LF women over 40 who have lost 50+ pounds

Spiritwolfsings

I am over 40 and have lost 78 lbs to date.

I cut out all fast food and all soda pop. If I want a carbonated beverage I will drink seltzer water (such as talking rain) that has flavors but no sugars or artificial sweeteners. Overall I strive to only eat healthy, nutritionally balanced foods and meals. I avoid processed foods and try to only shop from the "perimeter" at the store. I try to keep my calories between 1300-1800 per day depending upon how many calories I burn during exercise.

For exercise I primarily use the treadmill for cardio work outs and am now incorporating strength training. I am also adding some excercise (dance) classes such as Zumba and Latin. I am also changing my treadmill workouts to include more interval training.

One other technique I use is to wear a pedometer. I try to get a minimum of 5000 steps in a day but my goal is 10,000 per day.

Good luck and happy stepping.

djk721

I am 51 years old. I started MFP in January, weighing 207 lbs. I quit drinking pop. I get at least 30 min. of exercise every day, mainly walking, and I eat healthy foods 5 times a day--1200 calories a day. I keep my food and exercise journal up to date, with help from my smart phone app. I now weigh 152, which is the smallest I have been in my adult life! Everyone tells me how good I look, but honestly, I still see my fat self when I look in the mirror. I know my clothes are smaller, and my measurements are A LOT smaller. I guess it will take me some time to see the real me!

amflautist

I am 71 and have lost 57 pounds since July 28, 2011. I admit that I eat a fewer calories than 1200!! And I had to walk a couple of miles nearly every day to do it.

My secret is my HRM. It motivates me. I try to get my HR up on each walk. And it's really fun keeping track.

My other secret is fear. I fear that I will have a heart attack if I don't do something to clear out my old used-to-be-fat arteries.

The stories I have read here are all inspiring. Thank you everyone. It helps me commit to the last 25.

cmriverside

Well, I have to beg to differ with the OP's original statement.

I lost 55 lbs at age 54. I used exactly the numbers given to me by MFP. I always ate every single one of my exercise calories. I was often way over my calorie goals - by 500-1000 calories. I did regular exercise, used a heart rate monitor, and used those numbers exclusively for exercise. I updated my "goals" here whenever the site asked/prompted me to. It took me seven months, or 1.96 lbs per week, on average.

I also take thyroid medication, and I've gone through menopause, so you can throw those excuses out, too. I found it is mostly about a long-term consistent pattern. Some weeks I lost nothing, some weeks I lost one pound. But it was a general downward trend.

I went from 210 to 155, and I have been maintaining for five years.

marinemomx2

I am 47 and lost 62 lbs in a year. I lost more than 30 without exercising at all (not recommended) and then started exercising after about 8 months of changing my eating habits. For me, I made sure I ate 3 meals a day plus snacks and focused on what I was eating. I did not measure, count or anything and it worked for me. I started MFP and then started really tracking what I was eating and how much and lost the rest. I do the 1200 cal/day but I exercise pretty much daily and I do eat most of my exercise calories back. I also do not deprive myself of things that I really want but just do so in moderation. Feel free to add me - I would love to encourage and my food diary is open to my friends

Reesecup312

Hi! I am 51 and I lost my first 50 pounds in about 4 months. I have a total of 150 to lose and I have lost 69 so far. I will have my 6 months in next week. I am almost halfway to goal and very happy with my progress.

I typically eat between 1200-1300 calories a day and exercise 4-5 times a week I mix strength training and cardio. I have a sedentary job where I don't get a lot of activity in but I get lots of activity at home. I DON'T eat exercise calories back though!

Hope this helps! Good luck to you!

walkdmc

I'm 40 and have lost 38 pounds in 16 months. 22 of those pounds have been lost in the past 4 months = 1 +pound lost/week. On days I don't exercise I eat 1400/day and when I do exercise I usually eat at least 50% of those calories earned. I workout a lot and some days burn almost 2000 calories from long runs but average about 500-700 burned 4 days/week, so that's anywhere from 1900-2500 depending on my exercise.

fastforlife1

bump

andreajp

First off - thank you for starting this topic and to everyone that has replied. It has been very inspiring and encouraging!

I don't quite fit your profile (yet) but I am 52 and I have lost 26 lbs. since my highest weight in May. I didn't start MFP until about a month ago and dropped 15 of the 26 since then. My goal is to lose 49-59 more (well see how I look and feel when I hit the first goal).

According to what I plugged into MFP my calorie intake should be 1290. I never go over that. Usually I am just just barely under 1200. I never eat my exercise calories. I've been walking five days a week and generally I do gardening on the weekends.

I do want to add in some slightly more aggressive exercise just because I feel like I'm hitting a plateau. I was thinking of doing Jillian's 30 day shred, in addition to the walking, to see if that gets things moving again.

As for what I eat I try to eat clean. No processed food (except for whole grain bread, store bought hummus and yogurt) and, the thing I really think has helped, I have cut WAY back on alcohol. I was finding that it was so easy to pour a glass of wine while I was cooking dinner, have a glass with dinner and then what the heck what is one more..... Limiting myself to one glass wasn't cutting it. After the first one I would talk myself into the second and third one. Even if I still didn't go over my calories it was just a very poor nutrition choice.

So now I have two glasses on Sunday. It's my treat for the week.

I also remeasure my food on occasion. At first I was religious about weighing and measuring things. Then I got good at eyeballing my portions. But I do a status check now and then to make sure the sizes (and calories) aren't creeping up.

Funny story - my friend is also doing MFP and she bought a new cereal that said it was 150 calories per serving. She cheerfully ate a bowl every day and then was kind of stymied that she had gained weight during the week. She looked at the nutrition label and realized a portion size was 1/3 of a cup and she was eating about 1 1/2 cups a day. Her 150 calorie bowl of cereal was actually closer to 700! She is weighing and measuring everything now.

If anyone would like to add me as a friend I would love it. I feel like I have found my people!

FITNLUVINIT

Debbie I am 48 years old and my husband 49 we are both over 100lbs. over weight (used to be) we started back in March of 2012 and with MFP and exercise we have lost over 100lbs. as of today. I have lost 43lbs. and I make sure I don't starve myself if I want to eat something I just make sure everything is done in moderation. You can feel free to look at my food diary and take note of my calories. Whenever I go to the gym and burn alot of calories I find myself wanting those calories I had burned because I do get more hungry because of the intense workout and I continue to lose. Hope this helps. I am on a 1295 calories but I was on a 1400 calories and changed it, when I exercise heavy I bump it up to anywhere from 1700-1900 depending on my stomach growling at me to feed it heeheee!! You can friend me on here.
:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

thoeting

I'm 50 and I've lost over 75 pounds so far.

It surprised me how SLOWLY the weight came off, especially at the beginning. I later found out that it was due to the mulitple medicaitons I was on. But I really stuck with what I was being told was right to do - 1500/1700 calories a day, 30/60 minutes of aerobic activity, and strength training 2x a week.

Once I dropped a couple of meds that had the side effect of gaining weight, I dropped weight quickly. Then plateaued off

For the first three months, I lost about 1 pound a week
For the next six months, I lost about 3/4 pounds a week
For the next six months (which brings me to today) I lost about 1/2 pound a week.

SO how did I do it?

Eating moderate amounts of food in all important categories
Cardio 6 times a week
Strength 2/3 times a week
Yoga
Meditation
Patience

Nothing fancy, no bells and whistles

FITNLUVINIT

AWESOME GIRL!!!!!! that is just amazing did you do it on your own or did you have any type of surgeries???

Suz_w8loss

I am 40 & have lost 54 lbs since February of this year. I have been logging everything & exercsing 6 days a week. I have cut out all soda, & try to make my own meals for lunch/dinner instead of eating out. I started with 1600 cals a day but now that I am at 1470 calories/day.
Running every other day has been a real big contruibutor to me losing inches overall.

lmarshel

I'm 44 years old (45 in Dec) and have lost right at 50 pounds total. It has taken me over 4 years to lose all the weight, but I have a thyroid condition that hampered my weight loss to an extent. Also, I fell off the wagon many times and jumped off with both feet more than once! LOL I have never netted less than 1450 cals and continue to eat pretty much whatever I want (including ice cream and chocolate on an almost daily basis) in smaller portions. Currently, I am eating a total between 2100-2200 cals a day. I eat back most (if not all) my exercise cals just about every day. Feel free to take a look at my diary if you like.

I've gone from a very tight size 16 to size 6 in those 4 years, and I feel fantastic! I still go out to dinner regularly and indulge in alcohol occassionally. I don't deprive myself of anything. AND I know if I start to put on a few pounds I can tighten things up and lose them again with no problem. I'm confident I can maintain this for life.

gabriellejayde

I am 45. Starting weight was 255. I started Aug 8. Its now around 6 weeks later and ive lost 18 lbs. I eat between 1100-1250 calories a day. Because i spread my calories though out the day and eat pretty healthy stuff, im not really hungry except at bedtime. I have some seltzer and that helps.

My workouts are just walking- 4 or 5 days a week for around 30 minutes. I dont eat back my calories. Hope that helps!

icimani

I'm 55 and over the last 4 years or so I've lost just under 100 lbs - my plan is to lose another 80lbs or so and then we'll see from there. It's been a long haul, including having both knees replaced last winter.

For me, it's really just been a slow change to a healthier lifestyle, making my portions smaller and healthier, and increasing exercise. I try to come in at 1800-2000 calories a day and I don't eat back my exercise calories, and my goal is to lose 1/2 to 1 pound a week.

It sounds like you're being realistic with your goals. It's a marathon not a sprint, and (for me) it's a lifestyle change not a diet.

NatashaRuz

Morning Sunshine,

I'm over 40 and I've lost over 50 so I guess I qualify

whooo hooo I finally fit the profile!!!!!!!!!

ok so seriously now, what worked for me was getting real and separating the me inside of ME from this demanding whiny body.....

I started with the Atkins diet hardcore..... if you don't like it don't do it and don't scold me..... I'm telling you how I did it not how YOU should do it!

I cut out all the empty carbs that I could.... think of it like quitting smoking... cuz it really is!.... your body doesn't need all these empty overprocessed carbs that it doesn't know what to do with and it needs real honest food. after a couple of weeks I started feeling a LOT better than I had in years.... the word CLEANER comes to mind....I wasn't so bogged down and tired and I knew that the food thing was under control......There were a LOT of slip ups along the way I won't lie.....I would get tempted and eat those fries "just this once" and like having "just one puff" of a cigarette all the old cravings came RIGHT back and I would have to go through a roller coaster of ups and downs to get back on track.... it was a tough lesson to learn and it's one that still teases me now and then... I honestly can say after living the low carb lifestly for 4 years now I really enjoy food more than I ever have before and I have control over it MOST of the time, now when I do "cheat" I know what to expect in the way of cravings and I'm ready for them so they don't take control again, but mostly I just try to steer clear of temptations.

Second part is exercise..... I tried the gym, I would go to my local and work out for 3 hours a day 6 days a week and I LOVED it..... I felt like I was really working towards getting my body back, I was sweating and could feel the muscles building, but to be totally honest I don't really feel like it helped all that much.... afterwards I would come home and sit on the couch all day feeling proud of myself for having worked out those three hours and it was understandable that I was exhausted and had no energy to do anything else....after all.. I had already worked out for the day..... The weight was coming off slowly but not nearly as fast as I wanted it to.

I started trying to do little extra things.... I know this will sound crazy but every time I went to the bathroom I would hold the counter and for balance and do squats until my legs were sore...not really sore.... just enough so that I could feel it.... when you go to the bathroom ten times a day they add up!..... things like parking further away, taking the stairs, leg lifts when you re sitting on the couch.... I figured if the calories piled on one at a time they could come off the same way...... the more I did this the more energy I had, the more focused I became and THATS when the weight started falling off.... I really believe my metabolism is faster now than it has ever been.... I have more energy now at 44 than I did at 24 and I am FAR FAR more active than ever before.....

good luck


The opinions and experiences expressed here are purely my own and what worked for me don't be a hater :flowerforyou:

You are my hero!!!

I'm on my way to losing over 50lbs. Am at 12....almost 1/4 of the way there (if my math is right).

Pretty much the same as above. Cut carbs out. Increased lean protein and veggies. Started running (walking firs, then built up to running following the Couch25K program). I don't take the elevator up to my apartment anymore, I use the stairs.

I got a FitBit, and now I'm super aware of how much I move around, walk, burn.

I also try not to eat back my work-out calories.

Small changes make a huge difference.

rfarinha

I am 47, 5'3", started at 239 lbs, and have lost 94 lbs. I did it by creating a deficit between what goes in vs. what I burn of 800-1000 calories a day, but always eating a minimum of 1200.

I use a BodyMedia Armband to figure out how many calories I use throughout the day, and then use that to adjust my calorie intake for the day. I eat a minimum of 1200 cals, but if I have a high activity day, then I will adjust my intake to be 800-1000 cals less than what I burned. Example: I do a 60 minute Zumba class and go shopping, then come home and do chores - on a day like that I will usually burn 2500 calories, so on a day like that I will consume 1500-1700 calories. As far as what I eat, I will eat anything. I just pay attention to my portion sizes, and I log EVERYTHING EVERYDAY. But I have found that I tend to make better choices when I am logging my food. Funny how that cookie doesn't seem as appealing when you go to log it and realize it's 432 calories... for ONE cookie!

As far as exercise, I started out just doing 20 minutes 3 days a week on a treadmill/eliptical machine, and now I am going to Zumba 3-5 days a week, or jog/walk around my neighborhood. Wearing the armband has really helped me to see how sedentary my life normally is, and how important it is for me to MOVE.

My weightloss has been pretty steady, with plateaus about every 18-20lbs. I hit "Onderland" about 2 weeks before Christmas, and then hovered at 198-201 until about a week after New Year, but then by the beginning of February I was down to 189lbs. Now it's been very slow, 11 weeks to lose 10lbs., which isn't really all that slow, but when you have been losing 1.75 - 2.5lbs a week, losing less than a pound a week feels really slow. But that's okay... as long as it doesn't move north, I'm good.

Since I allow myself to eat anything and everything, I don't need "Cheat Days". If I eat something, it's a decision and a choice that I make. Since I started logging a year ago, I don't think that there has been a day that I've eaten more than I've burned. Using the BodyMedia really helps me. I may not have had a calorie deficit of 800-1000 calories, but any deficit is still going to help me reach my goal, and so I don't understand the whole "Cheat Day" concept. I have to live this way for the rest of my life, not just for a specific period of time, so I have to learn to incorporate ALL food. I made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's enjoying family, food, drink, and desert, and I was able to maintain/lose weight!

FoodPwnr

Well I am 46 and I have lost 60 lbs so far still 70 or so to go...i started by eating healthy and not eating back my exersise calories..but my weight loss slowwed to a snails pace...I was advised to eat back my exersise calories and since then I have started to lose again

djk721

well said!