Older women success stories please!

There are a lot of dedicated, amazing women in this thread! I am 60 and consider myself a success because I have changed my lifestyle considerably and for the better. I walk daily and usually go to the gym 3 times a week. If the weather is nice, I might substitute a longer walk for one of the gym visits. I'm probably in the best physical shape of my adult life. In a way, I think this journey is really what I will call the rest of my life. I have not quite reached my weight goal but I am a few pounds from it. However I would like to continue to build some more muscle. I don't know whether I look any younger, but that wasn't really my goal anyway. I am happy to be buying pants two sizes smaller than when I started!

If you compare yourself to people who are 20 years younger than you, you will always be disappointed! :brokenheart:

Compete with yourself! Not with others. Its all about improving YOUR health and YOUR life!

I'm 52 and in better shape than ever! All because of MFP. If you log your calories and exercise every day, you can do it!

Feel free to friend me if you want support from an old girl! :bigsmile:

Hi there,
I've been trying to lose about 12-18 lbs since October 2011. It has been very difficult. When I was in my 20's and 30's it was not a problem to lose 1 to 2 lbs consistently each week. It just fell off so easily. But now I am lucky if I get a 1/2 pound every once in awhile. I am 45 years old. DON'T give up, even if it takes you much longer than expected. I just keep trying and very, very, slowly the weight has come off! Good luck!

Well, I'm 57 and a partial success-- still have a way to go. It's definitely more difficult to lose weight as you get older. But I feel like my greater patience and perspective make up for the physical side. So hang in there and your perseverance will pay off.

I'm 50 yrs old and for many years I tried to lose weight to no avail until I joined MFP.

By watching my calorie intake with careful consideration to my macros, giving up wheat due to a gluten intollerance, controlling my sodium intake and eating minimal amounts of processed food has given me fantastic success.

46kg's or 101lb's loss since Dec last year. I'm thrilled with the healthful changes to both the way I eat and my level of fitness. I burn approximately 900-1100 calories every day, six times a week by concentrating mainly on cardio, interspersed with weight training. Best of luck to you on your journey

I'm 62 and I have consistently lost weight since joining MFP because I've been consistent with my exercising and calorie intake. I think that exercising may be a bit more difficult or slow, but a lot of it is "state of mind" and "mind over matter". You really gotta want it. If you do aerobics to lose weight and strength train to tone up and watch what you eat, you will get to where you want to be. It may not be fast but it is attainable. Good luck and don't give up - be patient and keep thinking about how much better you will feel and look in 6 months, if you just keep going.... slow and steady wins the race.

I am 58 years old and it has been a long struggle but I have had some success. I just keep falling off the wagon from time to time.
This website is all the support I have. My family is kind but not supportive. My friends are small and can eat anything and really don't get it. I just refuse to give up.

I am 63 and started in January 2012. I went to Canyon Ranch in Tucson for a Weight Loss Program. I learned so much...and got my head screwed on straight for this journey.
I'm currently down 63 pounds, with about 67 pounds to go.
It's slow, but has become habit. When I look at calorie intake vs calories burned, I should be further ahead. No, it's not like losing weight in my 20s, but it still can be done.
When I get discouraged, I look at my diary and remind myself that I've come a long way. The feedback from friends has been fantastic and keeps me going.
I eat 1500 +/- calories/day, 10,000 Fitbit steps/day, weight training 2x/week.

I'm 46 and have lost just shy of 60 pounds. It has taken me two years having lost most of it in 2011 and 15 pounds in this past year. However, I've scratched and clawed to lose those 15 pounds. I also have 15 more to go before meeting goal weight. I have the mindset that if it takes me another year or two to lose it, oh well. What is the alternative? There really isn't one for me. I'd rather eat healthy and look great for my age than go back to being fat and miserable all the while eating what I want. I feel great and wouldn't trade that for anything even if the scales aren't moving the way I want them to.

I will say that it irks me just a bit from comments I've read from a few of the really young ladies (not most of them--just a few). They have the mentality that we're just not trying hard enough or the weight would come off. That simply is not true. Some of these women are eating fast food or some type of processed foods everyday (my diet is completely clean so I do eat healthier). They eat more calories than I do and exercise no more than I do but the results are totally different. When I was there age, I lost weight easily too, but not now. It does get much harder for us as we get older but it is doable. Hang in there and refuse to quit!

Hi, I sent you a friend request, I'm 46 and since March have lost 50 lbs - I may not have my 20 year old body anymore but frankly i think I like this one better!

Do NOT throw in the towel, it's so worth doing this, now get on with it, lol!!

50 here, fighting for every pound. Up and down but in the meantime have become a regular exerciser thanks to home videos. Currently down 11 lb in one year, 4 more to go. I was never fat but with all that toning, people have noticed. Three times this year I was mistaken for a college student and once in my garage a salesperson asked me if my mom was home (it was dark). I seem to get more respect from my partners at work also. Good luck! Remember that 50 is the new 30!

I'm here. I am 51. I am a work in progress, but I've lost 63 lbs so far. Want to lose another 30-40, I think. I will never look like I am 20-something. I'm not sure if I should. I guess it depends on perspective. I would definitely not want to BE 20-something again if I had to go there to look my best. What I am hoping for is to be my own best at whatever age. I don't want to grow old gracefully...I want to do it with a vengeance!

No, to the OP you should NOT give up. Instead, you should try to be realistic and focus on the positives instead of some artificial "ideal".

Barb

I have 15 to go. I'd love to do it with you, since you seem to have a handle of this weight loss thing. Friend me and nag me, please.
: )

I just turned 44 and still can't believe this past year has been so much easier than I expected it to be! I lost 70 lbs when I was 25 and was 'skinny fat'. This time around, I've lost almost the same amount of weight, but have packed on a lot more muscle and the benefit has been lots more overall strength and endurance - which is a far more motivating outcome than the weight loss itself (ok - so going from a 22W to size 12 Levi's doesn't suck either!). No one believes I am 44 - especially the 20-somethings I see trail running every week! You can do this - it doesn't have to be slow and your age doesn't matter!

One tip my trainer shared with me early on that has helped me - don't be afraid to push yourself harder every workout - you are stronger than you know and keeping the same routine for more than 2-3 weeks will slow the process and you need to constantly adapt your workouts as you get stronger. Push harder every day, run an extra 5 minutes, do an extra set of lifts or add another 10lbs, up the incline on the treadmill to 18% for as long as you can and you will see results!

I have some family members who walk every day, eat well and complain they can't lose weight. They want to know what my 'magic bullet' is - and I tell them - you're not pushing yourself hard enough! (so I'm not very popular with those folks, oh well)