Anyone in late 50's or older on here?

twilasue54 · October 2012

I am in my late 50's and looking for success stories in older people. I love reading all the success stories, but I have found the older I get, the harder it is to lose and apparently for me at least, to stay motivated. My life seems to be very hectic the last few years, which I know should not be an excuse, but I have found I am more of an emotional eater of late. I think i have trouble staying motivated because it does seem to be harder the older you get. Any thoughts?

debs6 · October 2012

I am 56 and have managed to reach my goal by losing 99lbs

twilasue54 · October 2012

well that is amazing! thanks for posting. That helps more than you know.

lax75 · October 2012

I'm 59 and on here as must for exercise/general health reasons as for weight loss per se. When I'm reading the success stories here I tend to forget how much younger many of the posters are than I am! So it keeps me thinking we're all in the same boat, and that I can do anything they do! That said, your metabolism does change with age, and sometimes other health issues that are more common in "older" people affect the process as well. It doesn't mean your goals need to change, necessarily, but perhaps how you get there and how long the "journey" is will have to be different than someone much younger. Perhaps setting mini-goals or non-scale goals (e.g. I will walk for at least 30 minutes every day this week) would help with the motivation, because you'd get that sense of accomplishment more often.

laureltn · October 2012

I'm between 55 and 56 and weigh what I weighed in high school. You CAN do it but what you eat is critical. All exercise alone will help your heart and your fitness and some weight loss, but to really get yourself where you want to be you need to make your food a priority too. If you are an emotional eater, try to channel to a new behavior when you're stressed out -- like going for a walk or doing zumba or pumping iron or something. you can do it!

imaginaryplaces · October 2012

I am 57 and have lost 80lbs over the past two years; I still have probably 10-15 lbs more to go.

What lax75 said about setting smaller, non-scale goals has really helped me along. For me that has involved setting my sights on increasingly demanding hikes, since hiking is something I really enjoy. And I still don't have a "final" weight goal. I've been working on losing ten pounds at a time.

I have had to develop workarounds when it comes to weight training and other exercise - my joints are not very forgiving - and it's been slower than I would like. But I am finally at a point where I feel so much healthier and capable. It is possible!

azztkk · October 2012

- Log what you eat ...

- Try to be active even if it's not a formal workout ...

- And don't let age be the reason you give up.

Someone in their 20's or 30's could be having a harder time with this than you are. Read some of the posts on this site.

It's just a change in your lifestyle and an occasional change in your attitude. You have a bad day, toss it and get ready for the next one.

The biggest enemy for most people is time because this is a long, slow process. Just keep moving forward .... because every inch of effort counts.

I'm 60 and it works for me.

ryansgram · October 2012

I'm 56 and lost a total of 85 pounds in a year. You can do it too.

pcotter54 · October 2012

I'm 57 and have lost 37 pounds, most of it while I was a MFP member. I consider myself a partial success story-- I still have a long way to go. But it's a great feeling to feel lighter, and have more energy. I haven't gone to a gym, just walked on the city streets and on hikes, took an aquatic fitness class, and watched my calories. I also do like one poster suggested and set myself small goals for a week. One thing I've noticed is that even though my joints are definitely not as elastic as they used to be, they definitely hurt less when I'm carrying around less weight! Good luck to you on your journey.

babybs · October 2012

Howdy. I'm 53 and now weigh what I did in high school. I'm also 82 days smoke free!

What prompted me to visit MFP was a want to quit smoking, I've been a rather heavy smoker for 35 or so years. Previous attempts to quit left me with 5, 10 or 15 pounds of extra weight I didn't want or need so I would always go back to smoking to pump back up my metabolism. This time I got on a healthy eating habit and an exercise regimen first then quit the smokes and alas success!

Age should not be a barrier for doing anything! I could barely walk to the end of my driveway without getting winded and now I can walk for miles and miles. I still do some mindless eating when I'd really rather be smoking but I grab for healthy foods now and not sweets. Also I play games with myself, if I want a treat and I'm out of calories or don't have enough left to indulge then I MAKE myself exercise for those extra calories.

I may look my age or older but I feel 15 years younger! You can do anything you set your mind to.

gtflaten · October 2012

know the feeling. after age 54 my body just isn't the same. weight only fluctuates by about 3 pounds but clothes do not fit like they used to. am trying this plus an extra class at the gym for 24 sessions. we'll see what happens.

grannygethealthy1111 · October 2012

Age is just a number and our limitations are self-imposed. It IS a little more difficult to lose weight, but it is very doable. I am 62.

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Heatherwood62 · October 2012

I am 61 and I found this site a great asset to tracking my food and exercise. I agree it is more difficult to lose the weight as we get older. I read blogs and posts to stay motivated and to not feel alone in my struggle . Since I was diagnosed with heart disease, I felt even more motivated to stay in shape and keep my body fat down. The problem is ....when I lose weight more lines appear on my face :-). I just have to get over it!,,, my Heath is the number one priority!!!

dpippenger · October 2012

I am almost 61 and have lost 70 lbs since April 3. You can do it if you set your mind to it and keep moving. I use MFP and a pedometer to measure my steps. I also started running in June and ran my first 5 K in September. Sure, I hit times when it seemed like I was stuck and not loosing. Be patient, it takes time. Oh one other benifit, I'm off blood pressure medicine too. I am cheering you on. You can change things.:happy:

newfaith1981 · October 2012

Hello!
Iam 58 and I have found this has been a BIG struggle for me to loose weight. I gain and lose. I have a daughter who was born with Down syndrome who lives at home with us. She is my joy but also can be very moody and irritable and I can get very stressed over her. I know I am an emotional eater. I walk 4 days a week while she is in school and this helps a Lot!

twilasue54 · October 2012

Well thank you so much for the wonderful posts and encouragement. THat definitely helps. To the poster who quite smoking, congrats and good luck. I used to smoke. I started when I was 13 believe it or not. I smoked for 27 years with many attempts at quitting and finally succeeded on my 40th birtday, so it has been 18 years now. I used the patches that time and while it was still hard for about a year, it was so worth it, especially since after a move from the southwest to the midwest, I developed asthma. I also agree with everyone who mentioned exercise being somewhat more difficult. I have arthritus in my knees and I definitley want to lose the weight to get some of the pressure off of them. I will read your posts everytime I think i am needing to eat when it is not out of hunger. thank you again! You have all done amazing with some of your weightloss numbers.

dame145 · October 2012

HI, I just turned 50 this year, so technically I am too young for this topic, ha ha!
But I wanted to tell you Twilasue54, I was feeling down about my weight a while back, it has pretty much been a life long struggle for me.
I had a doctor appointment and was worried he would say something about how I had lost some weight last year, then regained part of it.
He did, but not in a way I expected!
He loooked up my records for the last three years or so, and said, ok, you were twenty five pounds lighter 6 months or so ago. Hmm, but 6 months before that you were twenty pounds heavier than you are now. and the year before that you were twenty pounds heavier than that. so you are losing around twenty pounds or so every year for the last three years. just keep doing what you are doing, and don't worry about the setbacks, you will eventually get there!
So, look at the big picture sometimes, and don't focus on the little things so much. I was feeling so down about how I had "Failed" at the last attempt, I didnt realize I may be gradually winning!
Keep yer chin up!

SweetMe1 · October 2012

I am a success-in-the-making. LOL. I'm 62 and five years ago I weighed over 300 pounds. I lost 140 pounds and then gained 40 of them back. Now I've joined MFP and am determined to get to my ideal weight. And I will! :-P

Kathe2 · October 2012

I am 74 and have lost 5 lbs since I joined MFP 20 days ago. Since I am retired I have time to really pay attention to my food selections. I also take a brisk 30 minute walk (almost) every morning.

TrailRunner61 · October 2012

51 year old grandma here so I don't quite fit your age group request but I thought I'd throw this in. After losing my 3 aunts, 1 sister in law, my grandmother, my father, having a mom with alzheimers, a son in the marines, a husband with a terminal illness... throw in hotflashes and night sweats and I was up to 179lbs last January at 5ft 3.
I have found that I AM IN CHARGE of what goes in my mouth, what makes me healthy or not and that exercise de-stresses me big time. It may not change what is going on but it helps me cope. I have lost 40lbs and I feel soooo much better, my joints and knees hurt less and I have a lot more energy to play with my 3 grandkids.
Yes, it's harder at this stage in our lives to get fit but it can happen if you work at it. You have to want it to get it. I started out walking at 2mph on my treadmill last Dec. and now I'm on week 5 day 3 of Couch to 5K! I'm proud of myself. Even though I was very thin when I was younger, I had never even attempted to jog. When I'm done with C25K, I'll be able to jog 3 miles. I never thought I'd be able to do it because of the joint pain with age and excessive weight etc. So far it's not bad as long as I don't do a bunch of other crazy exercise on the same day I run. (like loading and unloading my camper for 6 hours on Sunday, then doing 12 loads of laundry) I can't do floor exercises because of fibromyalgia so I use a pool for water aerobics. I have walked, jogged and biked nearly 1,000 miles this year to raise money for St. Jude's Children's research hospital! That goal really inspired me to get off my butt.

Anyway, what I want to say is, we may have more challenges to face due to our age, but it's up to US to decide if we want to be healthier or not! YOU can do this!

icimani · October 2012

I'm 55, I've lost right at 100 lbs over the last 4 years, and I have another 75 or so to go and then maybe adjust from there. So I've had some succes, but I also feel I'm a success-in-the-making!

Small goals make it seem more do-able for me, and not seem so overwhelming. Find something that works for you, and that you can sustain. Feel free to 'friend' me - I've learned that having friends along the way helps tremendously.

Just because we're older in age, doesn't mean we have to act old! Have fun - do silly things, laugh out loud.

Anyone in late 50's or older on here?

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