Older women success stories please!

patb8452

Please don't throw in the towel - I'm just starting on this journey and I'm 51 with about 4 stone to lose - I need people like you to help me along!!! Keep up the great work.

ladytinkerbell99

Thanks for posting. You can lose weight, but it is NOT as easy as when you are younger (Just my opinion).
Don't give up. You can do it!!
Good luck in getting better health. That is so important. :flowerforyou:

TheFitHooker

My mom will be 56 next month, she has lost 60 lbs as of today. I am so proud of her and had to show her photo's off. She says I inspired her, I was bigger than her but she is taller than me.



Her goal is 135.

bcattoes

My mom will be 56 next month, she has lost 60 lbs as of today. I am so proud of her and had to show her photo's off. She says I inspired her, I was bigger than her but she is taller than me.



Her goal is 135.

Your mom is awesome!! She looks great.

kubyshechka

I am 47 and if you've asked me last February - I would say 'Yeah, just give it up. I work out and watch what I eat and still gain weight every year. Just give it up.' Well, today, 22 pounds lighter and at comfortable size 8-6, I can say - you can lose weight at any age. It is all up to you. I had a lot of plateaus and I have not always been good with my diet. And I still lost weight. It is all about not stopping no matter what the set backs. It is about not looking at the scale and thinking 'OMG I just gained 2 lb from last night, I might just give up'. It is about about going forward, being persistent and you will achieve your goal. It might no be as fast as for some other people. But it will happen no matter what your age is. As to seeing posts from mostly the twenty -something's, I think it is because us, more mature youngsters, are not used to chatting and blogging, so most of us jut do it quietly. Keep going and good luck.

yankeedownsouth

I'm turning 44 this week (yeah!), and I don't consider mid-forties as old, whatsoever! It is harder to lose weight yes, but it's not impossible at all. I don't think I look old either!

Ma_Vie

Hello! I am 59, and went to the doc this morning, where of course, they weighed me. I am down 60 lbs. from November 23, 2011.

My doc and I talked about my great success, as he called it, and the fact that I have changed clothing sizes so much that my budget is suffering!

He said, "Oh, you are such a girl!" I said, "Yup!"

You can do it, too; I know you can.

Mrsmartin61

Older and hopefully wiser! I will be 62 next week! I intend to get down to goal in the coming months...I've played with maintenance this entire year, while all the time "wishing" I was twenty pounds lighter! I've faced the demons . . . I'm ready to work for my success story!

Thanks for friending me and hope we can encourage each other along our success journey!

Blessings. Happy Thanksgiving.

auntmitziann

I am 48 years old and when I started MFP in August 2012, I THOUGHT that I'd be holding onto every lb. and would be struggling to lose anything. Surprisingly, I have been losing about 1 lb. a week. I hope to lose a total of 72 by 12/31/13. I haven't been formally exercising yet, but hope to start walking on the treadmill in about a month. I think I am peri-menopausal right now and want to get to hit my goal weight before I am post-menopausal.::bigsmile:

Some things that have helped me to have success:

(1) I keep a large box of CLIFF bars in my car (got them from COSTCO). I don't eat them every day, but they are helpful on weekdays if I didn't have time to eat breakfast or if I am starving when I am driving home from work.

(2) we moved our office space at work in July 2012. Since that time, I mostly bring in my own lunch - either leftovers, a frozen meal, or some soup. Not eating out or bringing in food for lunch has helped greatly to monitor portion control.

(3) Have a white board in my home kitchen that I use to plan dinners - this ensures that we are eating a variety of foods and aren't "in a rut". Once a month I fill out the white board for the main course or protein. This still gives me flexibility on what recipe I'll use to prepare the food, but I feel confident that over a week's time, we are eating a balanced diet.

best of luck to all of us! feel free to friend me, I'm looking for other women who are in their 40's or older.

Hitem20

Sad to hear that older is 45, I assumed 60+.

californiagirl2012

LOL I'm almost 52 and I've had success. I think I already posted something on this thread a long time ago. I don't have time to go searching for it and I won't post it again, but yes, age is not a limiting factor for success. Only the will and the determination is a factor. Decide, then do, and you will get there regardless of your age.

TorontoDiane

hi

just turned 53 in october.. and have been at this since August.. I have lost 25 pounds on here and another 5 before I started here.. I am not presently exercising but I have just been more accountable to myself and making myself aware of my triggers in how I got overweight in the first place.. I have a long haul ahead of me.. another 100 pounds to lose.. but I am taking it in small steps and proud of myself instead of wishing it would magically fall off overnight.. My fitness pal is a realistic approach to weight loss and you meet great friends along the way

good luck Diane

Guamybear

43 here and I can say the weight doesn't come off like when we were younger.. I actually have to work for it now.. UGH.. I plan on being younger looking..no one believes I am in my 40s now so hopefully I will just look even younger when I am all done..

FoodPwnr

Your only as old as you feel....as you lose weight you def feel like a 20 year old I know i feel better and better each day...who cares about age

GretchenReine

I'm not post menopausal but am not far away! I am down 114 pounds in just over a year. I'm close to maintenance (which is weird to even say it). I'm actually preparing for skin removal surgery next year and am nervous. When I started this journey I was over 300 pounds (305) and am at 194 now. I keep going back and forth between 195 and 205 for the most part and am trying to break through into the 190s. I can just say don't give up. I've never been fit and am doing things now (training to run) that I've never thought were even something I'd enjoy. You can totally do this! :flowerforyou:

Enigmatica

Well, I may not look like a 20 year old but after losing more than 90 pounds my weight is what it was when I was 20 years old. I feel *much* better as a slim active healthy 50 year old than I did as an obese depressed discouraged 45 year old. Do not give up hope. Keep trying until you find out what works for you and your unique body. I had to change pretty much my whole diet but it's been totally worth it.

MissJanet55

What an inspiring bunch of women you are. As I read through this thread the one thing that jumped out at me was that one size definitely does not fit all. Everyone is finding success in something different.

Someone commented about how younger women don't always seem to understand why it's harder, and to this I can only say "their day will come."

katevarner

I've lost 40 lbs. between age 45 and 47. Took my skin a while to bounce back, but it's close. Best advice I can give is to keep moving. I did not go very low calorie--1650 when I was only working out a little but walking every day, 1850 once I started going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week, and now I'm maintaining at a little over 2000. I'm 5'3" and in what my doctor calls "early" menopause, but had a hysterectomy 9 years ago.

I'm a big advocate of weights for women. You don't have to lift heavy if you don't want to, but as we get older, we need a base of muscle since we lose it faster and faster the older we get. I do a weights workout 3 days a week (several different ones so that I'm not bored) in addition to 3 days of cardio and still walking every day. Don't get sucked in by the "muscle burns more calories" folks, tho. The increase is minimal, particularly if you lose a bunch of weight. I burn very little just doing nothing even tho I only have 20% body fat. That's why I am also a big advocate of just moving. Take a 10 minute walk break every hour or so.

cityjaneLondon

Hi, I am 63 and have lost 26lbs so far. Soooo pleased with myself tho I still have some way to go. I do about an hour of exercise on a rowing machine, cross trainer and stationary bike every day except one when I go to yoga. Apart from looking so much better I am feeling the health benefits. My knees were shot, they are much improved. I don't snore any more! Ankles not swollen, blood pressure down, lymphodaema much better (in my arm, a hangover from breast cancer) and just generally more mobile and active. I worked my way up on the machines, started at about 20 minutes and got better. Even my rickety old hips feel better. I have had a hysterectomy and breast cancer with medication and chemo which put the weight on, so if I can do it and feel 20 years younger anyone can!

Dawn7664

I'm 54 and lost 58 pounds so far! I don't find it any harder to loose weight now than in my 20's! It's never been easy! But I am a very determined person and once I make up my mind I put my heart into it. The last time I lost weight (135 pounds) I was 28 years old, when I was 40 I decided to have my last child and steadily put all the weight back on. UGH. So now I am taking it off and going to weight watchers. The difference now than before is I am concentrating on health and diet. By eating healthy, cooking health and making smart food choices my husband and daughter lost weight without even trying - neither had much excess weight but are both proud and focusing on health now too.

Tips: plan your meals around your vegtables and add you're protien (meat) as a addition. I use to pull out the meat and than try to figure out what to make with it. Example, potatoe? Mava and cheese? Rice? And oh yeah let's not forget the frozen corn nibblets! Lol

Now I choose my veggie and I try to eat something new. This fall it's squash, make the best squash soup and planned my meal around that. We had whole wheat Italian bread and a great salad and everyone was happy and satisfied and loved it! The other dat I decided to make mashed cauliflower, people rave about it so that was my focus and then I choose to make broiled chicken and an d brussel sprouts ( anther new favorite my family loves), awesome meal.

My husband is not an adventurous eater but because he so supportive of me hen tries everything and can't believe how great everything is. I enjoy eating more now than when I was eating whatever I wanted.

Just change your focus and don't think of it as dieting and depriving I don't. I think of it as yummy and making good healthly choices. Good luck to everyone, young and old - we can do it!

ETA: I loose an average of 1.5 a 2.0 pounds per week!

Daysednconfused

I am 48 and, as my ticker states, have lost 36 lbs so far. Another pound and a half and I will weigh less than I have in the last 10 years - or when I went through menopause at the ripe young age of 38. It's definitely harder for me to lose the weight now than it was in my younger years, but apparently I can do it by logging everything, even taking accountability for what I'm consuming (like my alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights) and exercising my a** off. I'd like to lose another 15 lbs or so and I'm not giving up until I do! My biggest issue with age/menopause is that I no longer have a waist. My body shape is referred to as the banana! How exciting is that? All I can do is hope that my waist will at least be noticeable as a waist in the next 15 lbs. I am 5'5" and 151.5 lbs currently. We can do it, we just have to make it a priority! Go "older women", go!

teacher5mom3

With my forties approaching, I found that I couldn't get rid of my stomach and I really couldn't blame having kids anymore. I started jogging/walking, and now with this app I can see how many carbs I am eating, which was so much more than I thought I was. Hoping that it will help to be on this, and I am training for my first full marathon in May. Thumbs up to all of you.

BabyJago

No, don't give up on yourself. I lost more than twenty pounds 10 years ago and have kept it off. I was 42 at the time and now I'm 52 heading for 53. I use My Fitness Pal to "maintain not gain", since I am currently going through menopause and maintaining my weight is harder than ever, despite regular exercise and diet.

Yes, your body does change - I'm still wearing the same clothes and size that I have for more than 10 years, but things feel softer and less defined. People tell me I "look great" but some days, I just feel old (it's the hormone thing).

But, keep at it and NEVER give up. Counting calories and exercising at least 3-4 times a week has kept me the same size for more than 10 years. It's harder now, but I'll never given and let me myself get old and fat. Believe in yourself and celebrate your successes. I don't smoke, I avoid the sun and only have an occasional drink - that has helped me in my attempts to stay "young" as well.

kenazfehu

I have lost 30 pounds or more 4 different times in my life, then put it back on plus more. I'm so mad at myself! The last time was in 1989 on a 480-calorie-per-day diet through Weight Loss Clinic (curse them!). As I regained weight, I told myself that I was done with dieting and would let my body settle where "it wanted to be". In 2009 on New Year's Day, I weighed 207. Ack! I abandoned the "let my body settle" plan and actively started on a campaign to improve my fitness and reduce my weight. I exercised like a maniac in 2009 and lost 15 pounds, which was SOOOOO disappointing. I didn't realize then that you couldn't get rid of excess fat with exercise alone. Since then, it's been up-down-up-down, starting a new diet plan on one day, abandoning it within hours. Repeat.

Anyway, here I am, age 58. Something finally clicked about my eating habits in September 2012, and I have done pretty well since then. I've lost 11 pounds (4 before MFP). I decided to weigh in again on Thanksgiving morning and am so nervous about it. I haven't had many slip-ups in my diet, but I'm so scared that the scales will show 0 loss. My clothing doesn't fit much differently since the last weigh-in. Anyway, not being an eating machine anymore is its own reward, but I want fat loss to follow.

I've been exercising a little, but I really need to step that up. I don't want to be all flabby. I really fear the amount of loose skin I might end up with.

SweetMe1

I'm 62 and in the two months I've been on MFP I've lost 20 pounds. I'm a third of the way to my ultimate weight loss goal. Six years ago I weighed over 300 pounds (see photo in my profile). Yes, it can be done. Yes, it's slow. And yes, it's hard. But don't let age stop you!

itgeekwoman

I'm 42. I started Aug 2011 at 238lbs size 24. Today I'm ~170 (I don't weight myself often) and I am a size 8/10 depending on the cut.

I lift heavy and I work out 3-5 x a week .. cardio/yoga/lifting/swimming with lifting 3x a week for 2.5 hours total.

I EAT.. that's the best part. I eat enough to keep my muscles happy and my body strong. I eat more and I lose weight.. or I don't gain weight and still lose inches. The number doesn't matter too much to me. I just want to be toned and look healthy.

good luck, friends are always welcome.

nsblue

I am 50, started my weight loss journey 3 years ago (sept 25th 09).
No matter your age.... you can do it... set your mind to it... get healthy and it will show... from the inside out... health is wealth !!!

swat1948

I'm 64 and as you can see, I have had a bit of success. Don't throw in the towel, it's not just about how you look but how healthy you are and how good you will feel!

nowine4me

^^^what she said.

4d9r

Bump to read more of this later. All these stories are so great! You all rock! :drinker: