49, Doc says loose weight, here I am, 5lbs so far

kendalls63

Been at it a week. It's tough, giving up a lot that I'm used to. Oh well, getting up in those years, gotta do what ya gotta do.

angeliqueann

You can do it!

good job on the 5lbs

californiagirl2012

Been at it a week. It's tough, giving up a lot that I'm used to. Oh well, getting up in those years, gotta do what ya gotta do.

I lost it at age 50. ITS NEVER TOO LATE. I've been maintaining for over a year. My life has changed. I have always been physically active, even when I raised my kids who are grown and married now. I gained 60 lbs over the years and didn't think I'd ever be as fit as when I was 19, but it turns out I'm more fit now and leaner than I was then after losing the weight at age 50. I've been maintaining for over a year now at almost 52. I'm a retired software engineer, and volunteer as a sheriff deputy. Now I volunteer to write fitness articles and will be volunteering to give fitness chats at sports events.

Here's my tips:

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.

beekuzz

First - Congratulations - you've started and are seeing results already.

I'm also 49 and have lost 45lbs since Jun. Of course men usually lose much faster. But here we are. I still have another 60'ish to go.

If you need supportive friends, let me know.

Good luck.

quill16

great job! My doc said same thing when I turned 54. Here I am 2 years later 185 lbs gone, off meds for BP , and fitter than i have been my whole life. You can do it and you will be so much happier for it.

TamAD48

Welcome...congratulations on the 5 lbs.....you can do this

beansprouts

Good job losing that 5lbs...just keep plugging along and you will make it!

InPieces3

This is to californiagirl.......

That has to be the BEST advice I have ever heard .... period. I'm so glad I stopped on this post... THANK YOU so very much for that.

InPieces3

Been at it a week. It's tough, giving up a lot that I'm used to. Oh well, getting up in those years, gotta do what ya gotta do.

Congrats on your loss so far! You got this... and this site is seriously the very best. Keep kicking dirt!!!