i'm over 40. is it impossible?

Crazy4Healthy

43 here. I will say once I hit 40 it was more difficult, but also more rewarding in the end. It was slower, but for me this truly means a lifestyle change versus a "diet". It can be done, you are never too old.

reinventingandrea

It's hard but not impossible. I'm 41 and have lost the majority of my 152 pound weigh loss since turning 40. You just have to be more diligent about your workout habits and watch the foods you eat more closely.

selfstyled

Thank you so much for such an informative post! I am 43 and STRUGGLING to lose weight. I will certainly take some of your advice!!

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.

karen8873

Im going to be 40 in August and Im just now starting to lift heavy with ChaLEAN Extreme. I dont have much weight I want to lose, but I have a big goal of being fit by40! Currently I consider myself skinny fat ...
Age is just a number and muscle doesnt know age! Its never too late to get in shape! SO YES ITS POSSIBLE !

Elleinnz

<<<<<< 52 - lost 115lbs - eats 2000 calories plus a day - thanks to Dan's Roadmap and Heybales spreadsheet.....

Also trains with heavy pieces of metal in the gym :-)

Honestly sounds as if you might not be eating enough, and exercising too much.....

It is quite a heavy video, but clearly speaks out about a metabolic damage.....which is not an age thing - it is a long term "diet" thing

http://www.metaboliceffect.com/metabolic-damage/

SanteMulberry

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

^^^This^^^ You need to accept that the last ten pounds is going to be VERY SLOOOOOOW. Set your macros for a half pound per week and LIVE. And if you go over in calories, from time to time, get right back on your program of nourishing your body with diet and exercise. It'll all work out.

gayle121

I struggle with the same thing. For 3 months I did 40 min intense cardio on elliptical 4 to 5 times a week. I stuck to 1200 calories and lost all of 5 pounds. I'm 43, it hardly seemed worth it. Always, my thoughts were "I'm a woman, over 40, my metabolism is shot from years of yoyo dieting". It's my first week back to working out and attempting to eat healthy. I've changed my thinking. I tell myself "my body is a fat burning machine. I burn 4000 calories a day without exercise. I can eat whatever I want and continue to lose weight." I had put on the 5 lbs I lost real quick when I quit trying so, I've lost 8 lbs in a week. I do need to eat more cause most days I'm not eating even 1000 calories but what I'm doing is working so I'm a little afraid to. Then again, if I don't, I may derail myself by putting myself into starvation mode. Anyway, my point is.......................your thoughts have power, don't agree with 40 being an impass to weight loss. Change your mind. As soon as the thought pops in your head. Tell yourself how well your body burns fuel and how easy it is for you to lose weight. You've got nothing to lose so give it a try and...............................youve lost 20 lbs???!!! thats fantastic and proof that you can lose weight

SanteMulberry

I heard after 40 weight training is more important than cardio
something to do with muscle and bone strength/density
maybe a combo of both will help you?

Weight training also makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin and combats the creeping insulin resistance that seems to be a part of aging in our culture.

katevarner

I lost 40 lbs. between 45 and 47, and I'm in menopause. You can do it. Just be patient and set realistic goals. Go slowly. Lift weights (or do body weight resistance workouts), do some interval cardio, find a class you like, eat healthy, and you will get there. Move more during the day--walking is great exercise.

ninerbuff

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?

I'm 49 now and eat anything I want. Is it work? Yep. But it's worth it. Physically I can still run, play sports, and not tell my daughter (8 yrs old) that I'm "too old" to play tag, or "sharks and minnows" with her.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

yuckidah

Yes it's possible but, like many of the others have said, it's hard work and it's slooooooow.
I'm 41 (almost 42) - has taken me a year to get this far and I think it'll take at least another year to get where I want to be. Maybe I'll never actually get there but I'll keep trying
If I eat/ate what others eat (ie over 1400) I'd be gaining.

mkcmurphy

I actually started MFP after I turned 40. I weighed the most I ever had in my life. It took me about 9 months but I lost enough to reach my goal weight. I am just in maintenance now, and I still exercise 5-6 days a week and count my calories!

Ditto. I started with an easy target that kept me accountable but allowed for some screw up (25 pounds in 10 months = 2.5 pounds a month. Can't get much easler than that!)

It feels great as it progresses, you physically and mentally feel better, and anything you do, no matter how slowly you feel it's going, is light years ahead of doing nothing at all.

Congrats on starting and enjoy the ride!

hedgiie

i think that's a mentality for people who's not resilient to change. people always find ways to avoid changing their routine.

if you think that it's impossible then it's is indeed imposible...

Doberdawn

I'm 46 and... well, the ticker speaks for itself. <g>
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Therealobi1

definately possible. lots of proof on this website. i am over 40, but my probs are not due to age but laziness. i am learning to think about what i eat and have started to exercise. if u dont eat enough u will get fed up and quit. keep up the good work its worth it.

CyberEd312

In my 40's and have lost a few pounds.....

Therealobi1

In my 40's and have lost a few pounds.....

a few thats amazing. well done

AmyMgetsfit

Take some advice from someone who turns the big Six-Oh next month.... get that weight off now, while you're still only 40! It gets worser and worser, especially once you go thru menopause... :sad:

I've managed to lose 13 pounds in 8 weeks, but still have 30 pounds to go... I figure it will take me a year, now that the "easy" first few pounds have come off... :noway:

You can DO it! And... so can I... if I don't die first, LOL.

I hear you on that one. I just turned 58. I lost 12 pounds in the first month. I can tell already it will take me a lot longer to lose the next 12. I have 30 more to lose. I will get there. I am not giving up this time.

Karabobarra

I just turned 45 I started when I was almost 44, I realized early on that the saying 80% of being healthy has to do with what you put in your body is true. I find the better stuff I put in my body the better I feel and my workouts are more effective. You have lost 30 pounds so far that is no small feat, you should pat yourself on the back for that and use it to keep pushing forward.
When I started getting depressed I would usually force myself to get at lease 30 minutes of cardio in every day... more for the mood boosting endorphins than for the weight loss.

My diet is simple, keep in mind I have some food allergies to deal with (dairy being one of them) but if you have a lot of diary in your diet try going off of it for a few weeks, you would be surprised at how much more energy you have. My diet consists of Lean meats (bacon being the exception, lol ) , vegetables, small amounts of fruit (too much fruit and it's hard to keep my sugar levels under) nuts, oatmeal, yams or sweet potatoes and brown rice...oh and almond milk.

I use a protein powder to help keep my protein levels up and I am currently working on balancing my work and home schedule so I can get back to working out 5 times a week, I think I am in better shape now than when I was in my 30's and I only feel half way to where I want to be (strength and conditioning goal that is)

I do go through some time periods where I get discouraged though... I usually think back to where I was when I started, how far I have come (and how much I don't want to lose what I have accomplished already) and where I could be in 6 months with some good old fashioned hard work, I don't want to be a super model or have a body building body... I just want to be in the best possible shape for me, I want to push my body and see how far it will go...it hasn't broke yet so I'm still good.

Karabobarra

I forgot to mention, if you go dairy free make sure you are taking vitamin D and Calcium supplements, you get them from other foods but dairy products are our main source of those.