LF women over 40 who have lost 50+ pounds

silvercanoe

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Lincolnlady217

Hi there!

I'm 48 (ugh lol!) and I started my weight loss journey/lifestyle change just shy of 1 year ago (Aug 22 2012) and I am happy to say that I have lost 140 lbs (not done yet!) since then! I started at 295 and currently weigh 154 and I'm 5'0" tall. If all goes well this week, it will be a big milestone for me as I will cross over from obese (hate that word!) to merely overweight and I am super excited!

When I started I was losing at least 3 lbs a week steadily, now it's 2 lbs a week and I am very happy with the pace of loss, any quicker and I would be constantly out of clothes that fit! . I eat 1200 calories a day, rarely cheat, try to keep my sodium between 1200-1500 mgs per day, drink at least 10 cups of water per day, and take a multi-vitamin as well as other supplements to add back any nutients I may be deficient in. I have a skin condition that is much better if I don't eat wheat, nightshade veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers), red meat, or refined sugar (when practical-I'm not fanatical, but I don't add sugar to anything I make, but if I'm out and its in there I'm not going to fuss about it), so my diet is mostly fresh fruits and veggies, chicken, salmon, non fat dairy but I do eat gluten free brown Rice Krispies and fruit for breakfast mainly for convenience. I haven't plateaued, thank goodness, and I don't eat back my exercise calories (I know, some people hate that, but it's working for me), in fact I don't log exercise in my diary because I did get some flack when I started about not eating the calories back, so I stopped logging the exercise and haven't had a problem since lol! I walk twice a week, and do 30 mins of strength training 3 times a week with TRX Tensions Straps.

I am proof that it is possible to lose a substantial amount of weight after 40, so don't think you can't, it's not as easy as for a younger woman, but if you stick to it you can do it too! Im not at my goal yet, i still have another 29 lbs to go, and I hope to be in maintenance by the end of the year! My diary is open, and any female can add me if they like-I don't have any male MFP friends, sorry guys, but you probably don't want to hear about fluffy female issues anyway lol!

SkimFlatWhite68

Hi Debbie, I am 45 and over the past 10 months have lost about 26kg (58lb).

I have logged my calories here every day this year, mostly between 1300-1800, averaging 1500 a day.

I do weight training 3 x per week. Walk 5 x per week for about an hour. Yes I eat back my exercise calories.

My diet is about 40% protein, 30% carbs 30% fat. I can't imagine eating any other way.

I don't regard myself as being on a diet, it's the way I live now. I've had social engagements and have gone over my calories for a few days but when the party is over, I get straight back on to my plan.

You can do it, but it does take longer than it would have in our 20's or 30's, that's for sure

regirom

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Healthy67Chick

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Michelled1919

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karen_golfs

I'm 59 and have lost 75 pounds since October 2012 - strictly counting calories. Not much exercise but very loyal to logging all food.

learnerdriver

thank you ladies.

Merrysix

I am 59 and have lost 75 pounds over about 18 months, and have maintained my weight loss for about 4 months now. I eat between 1600 and 1800 calories a day depending on how much I exercise. I have to follow a pretty specific food plan to keep my food cravings at bay so I don't overeat or feel too sluggish to exercise vigorously.

Here is a summary of how/why I eat and exercise the way I do. First it is great to wear size 8/10, and enjoy exercise the way I do. There is a great article in well.blogs.nytimes.com today titled "How Carbs Can Trigger Food Cravings by Anahad O'Connor. it summarizes new resarch published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and research published in 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine that shows that sugary foods and other processed carbs that are known to cause abrupt spikes and falls in blood sugar appear to stimulate parts of the brain involved in hunger, craving and reward. In other words if you eat these foods you want more. It isn't so much that in terms of actual energy/ calories there is a difference, but that these foods affect the neurotransmitters int he brain in a way that sets off craving and leads to overeating. That is why those who say it doesn't matter what you eat do a disservice to those of us who are sensitive to higher carb foods and the resulting cravings. In other words we need to stick to a lower carb/higher protein food plan to sustain a healthy way of eating that allows us to lose weight.

This research supports what I have learned by trial and error. I have lost 75 pounds (took about 18 months) by eating a low carb/high protein (all relatively speaking) diet; and avoiding foods that cause me to crave overeating (sugary and high carb foods). I also ate moderate calories and exercised most days.

What I experienced is that high carb foods set off cravings in me (not immediately but as I begin to metabolize them). I believe I am genetically sensitive to these foods, based on what I have read about the science, and that some people probably share that sensitivity and others don't (like alcohol and alcoholics). What was interesting to me, is that it took about 30 days for the craving to go away, and during that time I experienced symptoms that have been described by other types of addicts who have experienced withdrawal (tired, ache, feeling like the flu, etc.) What is also interesting to me is that it doesn't really depend on what kind of carbs -- I find that very high carb fruits like watermelon, pineapple, etc. set off the cravings as I begin to metabolize them while less ripe apples, pears, and berries generally do not. Brown rice, whole grain breads, etc. also don't work for me. I get plenty of carbs from vegetables, e.g. broccoli, eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, etc , less ripe apples, pears, etc. I also seem to need a lot more protein that what a lot of people talk about, and I eat that spread out four times a day.

At 60, I feel better than I have ever felt before, and don't crave the sweet/white flour stuff. I lift heavy weights, do kettle bells, a lot of aerobic exercise, and my arthritis is so much better I can even jog a moderate amount with the approval of my arthritis doctor. Amazing what weight loss, and increased muscle strength can do for arthritis!

I am so glad that this science and epidemiology is available to help others, and that I do not need to feel that I am a sample of one.

hsmommy22

I'm 46 and I've lost 36 lbs since Nov 2012. I still have about 30-40 lbs to go. I decided to change my lifestyle after a conversation with my doctor. I didn't have any health problems, but didn't want to develop any either.

I've logged my food/exercise strictly. My youngest sister bought a heart monitor for my other sister and myself last August. I love using it for exercise. My doctor told me to exercise 4 times a week for 40 minutes each time. For a long time I did much more than that, but recently I've had to cut back to a short term health situation. (Not brought about by my weight, by the way. )

I do watch portion sizes. However I eat whatever I want. This includes eating out and sugar. I just plan for it and log in the calories. I didn't eat back any exercise calories until lately. I've allowed myself some "freedom" lately with the exercise calories as temporary trials called for me to not be so rigid. Yet I haven't given up nor have I given in. I am still continuing to lose. Not super fast, but I'm not willing to do what that would take!

One thing I do is every 5 lbs or so lost, I go back in to change my calorie goals on MFP to make sure I'm eating to continue losing. I think this has been very helpful for me.

Thanks for the original post as I've found reading through the responses to be quite encouraging!

arlenem1974

I will only be 40 in April but I have lost 60 since being on here and 12 before that.

kiramaniac

I'm 40 years old, 5'5". I target 1500 calories a day. I've lost 56 pounds since Sept, 10 2012. I do moderate exercise (Crossfit 3-5x per week), and I eat back exercise calories. I follow keto - low carb, high fat, moderate protein. I love the food that I get to eat! I've also recently added in Intermittent Fasting (although I do a Bulletproof Coffee variation, where you can drink that during the fasting period).

Weight loss was -
Month 1: -10
Month 2: -5
Month 3: -8
Month 4: -4
Month 5: -6
Month 6: -7
Month 7: -5
Month 8: -0.5
Month 9: -2.5
Month 10: -5
Month 11: -0.5
Month 12: -2 (with 2+ weeks left for the month)

I've started doing occasional cheat days, to ensure my leptin levels don't drop, which in yurn can cause my metabolism to drop.
I hope to lose another 30-40, but it'll ultimately depend on body fat, size and how I look / feel.

mamadon

Hi! I am 51 years old. My name is Kathi and I have lost 78 pounds since the beginning of January. ( yes it was a New Years resolution lol). I really did not feel I had a different mind set this time as opposed to the other bazillion times I have tried to lose weight over the last twenty years. I did however really try and think about what would work for me and why I had never made it more than a few days with a diet before. I decided that anything that was too difficult to do would cause me to quit. So.....no low carbs, as I love them, no points figuring, no elaborate meals( hate to cook) no worrying about fat or sugar grams. I decided to use this app, count calories and eat less. I kind of picked 1200 at random. Many say this is too low, but it has been doable for me and I feel great. As I lost weight, I started exercising more, only doing ones that I like. Again, because if I tried to do those I consider torture, I would quit. That word "quit" has also been a key for me so far. As long as I never ever quit, I can't fail. Like so many of us, in the past, I would fall off the wagon, hate myself, and quit. I realized I have to stop that cycle. Falling off the wagon was not the failure, it was the giving up.
Lastly, I realize my addiction in life is not drugs or alcohol or cigarettes, it's food. I look at it like a disease that I will have to monitor the rest of my life. If this means always counting calories to maintain at some point, than I am ok with that. Oh, and I also have a cheat day once a month to get over any cravings I have been having.
Sorry this was so long, and maybe no one will ever read it, but it felt good writing it lol.

DebbieLyn63

Glad to see this thread come back to life every few months. It certainly helps to see all the successes!

An update on me, I did fairly well for the first 9 months, and managed to get below the Obese point and am now simply Overweight. Yay!
Life got very busy for a couple of months and I maintained for awhile, eating between 1400-1600 cals. This gave my body a break from the strict dieting and me a mental break as well, while still staying somewhat focused.
At the beginning of Aug, I kicked in back in gear to get the rest of the weight off, but even with dropping my cals back down, and exercising, I couldn't seem to drop below the 185 mark. I knew I shouldn't go too much lower with the calories, so I looked into IF- intermittent fasting. On Monday and Thursday I only eat 500 cals, mostly protein, then 1 day a week I eat at maintenance, (1600) then the other 4 days are between 1200-1400.
After my first 2 'fast' days, I had lost a half pound each day, so I have lost 1 pound for the week, yay! Today was my third fast day, so I am expecting another loss in the morning.

This most certainly will not be for everyone, but it has managed to get me losing again without lowering my weekly calorie total.
I can also plan to eat out, or have foods I normally wouldn't have, on my higher cal days.

Being down 53 pounds feels fantastic. I have so much more energy and far less pain. I still stick mostly to a diet of proteins, healthy fats, and non starchy veggies with some fruit, and avoid processed sugars and grains, especially wheat. My body definitely feels better eating this way.

The secret is consistency and patience. It definitely takes longer at this age, but this past year was going to pass whether I dieted or not, and the only question would be where would I be health-wise at this time.
I do not regret one minute of self control and exercise. It has all been worth it, and I am looking forward to saying goodbye to the final 29 pounds over the next 6 months or so. (or however long it takes)

I will hit my 50th birthday next week, and this has been the best gift I could ever have given myself- the gift of better health.

:drinker: :drinker:

Keep those stories coming!

Brummig

I'm 42, and I've lost 75lbs. I started losing with Slimming World 2 months before my 40th birthday. I lost over 4 stone in 9 months in 2010/11. I started exercising at the beginning using EA Active on the wii. In Aug 2011 we got a 4 week gym membership (largely so my son could use the pool). I was happily surprised to find I could do more than expected, and started jogging, which I then kept up outside. Rejoined a gym in Feb 2012 when it was just too darn cold to run outside! Never gained more than 2 lbs of weight back, continued going regularly to SW, went to the gym (treadmill, elliptical and bike only) felt pretty good. Oct 2012 was my next turning point. I sprained my shoulder (fell over, not pissed, on flat floor!). Couple of weeks out of the gym, went back but struggled, was really nervous about damaging it again or making it worse (I'm a total hypochondriac!) so broke my usual habit and spoke to gym staff to ask for advice. Started working with a PT, who after a couple of sessions asked about goals and I admitted I really wanted to get down to a 'normal BMI' (13lbs from where I was then) and he challenged me to do it. I started working with him regularly - and soon realised that I had thought I was working hard, and really wasn't! That's when I joined MFP and started logging. Reached my 5stone loss (and 'normal' target)8 weeks later (just after Christmas).
Reset target slightly so loss now 5 stone 4.5, have never gone more than 1lb above. Love gym, cycle 3 miles to work and never feel I have to miss out on food I want! Definitely feel better than I did at 30 (and probably 20 - at uni then so lived on toast!)

Cedarwren

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1yoyoKAT

I'm 55 (how did that happen?) and I've lost 129 pounds so far, last week was my 1 year mark on MFP. I am 5'1" and have lost steadily, slightly slower now than in the beginning, but still moving along. Here's my story:

<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1075986-55-years-old-1-year-126-pounds-lost"&gt;

I have approached this as a lifestyle change, something that I can sustain for the rest of my life, as opposed to another diet. I feel better than I have in years! :drinker:

Birder150

mamadon said:

That word "quit" has also been a key for me so far. As long as I never ever quit, I can't fail. Like so many of us, in the past, I would fall off the wagon, hate myself, and quit. I realized I have to stop that cycle. Falling off the wagon was not the failure, it was the giving up.

So very true!!! That's my history with attempts at weight loss ... quitting.

DebbieLyn, thanks so much for starting this thread. It's very helpful for those of us just beginning (again) to read about those who've gone ahead, done the work and successfully reached or are close to reaching, their goals.

Also, I find your new calorie cycling intriguing. Almost like the 5:2 fasting method. Do you find the 500 calorie days easier when you eat more protein? I've tried JUDDD in the past but found it tiring to fast so many days a week. Only doing it twice a week seems more sustainable.
Hmmmm ... ideas, ideas.

edit because I don't know how to bold.

HollisGrant

My apologies.... deleting my post because I haven't lost 50+ pounds (sorry, didn't see all the title).

NikiChicken

I'm 42. I've lost 70 pounds so far and have another 50 to go. It's taken me since March, 2012 to lose 70. I eat between 1300-1500 calories each day and have since I started and I also have a hypo-thyroid, making weight loss every more slow/difficult. I tried going down to 1200 calories for a brief period time to speed up my weight loss, but it did nothing to boost my loss and only made me hungry and frustrated. I eat back about 1/2 of my exercise calories. I believe MFP overstates exercise calories earned, so I am cautious about eating too many of them. I also don't want to tie eating to exercise because I think that's a trap and you can never outrun your fork.

I'm happy with my weight loss so far. I look and feel dramatically different. I'm also eating a reasonable amount of food, an amount that I can eat for the rest of my life and be happy. I haven't given up *anything* I just don't eat everything I want anytime I want it in unlimited quantities!

Would I be happier if it was going faster? OF COURSE, who wouldn't! However, the speed of my weight loss is not my focus. I try to stay focused on how I feel. I have more energy, I can outlast my 10-year-old on a hike, my mood is better and I have more self-confidence.

lynty2

bump for later

leeanneowens

I am 47 years old. I began trying to lose weight in July of 2012. I lost 6 pounds and then discovered MFP. I've lost 54 pounds since joining for a total of 60 pounds in 13 months. Since being on MFP I have done my best to stay within the calories MFP has given me except I have a cheat day once a week, sometimes twice, where I have one meal during the day that I eat whatever I want. I love sweets and I have found some lower calorie options that satisfy my sweet tooth. I do not eat "clean". Most of the foods I eat are the same ones I always have. I just don't eat large portions or as often as I used to. I have 3 meals a day and two small snacks. When I exercise, I DO eat back the calories. I just went on maintainance calories two weeks ago. I thank God for MFP. It has helped me to get back to a weight I thought I would never see again and I feel better than I have in years.

Unknown

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LuckyDuck63

I've just turned 50 and am trying MFP - your story inspires me! Thank you. : )

newjojie

I am 45 years young and I have lost 69 lbs since Jan 2013. I try to eat healthy most days, I use the 80/20 rule...eat healthy at least 80% of the time and I log everything that goes into my mouth. I run and I do Jillian Michaels video's.

maybeazure

I've lost 52 pounds since the end of May. I still have about 50 to go. I eat between 1200 and 1300 calories a day. If I get a lot of exercise I might eat a few more. I don't eat all of my exercise calories back. I have been trying to get an hour of exercise at least a day.

JanaCanada

I joined MFP in Sept. 2012 at age 53, and by May 2013, I had lost 50 lbs. However, since then, I have only lost 7. They say that the closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to take pounds off.......I believe it!

jeansuza

I am 51, 5'3'', and lost 165 pounds in the last 18 months which means about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. I did it by slowly changing my lifestyle one step at a time (still not perfect by far) but always eating back some of the calories spent. It was a great incentive for me to get moving that I could eat more. I usually eat between 1300 and 1500, sometimes more, but never below 1200. Since 3 weeks, I have been recovering from surgery and can't exercise. I had to cut down on my intake but never went below 1200. It has been a struggle but I made it and I look forward to go back to my usual routine of workouts and eating because it worked well for me and seems quite sustainable in the long term...

Healthy67Chick

Thanks to DebbieLyn for starting this topic and also thanks to everyone who has replied! I will be turning 46 next month and have 75 to 85 lbs. to lose so this thread is very inspiring to me.

lydian8

Bump.

I'm turning 44 next month. I've lost 87 pounds since March, but I have a total of 181 to lose. I've found that if I keep my intake around 1600, I keep losing. Sometimes I eat as much as 2000, but never under 1200. My body doesn't like it. I do weight training periodically and try to get in at least 20 to 30 minutes of walking everyday. I'm in the process of moving slowly into another home. Once that's complete, I want to regiment my weight training a little better.