i'm over 40. is it impossible?

concordancia

We do a lot of dancing, especially swing dancing. At informal music, it is often us and a little old lady dancing. At more formal events, someone often asks my partner to dance with a sweet old lady whose husband can't for whatever reason. It is bittersweet, because these are sometimes recent widows, but if I have to grow old without him, I hope his karma comes to dance with me! At the very least, I plan on being that little old lady bopping by herself while every one else sits it out.

In order to be that little old lady, I have to be active now!

besaro

i hope not. and if it is, please dont tell me, I am not ready to give up.

StephanieGoHerbalife

Have you ever tried herbalife? Many have had great results with that.

JeSuisPrest

I cannot believe how hard weight loss has become since I hit my 40s. I remember people telling me when I was younger "wait till you're 40" They were right. I feel like in order to lose weight nowadays, I can't eat ANYTHING and I have to work out like a maniac. It's so depressing. I don't want to live like that for the rest of my life but I sure don't want to be a fatty either!

Anyone else out there experiencing this sucky realization? Any advice?

It doesn't have to be so hard. There is no need to deprive yourself, the key is moderation. There is no reason to starve yourself either, I typically eat at about 1800 calories a day and wouldn't have it any other way. This is about making small changes, about being healthier. Eat clean, give up the garbage fast food and processed crap. Eat real food and measure, measure, measure! Do not let the scale be the end all, it doesn't tell the whole story. Girl if I can do this, anyone can. Read my profile for more tips. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

joanthemom8

Well, you've lost quite a bit already. How much more do you need to lose? I'm 47 and trying to lose about 5 or 6 lbs more and I've been stuck forever! I'm almost ready to call it quits - just tracking to make sure I don't overdue it. The one area I need to work on (and maybe it will help you) is muscle-strenthening/toning. I'm good at doing cardio, but it's not getting me anywhere - so I have to try to focus on strenthen-building/toning. I think that may help,.
BTW, I'm going to send you a friend request - you are in my age group and I live in SoCal too - in Upland.

SanteMulberry

I cannot believe how hard weight loss has become since I hit my 40s. I remember people telling me when I was younger "wait till you're 40" They were right. I feel like in order to lose weight nowadays, I can't eat ANYTHING and I have to work out like a maniac. It's so depressing. I don't want to live like that for the rest of my life but I sure don't want to be a fatty either!

Anyone else out there experiencing this sucky realization? Any advice?

Hey, I'm 65 and I've lost over 50 pounds in the last three years. There's no doubt about the fact that it is harder past 45 or so, especially for women. One of the reasons is that because ovulation stops somewhere between 35 and 40, progesterone production more or less stops. That means that estrogen, which continues longer (and is also put out by fat cells) runs unopposed. Estrogen is a "fat hording" hormone because it makes thyroid hormone less effective at a cellular level. Progesterone provides the balance because it makes thyroid more effective at the cellular level. That is why many, many women experience weight gain (not all, for sure) while on the birth control pill (don't believe the pharmaceutical companies on this one--women know their own bodies). Because the birth control pill stops ovulation, it stops a woman's own natural progesterone supply that peaks at ovulation each month. Even though they use synthetic progestins in the pill, there is a lot of evidence that synthetic progestins do not supply the same benefits as natural progesterone.

Anyway, back to the "aging female and weight loss". There are ways to combat the problem but it requires a bit of knowledge. One mistake that older women make is that they do cardio-cardio-cardio, thinking that will make their bodies burn more fat. What actually happens in the older woman's body is that, since cardio is "catabolistic" (i.e. it breaks down tissue, and even though what we hope is that it will break down fat, under the influence of estrogen, what gets broken down is muscle :sad:) To counter this effect, weight training must be employed. Because, extra muscle actually supplies a bit of testosterone to a woman's system, this testosterone strongly opposes the estrogen in her body and the lean body mass that she builds, will burn way more calories in a 24-7 pattern than she could possibly burn in 6 hours of cardio a week. Some exercise physiologists feel that older women should limit their cardio to about two hours per week and up their weight training to at least an hour per week for much better results. Many women also feel that they have been helped a great deal by employing a small amount of bio-identical progesterone supplementation in a pattern that mimics a woman's natural progesterone pattern. A woman who is having sexual dysfunction as well, may be helped by the introduction of a tiny amount of testosterone in addition to the progesterone. Very few docs are up to speed on this but a number of endocrinologists know about it. They are also aware of the additional problem of xenoestrogens in the environment. There are a number of pollutants that we take in (in tiny amounts, mind you) from our water, food and air, which are strongly "estrogenic" in the body. It is thought to be the reason for declining sperm rates in men and early pubescence for girls, and may be responsible for a number of hormonal effects that affect fertility in women as well.

tialynn1

I started this site when I was 45. I lost 40 pounds in the first 6 months. I gained a little in the last half of last year. That is because I wasn't watching as closely to diet and not exercising as much. I am back on my way down the scale again. I plan to be at goal by Memorial Day weekend. That is when I have a lot of activities planned starting through the summer. (A retirement ceremony, 3 graduations).

SoDamnHungry

Even when you're young, losing that last ten pounds is hard.

MichaelBrewer2634

I'll be 43 in a few months, and I promise you that I'm in better shape that many 20 year olds. Nothing is impossible. Get up, get moving, stay moving, eat well, and live healthy. Good luck

Celeigh12

I'm 41 and I don't think it's harder. Don't let age be a barrier to your success! I think it's more a matter of finding what works for you than anything else.

Nicki_101

My mother (who I am obsessivly proud of), started losing weight when she was 52. She have just turned 56 and has lost over 100lbs. She is 5.3" , does weight training and cardio 5 days a week, plus eat approx 2000 cal everyday of clean foods. She now weighs a healthy 115lbs. She has taken it slowly and learned how to eat right in the process, and I believe this is why she was successful.

sunsnstatheart

I crossed my 40th birthday with visible abs. That took me 3 years of hard work but it was well worth it. Commit yourself and lose any excuse to fail.

Tat2dDom0105

It's possible!

I'm 43, and before the holidays last year, i lost 38 pounds. Since the holidays, i have gained almost 10 pounds, but have kept my weight pretty steady. The main thing to do is keep being persistent with your logging on here, eating mostly clean, and also keeping within your calorie range. But if you decide to have a cheat meal or day, try to log that so you can keep yourself honest.

lbesaw

Don't give up--concentrate on your nutrition, maintain your exercise and stay the course. A friend of mine struggled with those "last 5 pounds" it took months and then one day it just dropped off---he Dr told her she was doing all the right things and assured her that it would come off---and it did!!!

cebreisch

Yes, it makes it harder, but it isn't impossible. I'm 47, and have lost 117.4 pounds.

17ChargerGirl17

I'm 44 and started this new journey 15 months ago, so yes over 40..
I have heard that the older you get the harder it is to lose weight. And I think that is probably true.
However, I decided I was tired of being over weight and wanted to be happy and healthy so I did something about it.
I haven't found, personally, that it has been that difficult to lose the weight being in my 40s.
good luck, you can do it...

val1mike2

I started gaining in my 50's and just let it creep on....Now in my 70's and finally serious about losing weight with a goal and a plan....WE CAN DO IT

sparrowuphigh

HA! Seriously, it was like a flip switched in my body once I turned 40 so the methods I used in my 20's and 30's were no longer effective. I just found out this week that just because I burn 500 cals working out, doesn't mean I can eat ALL of that. I still have to keep my caloric intake closer to my daily goal. We'll see how week 2 goes, but right now I need to stay between 1200-1400 cals per day.

pup0417

It is definitely possible! I am 42, will be 43 in April. I started doing Medifast last year in mid-May and to date have lost a total of 108 lbs! I am currently just trying to maintain and concentrate more on cardio/toning than on losing anymore weight, but I know that as I get stronger more weight will probably come off.
I was a yo-yo dieter for most of my adult life, so I know that had to have slowed my metabolism down somewhat, but I lost weight like "crazy" fast on Medifast.
However you choose to do it, just commit 100% and don't reward yourself with food. Make it a lifestyle choice, not a "diet".
I eat ALL the time now, seriously! I just eat more frequent small meals every 2-3 hours. That keeps the metabolism "revved" up. I can eat ALOT and still maintain, so even though I went on a low-calorie diet with MF, it didn't mess wth my metabolism too much, like some people assume it will.
( Just to give you an idea of how many calories MFP says I can have per day to maintain with 1 hour of elliptical and 30 minutes of light/moderate calisthenics- slightly over 3000! That is flippin' crazy!- don't plan on eating that many, but it is there if I feel the "need")