Q for those over 50

jodie_t

OK can I ask others in this age range - what is it realistic to aim for? are you looking to get back to middle to low BMI or do you see this as unrealistic?
That BMI range was where I was all my life until I hit mid-fifties.. then POW suddenly I put on about 25lbs -which is a lot for a l'il 5ft3 bird. I lost 14 of those over 12 months - it was VERY hard (but when is it ever easy)...it wasn't as much as I wanted to lose but was back into top end of average BMI. Then went back to eating normally (and carefully cos that 20lb+ weight gain scared the bejesus outta me ) .. & put 6 lbs back on again!! It seems I am permanently stuck a few points into the overweight BMI zone, Even tho I track really carefully -on 1200 to 1400 cals, I just stay steady or even slowly put it on.. I'm actually scared to get on the scales again, but I can tell from the way my clothes fit.

So I'm starting to think it's unrealistic to expect anything different at this point along life's trail cos my bod will not co-operate.

Is everyone else resigned to never again being the sze you were at 30 or are you having more success than I'm achieving? :ohwell:

Amarillo_NDN

If you eat right and work out, there no reason you can't get back to that young figure and even have more energy.

I am 61 years old and even though I have a lot of weight to still lose, I am in better shape and feel better than when I was 50. Actually, when I was 50 I was near death and couldn't even walk.

I walk 4-8 miles a day, go to gym a few times a week and even started running at the ends of my walks.

Bottom line is, it is never too late to get back to being healthy.

PLUMSGRL

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
Well I'm looking at 54 next month- I started out at 217 pounds (morbidly obese) March this year.
Today I weighed 165.2 (over weight).
I'm 5'5" and shooting for 135 # (middle of the healthy range) and I don't think it's unrealistic.
My diary is open if you want to look at it, and my exercise is mainly Leslie Sansone's walking dvds and walking my dog (total miles vary 1-7miles/day, depending how I feel- I actually stopped working out for about 10 days ).
I drink a min. of 8 x 8oz water each day, eat most of my exercise cals, lots of veggies (usually at lunch), 3 meals and 2 snacks (usually) each day, and if I feel like having a sweet, then I do- just buget for it.
Oh yeah, I haven't hit a plateau yet.

My plan is to go kicking and screaming into old age!:bigsmile:

gentlebreeze2

I am 59 years old. I refuse to resign myself to this size. I've have had a lot of uphill battles in my life, not just weight. Recently, it became clear to me that my weight is the only thing I can have control over. I was doing 60 minutes of recumbent bike EVERY day, and saw very little change. So about a 6 weeks ago I upped it to 90 minutes, and I have seen some weight loss finally (26 pounds to be exact). I have a long way to go to lose it all. I lost my job 2 years ago (the business closed), and since I have not been able to find a job, I have made ME my first priority. I have never made myself a priority before, so it kinda feels good, even though I am working hard. My goal is to look the best I can before I turn 60, which gives me a little over 9 months. I know I can't eat like I did when I had 3 teens in the house, but that's ok. You just have to find what works for you, everyone is different. I eat what I want but it moderation. I also have a chocolate day where I have chocolate cheerios for breakfast, a hersheys with almonds some time during the day, and a chocolate vodka drink that night, and still stay around the 1400 calorie mark. It's not all a bed of roses, but it seems to be working for me. With you're small size of 5'3" I bet its hard to be around taller people who can handle more calories. But I know you can do it jodie, you deserve to be the best you can be.

mmtiernan

I'm almost 48 and I think we're sailing in the same boat. Once the hot flashes hit, it wasn't so easy to manage my weight any more. Like you, I was able to get close to my previous size with diet and cardio - however, as soon as I stopped paying attention to what I was eating or slacked off on the exercise, it started to creep back up.

Then I came across an article stating that after the age of 30, you begin to lose muscle at the rate of 5% every decade, unless you do something about it. For a female, that's pretty significant. Muscle requires more calories to maintain, so your metabolism drops as you lose the muscle. I found a similar statement on Dr. Oz's website that took it a bit further :

"Today, we see drastic effects when we lose muscle: We gain weight. If you don't intentionally rebuild muscle through exercise, you'll need to eat 150 to 450 fewer calories every day every 10 years to maintain your current weight."

After reading that (and experiencing one of Oprah's infamous "aha!" moments), I started circuit training. I also seriously cleaned up my diet. I don't go by the scale or BMI, instead I measure my body fat. I've been faithful to it for 2 months now and finally - finally!- my body fat has dropped to the high end of the 'fitness' range! I don't know if I'll ever see the 16-18% bodyfat body of my earlier years, but I'm sure aiming for 20% as a start!

Hope this helps you - good luck!

gentlebreeze2

Kudos to you plumsgrl. You are doing awesome.

ShariSherman

It's an interesting dilemma -- I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (I'm 52) and at my meeting with the dietitian, I was told to not strive for that "ideal" weight goal -- which for me was 115-120 lbs. Instead, she asked me what I weighed for most of my adult life, which was 150. She said that's what I should set my goal for. I had no clue that hot flashes would interfere with weight loss, but I see it now. I strive for a minimum of 15 minutes of physical activity each day (usually walking) because that's what the doctor ordered; I routinely get in 30 minutes during the week and longer on the weekends. I've only been on the diet for about 6 weeks, but I think I've already hit a plateau and may have to bump up the exercise time to get things moving again because I am staying within my calorie, fat and carb counts.

Good luck to you!

billgiersberg

This topic is actually very timely for me. I started my weight loss the beginning of June at 262 lbs. I wanted to get to 200 by July a year later for a family cruise we all plan to take together. I found out after I set my arbitrary goal of 200 that BMI indicators say 200 would still be obese for my height of 6'0". Since I started, I have lost about half my goal weight by watching what I eat, cutting out desserts and fast food and working out about 2 hours a day. Now I have had several family members tell me I have lost enough and a co-worker even went so far as to say if I lost another 30, I'd look like another co-worker who "has no butt." A close friend and I talked about it too. Her trainer told her that we should never expect our bodies to go back to where they were when we were in high school. Our bodies change and to try and go back to those days would be detrimental to our health. So my problem is I am being told that to lose more weight will cause my face to look long and drawn and sad among other things but BMI tables telling me I am still obese. My friend's trainer said what we should strive for is our best weight after age 25. I don't know what the answer is but for now I'll at least go to 220 and then decide if I go further. Right now, I still see a bulge around my middle. I hope I am not becoming vain about this.

Suzy12

I'm 5'4" and almost 58. I weighed 113-117 in high school and beyond. Through my adult life I weighed about 120-125. At 40 it started creeping up and now past 50 I hit a 150 high and then lost about 13 pounds. I'm aiming for 128. I don't believe we can have the bodies we had in high school. Not women anyway. If you've had children, there has been a shift in body fat. And right now, I'd look like death warmed over at 117 pounds. If I can waver between 125-128, I'll be happy as hell. And I don't believe in setting unrealistic expectations. You know what you are comfortable at.....shoot for that and don't let anyone else lead you astray.
There's my two-cent's worth!

mmtiernan

I'm with Suzy - you will know when you have reached a comfortable size. I don't expect to look remotely close to my younger body, even when I get my body fat percentage where I want it to be - too much has shifted south! As to looking drawn and sad - I think Dolly Parton said it best: "Honey, time marches on and pretty soon you realize it's marching right across your face!" All you can do is the best you can do - and don't let anyone else determine that for you - you have to figure that out for yourself. However, there's no reason why we all need to turn into the stereotypical frumpy, pudgy middle age lady! (you know what I mean!)

Michelle

jodie_t

>>My plan is to go kicking and screaming into old age! <<

LOL - you go girl! :happy:

So can I ask those who measure body fat - what's the best way to do it? I bought some scales that are supposed to do that but have been told they're wildly inaccurate.

I might try something different with the exercise; I'm already jogging 40 mins 3X a week, and I try to get some walks/ cycling in here and there; but actually that is also something that gets harder with time - that treadmill is getting painful !

PLUMSGRL

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

The most accurate are hydrostatic (uses water) and Bod Pod (air) both are under $50 and most metro cities have mobile units.

You might want to start using light weights to build a little muscle- more muscle=more calories burned and a better bod.

I'm starting a kettle bell work out this week ( picked up at target). Looks kinda interesting, plan to see how it goes for a couple of weeks to see if I get some results...:happy:

mmtiernan

I use body fat calipers to check my body fat percentage - you can get them at various places on line for about $15. I've seen them on drugstore.com I don't know that they are necessarily any more accurate than your scale, but it give me a benchmark to go by. We have a LifeClinic machine at work that also measures your body fat in the same way that your scales do, so I track there as well - again, just to use as a guideline. When I get closer to my goal, I may splurge and have the hydrostatic testing done just to get a more accurate number.:happy:

sgssmile

This is the first time I have ever had to diet, I was fortunate to have a fast metabolism. I am 56 yeras old, quit smoking a few years ago and gained around 20 lbs! Not to mention I am only 5' so there is not alot of places to hide an extra 20 lbs.! I am close to my goal (about 2 lbs. to go) and am feeling sooo much better about myself. I agree with Suzy that most of us probably wouldn't look good at the weight we were as teenagers. My BMI is 23.9 and I would really like to see it at 21. I have been exercising on a regular basis and it has made a huge difference in my body it is not all about weight it is also about firming and toning. I really wished I would have taken my measurements from day 1....but I have gone down from a snug size 10 to a loose 6 and sometimes a 4, which is what I was most of my sdult life. I do think we each have to decide what weight is good for ourselves. Good luck to all, I have found this site to be most helpful with wonderful caring people. Anyone that wants to be friends just send me an invite :flowerforyou:

jodie_t

Thanks for everyone's comments, they're really helpful. I have actually noticed with older people (cos there have been a few well-known bods who have done this over here) that if they diet too hard they get quite haggard-looking, look almost ill, so yeh maybe its expecting too much to get back to a 30 y/o bod. TY mmtiernan for the info on calipers, might as well get some - not gonna break the bank

HerbieSue

Some great comments on this topic, I see all over the boards that you HAVE to have 1200 calories a day to maintain, lose, stay healthy, etc., but when I lost most of my weight at weight watchers I was at 18 points allowed for my weight, which is comparable to 1,000 calories a day. I really feel guilty trying for 1200 calories a day since I feel that us over 50 folks have slower metabolisms than the younger people on this site and have to try harder to lose. I do exercise and I am maintaining, but don't want to gain it back by upping my calorie intake, and I never felt weak or light headed on 1,000 calories, guess my body adjusted. Any thoughts on this guys?