55 Female - its so hard to lose the weight

valeriev1959

I'm 55 and have always had a weight struggle. I joined Weight Watchers 10 years ago to lose 20 lbs. and it wasn't that hard. Now, of course I've gained back the 20 and then some. I joined WW again last July and lost 15 lbs. but I am stuck. Frustrated that I can't seem to stick with a plan for more than a few days, a week max, then MAD (and sad) that the scale doesn't move. I know WW is a great plan and all, but I stopped going to meetings because there was no support. It was basically a group get-together and the leader had her favorites. She seemed to steer all her attention to them. I didn't see the need to pay $ each week when I can do the plan at home. I need help and really would like your support ... thanks for listening. I want to get 30 more lbs. off.

cooklc

Valerie, I'm 55 also. I weigh what I did when my babies were born and need to shed AT LEAST 15 lbs. I know…my knees hurt…I teach exercise at a Sr. center all day and the weight just STICKS!! I really feel for you. since I went through menopause I realized how much my metabolism has SLOWED down! I used to hear that (when I trained people and worked out all the time…) but I really used to think it "was all diet." Well it's not honey! HANG IN THERE WITH ME! Let's get this weight OFF and keep it OFF! I've re-discovered WALKING!! twice a day with the dog. I'm losing a LITTLE…and feeling better.

Sobus76

Personally i didnt care for WW, i didnt like the whole points thing. i've tried a bunch of fad diets, they dont last. MFP and counting calories and eating what i want and just logging it all is the only thing i've ever been able to stick to this long (started last september)

valeriev1959

Oh thank you for the reply! This whole menopause thing has been brutal. Going on 7 years, yes 7 years. Even tho weight has always been hard to lose NEVER has it been this hard. I feel like what's the use? But my gosh, I am so tired of looking this way.

valeriev1959

I never thought I'd say this about WW, but it's highly overrated lol

kristy5711

Find out how many calories you need for your age and activity level, according to your goal weight. It can't hurt.

valeriev1959

I will, thanks!

sun_fish

I am 52 and honestly I think the struggle that age brings to losing weight is only as much as you want it to be. Activity is probably lower than when we were younger, and there may be a small decrease in metabolism, but other than that, it takes the same thing to lose weight as when we were younger, eating less than you burn.

At my age, I found that there were things going on like habits I had created my whole life that were difficult to change. Habits like overeating. And beliefs that I had to change. Beliefs like I needed to do a low calorie diet, or avoid certain foods, or eat healthy (whatever that means) to lose weight. I now know that all it takes is a moderate calorie deficit, and meeting my nutritional requirements. I use exercise as a way to increase my ability to do things like walk up stairs without getting winded and run around with my grandkids.

I could go on, but I will just post this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

tawnywest

Hi, I can really relate. I'm 58 and having a hard time too. I started out strong but have really stalled. I'm sticking to 1200 calories but haven't lost anything for about a month. In my case I'm not exercising consistently enough, I think. What I'm going to start doing ( and this may help you too) is go for a brisk 30 min walk every day. That's what is suggested in a book You on a Diet by Dr. Oz. I have a menu I stick to day after day with some variations. It includes foods I really like so I don't feel like I'm missing out too much. You can look at my diary by clicking on my picture if you want any ideas for what to eat. I too never had any success with WW for the same reasons you did.

pokeythepiercer

Without viewing your profile I cannot really comment on your eating habits or if you participate in any fitness activities. I can say that I took a water class last week, most of the women were in your peer group and I had a blast. I burned a ton of calories, worked out at my own pace and it was a lot of fun. Diet alone is not going to make you fit or help you in a healthy way to lose weight. Swimming is generally thought of as the safest form of exercise for any level of fitness, age or health condition. Laughing is also a great way to burn calories. I burned more during the 50 minute class with ease than I did with my two hours of working out that morning doing cardio & Strength training. I also ate well after the class and slept like a baby. I think socializing is great for woman trying to live healthier and doing something fun is a lot easier to keep at than beating yourself up next to barbie and ken on the treadmill. Most fitness centers with pools even offer a free week trial so you can take a couple class and see their facilities without locking into anything, another thing is with indoor pools they offer discounted summer plans during this time of year to try and keep their member numbers up. So it's a win win Best of luck on your journey!

pokeythepiercer

:flowerforyou: Water walking! Greatest fun ever!

airangel59

54 here, WW member on & off in 2 states, lost weight never got to goal, yo yo'd it all back and MORE.:noway:

Found MFP, I write what I bite, weigh & measure everything and believe one day, one pound, one step at a time. I don't deprive myself, I eat out, eat fast food, junk food and am a chocoholic.:bigsmile:

I pre plan out my meals in advance, making sure I have a lot of extra cals/carbs etc in my nite snacks so I can adjust things as the day progresses (if I eat something other than I planned, if I have an extra munchie during the day etc). No surgery here just counting calories etc. No cheat days or cheat meals. You have to do what works for you but this is how I fought the battle of the bulge.

Try to get your mindset where it needs to be, the I CAN do it mindset. :flowerforyou:

SIMAKRA

H, I am 54 and find loosing weight with MFP very easy so far. It is in principle no "diet", you just police your calorie intake.
Little sins are actually "allowed", had a Magnum gold the other day, and did not blew my plan.
Keep at it and do not get frustrated when you don't loose monster numbers. Enjoy your food and life.

valeriev1959

Appreciate that! Thank you.

perseverance14

I am 52 and I am losing, am lifting (heavy) weights and doing cardio 2 or 3 times per week at the most, as I am looking to keep my muscle and lose fat. I ate less to get out of obese range, but now I eat around 1500-1600 because as I said I want to keep my muscle. Muscle is important as you age, and you lose about a half pound of it every year after 30, and the less of it you have, the less your metabolism burns because lean tissue burns more calories. For me, it is about revving up my metabolism, and I am doing it even with thyroid disease.

I think if you think "old" you are older than you have to be, thinking younger helps you feel younger, and the more active you can be as you age, the better. If you have issues that prevent you from doing certain things, you can always do whatever you can do.

valeriev1959

Congrats on your weight loss! I still write down everything I eat. I do need to exercise more, I know that. I didn't have a car for 7 years and walked everywhere ... the only thing it did was strengthen my leg muscles lol. Didn't help with weight loss AT ALL. I just found this site today and omg the support is awesome. Thank you.

sodakat

Have you tried the MFP way? Enter your stats, choose a REASONABLE amount to lose each week, then follow through. Since you are a WW member I'm sure you have a food scale. That's all you need. Now just eat what you like to eat, weigh and log it and you will lose weight. I'm 63. It is working fine for me.

I used WW a long time ago, before their points system when they focused on portion control and restricted things like "no more than 3 tsp of fat a day", etc. I also gained everything I lost back because I was eating too many things that were "diet type" foods and once I reached my goal weight I reverted to my old way of eating. I can say I was educated about nutrition from WW but I'm not sure their point system really teaches people much. If WW had encouraged us to eat our normal foods, cooked normally, but in smaller proportions, I think it would have been successful in its original format. The meetings are helpful to some, but it certainly is dependent on the leader. Once I attended classes where the leader had gained back most of her weight. It was difficult to stay motivated knowing even the leader had regained.

I really did expect it to be harder to lose weight at my age because, well, that's what you hear and read. But honestly I can't say it has been. Before I discovered MFP, when I decided I needed to lose weight or pay health consequences as I aged, I thought, "well I do know how to lose weight thanks to WW and will just watch what I eat and 'cut back'." That resulted in a few pound loss over a few months but because I didn't have a real game plan it was easy to fall prey to holiday goodies. When I saw I had gained the few pounds I'd worked so hard to lose by "watching what I ate" I decided to find a better plan. Luckily I noticed a guy logging his lunch on his cell phone when he was asking the cook at the school where I sub sometimes some questions about that day's lunch. I asked him what the app was but I forgot what he told me by the time I could look it up, so did a search online and found MFP. Turns out he was using a different app and by now has stopped tracking... But it was serendipity that I was sitting by him that particular day and now I have a tool that works so well for me.

If you set out to lose a pound or half-pound a week, be sure you are very careful to log everything you eat and be sure to log accurately. With only a 500 calorie a day deficit it doesn't take too many mess-ups and you are giving up some of your deficit. For example, if you grab 5 ritz crackers - log them; if you eat bread that is 100 calories a slice be sure not to choose a bread in the database that is 65 calories a slice. Don't forget ketchup and salad dressing calories, as well as butter and mayo. You can eat it of course, but measure/weigh carefully so you are subtracting the right amount from your daily allotment.

mamadon

You can do this! I am 52, I tried for almost twenty years and couldn't usually even make it for more than a few days. I also tried every diet, even diet pills once. Calorie counting, and eating at a deficit was the only thing that ever worked.

gypsy_spirit

I am 52 and honestly I think the struggle that age brings to losing weight is only as much as you want it to be. Activity is probably lower than when we were younger, and there may be a small decrease in metabolism, but other than that, it takes the same thing to lose weight as when we were younger, eating less than you burn.

At my age, I found that there were things going on like habits I had created my whole life that were difficult to change. Habits like overeating. And beliefs that I had to change. Beliefs like I needed to do a low calorie diet, or avoid certain foods, or eat healthy (whatever that means) to lose weight. I now know that all it takes is a moderate calorie deficit, and meeting my nutritional requirements. I use exercise as a way to increase my ability to do things like walk up stairs without getting winded and run around with my grandkids.

I could go on, but I will just post this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I'm 56 and I approve this message.

valeriev1959

And look at all you've lost!!

Cbree6

52yr female, I was introduced to MFP by my Dr. in April so I joined the day after her visit and so far, I feel I'm doing great and she does too. I think it might be a little easier to have someone who understands the trials of losing weight. Everyone around me are in their small little bodies. My husband, 53yrs has always been a health/weight concious individual so he looks good still in our older age. Myself have always had a weight issue since the birth of my 1st child and never bothered to get rid of it. Happily, now I am :ohwell:

mahanaibu

60 years old here. Joined a year and a half ago at age 58. I too thought it would be so hard...but it wasn't. Pounds slipped off, and I learned a lot from others here. I find this way superior to Weight Watchers. Just avoid the groups of older women complaining about how hard it is and buddy up with women your own age who are succeeding. There are loads of them, and I learned so much in my early weeks by following their lead. 49 pounds lost so far; I've been maintaining for the past eight months, but now ready to lose the last 30.

Feel free to friend me. and it looks like I've found some great new friend prospects here as well. Thanks for posting!