Too old to lose the weight that I want

0SimplymeStacyLea0

I'm 42 and I know that's not old but I feel as though after the age of 40 it has become harder and harder to take the weight off. I have been back on MFP since the 27th of June and have only lost 5 lbs at the most. I do notice a change in my body and finally started taking my measurements on the 23rd of July. I have really been working my butt off....working out 4-5 times a week and have been keeping my calories down to 1300-1500 a day. I step on the scales and feel like all of this work is for nothing. Has anyone else had this problem and is it realistic that I can get rid of this 25 lbs that I have been carrying around the last 4-5 years? :frown:

lindsaylove07

My mom started losing weight at age 42 or 43, and she looks better than I have ever seen her! She went from a size 14 to a size 4. You can do it!

tahoeshell

If you are working out that heavily , you may not be losing weight because mucsle weighs more than fat. Did you take your measurements when you started?

LaDiablesse

It is definitely realistic! What kind of workouts are you doing? Are you doing strength training?

Qarol

You can do it!
And remember...a year from now, you'll be so glad you started today.

nancymmorris

I am 43. I have lost 26 lbs and working on another 17-20. You can do it!!

TashaP2011

You can do it! I just turned 39 the other day and have been going thru the same thoughts you have for the last several years - my metabolism took a natural dive when I turned 36. In the last several months since joining MFP and changing the way I eat, I have lost all that awful weight I have been carrying around thinking it was inevitable due to my age. I am in the best shape I have been in since my early 20's - maybe even better. You are too young to give up now! Frumpy does not need to start in your 40's!
Please send me a friend request if you want some help and motivation - I can always use it too!

Smittyinthesun2

I'm 42 and I know that's not old but I feel as though after the age of 40 it has become harder and harder to take the weight off. I have been back on MFP since the 27th of June and have only lost 5 lbs at the most. I do notice a change in my body and finally started taking my measurements on the 23rd of July. I have really been working my butt off....working out 4-5 times a week and have been keeping my calories down to 1300-1500 a day. I step on the scales and feel like all of this work is for nothing. Has anyone else had this problem and is it realistic that I can get rid of this 25 lbs that I have been carrying around the last 4-5 years? :frown:
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I'm 44 and on Feb 1, 2011 I weighed 430 pounds. As of last Sunday I weighed 352 pounds. I started walking on the treadmill a half a mile, then a mile, then i just keep increasing my time and distance on a weekly basis. Think of the turtle slow and steady wins the race. If you think of it as a sprint, your doomed to fail. Sound diet and exercise have to be a lifetime commitment, not a passing trend.

Watch this clip taken last week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-F4EBwFBEA

This is me !

You can do it to , it just takes time.

Smitty

putnam80

My mom is 52 and has been on MFP for a few months now, she has dropped 15lbs. she walks, tries to eat better and its working.

sister_bear

5 lbs sounds like great progress to me.

sophjakesmom

I'm 41 and I have lost 48 lbs since January. It may take us a bit longer, but slow and steady is the best way to lose the weight anyway. I have found that the combination of strength training, cardio and staying under my calories has helped me lose and tighten. Look at all those Biggest Loser contestants over 40. you can totally do it!:drinker:

sophjakesmom

duplicate

scapez

I'm 44 AND hypothyroid...and I've lost nearly 10 lbs. since the beginning of May. It's been slow going, but stick with it and it WILL happen!

beverlyl64

I'm 42 and I know that's not old but I feel as though after the age of 40 it has become harder and harder to take the weight off. I have been back on MFP since the 27th of June and have only lost 5 lbs at the most. I do notice a change in my body and finally started taking my measurements on the 23rd of July. I have really been working my butt off....working out 4-5 times a week and have been keeping my calories down to 1300-1500 a day. I step on the scales and feel like all of this work is for nothing. Has anyone else had this problem and is it realistic that I can get rid of this 25 lbs that I have been carrying around the last 4-5 years? :frown:

I am 46 and have lost 53 pounds, you can do it. Muscle does not weigh more than fat, however it is denser, so if you are building muscle you will see a change in your body visually before you will see actual weight loss but it will come. What type of workouts are you doing?

Feel free to send me a friend request, would love to work with you and help you be successful.

Beverly

pwittek10

Muscle weighs more than fat, if you lost inches than you gain muscle with the work outs
Look at where you calories are, changes in what your eating can change your out come.
I am 59 and I have lost 70 in 5 months, so it's not your age. I wish I had started
my program at 41!
Good luck to you, If you really want it it will happen!

reen62

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: I am 47 yrs old and started MFP in April. I have never in my life been on any "diet" and knew it was time to lose some of the weight that I have slowly gained over the last 25 yrs. A few pounds a year never seemed like a big deal since I thought, Well I am getting older. I realized that in order to lose I needed to change how I ate. It is not just about calories for me but what I put into my body. Much more fruits, vegies, lean meat..cutting out unnecessary condiments that add not only calories but fat and sodium and also startches like white potatoes, pastas. Also going out to restaurants makes it hard to make good choices. Even when the calorie portion is low check the sodium content. Yikes! I have been trying to eat smaller meals through out the day and drinking at least 8 glasses of water to help flush the sodium out. For months the ONLY thing I drank was water. Just a few thoughts. i know you can do it. It has to come from within. If you want support and a friend please friend request me. Good luck and God Bless!

Mom2rh

I have lost 17 lbs since March. Not fast...but slow and steady. Things that I have read suggest that as women age and enter into perimenopause or menopause that we get more insulin resistant which means we don't process carbs the way we used to. So I have tried to eat mostly complex carbs, cut way back on the bread, cookies, etc. that I love. Eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. Lots of protein. Lots of water. And I've also read about mixing things up...workouts, diet, etc.

Good luck.

lloydrt

56 and going strong here..........never thought my age would slow me down, lol, but worried about my self control............I lost 150 lbs and never felt better and looked better..........off all meds and was at the gym 2 times yesterday, 2 hours cardio, 1 hour weights, and 1 hour yoga.............Im finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel............age is just a number..........best wishes ,Lloyd

0SimplymeStacyLea0

I'm doing the "Slim in 6" workout by Beach Body. Once this terrible heat goes away, I'll be able to walk/jog outside. The heat index here is 115 today. I'm thinking of getting the 30 day shred but I have been so down the last two days. Thanks for all of your replies.

Cherilea

I'm 44 AND hypothyroid...and I've lost nearly 10 lbs. since the beginning of May. It's been slow going, but stick with it and it WILL happen!

I agree! Stick with it and don't give up. Im 45 yrs old and also have Hypothyroidism. With having thyroid disease, I really never thought I could lose weight, but I have lost 14 lbs since the end of May. I just journal everything and exercise 6x a week...does it come off fast? No. But every little bit is progress! You can do it!

coloradocami

I’m 44 and lost over 40lbs. I am in better shape now than I was in my 20s. I added weight-training and made sure I was getting my protein. It is a great age to really be thinking about building muscle and protecting our bones and joints. YOU CAN DO THIS!

dmoses

I'm 47 and suffer from hypothyroidism, but I am in the best shape I have ever been! I started cutting back on my desserts, and the weight started to come off slowly. I joined MFP, logged what I was eating and saw that I was still putting a ton of sugar into my body. Until I started cutting back on my sugar, upping my exercise from walking to working out on the elliptical, and managing my portions, I couldn't lose the weight. Once I got a handle on all of those things, the weight came off without any problem. It took me a little over 6-9 months to lose 40 lbs, but I have been at my goal weight now since September of last year.

Good luck! You can do this at ANY age!!

Kimmer2011

I'm 44 and have lost 80 pounds since February. I might be old, but I'm not dead yet! :laugh:

jackiebo

A woman's metabolism changes, that's for sure, but you can work around it with a lot of patience. I just turned 60, have gone through menopause (thank god) and have lost 20 lbs so far since the beginning of January, about 5 to go, and feel great. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep up the good work and keep plugging away. How much weight do you have to lose? It's slow going towards the end, much easier to lose when you have a lot to lose. But the benefits are so worthwhile, health-wise and mentally!!

Someone on here mentioned sugar--pay attention to that. It's habit-forming and not good for your body, and will sabotage your weight loss.

Good luck

Jackie

bmw4deb

I am 45, down 60 lbs !!! still have around 25 to go. I look and
feel better than I did at 30. I remember questioning myself if
it was to late was i to old to make a serious change, my answer was
NO !! I'm gonna do this and I have to say it was the BEST decision I
have EVER made .

DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT YOU CAN DO THIS :drinker:

The hardest thing for me was leaving the scale alone (yes I still weigh myself)
but I no longer let it control me.

GOOD LUCK GIRL :flowerforyou:

trigrrl

you want to know what age means...nothing

google sister madonna buder...this lady is truly amazing

started training for her first IRONMAN ( 4km swim, 180 bike, 42.2 km run ) at 48
completed her first one at 55

ironman had to add an age group just for her..now 81!
she has completed more then 325 triathlons and 36 ironman distance triathlons


when you think you can't .... you can at least try.....never fear success

Thriceshy

46 here--weighed 377 in January, weigh 293 now. The only way age is going to stop you is if you let it.

My thought? Could you be eating too few calories? You say you work out frequently--could your net calories (calories eaten minus calories burned) be too low?

You can do this. If I can, you can. Your hopes aren't unrealistic.

Kris

grandpabiker

Too old? My son is older than you! Without knowing your total situation I will only pose questions for you:

1. How active are you besides the exercise (do you sit a lot)? A person that stands most of the day will burn more calories than a
person that "works out" but sits down when not "working out"!

2. Are you logging your food honestly? Do you guess at weights and measures? I use a postal scale and a full set of measuring cups and spoons.

3. Do you have a heart rate monitor? These are great tools for determining what is or isn't helping you burn calories. My heart rate increased by 20 from sitting to standing. Walking 2 mph raised my heart rate to 90. Your calories being burned is tied directly to your heart rate.

4. Is your kitchen stocked with "bad" food? (high fat, low fiber, high sodium, etc.) One fat gram has 9 calories, Carbohydrates and Proteins have only 4 calories per gram--1 tablespoon of mayonnaise is 100 calories, 1 tablespoon of ketsup is 20 calories.
Sodium content is high in most prepared foods--eat fresh when you can--excess sodium will hold the water weight.

5. When you did lose weight, did you look at your diet and exercise log and figure out why? When you gained weight did you do the same? These logs are for you to find out what works for you--a very important tool. Maybe your an 1100 calorie person. Maybe only a certain exercise "does the trick".

As we get older our bodies get smarter, they don't make unnecessary movements--we only move to get the job and then we stop moving. I used to workout but then I would over-compensate and go sedentary (sit and watch TV) the rest of the day. When we were younger we didn't focus on jobs, we focused on "play"--and we moved all the time!

I hope this helps you attain your goal.

springtrio

My mother in law felt the same way you do. She'll be 65 in April. When I first lost most of the weight in 2009 she told me she was envious of me. I told her to stop being envious and do something about it. She did, and struggles so much but she went from 220 to 180 in a matter of months. You can do it - she looks great and has so much life in her this time around. Everyone has given you GREAT advice, so follow everyone and you'll have success.

bcattoes

I'm in my 50's and lost 24 lbs this year. It took about 4.5 months of eating right and 1 hr of aerobics 6 days a week (on average). I think it does take a little more work as we age, but I think a lot of that is our own fault for becoming more sedentary and lowering our metabolism. You just have to build it back it up and keep it up with exercise.

BerryH

You've lost a pound a week, which is absolutely perfect for sustainable weight loss! Also you don't have that much to lose, so it won't come off super fast. Stick with it and you'll get there!

I'm 43 and half-way to my goal. I know it from experience it gets harder after 40 - the last time I successfully lost weight I was 29 and it just fell off by comparison - but at our age it's even more worth it!