Anyone here over 50?

minigirl2

I am 51 and struggling with my weight for really the first time in my life and I hate it. I am through menopause and also went through a divorce a little over a year ago. All the changes that came along with that sent me reeling and I picked up some very bad habits as coping mechanisms. I relied on alcohol and caffeine as my "escapes" when things got progressively more intense with the split. And 20 pounds went onto my 5'3" frame before I knew it.

Now, here I am, recovering from the huge change in my life and the new little friends I adopted - booze and Starbucks - don't seem to want to leave me! I went from have willpower of steel most of my adult life to giving into every craving. I look at myself and can't believe where I am and how lousy I feel physically. Workouts went by the wayside too when insomnia hit me hard and sapped my energy to do my usual morning workouts.

I was an avid MFPer a few years ago and just came back this week to look for inspiration and to make myself accountable. And lo and behold, I find all of you guys here in this over 50 board to motivate me and help me feel less alone in my struggle!

I would love to be friends with any of you! Friend me!

Thanks for being my inspiration. We cannot give up - there is so much of life to live and enjoy!

minigirl2

suetorrence

Hi! I am 66 . I began my weight loss journey on MFP last July. In the first 20 weeks I lost 41 pounds - due to eating healthy food, working out twice a week at the gym and walking with my husband the other four days. Then we decided to join a C25K group and my weight loss slowed down. A little discouraging but the inches are still coming off. And I keep reminding myself that it took more than ten years to pack on the 80 pounds. When I began on MFP I was so encouraged by others who had accomplished their goal to be healthy and get to a healthy weight. That became my goal too. Best wishes to all of you as you continue on your journey.

MostlyWater

I'm 49. I just spent the last 10 yeares gettingin the best shape of my life. I don't think it's harder at all.


I think it's just never easy.

donnarooty

Thank you for those wise words and the encouragement that we CAN do it!

mamacoates

56 here.

I have never lost so much weight and kept it off as I have since I joined MFP.

Lift heavy
Eat at a deficit
Up your protein

The weight will come off no matter how old we are, we can do this.

^^^ THIS. I am 50 years old. After 18 years of failing diets on my own, my son set up an MFP account for me and I have never looked back. 35 lbs lost since July 1st - and desire to lose at least 25 more. Keys to success: LOG EVERYTHING - including weigh and measure portions. LOG EVERYDAY. Use the data to see what is working and what needs adjusting. It is easy to think you are eating healthy until you start logging and see how all the "bites of this" and "tastes of that" add up.

Is it hard? Yes. Losing weight at any age is hard. Putting it on is the easy part. Losing weight takes dedication, disciple, consistency, and patience. Exercise will boost the metabolism to help the process happen faster and will help reshape your body as you go. Cardio for fat burning and weights for retaining lean muscle mass (also needed for healthy metabolism).

Feel free to add me, and good luck to you!

kempt_ken

Hey there I'm 51.

As someone pointed out the ladies have it bit harder because they tend to have a lower BMR.

And ya BMR drops with age too.

lessismoreohio

I just turned 50 and I find that I can still lose weight if I work hard at it -- I've found it's hard work at any age..............

Anyone, please fell free to "friend request" me. I find my MFP friends make the difference for me. I try to be supportive for you as well. You can't have enough friends or support on this journey.

Have a great weekend!

jpeach

This looks like the place for me. I've used MFP for awhile and it helps me track my goals; I'm working with a wellness coach to get on track and stay on track. I've not participated in any community forums anywhere so maybe it's time to try on something new.

dixeyk

I can't recall if I did this already but I'm over 50 and on a mission to get back to my college weight of 165.

Katz135

I am 57 and it is definately harder as we get older. But I want to be able to have fun with the grandchildren and get the most out of my life now I am finished raising children. This site seems to work and moral support is always a good thing.

Good luck on your journey

marciebrian

going on 60b and yes the last 10 won't move very quickly or really any of it and the worst is the allotted calories for 59 is close two 0 ;-)



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akolstad

Hi . I am over 50. And I just don't understand this weight gain.
All my life I had the opposite trouble of being too thin- I mean skinny to the point of unattractive. When I was pregnant I had to be on diets to gain weight. Now I can't eat anything without putting on pounds. I look like a butterball. And no, I am not especially into exercise. Part of it is because work hours prevent it, but part of it is due to a life long health problem that gives me seizures/dizziness. It seems like its all around my middle and that I need to loose about 30 lbs. My double chin is probably genetic and is not ever going away. Sorry for the attitude, but this is where I'm starting.
AJK

DebraYvonne

Its been much harder for me at 50. Hard at 40 harder at 45 and even harder now. I think I need to exercise more to make it up

boatsie77

Hi all! I don't do the "friending" thing on MFP, but here is my post-50 weight loss experience:

I started transitioning to a healthy lifestyle and found MFP at age 57; lost 90 pounds and started in maintenance at age 58; completed my first EVER 1\2 marathon at 58; I'm turning 59 next week and have maintained the loss for 10 months; planning on running the Disney World Full Marathon on my 60th birthday month (Jan 2015).

Here's a link to my latest update thread:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1135926-obese-menopausal-to-1-2-marathon


Just Believe you can do it and consistently log & exercise...your body just might surprise you. Be grateful that it at least got you this far and honor it with good food and exercise.

Jacquelinemalone

Yes I am over 50. I just started the program on Jan. 17, 14. I have a class reunion coming up .I an determine to lose .

leannabseven

There are plenty of folks our age around here. I'm 51 and have been active on this site since November of 2013 so I'm kind of new. I have lost and gained weight (mostly gained) for years and years, but I'm now post-menopausal and have heard that it's more difficult to lose. Thankfully, I am not yet finding that to be the case...perhaps because I have so much to lose?

One thing I can tell that I've found true for me is that there is no quick fix/temporary solution. It really does require a serious commitment to changing how I live my life. I want to be a healthier person so I eat and exercise like a healthy person does.

Anyway, I'd be happy to offer you support and help you along your journey, if I can. I depend on my daily dose of support from my friends here.

tinytinam

I am staring 52 in the fact! It is definitely harder to lose it at this age. I am finding Patrick Holford's low GL healthy eating plan incredibly good though. You eat good quality but small amounts of carbohydrate and protein 5 to 6 times a day with lots of veg and a little fruit. I am really increasing the kinds of food I eat and it is making a big difference. Commitment to exercising is important too though, especially to protect our bones. Feel free to add me if you like.

Wgngirl

I just started one week ago, what keeps me going is I want to look good for summer. When I don't fell like working out, or if I'm hungry I just remember if I don't do the right thing I will still be like this in summer. I am a very determined person. I hope this help you in some way.

Wgngirl

That a lot of weight to lose, I love what you wrote.

Wgngirl

Good for you for having a goal, I'm sure you will reach your goal.

perfectflightisbeingthere

I'm 52, and after a year of working at it I'm in the best shape I've been in since my mid-twenties. Definitely have to work harder at it, but as some of the earlier posts have said some basic weight training goes a long way to maintaining muscle mass and hence BMR, and I seem to have responded really well to some HIITs in the last couple of months. Us "slightly oldies" can do this, just stick to it!!! I'm so inspired by my Dad at 82 and still walking 5 - 10 miles a day (plus the odd game of table tennis) and see myself as building the foundations now to be like that should i be lucky enough to reach his age.

(Happy to accept that blokes probably have it easier though without some of that hormonal stuff going on....)

Andrea20001

HI I am nearly 55 and yes find it harder but wonder if I am less motivated

midnightjogger

I am exactly 50 years old and am not having any problems yet. I am losing at the exact rate I set my goals for- 10 lbs. a month. I've only reached one plateau so far, and I increased my exercise and I continued to drop off the pounds. I still have a long way to go -97 lbs. to be exact. But I started out at 265 lbs. and am down to 230 lbs. in 3 1/2 months.Hopefully this will continue. I am not quite in menopause yet- and maybe this is why it's been easier for me.