Older women success stories please!

dcglobalgirl

I'm starting to get intimidated by all the 20 something people who lose 100 lbs and look AMAZING!! I'm afraid that when I lose my 60 lbs, I'm still going to look like an "eh" 45 year old. I also have heard that it's so much harder to lose weight post-menopause. Should I just throw in the towel now?:ohwell:

jcjammin

Boy I hear ya! I'm right at that same stage, working my butt off but not seeing much results. Stick with it though because in the end we will be healthier!

dcglobalgirl

So true! I have to remember the health factor.

But, older ladies! Where are you?

maggiemay22467

Here I am at 45 and I have lost an gained over the years. One time I lost 90 pounds but I was around 32 years old and I looked good. Now at 45 am I going to look old . This scares me to be lean and healthy but look alot older than I really am.

drmryder

Well I am 46 and trying my hardest to get the stubborn weight off. It's going to take more time than I would like, but I will get there. I feel like I'm in my early 30's so I can't let this old body slow me down!

Nov182000

I'm here! I'm not a success story YET! But I am certainly going to try to be one. I just started and also just turned 45, ugh. I know it will be slow but I want to become healthier and healthier to keep up with my young children. WE CAN DO THIS!!!!! Age is just a number...Good luck to you

lizziebeth1028

I'm 54. I've maintained a decent weight for a most of my adult life. But the last decade even though my weight stayed the same my body looked different...soft, squishy, thick in the middle ewwww. I was losing lean muscle mass due to hormones and aging. I thought I was too old to make any significant changes. Wrong!! Strength training, weight lifting and body weight exercises has helped reshape my body. So the best advice I can give an 'older' woman is lift weights, heavy weights that challenge you. If you read the 'New rules of lifting for women' it has a lot of great information in there. It's never to late to look great ladies! Keep giving it your all!

djk721

Okay, I am 51. I started in January and have lost 57 lbs. YOU CAN DO IT! I get told often that I look younger now. Here's my lifestyle change:

I don't drink pop at all. NONE. Just water, coffee (black) and occassionally unsweetened tea.
I eat 5 times a day everyday: Breakfast (usually plain cheerios and skim milk); snack; lunch; snack; dinner. 1200-1300 calories max.
I exercise everyday at least 30 minutes. Mainly walking, but if weather keeps me inside I have a Wii dance video that works for me.
I keep my food journal and exercise journal on MFP up to date.

Thats it.

kalghoul

I'm 53 years old and have lost 12 pounds so far (since mid september). I have about 10 more to go to reach my goal and it is hard! But since I have a strong family history of heart disease, I am determined to get back my cardiovascular health and lower my risk!

I agree that it is harder to lose weight for us (post menopausal women) than for those 20 and 30 something gals. The metabolic rate is slower now. But exercise can bring it back up --especially if you do some strength training.

Feel free to friend me if you want!

Kris

fitzonegirl

here I am at 50...soon to be 51...had a hysterectomy at 47 and within 2 months I put on 20 pounds! UGH!!!! I started out walking and then jogging but sooooo slow to lose...of course I would be really good at healthy eating and then blow it completely!!! I joined a fitness place where she had lots of different exercise routines to do...Zumba, weights and cardo,trx, bosu and step aerobics. I worked on eating healthy and slowly it is coming off..lost the 20 and 10 more...not the number on the scale I want BUT I have lost inches and I am the strongest I have ever been! Still run and walk too! Dont give up it may take longer BUT it is worth it!!!!

bcattoes

If your goal is to look like a 20 yo at 45, then yes, throw in the towel. But if your goal is to be fit and healthy, and look as good as you can, then hang on to the towel and use it to mop the sweat off your face as you workout.

I am 51. Last year I lost 27 lbs. I've been maintaining it since. It is harder now, but not impossible. I don't look like I did when I was 20, 30 or even 40. But I look d**** good for a 51 yo grandma!!!

tipadoo

Hello,

NO - don't give up. it takes longer but you know how fast time zooms along! I'm at 9 months of using MFP and just about halfway to my goal - but it look me 15 years to gain 45 pounds, so if it takes 2 years to lose it, I'm okay with that. I'm not in a race and every pound is a victory.

deb3129

I just turned 42. I don't count myself as a success story yet, because I am not done. But I have lost 105 pounds since March of this year. I did lose a ton of weight once before, when I was about 25. I don't remember exactly how fast I lost it that time, but this time has not seemed any harder. I completely overhauled my diet and started walking. When I first started I could barely walk a mile, and now I walk at least 4 miles a day, sometimes 7 or 8. I also ride a stationary bike on most days. It can be done!!

dcglobalgirl

wow!! Thank you everyone!! You women are AMAZING!!! :drinker:

dcglobalgirl

Well I am 46 and trying my hardest to get the stubborn weight off. It's going to take more time than I would like, but I will get there. I feel like I'm in my early 30's so I can't let this old body slow me down!

It's not fair, you still look like you're 30 too!!

DebraYvonne

I am 49. With a trainer (right before, during and after my divorce) about 4-1/2 yrs ago, at 44 I lost 40 pounds -- lots of hard work and watching everything I ate. I still have 25 or so to go and wish I could hire a trainer again but can't right now. I am not quite as motivated as I was then but I am very fit and I know I am losing slowly, doing both cardio and weights. You CAN do it!!

kathleennf

If your goal is to look like a 20 yo at 45, then yes, throw in the towel. But if your goal is to be fit and healthy, and look as good as you can, then hang on to the towel and use it to mop the sweat off your face as you workout.

I am 51. Last year I lost 27 lbs. I've been maintaining it since. It is harder now, but not impossible. I don't look like I did when I was 20, 30 or even 40. But I look d**** good for a 51 yo grandma!!!

This is true.
I am 50. I have lost weight (I'm about 35 lb down from where I started in Jan 2006) and KEPT IT OFF. MFP has helped me a lot. I strongly recommend weight lifting- I started last year and it is really helping me reshape my body. I don't look 20 for sure- but neither do I look 50. Seriously. But we lose muscle mass with age and some type of strength training is a great addition to the dieting. I made the mistake of dieting too much and exercising too little before (2006-8) - now I am catching up.

dcglobalgirl

If your goal is to look like a 20 yo at 45, then yes, throw in the towel. But if your goal is to be fit and healthy, and look as good as you can, then hang on to the towel and use it to mop the sweat off your face as you workout.

I am 51. Last year I lost 27 lbs. I've been maintaining it since. It is harder now, but not impossible. I don't look like I did when I was 20, 30 or even 40. But I look d**** good for a 51 yo grandma!!!

Love this! So true!

gatorginger

I'm 51 and I have had great success here. I started out at 146 and have gotten down to 125 way smaller than I ever thought I could get and before this I was struggling to lose the weight. It can be done. One thing I suggest is keep a journal on your weight loss. I have done this in my blog on here and therefore I can look back at it and explain what I have done to others.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you want.

twinketta

It is not so hard to lose the weight, once you get into it, I am 52 and have have lost the weight that I wanted to lose and been in maintenance for 2 months. It took me a year to lose 42lbs but I thought slow and steady wins the race.

quiltlady77

Here I am, an almost 72 yr old lady! I haven't lost any since I started this program a few days ago. I had been with sharecare for about 2 years and lost 20 lbs. It was a slow loss and sometimes discouraging. Over the summer while we were away I put about 4-5 back on and now struggling trying to get those off and the other 7. I weigh abt 140 now and had been down to 137, hoping to get to 130. I'm 5' 1 1/2" and pretty active, going to the gym three times a week for strength training and when I have time I do water aerobics and aqualates. At home I have a treadmill I use on days I can't get to the gym.
Keep with it, you'll do it, have patience!

erd1954

I'm not a success story yet but I am making good progress. Just be patient with yourself, the weight goes down a bit slower than it used too when I was younger but if you watch what you eat and can increase the excercise you will see progress.

KANGOOJUMPS

HELL NO!!! DO NOT THROW IN THAT TOWEL!, YOU CAN DO THIS!! BUCKLE DOWN AND CONQUER!

Flixie00

I am 44, and very happy with how I look now. There was a post this week stating that its harder for women to lose weight as we get older, but I would question this. I think when we get to a certain age, we slow down, but there is no reason for us to do so. There are plenty of more mature women on MFP who have lost weight successfully, are in great shape and very active.

Good luck on your MFP journey.

glahlstedt

i am almost 40, and it is sooooo hard to lose this weight. i use to be able to lose weight so easily in my 20's and 30's! well, i have pre-diabetes, which makes it more difficult to drop the weight too! i am going to lose another 20lbs if it kills me! i can do this, and so can you!!!!!!!!!! i'm not giving up~even if it takes 1 year to lose!

PomegranatePriestess

I'm starting to get intimidated by all the 20 something people who lose 100 lbs and look AMAZING!! I'm afraid that when I lose my 60 lbs, I'm still going to look like an "eh" 45 year old. I also have heard that it's so much harder to lose weight post-menopause. Should I just throw in the towel now?:ohwell:

You can't compare yourself to someone 20 years younger... or even someone your age. There isn't any point to it, really, because every person's weight loss experience is unique to that person's lifestyle, habits, and body. I totally understand that desire to see others succeeding -- I love to pour over the before and after shots, too. But only my actions will decide if I'll be among them in the coming months.

I've got people far older than you on my friends list who have lost far more than you are looking to lose. They're not trying to pass for 20 years old or anything, but they look great. They look like optimized versions of themselves. Each one of their stories is different, but they all have MFP in common. Take comfort in that! You're here. If you put the work in, you will be rewarded with your very own custom transformation. How cool is that?

californiagirl2012

I'm starting to get intimidated by all the 20 something people who lose 100 lbs and look AMAZING!! I'm afraid that when I lose my 60 lbs, I'm still going to look like an "eh" 45 year old. I also have heard that it's so much harder to lose weight post-menopause. Should I just throw in the towel now?:ohwell:

Well, I'm almost 52. I lost 60 lbs at age 50 after struggling for about 15 years. I've been a marathon and ultra marathon runner and weight lifter for over 30 years. I did martial arts for 10 years. I ran marathon after marathon and worked my butt off at the gym for countless hours and finally learned you can not out exercise too many calories. I didn't think I ate too much. I didn't binge or pig out or mindlessly eat. I've eaten healthy all my life. I've never had a habit of fast food. But serving sizes are designed for 6ft men and I'm a 5'1" female so I just didn't know I ate too much. I didn't realize how small I really am until I lost the weight. Everyone said I looked strong and had big bones. Not true, I realize now.

BEFORE:


AFTER:




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.

Cherp18

Hi ladies! 55 years and going strong! I don't think about my age too much, except when something hurts I've been logging on MFP since March and LOVE it! I eat 1200-1500 cals per day, log EVERY day and exercise 2-3 times per week. Mix of weights and cardio. Of course I always aim to do more ...

I've lost over 30 lbs and all I ever hear is how good I look and 'how did you do it'? NO ONE has EVER said I look older! (maybe they're just not telling me??) Anyway, I carry on no matter what. Feelin' good and looking forward to losing another 10-20 lbs. BTW, I'm 5'8"

Being overweight is NOT fun. Being healthy and within a normal weight range is FABULOUS!

Wishing you all good things! :glasses:

skinnyme47

I am 59 and I haven't really had any problems getting most of the weight off. If I stay under the calories they set for me and exercise (such as walking) and watch my sodium as well.) Every once in a while I go over. Join a group of people near your own age and try to get a lot of friends on MFP for motivation as well.

thingeringer

I'm 57 and have lost over 30 lbs using MFP. I feel 10 years younger than I did six months ago and have a lot more energy.

Flixie00

Here I am, an almost 72 yr old lady! I haven't lost any since I started this program a few days ago. I had been with sharecare for about 2 years and lost 20 lbs. It was a slow loss and sometimes discouraging. Over the summer while we were away I put about 4-5 back on and now struggling trying to get those off and the other 7. I weigh abt 140 now and had been down to 137, hoping to get to 130. I'm 5' 1 1/2" and pretty active, going to the gym three times a week for strength training and when I have time I do water aerobics and aqualates. At home I have a treadmill I use on days I can't get to the gym.
Keep with it, you'll do it, have patience!

Wow, you are my new hero. I love the fact that you are 2 years older than my mum and still strength train.