Weight Loss after 40!

binkybaby1

Good morning everyone... my sister and I were talking last night about being over 40 and how things start to fall apart. Even just a few years ago in our 30s our bodies recovered faster, energy higher, etc. I'm so glad I started my journey now and didn't wait until I was in my 50s! Since I'm only 42 I'm going to turn my forties around to be the healthiest time of my life instead of remembering that my 40s were when my body started to fall apart.

If anyone over 40 is willing to share there weight loss journey story I would love to hear it.

cafeteriagirl

I sure can relate!!! i have always had trouble keeping my weight down even as a teenager. I joined mfp back in April or May and it has been really good for me. I am aware of what I am taking in and it was a chore before but now I feel so much better about counting calories. I was always a no calorie counter person it was just too difficult to do. With mfp its very easy.
Good luck on your goals! Any lb. lost is one not gained!!!!

almostfiftyyikes

Wow -- you have done so much already. You should feel really proud of yourself. Stick with it!

pghsteelerfan

Smart thinking Binky!!! Believe me after 50, things start landsliding!!! LOL!!!! Struggling with weight was like a full-time job for me...since i came to MFP, i feel more confidence...i still am struggling with old thoughts and behaviors, but now i have a support system that helps me get my thinking cap on straight. Your children will thank you for becoming a healthier mom as your energy levels will start to grow.....

I wasnt a calorie counter either...thought it was stupid and a waste of time...NOT!!!! MFP has made getting healthier so much easier...where was all this technology when i was younger!!!! Doesnt matter...its here now and my golden years will be better because of it!!! Thanks for the post!

paigele

I also am in my 40s. I turn 43 this week.
My struggle began with uneducated eating habits like just about every one else growing up. When I graduated high school I was a size 13. I was at "my thinnest" after 2 months of regular diet and workouts when I got married at a size 8 (age 22.)
Kids and life have caused me to not make my health a priority so for the majority of my married life I have been around a size 12.
In December 2010 I noticed I was getting too bug for my 14s and having to buy 16s to be comfortable. Enough was enough.
Since that day I have made my health a priority. I feel better, I look better, I don't have the body pains that I did, and as I type this I am down 52 lbs in 7 months and am a size 6.
I just posted a link on my personal comments I want to share regarding eating. I think it fits in beautifully with everything I have learned in the past 7 months, and explains my mood swings around diet. Take a peek at it if you will. And if you want to "friend" me and take this journey with me feel free.
Here is the link about food and the brain: http://www.livescience.com/3186-brain-food-eat-smart.html
Best to you!

SarahLovesCheesecake

Im 42, lost 34 lbs, size 10 & Im fitter than Ive EVER been..... NO excuses!!!!!!!!!!

Jeneba

WTG! The next step will come when you begin to REJOICE in the strength and beauty of your body, to feel PROUD of it and of YOU! Age is just a number!!!! Keep up the good work! :flowerforyou:

lily1972

Hello!

I'm 39, but I have also seen changes since turned 35... many little aches and pains started popping out! I started mfp at the end of Feb. this year, began counting calories for the first time ever and integrated cardio into my on-and-off workout routine and tweaking my eating habits... and the aches and pains disappeared!! I feel like I've turned back the clock 20 years! Seriously! I never thought I could practise a sport as intense as kickboxing... 90 mins twice a week!

Hope this encourages you to keep up the fabulous work you have been doing... it's all totally worth it!!

Lily, mother of 5 :happy:

mpf1

Hi! I am 42, mom of 2, looking for friends as relatively new here -- I'd love to offer support and be friends w/ other women who can relate. I recently lost some weight (lifelong struggles) and now want to maintain, but really think I would benefit from support and others who "get it!" Please feel welcome to friend me- I would love to support others looking for the same kind of friends! Lots of potential pitfalls in our busy lives!

Kelly_Wilson1990

I am 47. I have four small grandchildren ages 8, 7, 5, and 11 months. I want to be able to play with them and watch them grow. It is hard work but so worth it. By losing weight, I have found my health is turning around. I want to go into my 50's healthy and happy!

Atlantique

46 and I didn't find it any more difficult to lose weight than it has been previously. Maybe I'm fortunate in that I don't seem to be perimenopausal yet, as I'm sure that has an influence. But I agree that recovery from anything, from a night out to a bruise to an minor illness to an extra alcoholic beverage, certainly takes longer than it did in my 20's or 30's! And if I get sloppy with my eating or working out, the weight does seem to come back on more easily than it did when i was younger.

binkybaby1

I'm very proud of the weight I have lost so far on my journey. For me its a life change not just a diet. I didn't just need to loss 20 lbs I needed to lose 100 lbs to be at a healthy weight. Being over 100 lbs overweight with health problems and being over 40 just made my journey challenging but not impossible. By that same token I think being over 40 gives me an advantage. I'm not doing this to look good in cute clothes, or to fall in love and get married or to have kids. I've done all that. I'm doing this to live. Plan and simple. If I didn't take better care of me I was going to die. Maybe not tomorrow but sooner than I should.

I have more energy then I have had in years which has turned into me doing things that I haven't done for years like long walks, bike rides, climbing stairs, playing sports, and running around with my grandson at the park etc. I'm not done with my journey by any means. My daughter (24 years old) and I started this journey in January and our husbands joined in. Since January combined we have lost a combined total of about 220 lbs. I have a great support system in place both in my home and with my MFP family.

Because of all this .... my journey will continue and my life will go on stronger and healthier than the day before.

cgbowen

so glad to have found this topic. I can use the support because this is frustrating time!

jmathews

It all started for me when my youngest started middle school a few years ago. Call it a mid-life crisis or a light bulb moment, but I realized that while I was raising my boys that I had lost myself. I decided to put myself first and do something that would be good for me. I lost 50+ pounds and have been maintaining for 2 years now. I'm 44 and am in the best shape of my life. It's all about choices, and I'm choosing to be fit and healthy. The weight may be slower to come off in your 40's but be patience...it will happen.

kenlad64

Im 42, lost 34 lbs, size 10 & Im fitter than Ive EVER been..... NO excuses!!!!!!!!!!

I am 46, I have lost 60 pounds since March, .... best shape of my life. I haven't been at this weight since before college. You just have to do it! No excuses!!!

Best of luck