LF women over 40 who have lost 50+ pounds

tigs728

bump :flowerforyou:

traceygl1967

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I am getting some good info.

I do eat low/slow carb. As sugar free as possible, with high lean protein, good fat, and as much fiber as I can get in. I do feel SO much better without the sugar. I have mild RA, and my joints don't hurt nearly as much without the sugar. I ride a recumbent bike usually 6 days a week, and have worked up to an hour a day, tension level 4 so it doesn't trash my lousy knees, and spin 10-12 mph.

The diet changes and exercise have resulted in less pain, more energy and sleeping better, so my efforts have definitely not been in vain, I just really want to see even a little weight loss each week. I started off with 6 lbs the first week, (normal water loss for me the first week on a diet) but I have hit a stall now. I tried upping my calories and exercise, but that resulted in a 1-2 pound gain. I seem to be able to maintain on 1200 calories, burning 500-600 on the bike, and not eating back the calories. (occasionally going over or under 100 cals). I am finding so many women that are successfully losing on 800-1000 p/day, exercising daily, but not eating back many calories. It goes against the general consensus of this site, but for them it has worked and is still working long term. Their cals come from lean protein, good fats, lower carbs with lots of veggies. I know you can't eat 800 a day in donuts and be successful long term.

The poster suggesting more movement thruout the day made a lot of sense. My hubby actually suggested that as well. I will put my pedometer on and purposely try to move more thru out the day. I know I need to build more muscle, but need to find some exercises that don't hurt my joints, back or neck. In addition to the arthritis, I have a spinal cord injury/disease as well that creates challenges for me. I have used that excuse to gain a lot of weight over the passed 10 yrs, so now I am finding ways to get the exercise in despite the challenges, without causing major flare ups. So far, so good.

I think my body may get used to a set calorie level quickly, and am thinking about changing it up, eating 200 less one day and 200 more the next, or something like that to try to shake it up. Has this worked for any of you?

I know I have only been at this for a month, and I know it will take time, but I just want to quickly figure out what will and won't work for me so I can make the most of my efforts, and not get frustrated. I know how to maintain and keep the weight off, it's just very difficult to lose the weight I gained due to my accident, a baby at 37, and getting older. I know WHY I gained and have changed those habits, now I just have to undo the damage.

Thanks again for all the info.

Do you use a heart rate monitor for your excercise as MFP hugely overates some excercise calories.
I found that stationary recumbant bike for me at an hour a day medium resistance burns only 200 calories according to my heart rate monitor and I am 286 lb age 45.

Zaphyre13

What a great thread! Thanks for starting this post, it's very inspiring. WTG ladies!!

It does seem to be harder to lose at 41 than at 31~ I'm at 1200 or less and eating low carb. It's working for me. I'm down 26lbs since the beginning of the year. I feel so much more in control when I cut out the sugar and carbs! Like a normal person with food.

Looking for a new friends for support, I have a ways to go

Defren

I'm 46 and have lost over 90lbs since being diagnosed T2 diabetic in March. I began on Atkins induction, virtually no carbs, and really clean eating. I then heard about the Newcastle diet which had been formed to help T2 diabetic patients. I did four weeks of just three shakes a day, then four weeks of 2 shakes a day and 200g of veggies, with a tiny portion of protein. My glucose levels came right down to non diabetic levels, and I lost around 50lbs those eight weeks. I still think that is too fast to lose weight, but it worked for me. I went onto Primal eating, basically as clean and wholesome as I could. Portion sizes were closely watched and the weight slowed to around 1-2lbs a week. I was and am much happier with that kind of loss. I have around 17-18lbs still to go, and I am hoping it will be gone by the end of the year, but I am not pressuring myself. I go through periods where I do struggle to eat and my 1,500 calorie goal can be missed by quite a bit, but I think so long as I am never hungry, I have energy, and can do what I need to do, then I must listen to my body. I think that has been my problem for too many years, not listening to what my body is telling me.

Good luck every one!

Rosezilla

I am 51 and I've lost 44 lbs so far, but it has been a process. Feb. 2011 I had a 99%blockage in my main heart artery. After that, I began changing my eating habits a little at a time, and dropped pounds, then maintained there for quite some time - more than a year - but in Aug. 2012 I began meeting with a dietician and dropped a few more - then in Sept. I began going to the gym 3 days a week, doing cardio for 1/2 an hour and strength training for an hour, also working out at home on the treadmill 3 more days a week, and now my rate is 1 1/2 to 2 lbs weekly. My eating has changed drastically, but over time, so it didn't feel drastic. I just made changes one by one - less meat, fruit instead of sweets, a lot more veggies, and a lot more water. I eat between 1200 - 1500 calories per day, and I don't eat back my exercise calories. I don't feel hungry or have cravings, probably because I eat small amounts frequently throughout the day. Also, I pray a lot, and ask God to help me control and discipline myself, so I give Him the glory! I still have quite a ways to go weight wise, and health wise I need to eat this way the rest of my life - but only one day at a time!

ccsick

I am 55, took off 40# I think since June 1st. I am not starving myself, I am running, doing stairs, walking and just staying active. I have no pictures of me to show now. I do have a before, but have to learn how to get it off my camera and uploaded to here, I think this site is hard to get photos onto.

fastforlife1

I am 55, took off 40# I think since June 1st. I am not starving myself, I am running, doing stairs, walking and just staying active. I have no pictures of me to show now. I do have a before, but have to learn how to get it off my camera and uploaded to here, I think this site is hard to get photos onto.

If you can load your photos from your camera to your computer and the up load them from your computer to MFP. Sometimes I have to load my photo on to Facebook, then to my computer, then to my MFP. I know - it is not easy!

suzywantsitall

Love your your thinking, have printed out a few of your ideas and will practice. you inspired me.

Qskim

I'm 43, lost 81lbs, eat betwee1200 - 1500 on average in a week...I eat fairly clean because I too have an arthritic condition that resembles yours (psoriatic). I don't eat unless I'm hungry but if I am and if it puts me over for the day I don't care. I have 5 kids.. The last two were when I was 39 and 42. The best thing I've done for myself is learning to listen to my body. I eat easily at 1200 because of what I eat. Not perfectly all the time. I'm still learning about eliminating some foods but can easily say I have never had this much energy since I was first diagnosed. Had a recent flare up that upset me (tackled damn pizza). Still learning, probably b a lifelong series of lessons!!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I'm 43, lost 81lbs, eat betwee1200 - 1500 on average in a week...I eat fairly clean because I too have an arthritic condition that resembles yours (psoriatic). I don't eat unless I'm hungry but if I am and if it puts me over for the day I don't care. I have 5 kids.. The last two were when I was 39 and 42. The best thing I've done for myself is learning to listen to my body. I eat easily at 1200 because of what I eat. Not perfectly all the time. I'm still learning about eliminating some foods but can easily say I have never had this much energy since I was first diagnosed. Had a recent flare up that upset me (tackled damn pizza). Still learning, probably b a lifelong series of lessons!!

You're my shero !!!! How long did it take for you to permanently EVICT those 81 pounds?

spike90

I am excactly 40 and have lost 71 pounds so far (since January 1 2012).

I lost the first 45-50 pounds really fast (as in just a few months) but then I kind of hit a bit of a plateau and was only losing 3-4 pounds per month.I assumed that I would lose quicker in the beginning as I was sooooo overweight (160 pounds over weight). I wasn't eating the best during those low months and that is probably why. I started eating more junk food then I should because I felt like I "could have it" as my exercise calories burned. After a couple of months of that I realized that it was hindering my weight loss so I started to try to eat more veggies, fruit, more water and limited the junk food (although I still eat it just not every day). The scale seems to be moving again (athough slower than I would like) and so is the tape measure. I do have some very bad days still (just had one this week) but it is a lifestyle change and not a diet so I am eating the way I think I will eat the rest of my life (just trying to watch my daily calories and other numbers, however my sodium is always horrible). I exercise every day and usually burn between 4000 and 7000 calories a week on exercise. I try to eat my three meals to total around 1500 calories per day (before exercise calories) as MFP has me set at 1590 for a lightly active lifestyle and 2 pounds per week (although 2 pounds per week are extrememly rare anymore). I then will typically eat back about half of my exercise calories. I try to stay at least at a 1200 calorie net but sometime I had a bigger calories burn day (like over 1000 calories burned) and I might net lower (could be as low as 800 or so). This does not happen often but it does happen.

I have not found out what works best yet and am still playing around with different things. I just want to get into a pattern that I will follow the rest of my life so that I don't feel like I am on a "diet" now and then lose all of the weight and risk gaining it back. I figured if I eat and exercise now the way I will forever (going forward NOT the way I did when I was 160 pounds overweight), then I will be more apt to keep it off and live a long, healthy life (God willing). This method that I have chosen does make weight loss slow and sometimes only 3 or 4 pounds in a whole month though. Of course my age and my monthly "visitor" makes it even harder.

You will find out what works best for you evetually. Good luck!!!

Just want to add that MFP caloires for exercises are usually higher than they really are (at least in my experience). I wear a Fitibt Ultra 24/7 (even sleeping) except in the shower of course and I also wear a Polar FT7 Heart rate monitor when I exercise. Figuring out how many calories to eat after exercising was always the biggest struggle for me because I never knew how far off MFP was. Getting these two devices has been such a great help (or course even these are exactly accurate) but are as close as you can get without going to the doctor and getting hooked up to all of the wires and tested.

spike90

sorry, computer glitch caused me to pop up twice

itgeekwoman

I'm 42, lost around 70lbs with another 30 ish left to lose. I don't know my goal weight, but I'll know it at some point. It isn't now though.

I've gone from a size 24 to a size 8 and lift HEAVY and do crossfit. I don't really do standard cardio very often.

Friend me if you are interested.
Good luck.. this is so do able!

Runner50266

I'm very close to 50. I lost the first 30 in from April until August. Mostly because I started running even at 254 pounds. I did a walk/run ratio which totally works for me I love it.

I eat between 1300 and 1600 per day. I calorie cycle to keep my metabolism guessing. I don't pay attention to much to the scale, though anymore because I strength train and do yoga several days a week and I know my clothes are getting huge on me. That is the only/best way to gauge for me how well I am doing.

Flixie00

44 and lost 104 lbs in 15 months. Lost c70 lb in 7 months doing solely cardio, but slowed up (as is normal) and more interested in looking good than being skinny, so I have been doing a lot of strength training in last 8 months. I work out a lot, having not done any exercise before starting on MFP, and the only reasons I have stuck to this regime and been sucessful is that I always eat back my exercise calories.

There is no right or wrong to weight loss, you need to find what works for you.

26Nirak

Exactly that...

I am 50 years old and had 66 pounds to lose. I seriously started this July 12 and am down 40 pounds. My aim is to eat 1200-1500 cal a day and to burn (BMR included) around 2600 cal/day. I go off a bit in either direction, don't deprive myself of anything (I did not get fat by having a piece of chocolate now and then) and make it a point to move more. My diet is - generally speaking - filled with fruit and veggies and low-fat meat, I try to stick to food whose original state is still recognizable.

Sometimes I eat my exercise calories back, sometimes I don't and most of the time I eat some of them back. Since I am trying to make this a mental shift and a life-style change, my perimeters within my plan are fairly flexible, as I do not do very well with rules and restrictions. I try to tune into and listen to my body and then give it what it needs and no more than that.

I also use meditation techniques and habit-changing techniques to help me make the shift in my brain. As far as I am concerned, it is all about habits, and I needed to replace some bad ones (like eating in front of the computer) with some good ones (like taking time to eat slowly and with awareness).

My body is changing for the better, but I am 50 and unless I get into serious bodybuilding (and I am not even sure if then), I will never look like 20 again. Parts of my body have started to retire and are moving south. But that's ok....I like my age, I like the mental freedom and the confidence it brings.

I am not sure if there was a question in your post...but here is my 2 cents worth (and that's 2 cents Canadian, hahaha).

Have a great day!!

Karin

26Nirak

44 and lost 104 lbs in 15 months. Lost c70 lb in 7 months doing solely cardio, but slowed up (as is normal) and more interested in looking good than being skinny, so I have been doing a lot of strength training in last 8 months. I work out a lot, having not done any exercise before starting on MFP, and the only reasons I have stuck to this regime and been sucessful is that I always eat back my exercise calories.

There is no right or wrong to weight loss, you need to find what works for you.

Blimey - that is wonderful!! Congrats on your success!!!

jennajocummings

bump

californiagirl2012

I lost 60 lbs at age 50 and have been maintaining for over a year now and will be 52 in Feb. It took me two years to lose the 60 lbs.

We are all different. For me it was a matter of simply eating less. I already ate healthy, I already worked my butt off at the gym, running marathons, martial arts, hiking, biking, back packing, you name it. I also learned that you can not out exercise too many calories. I learned this the hard way after banging my head against the wall for 15 years.

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

All I can do is share what worked for me. I achieved my goal at age 50 after beating my head against the wall for 15 years. Yeah anyone can do it, but I can tell you that you are up against a lot when you are older and I believe females have some unique issue to face with hormones and such. The sooner you can get a handle on it the better. DO NOT GIVE UP. As I got older and the weight piled on (and I didn't feel I was eating too much!) everyone kept telling me to give up, this is what happens when you get older. I'm small, and I didn't realize how small I was until I lost the weight. Everyone said I had big bones. I looked hefty because I worked out. Once I lost the weight I realized how small I really was and that small people don't need to eat as much as big people. HINT: If you are short you are probably small.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

To say eat more is wrong.

To say eat less is wrong.

To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.


Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

It really is about calories. I tell people this all the time and they say "Well if calories are all that matter why do you eat so clean???!!" Well, because it makes me feel better, sleep better, and perform better at my sports.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

mrsmel55

I am 55 and so far I have lost 58 pounds, I need to lose another 63 pounds to get to my goal of 150 pounds. I started out under stress when my hubby of 31 years had a heart attack. We had to change. So I am not calling it a diet but a lifestyle change. I did not exercise or eat right at all, so first thing was to start eating healthier. We now eat a lot of turkey and chicken and no or low salt and I exercise. I bought us a couple of bikes and when the weather permits I love to ride my bike. Every weekday morning I get up earlier than I used to and do Zumba with the Wi. I love it!!! I feel 100% better than I have ever felt. I started out with the 1200 calorie diet and eating back exercise calories (or at least some) The first 30-40 pounds came off pretty easy, then it slowed down. I read and read and read about the group Eat More to Weigh Less and decided to give it a try. So I ran all the numbers and got my BMR (basic metabolic rate) and found out I wasn't eating enough. I upped my calories to 1680 and try to eat around that amount. I am only losing around 1 pound a week and I can live with that. I went from a size 24 and 4X to XL and loose 18 and tight 16. I am so happy with my weight loss and get lots of compliments!!! I still have a ways to go but this site has helped me more than I can express. I have made wonderful, supportive, like-minded friends whose mere presence on this site inspire me to do more every day!!!