Do you think it's harder to lose weight when your older ?

heathersmilez

My mother is around the same age as you and does pilates which she really enjoys. She also does Zumba which she absolutely LOVES

My mom is 58 and loves squash (30+ years now) and curling (5+ years).

Curling you can do into your 80's, out of the day-time ladies (the non-working women's group, the business-women play in the evening) she's the yongest by far!

You have to try out exercises and sports and see what you like. What have you enjoyed doing the past 52 years?

Strive2BLean

I just turned 51 and I know it is definitely harder to lose weight for me now than it was 20 years ago. I do cardio 4x a week and have been very diligent about eating well. It's coming off but very slow. I'm not anxious about it though. Not anymore. No pressure. As long as the scale continues to go down I'm happy; plus eating healthy and exercising is good for my health. As far as exercise I started out walking very briskly then built up to jog and elliptical machine. P.S. I like your user name. My husband is a meteorologist and has thankfully declined storm chasing in Oklahoma when we were dating.

atomdraco

... I hate to exercise . Can anyone tell me about some that would be more enjoyable to me .?

What kind of exercises are you doing or trying to do that you hate? One thing about exercising is to find something you enjoy doing. Then once you started enjoying, add a few different exercises (even the one you like less) to change around a little bit (don't let your body get used to a specific routine)

ziggy67

Most definitely.....I am 55 and I struggle to maintain my weight loss now I am older. I always aim to burn 3,500 calories a week through walking, swimming, water aerobics and just generally moving myself.....I take every opportunity to keep active and increase my calorie burn. Walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift or escalator...parking further away from the shops etc....it all adds up and it all helps. The only solution for us oldies is to MOVE...MOVE....MOVE!!!

ninerbuff

Yes it's harder to lose weight as you get older. Your metabolism slows down as you age.

You don't necessarily need to exercise to lose weight, and it's far easier to lose weight by controlling caloric intake vs exercising. 1lb of fat is approx 3,500 calories. It's easier to reduce intake by that much than it is to exercise that much off.

But exercising will improve your fitness level and, depending upon intensity level, can boost up your metabolism.

I will disagree here. As you age you also lose lean muscle tissue. The less muscle you have to "hold you up" the more pressure is shifted to the joints. Now the joints are holding you up and are wearing away cartilage faster which can lead to osteoarthritis. This is why it's not uncommon as you age and are sedentary to have so many joint issues.
It's important to try to maintain lean muscle as you age and you do that through strength training and exercise.

mamaw53

It is definitely harder, but it is doable. When I was younger, I could eat more and still lose weight. I lost 25 pounds in 3 months and have maintained it for 2 months so far. I can't eat as much junk food as I use to, so I limit the junk and eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. I LOVE walking and gardening so that is my major source of exercise. Good luck and God bless you on your journey.

Avsdre

You should be focusing on adding some strength training to your plan to preserve the muscle mass that remains and eventually to increase it. If you're female, you should also be interested in strength training to ward off osteoporosis as long as possible.

Thank you for saying this! After the age of 40, it is so important for women to engage in strength training AND weight-bearing exercise to help prevent bone loss. Weight-bearing exercise is as easy as a 30 minute walk a day.

ninerbuff

My doctor told me to focus more on gaining muscle than losing weight as we age... he says it's harder to put on muscle as we age, and that is one of the things that keeps us healthier longer (more fit, more active, etc.). I am only 37, but I believe this might apply to you, too. To this end, I am adding circuit training/ light weights to my exercise a day or two a week to help build muscle.
I agree with pp that it is more down to diet than it is to exercise as you age.....

You don't build muscle with light weights. Muscle grows from overload and light weights don't do that. Also you have to be in calorie surplus. What you are doing right now is just keeping it active which helps to reduce muscle loss during weight loss.

corpus_validum

Yes it's harder to lose weight as you get older. Your metabolism slows down as you age.

You don't necessarily need to exercise to lose weight, and it's far easier to lose weight by controlling caloric intake vs exercising. 1lb of fat is approx 3,500 calories. It's easier to reduce intake by that much than it is to exercise that much off.

But exercising will improve your fitness level and, depending upon intensity level, can boost up your metabolism.

I will disagree here. As you age you also lose lean muscle tissue. The less muscle you have to "hold you up" the more pressure is shifted to the joints. Now the joints are holding you up and are wearing away cartilage faster which can lead to osteoarthritis. This is why it's not uncommon as you age and are sedentary to have so many joint issues.
It's important to try to maintain lean muscle as you age and you do that through strength training and exercise.

Uh, what exactly are you disagreeing with?!?! Not trying to make this a I'm right and you're wrong type of posting here but I don't see where you're disputing or disproving my contentions. You raise some very good concerns (e.g. joint issues, loss of muscle mass), but what did "I" point out that you disagree with? More curious than anything.

momcindy

It's definitely harder for me, whatever the reasons.

StormChaser217

I just turned 51 and I know it is definitely harder to lose weight for me now than it was 20 years ago. I do cardio 4x a week and have been very diligent about eating well. It's coming off but very slow. I'm not anxious about it though. Not anymore. No pressure. As long as the scale continues to go down I'm happy; plus eating healthy and exercising is good for my health. As far as exercise I started out walking very briskly then built up to jog and elliptical machine. P.S. I like your user name. My husband is a meteorologist and has thankfully declined storm chasing in Oklahoma when we were dating.

I love taking storm pictures . I am the one in our house that grabs the camera and my husband is the one to run ,lol.

maews

I'm the oldest one here, 59 to be exact... IMO.....to be perfectly honest,i gained weight AFTER i stopped exercising as much and stopped caring what i ate.Now, I feel more conscientious towards my eating-not only inactivity and excess weight slows ME down and i hate not being able to not fit in any clothes...but i joined Zumba and hope that helps and it's -fun-i always liked to exercise....late night are a bummer,i hope to control those late night urges

astovey

Dear god I hope not, I'm finding it hard enough already.