45 and can't lose!!!

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surfermom6
surfermom6 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
For 6 months of working out and eating 1200-1400 calories, I can't lose an ounce OR a millimeter!! SO frustrated! My thyoid finally got balanced, and now working on hormones. My doctor says it is my age! I can't believe that. It's calories in and calories out. I have worked out all my life, and one day my metabolism just stopped working! Any suggestions, or has this happened to anyone else my age?

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,104 Member
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    Well, assuming your bloodwork and health are normal, age isn't a deal-breaker.

    No way to know based on what little info you've given us.

    12-1400 may not be enough calories.

    How tall, how much weight are you trying to lose?

    Do you weigh and measure all your food and drinks?

    If you open your Food Diary so people can see it, you may get more specific advice.
  • aegisprncs
    aegisprncs Posts: 240 Member
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    I have heard that age has something to do with ones metabolism, but I too am 45 and when I monitor my caloric intake and have a good burn, I lose. Keep up the good work and it will come.
  • Cmandy67
    Cmandy67 Posts: 108 Member
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    I've read that coconut oil helps with hormones or balancing and that it helps lose weight by adding in healthy fat, and also by lower the carb. count. Some people get a ratio of a %protein : %carb. : % fat as their diet regime. You may need to tweak your diet somehow to get a loss to happen. Im no expert, just something to look at.
  • Graciecny
    Graciecny Posts: 303
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    Crap, I hope when I turn 45 in a few months my metabolism doesn't up and die! It might be more difficult to lose, but it shouldn't be impossible (I hope!).
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    The problem with age and weight loss is not that the metabolism just stops at a certain age, but rather the loss of muscle mass starts catching up with our intake. Starting at about 30 years old, the average person loses a pound of muscle per year if they aren't focused on the strength training to maintain it. By age 45, that's 15 pounds of muscle mass that has been lost. 15 pounds of muscle that was burning 30-50 calories per day to maintain itself. When you go with the lowest estimate of calories burned by a pound of muscle, then you've effectively lost 450 calories per day that you can eat and maintain your current weight. If you stay eating the same thing, then you may even gain weight because of eating more then you are burning. Going on a low calorie diet also slows the metabolism so eating so few calories may have also contributed to a slower metabolic rate. Eating so low of a calorie intake and exercising a lot to increase the bodies need for fuel may also contribute to losses in muscle mass and tell the body to store fat for fuel later.

    My recommendation would be to measure your RMR (or if you can't get it measured you can estimate it by following the formulas in my blog -- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya ) and use it as your goal calorie intake. Then add your exercise calories to that to get your TDEE (which will change daily based on the differences in you workouts). Eat no less then 80% of your TDEE to lose body fat and maintain muscle. Then add in heavy weight training. When I say heavy, I mean heavy enough that when you do a set of 8-10 reps, the last rep is hard to complete with proper form and do 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps per exercise, making sure you hit every body part 2 times per week but don't work the same body part two days in a row. This type of exercise will help you build that muscle back that you've lost over the years, so don't weigh yourself for at least 6 weeks. It takes time for the fat burning to catch up with the glycogen storage and eventual muscle gain, so don't get discouraged if you don't see the scale moving downward for that first few weeks. It will catch up to your training eventually. Also, make sure your cardio is after your weight training to get the most fat burning benefits from your cardio.
    16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
    9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
    Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
    ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
    NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

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