Show me dramatic weight loss over 50 years old

Kelly50054

I am 54 years old and have lost 60lbs so far. I still have a ways to go, but I am working on that right now. I have gone from being a total couch potato to being very active! I enjoy a nice long fast paced walk and I go to the fitness center often and work out.
If your friend is not on MFP I sure would encourage her to join!! Eating Clean is the key to being successful!

Mabuhay1

So inspiring to read all your posts. I am 58 years old and I only joined MFP and started logging in what I eat about 7 days ago.

I only wanted to lose say about 10 kgs and how come I do not seem to be able to do it? I weighed myself few hours ago and I weighed more than yesterday ??? Frustrating. Other MFP members seem to be able to lose a lot more than 10 kgs easily? What is your technique? Patience, consistency and discipline?

I have tried several diets before, joined Jenny Craig and even tried hypnotism once. Have lost about 8 kgs with jenny Craig but as soon as stopped Jenny Craig I put weights back on.

About to join Michelle Bridges' 12 weeks Body transformation for $199 AUD.

But I thought I should try MFP first but I was a bit dismayed to see reading on scale few hours ago.

I hope MFP works. Give it time?

Cheers

luvmydog2

My weight has been slow and steady ...thanks to MFP ... And my new found friends ....I will be 65 in a few days unable to exercise like most people but i do what i can ...as i have medical issues that slow me down .
I have been controlling my eating habits for almost a year now ...I aim for 1 kg a month Doctors orders ...and its working for me .

BigGuy47

I'll be 50 in eleven months. I was diagnosed T2 diabetic in August 2011. I changed my lifestyle and have lost 111 pounds to date (started at 306 currently 195). I'm about 5 pounds shy of my goal weight. I have arthritis, but I still exercise 6 days a week.

LivingInPuglia

Can't match the 100lbs target but two years ago, at 57, I lost 35lbs over 7 months. Stupidly I allowed myself to put back 20lbs of that. Now I have restarted my journey and have 12lbs to go to get to my first target, then another 7lbs to hit my absolute goal!

It can be done ..... mfp has been a great help to me, and my fitbit is making me keep more active. Good luck to your friend

revpeg

My story is somewhat similar to your friend's story. I am 57 and was told my sugar numbers put me in the diabetic range, and my blood pressure was significantly higher, even with a blood pressure med. I had been losing weight slowly for the previous year and a half (13 pounds from a starting point of 220 on my home scale which is lower than an official doctor's scale), but my doctor gave me a reprieve from starting diabetes medication to see if I could lose weight faster. She didn't hold out that much hope, and set a goal of 20 pounds in a year. She also said that people with diabetes find it very hard to lose weight. Well, I was somewhat depressed to say the least. But I decided that diabetes may be a complicated, tough disease but this is one of the few diseases that we actually have some control over and DARNED if I was going to just cave and take it lying down. I radically reduced my carb intake (good carbs, bad carbs, high glycemic, low glycemic -- they all raised my blood sugar), took up walking almost every day, and found MFP where I can log what I eat and get immediate information and feedback on how I'm doing on calories and carbs. I don't walk sacrificially. I walk happily, about 45 minutes a day now but I started at 20 minutes a day. I've lost another 30 pounds since mid-April. My blood pressure is now low -- even without the two new blood pressure meds my MD added and then took away. My cholesterol is low. My triglycerides are low. My blood sugar is within a normal range after most meals, and even my first thing in the morning number is either normal or just above normal. My A1c is coming down nicely, out of the diabetic range. I exceeded my doctor's weight loss goal for the year after three months. The studies say that blood sugar improves with even a 5% loss of total body weight. This wasn't true for me -- it took a higher weight loss -- but I definitely see an improvement now. Tell your friend that it certainly is possible to lose weight after 50, and to lose weight even with diabetes. I have tried to keep from feeling overwhelmed about the amount of weight I need to lose by not giving myself a final goal. I just say to myself, 'I want to lose One More Pound.' That way the goal is attainable, and I get to celebrate often!

breskittle

My grandma just turned 75 - in the last 2 years she has dropped at least 70 lbs - My grandpa was diagnosed with Diabetes and they changed their eating habits - they cut carbs, sweets, red meat and even some super sugary fruits (my grandpa was diagnosed w/diabetes and they took it very seriously) she also got a membership at curves and it was perfect for her - she looks AMAZING.
My grandpa is 77 and he's lost about the same amount of weight - he changed his eating habits just the same and he just did yard work (he also still is employed doing groundskeeper work at a cemetery) to stay in shape.
They both look great and I'm so proud of them.

Mcarpowich

I am 56 years old. I have lost 99 pounds so far. I need to loose about 30 more. For me I just really looked at myself and saw that I needed to make a change. Now, I have more energy and I feel better about myself. I eat better and exercise more.

aubhob

I am 60 and have only lost 35 but as far as diabetes concerns go, I dropped my ac1 from 11.1 to 6.3 which is even more important than what i look like. So maybe instead of looking at 100 pounds make the goal 25 pounds then another then another -good luck to you friend

yancymichele

Selector

Joined May 2011

Posts: 338

Wed 09/05/12 10:32 AM
Imagine in your hands a gallon jug of water. Ok, now imagine 21 of those gallons of water. Strap a few to each leg, a couple to each arm, a couple on each hip, more on your stomach and the rest down your back. Now walk around like that. All day. Every day. For decades.

Welcome to my adult life. I did a little calculating. I know that I was 11 when I finished 6th grade (I was a year ahead), and I know that sometime during the school year they weighed me at over 220 lbs. I'm now 80 lbs lighter than that. So how old was I the last time I weighed what I do now? Maybe 9 years old, maybe even 8 years old?

Anyway, here's what a loss of 177 lbs looks lik


this isnt my story, i tried to copy and paste but pictures aint coming up... its under the topic"what a loss of 177 pounds looks like" very inspirational!

Mcarpowich

Mabuhay1
Use the plate method, 1/4 for meat, 1/4 for starch, 1/2 for veggies. Also I use a smaller plate than the normal dinner plate. That way you don't have to pay out a lot of money for different programs that only work while you are on them. Using a smaller plate, doesn't show that you are eating less.

swat1948

I'm 64 and have lost 66 pounds, 10 before I joined MFP. I have hypothyroidism so if I can lose weight so can your friend. I would send you pics if I had any but I am allergic to cameras, lol.

Mabuhay1

Thanks for your advice. I shall keep that in mind.

I really want this to work! Wish me luck.

Cheers

brendajs

Thanks for posting this! I am over 50 and have 70+ pounds to lose as a starting goal. All of you that responded to the OP, please know that your success is an inspiration to me as well!!

Thank you for sharing!! I'd be thrilled if any of you want to share your success tips, etc with me!!

Have a great day!
:flowerforyou:
Brenda

lennie1560

Hi Newbie here, I'm 52 and could do with some motivational friends and lots of good advice on my long journey.

Casey45

I just turned 54. Have lost 53 pounds in 14 months. It's slower now than when I first started. Tell your friend just to start.

A while back, someone on MFP posted a pincard by Karen Lamb: "A year from now you will have wished you had started today."

I offer a slight edit to make it a bit more positive: "A year from now you will be glad you started today." It may seem daunting right now - a lot of weight to lose, one or two major health conditions to overcome, but start now, keep going and when you look back in a few months, then a year, you will be amazed at how much you've accomplished and how easy it was in retrospect. Just start and keep going....

What ever she achieves in whatever time frame, will be better than where she is now and where she is headed if she doesn't choose health and fitness now.

Best wishes

Reesecup312

Check out one of my pals on here: grannygethealthy1111. She is 62. Gorgeous & beaming. Lost 117 lbs (more than half her weight). All on her own! She works out hard with cardio & weights consistently and she tracks cals every day.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have a ways to go and I am not ready to post pictures but I have lost 75 pounds in 6 months and I am 51. It can be done!! :drinker:

karenpdavey

Hi, I am 65 years old and have lost 28lbs so far. I put 10lbs back on when I gave up smoking 2 years ago, but I am gradually losing that and have 4lbs more to get back to the weight I was in 2010. I have done this by eating smaller portions, cutting out things like butter and fatty spreads, I also exerccsie 3 or 4 times a week in the gym, tsking up Ballroom Dancing (1hour once a week), and line dancing 2 hours a week. I feel fitter now then when I was in my teens.

I havent any photos to post but I hope this will help your friend.

Snooozie

I WILL be able to show you one down the road LOL.. but can't just yet :bigsmile:

However, there are several groups on here for women over 50, including ours (Menopausal Mad Hatters) and all have several members who have succeeded in losing 50+ lbs... getting on the path to health and fitness is a little more daunting after 50 for sure, but it CAN be done... and support from others in the same age range can be invaluable when you run into those moments of doubt or frustration... hope your friend finds what she needsm when she needs it! Cheers! :flowerforyou:

Imanido

Really inspiring thread, for those over 50 and even younger. Thanks a lot for posting.

amflautist

Age 71 here. Lost 56 pounds so far. It's no 'harder' to lose weight at this age - but maybe slower. 'Hard' is an attitude. Septuagenarians can be just as mentally tough as anyone else.

Elleinnz

I am a week from turning 52 - I have lost 125lbs so far - and had a knee replacement done during this time, so it is possible! Right from day one I refused to use my age - or physical limitations as excuses - you need to get your head in the right space - and have a "I can do this" mindset - every day!!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Elleinnz/view/6-september-one-year-later-50-kgs-dropped-146443

rileamoyer

Me too, it took a while, but with moderate consistant exercise (nothing extreme due to my arthritis) and using MFP to monitor my food/nutrition I am a brand new woman (well - a much better version anyway). Oh yeah, I am 62

eathealthygetfit

Im 50 down 97 lbs, i used to take insulin needles, not any more no more avendia, no more Crestor, no more Altace, no more well - i was on a whole sheet full of meds i run 4 miles a day now, and am booked into the Miami 1/2 Marathon on Jan 27. Age shouldnt stop anyone. btw my Dr is telling me that next spring the clinic will put me in a local newspaper as an axample of how to do it. Ive gone from morbidly obese to fit obese, still 40 lbs to go by next summer. At my optomitrist appoinent in Aug my eyes got two clucks better due to better blood flow. If i can change at 50 anyone can

wimeezer

I am 52 and have lost 72lbs so far. Still have a way to go on this journey but know I will get there.

Moving is much easier, my blood pressure is almost normal and I feel so much better.

She can do this. I hope you can encourage her to join mfp, she will see she isn't alone..

Bless you for your love and concern for your friend. She is lucky to have such a caring friend. X

grannygethealthy1111

I have lost 117 pounds, kept it off for 2-1/2 years, and I am 62-years-old. Tell your friend you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!




Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

P.S. Thanks MCMommy and Reese for the kind words. You two are sweeties!

curtnrod

I'm 52 and lost 54lbs in 5 months

wimeezer

And my favorite motivator:

Losing weight is hard.
Maintaining weight is hard.
Staying overweight is hard.

Choose your hard.

Bor2

My wife and I are in the 50ish range, I'm just under and she's just over. We did the optifast diet together, and both lost significant amounts of weight. She's lost nearly 85 lbs, and I've lost a little over 110 lbs. There's more than one way to lose the weight, but rest assured, it can be done.

Bor2

And my favorite motivator:

Losing weight is hard.
Maintaining weight is hard.
Staying overweight is hard.

Choose your hard.

Actually, I've found that gaining weight is easy. Just let her rip. Eat anything you want anytime you want, and don't move, just become one with the couch, or the recliner.

Also, though far less pleasant, losing weight is fairly easy. Just cut way back on your intake and move. You will get hungry, but can keep the ghrelin mostly at bay by consuming low calorie high protien sources every three hours or so.

Maintaining is genuinely hard. This requires planning, discipline, self monitoring, balance and corrective action.