get older. I'm focusing more on cutting fat than on losing weight. This is an alternative to eating crazy low always on a diet and banging head against the wall because I can't lose that last 8 pounds. I am a lot happier with my body now than I was 7 years ago when I was 15 pounds lighter but had a comparatively higher body fat %.
Thanks, deksgrl. I've always done cardio and I was just thinking the other day about adding strength training. I don't worry about bulking up so I would be okay with lifting heavy in addition to a calorie deficiency. For the record, I only have about 10 pounds to lose and they are hanging on for dear life.
You will not bulk, it is extremely difficult for women to bulk. Any "bulky" women you see worked really hard to get that way on purpose, it won't happen otherwise.0 -
I use MFP and work out quite a lot (at least 60 minutes per day). I like variety in my working out so I do water aerobics, Zumba, strength training and yoga - mixed up throughout the week. I know if I were eating at this deficit and exercising this much before menopause I would most likely be losing at twice the rate. It seems like after menopause our bodies really go into "survive by hanging on to every calorie" mode.0
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Yes, I am aware of calories in and calories out. I am looking specifically for over 50 and post menopausal. I never had an issue losing by just creating a calorie deficiency - except now. The same things that worked for me then are not working for me now. Just wondered if anyone is doing anything different. More workouts, clean eating, vitamins - that sort of thing.
I'm 60 and a woman but that has nothing to do with anything. There isn't anything special or mysterious about losing weight over age 50.
I lost about 50 pounds in 2013 in about 5 months. I logged everything on MFP, which made me aware of my calorie intake. I was eating too much.
I stopped eating added sugar sweets because I couldn't control myself and just ate fruit instead. I walked everywhere (to work, local stores, coffee with friends, etc.) instead of using my car. I planned all my meals and made food ahead of time so I wouldn't run for high calorie fast food when I was tired. I bought a water bottle and took it to work with me.
Eat whatever fits into your lifestyle, but eat less than you burn. Exercise more. Find something you like to do for exercise and do it. For me, it's ordinary walking. In good weather I like to walk for hours across a local national park. For you it might be something else. Just get off the couch.0 -
Oh yes, I am having the same problem. 5 years ago - everything I am doing now worked, but no more. It is so frustrating. I have a fit bit and have been logging 10,0000 steps per day but I really need to hit the weights. I can't run anymore because I messed up my knee about a year ago and it just aggravates it when I try to run. But I can definitely lift. Thanks so much for your input!I use MFP and work out quite a lot (at least 60 minutes per day). I like variety in my working out so I do water aerobics, Zumba, strength training and yoga - mixed up throughout the week. I know if I were eating at this deficit and exercising this much before menopause I would most likely be losing at twice the rate. It seems like after menopause our bodies really go into "survive by hanging on to every calorie" mode.0 -
First, ignore the trolls who lay in wait to say snarky things on any thread on any iteration of "why isn't the weight moving?" Your question has attracted one or two of them here--these people pop up over and over to say the same unkind things on every thread of this nature.
As a pre-menopausal woman (I'll be 50 next year), I have noticed losing weight is a very different experience now than it was when I was in my thirties and forties. It's harder. The reasons, I think, might be myriad:
One, we know from science that we lose muscle every year. It's common sense that, unless you've carefully maintained muscle tone through adulthood, you have less muscle now than you did in earlier decades, so you have a smaller percentage of your body mass that burns calories at rest.
Two, women in their fifties and older no longer have regular cycles for natural cycles of water retention and elimination. I worked for 3 months, carefully counting calories, maintaining the right nutrient balance, and exercising, but did not begin to lose weight until I had a cycle. Where you are in that hormone cycle is manipulating your water retention, which will mask for some period the weight loss you are achieving. But stick with it! Eventually, your body will stabilize and you will experience results. It can take, sometimes, quite a long time. For me, it was 12 weeks of consistency before the scale budged. But it has started to regularly move down as I continue with my good habits.
For me (and to more directly answer your question), the number one thing that helped me, as a woman in my (almost) fifties has been:
*Weight training*
It's a strategy to accomplish the goal that requires some faith, because initially, weight training keeps the scale from moving. As your muscles are being torn-down and rebuilt, there is water involved, and some studies (not all) say that muscle weighs more than fat. But keep going. You will first notice a difference in the way your clothes fit. But eventually, your weight will also start to decline. It will happen. It is happening (finally) for me.
From there, my remaining list of "most effectives" would include:
Bumping up Protein in the Diet, Trying to Diminish Sugar/Carbs
Drinking Lots of Water
Buying an Inexpensive Food Scale (you probably are already using one; I just thought I'd mention it)
Using a Heart Rate Monitor to Track Calorie Burn Accurately (again, you probably already do. Just in case you're in the market, Polar makes very good ones. Here's the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Purple/dp/B005M1P85O/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1395609027&sr=1-1&keywords=heart+rate+monitor)
And Lastly (as unfair as it seems because after all, the MFP formulas are supposed to have a calorie deficit BUILT IN), Not Eating All your Exercise Calories Back. (It took me a while to accept this. Exercise is such hard work--why do it if it doesn't mean you can eat more?) But in the end, NOT eating all my exercise calories (I try to leave 100-200 in my account at the end of the day) DID help. Darn it!
Good luck. For some of us, weight loss is an exercise in patience. I'm with you on the "Sure and Steady Wins the Race" team.
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I use MFP and work out quite a lot (at least 60 minutes per day). I like variety in my working out so I do water aerobics, Zumba, strength training and yoga - mixed up throughout the week. I know if I were eating at this deficit and exercising this much before menopause I would most likely be losing at twice the rate. It seems like after menopause our bodies really go into "survive by hanging on to every calorie" mode.
The change in hormones shifts our fat around more to the middle. In addition, the hormonal changes, interruptions in sleep, etc, causes excess Cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone and causes you to hang on to your fat stores. This can also be made worse by eating too little and exercising too much. We think it is necessary to do more in order to lose more, but we can be causing further release of Cortisol and thus actually making it harder for us to lose the weight.0 -
First, ignore the trolls who lay in wait to say snarky things on any thread on any iteration of "why isn't the weight moving?" Your question has attracted one or two of them here--these people pop up over and over to say the same unkind things on every thread of this nature.
I saw no snark in this thread, only truth. The number one thing IS calorie deficit. Does it take longer for women over 50? It can, but that doesn't change the fact that a calorie deficit is indeed the number one factor in weight loss, so therefore, their posts were not snarky, they were factual.0 -
Wow, thank you so much for your thoughtful response and your kindness. I will definitely incorporate your very sound advice.First, ignore the trolls who lay in wait to say snarky things on any thread on any iteration of "why isn't the weight moving?" Your question has attracted one or two of them here--these people pop up over and over to say the same unkind things on every thread of this nature.
As a pre-menopausal woman (I'll be 50 next year), I have noticed losing weight is a very different experience now than it was when I was in my thirties and forties. It's harder. The reasons, I think, might be myriad:
One, we know from science that we lose muscle every year. It's common sense that, unless you've carefully maintained muscle tone through adulthood, you have less muscle now than you did in earlier decades, so you have a smaller percentage of your body mass that burns calories at rest.
Two, women in their fifties and older no longer have regular cycles for natural cycles of water retention and elimination. I worked for 3 months, carefully counting calories, maintaining the right nutrient balance, and exercising, but did not begin to lose weight until I had a cycle. Where you are in that hormone cycle is manipulating your water retention, which will mask for some period the weight loss you are achieving. But stick with it! Eventually, your body will stabilize and you will experience results. It can take, sometimes, quite a long time. For me, it was 12 weeks of consistency before the scale budged. But it has started to regularly move down as I continue with my good habits.
For me (and to more directly answer your question), the number one thing that helped me, as a woman in my (almost) fifties has been:
*Weight training*
It's a strategy to accomplish the goal that requires some faith, because initially, weight training keeps the scale from moving. As your muscles are being torn-down and rebuilt, there is water involved, and some studies (not all) say that muscle weighs more than fat. But keep going. You will first notice a difference in the way your clothes fit. But eventually, your weight will also start to decline. It will happen. It is happening (finally) for me.
From there, my remaining list of "most effectives" would include:
Bumping up Protein in the Diet, Trying to Diminish Sugar/Carbs
Drinking Lots of Water
Buying an Inexpensive Food Scale (you probably are already using one; I just thought I'd mention it)
Using a Heart Rate Monitor to Track Calorie Burn Accurately (again, you probably already do. Just in case you're in the market, Polar makes very good ones. Here's the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Purple/dp/B005M1P85O/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1395609027&sr=1-1&keywords=heart+rate+monitor)
And Lastly (as unfair as it seems because after all, the MFP formulas are supposed to have a calorie deficit BUILT IN), Not Eating All your Exercise Calories Back. (It took me a while to accept this. Exercise is such hard work--why do it if it doesn't mean you can eat more?) But in the end, NOT eating all my exercise calories (I try to leave 100-200 in my account at the end of the day) DID help. Darn it!
Good luck. For some of us, weight loss is an exercise in patience. I'm with you on the "Sure and Steady Wins the Race" team. 0 -
52 and post menopausal. I lost 60 lbs last year. I try to keep a 500 calorie deficit. Got stuck a couple of times when my logging got shoddy but once I tightened that up the weight comes off. Mostly I walked for exercise.
This year I started going to the gym (I have the free services of a personal trainer in training at the University I work at) and I really like the way my body is changing. A year ago I couldn't even do one push up. Last week I was able to do 18 in 60 seconds.0 -
I've spammed this in hundreds of threads... I figured it was about time to give this info a permanent home.
1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. If you ask a question on the forum, give as much information as you can ("yes, I have a food scale and weigh my food" is worlds better than "I eat a palm full of miscellaneous boiled chicken parts..sometimes.")
17. Be honest with yourself and honest with us.
18. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.
pretty much that.
...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:
the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.
Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.
I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.
Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.
Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
...and here's another approach.
Block off 6 weeks. log EXACTLY what you eat for those six weeks, weigh at the beginning, weight at the end. If you've lost, you're eating under your TDEE. If you haven't lost, congrats.. you found your TDEE, if you've gained... then you're above TDEE.
From there, look at how much you lost or gained and you have a rough estimate of how to shift your intake to balance it out.
Online calculators are great, but they're just estimates. They give you decent ideas for starting points. From there, it's on you to fine tune it.0 -
Being honest with myself. Brutally honest. Yes I DO eat too much. All those little snacks and bites here and there add up big time. Now I weigh everything and log everything. And when I don't and I don't lose I know why.0
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I've spammed this in hundreds of threads... I figured it was about time to give this info a permanent home.
1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. If you ask a question on the forum, give as much information as you can ("yes, I have a food scale and weigh my food" is worlds better than "I eat a palm full of miscellaneous boiled chicken parts..sometimes.")
17. Be honest with yourself and honest with us.
18. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.
pretty much that.
...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:
the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.
Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.
I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.
Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.
Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
and make sure to read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
...and here's another approach.
Block off 6 weeks. log EXACTLY what you eat for those six weeks, weigh at the beginning, weight at the end. If you've lost, you're eating under your TDEE. If you haven't lost, congrats.. you found your TDEE, if you've gained... then you're above TDEE.
From there, look at how much you lost or gained and you have a rough estimate of how to shift your intake to balance it out.
Online calculators are great, but they're just estimates. They give you decent ideas for starting points. From there, it's on you to fine tune it.
I love this and I love you!! This is awesome. Thank you so much for posting. I especially like "Block off 6 weeks. log EXACTLY what you eat for those six weeks, weigh at the beginning, weight at the end. If you've lost, you're eating under your TDEE. If you haven't lost, congrats.. you found your TDEE, if you've gained... then you're above TDEE."0
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