Looking for advice from women in their 40's.

emmagsosa

In February of this year, I embarked on a weight loss journey. I'm 5'2" and started at 159.5lbs. I've lost 13 pounds (which I'm happy about). I've been stalking the posts regularly and see a lot of young women that are losing pretty steadily (congrats)!!!

Just wondering if there are any other women in their 40's that are out there. Is your weight loss slow??? If not, what are you doing to speed it up??? I'm eating 1200 calories a day and Im on my 2nd week of the couch to 5K running plan.

Appreciate all your suggestions!!! Keep up the good work!!!!!

snejkaxo

Hey there
Feel free to add me and share your diary. Then you can see what I'm doing, and we can talk, and I can share what works for me. Cheers!

Mokey41

Start weight training. Your metabolism slows as you age if you start to lose lean muscle mass. You need to build and maintain lean muscle to be able to burn calories even at rest. You won't bulk up like Hulk Hogan but the reason young people burn calories and lose weight faster is they have that lean muscle mass that we tend to lose with age and inactivity.

jzammetti

I'm 42 and have had pretty good success eating at a deficit from my TDEE (2000 calories per day). 1200 calories is too few to fuel your body, especially if you are working out. Plus, as we get older we need to think about preserving lean body mass and bone density - this means we should be weight training.

Melissa11412

I'm 48 and i'm lifting heavy and running 3x a week. I don't know how much weight i've lost because I take measurements and pictures. I've lost over 25 inches since January. I can't afford to compare myself to younger people because i'm not them, i'm me. The only thing I can do is train as hard as I can, make sure my nutrition is in check (and it is 90% of the time), drink plenty of water and get as much sleep as I can (menopause/hot flashes aren't helping, but i'm doing what I can). I'm getting into size 10 pants (from a size 16) and can wear shaped t shirts in small/med and i have clean lines in my clothing (no muffin tops anymore, etc)

Just because we're in our 40's and beyond does not mean our metabolisms have packed up and left town. Train hard, eat good food, drink water, rest, be patient and the results will come, whether i'm 28, 48 or 68.

smwooley

I'm 42 and have had pretty good success eating at a deficit from my TDEE (2000 calories per day). 1200 calories is too few to fuel your body, especially if you are working out. Plus, as we get older we need to think about preserving lean body mass and bone density - this means we should be weight training.

^^ This. You could be doing more harm than good if you eat too little (mess up your homones, lose muscle mass, etc) I'm 42 as well...feel free to add me if you like! Oh, and if you lift weights...you'll feel AWESOME!

lazsundayam

I'm 47 and while I did have WLS 4 years ago and have lost 130 lbs...it still was slow coming off. I did find that when I added calories to my day as I added activity and weight/strength training, even though the weight comes off slowly, the changes in my body are way more dramatic. In 8 weeks of only walking 3x a week and working with a trainer 1 hour a week, I went from a tight 12 to a loose 10, tight 8 (depending on the brand) and really have only dropped about 5 lbs. Last year at this time I actually was about 7 lbs lighter but still in the same size.

I guess my take on it is that as long as I can fit in the clothes I have (or want to buy) and have them look nice, I don't really care what the scale says...muscle weighs more than fat and looks better too! Add me if you like... and I agree with smwooley...lift weights...you'll feel awesome!

jsd_135

I'm 48 and i'm lifting heavy and running 3x a week. I don't know how much weight i've lost because I take measurements and pictures. I've lost over 25 inches since January. I can't afford to compare myself to younger people because i'm not them, i'm me. The only thing I can do is train as hard as I can, make sure my nutrition is in check (and it is 90% of the time), drink plenty of water and get as much sleep as I can (menopause/hot flashes aren't helping, but i'm doing what I can). I'm getting into size 10 pants (from a size 16) and can wear shaped t shirts in small/med and i have clean lines in my clothing (no muffin tops anymore, etc)

100% agree. This has been my experience as well, except I've just started the lifting. I'm also 48 (5'6") and also started in January. Since then I've lost 32 pounds (158 to 126), gone from a tight, ill-fitting size 12 to a loose size 8. For exercise, I started with treadmill running. Although I wasn't lifting weights at that time, I built up my strength using the incline feature on the treadmill (basically running hills). I'm doing most of my running outside, on real hills, which is much more enjoyable.

Just because we're in our 40's and beyond does not mean our metabolisms have packed up and left town. Train hard, eat good food, drink water, rest, be patient and the results will come, whether i'm 28, 48 or 68.

Yup. I feel like the exercise I've been doing has really fired up my metabolism. I started out at 1200 calories/day, but that didn't last long. I soon upped it to 1400, and now I'm at 1800. I need to up it again because I don't want to lose any more weight. (I just registered another 2 pound loss for the week.) I actually want to start gaining (adding muscle), and I'm trying to figure out a good calorie goal to do that.

Best of luck. My diary is public if you want to take a peek. Also, feel free to add me.

emmagsosa

Thanks for all the great comments!!! I will take them to heart and start weight training on my non cardio days. MFP said i should eat only 1210 calories in order to reach my goal of losing 1lb per week. I guess thats why i stuck to that goal. I've seen other websites that say i could eat up to 1400 and still lose 1lb per week. I will have to compromise and maybe move it to 1300. LOL!!!

I've already hit several plateaus during my 16 week adventure. Hopefully your tips can help me avoid so many.

Again, very appreciative of your help.

kristine3323

Reading all of your posts has been very educational. I'm 48 and have about 30 lbs I'd like to lose. I have several medical conditions that reduces the number of exercise programs I can incorporate into my day, so right now I'm walking, doing the elliptical and doing some small weights when my pain level isn't too bad. I'm eating 1200 cal, started only a couple weeks ago and have lost 6 lbs so far, weighing in day tomorrow!

Thanks for all the good advice, ladies

cappri

I'm 42, I lost 96 pounds in less than a year, my average was 1.98 pounds a week. I walked and eventually started running as my exercise. No weight training for me, not that I think it's bad, just don't think that you have to weight train to lose weight.

emmagsosa

Wow!!! You ladies are pretty fantastic. I'm sure its different for everybody. I will continue the running program because I know that can't hurt. @cappri: 100lbs thats inspiring!!! Glad I don't have to lose that much because I don't know if I could do it. @jsd_135, you really make me feel like i can do it too. You're weight loss compared to mine seems so quick. I need to speed up my metabolism to get that constant 1lb per week.

TheRealParisLove

You don't have a lot to lose, so you are going to lose more slowly than someone who has 30-40% or more of their total body weight to take off.

If you are in good health, and if your Dr. gives you the ok, you may consider supplementing with DHEA. I take 50mgs daily four weeks out of five (take a week off every 5th week to allow my body to rest). DHEA is a pre-cursor to the sex hormones testosterone, progesterone and estrogen. After 30 our body's natural DHEA begins dropping off and it gets quite low on the approach to menopause. I've seen no negative side effects, and have been using it for years now. Some people experience hair loss or increase in facial hair. It could also be problematic for women with PCOS or uterine fibroids.

MCLA4mom

I am 43 and I recently lost 75lbs. I have maintained it for over a year by watching my diet and I run 4-5 miles at least 4 days a week. No weight training so far. Not that I dont want to. I guess I just love running so much and thats what i would rather do.

nicleed

I am 45, 5'9" and lost 13 kilos in the second half of last year. I have mostly kept it off (going up and own a couple of kilos every now and then. I was eating about 1600+exercise cals when I was losing. I do a mixture of cardio and strength training to maintain LBM ... more LBM means your body burns fuel more effectively, which means you can eat more to maintain, And I like food.

I have never been overweight, but yes, as I get older, I have to work harder to maintain.

Also, I see my mum at 81 have very little muscle mass, plus a heart that is packing in. I don't want that to be me.

MostlyWater

I'm 48 and about 128 lbs. Health isn't just a number on the scale, it's also muscle tone (Measure yourself) and your cholesterol/sugar levels.

hiphiphooray

I'm 40! (still can't believe that). I have 30 lbs to lose and am not having any luck. What and how do you lift?

Jocmc631942

I am 5ft 2in, 44 years old and had a baby at 41. Trying to get to 115 from 187 (my ticker it wrong because I accidentally entered 182 on the phone app.) I am at 155 lbs right now.

I do the P90X routine currently. I am on day 68. I do more cardio than weight lifitng, but I do lift and really like it. June the 13th is my 90th day of p90x and I will then add insanity to it and do a hybrid program to get the last 35lbs off. The last few pounds are supposed to be the hardest so I don't think I did these programs backwards. I'll shock my body with the insanity cardio program and make the last 35 melt away.

When that weight is gone, I intend to build muscle. More muscle to hold my old joints in place. LOL To burn more calories when I am not working out and I think woman with muscle are pretty. I want curvy arms. LOL

I do eat 1200 calories a day, but I am really bad at remembering to put it in the fitness pal app. So a lot of times it looks like I didn't eat when I did.

I am doing 2-5 lbs for weight lifting because you cant build muscle while in a calorie deficit anyway so no reason to risk hurting myself.

nagniho

Thanks for all the great comments!!! I will take them to heart and start weight training on my non cardio days. MFP said i should eat only 1210 calories in order to reach my goal of losing 1lb per week. I guess thats why i stuck to that goal. I've seen other websites that say i could eat up to 1400 and still lose 1lb per week. I will have to compromise and maybe move it to 1300. LOL!!!

I've already hit several plateaus during my 16 week adventure. Hopefully your tips can help me avoid so many.

Again, very appreciative of your help.

Hi There!

Don't make any arbitrary changes without doing proper research as to what your TDEE is! Use the link below to calculate your TDEE then make the appropriate cut to get to your goal. .5lbs/1lbs/week would be ideal and sustainable in the long run.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

MFPs 1200 # is "NET" which means that if you exercise and spend 300 cals doing so then you should eat 1500 to "NET" 1200. I would strongly suggest that you buy a HRM to get more accurate caloric burn #s as Machines and MFP database are notorious for their inaccuracy.

Note: if you follow the TDEE route then you are already factoring in your exercise so in this case you DO NOT eat your exercise calories back like you would if you follow the MFP route.

As others have pointed out start weight lifting as it will help maintain and build lean body mass. Make sure that your protein intake is sufficient. To be safe you can try the 40(C); 30(P); 30(F) ratio.

added link...

nagniho

One more recommendation if you are not already doing so...

Fat loss is mostly what you eat and not how much you exercise. Some say it is 80% diet/20% exercise. I would strongly recommend that you get a digital scale and start weighing/measuring everything. You will be surprised how much we under-estimate food intake by merely eye-balling!

michelle7673

I'm 44, have been at it just over 3 months, have lost at well over a pound a week (I'd say 1.5 a week but I'm stuck the last couple of days -- dang Chinese food!). I'm 5'8" and eating at 1450 or so plus exercise calories. I agree with the poster who said it's 80% diet -- at least 80%!!