i'm over 40. is it impossible?

laura328
laura328 Posts: 136 Member
in Motivation and Support
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?
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Replies

  • Diamond_angel20
    Diamond_angel20 Posts: 63
    I know ALOT of people who have lost weight in their 40s like the biggest loser contestants. Trust me its possible, it may be harder or slower, but in order to achieve any goal you to have to WORK HARD and HAVE DETERMINATION, and we ALL have very bad days where we will fall off track for days, months even but no matter what happens u have to NOT GIVE UP and complete what u have started. Remind yourself of why u started and know that discipline is choosing between what u want now, and what u want the most. :) Good luck ! :D people here are amazing and so motivating and there are alot of success stories here too ! :)
  • laura328
    laura328 Posts: 136 Member
    I know ALOT of people who have lost weight in their 40s like the biggest loser contestants. Trust me its possible, it may be harder or slower, but in order to achieve any goal you to have to WORK HARD and HAVE DETERMINATION, and we ALL have very bad days where we will fall off track for days, months even but no matter what happens u have to NOT GIVE UP and complete what u have started. Remind yourself of why u started and know that discipline is choosing between what u want now, and what u want the most. :) Good luck ! :D people here are amazing and so motivating and there are alot of success stories here too ! :)

    Thanks honey! What a great boost you just gave me! :flowerforyou:
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    I know ALOT of people who have lost weight in their 40s like the biggest loser contestants. Trust me its possible, it may be harder or slower, but in order to achieve any goal you to have to WORK HARD and HAVE DETERMINATION, and we ALL have very bad days where we will fall off track for days, months even but no matter what happens u have to NOT GIVE UP and complete what u have started. Remind yourself of why u started and know that discipline is choosing between what u want now, and what u want the most. :) Good luck ! :D people here are amazing and so motivating and there are alot of success stories here too ! :)

    Thanks honey! What a great boost you just gave me! :flowerforyou:

    you're down to your last 10lbs, right? you might be trying to hard and mucking up your hormones. relax your deficit a bit. don't do so much cardio. let your cortisol levels come back to normal. read Dan's Roadmap and make sure you understand the concepts and then sanity check your own numbers to make sure they make sense. shoot for 3-4 lbs per month for your loss for the time being and see if that helps.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    43yo here and still losing - you're getting close to your goal and that's when it gets hard. Keep at it. You've done great so far! :flowerforyou:

    Oh, and I agree with WinVic^^, as you near your goal you need to start looking at how you'll maintain, the road map will teach you some useful tools for when you get there too x
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Not just for weight-loss, but for everything. I take longer to recover from everything I do, I'm more likely to injure or tweak something, etc. I think the most important advice is to be patient in whatever it is you're doing, whether it's losing weight or getting stronger. I say "I think" because I'm horrible at being patient, so I haven't tried it as much as I should to see if it really works.

    Good luck.
  • laura328
    laura328 Posts: 136 Member
    I know ALOT of people who have lost weight in their 40s like the biggest loser contestants. Trust me its possible, it may be harder or slower, but in order to achieve any goal you to have to WORK HARD and HAVE DETERMINATION, and we ALL have very bad days where we will fall off track for days, months even but no matter what happens u have to NOT GIVE UP and complete what u have started. Remind yourself of why u started and know that discipline is choosing between what u want now, and what u want the most. :) Good luck ! :D people here are amazing and so motivating and there are alot of success stories here too ! :)

    Thanks honey! What a great boost you just gave me! :flowerforyou:

    you're down to your last 10lbs, right? you might be trying to hard and mucking up your hormones. relax your deficit a bit. don't do so much cardio. let your cortisol levels come back to normal. read Dan's Roadmap and make sure you understand the concepts and then sanity check your own numbers to make sure they make sense. shoot for 3-4 lbs per month for your loss for the time being and see if that helps.

    Dan's roadmap??
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I'm turning 42 in a couple months and look at me go! 55 lbs. since July 2012. The other 30 before...it's not so hard. I have metabolic issues (PCOS) on top of my age to reckon with. You can do it!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Dan's roadmap??

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

    More specifically... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    The last 10-15 is slower, and you need to approach it differently. Work smarter, not harder.

    Think of it like you want to knock down a tree. You can push it, push it, push it with all your might, but no matter how hard you work, it's not going to fall over. When you use the right tools and some physics, you can knock that sucker over in no time flat. For me, the right tools were a combination of cardio and heavy strength training, and the physics was eating at an appropriate deficit. If I eat 1200, my body freaks out and I stall. If I eat 1800-2000, the pounds slowly fall off.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I am 50. I have lost 29 pounds in the last two months, so I know it can be done. I have a long way to go still (70 pounds) but will never give up.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    I am 41. I hardly do any cardio, I eat 1400-1500 calories daily. I am losing half a pound a month. I do body weight/ strength training.

    (to be fair, I only had 10 pounds to lose, then decided to work on my strength and body fat &)
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  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    I am 53 and it has taken me six months to lose 20 pounds, but I have lost them and they are not going back on! Good luck with your quest, you will do it. If you only have 10 pounds to go (lucky you!) then set your app to lose 0.5 pounds a week and it should go down slowly and stay off. Do some weights too if you have not done these before, they really tighten you up. I can see shape in my arms and ankles for the first time in around 10 years. At least you are doing this in your 40s, I didn't and regret it.... Go girl!
  • JVCB
    JVCB Posts: 73 Member
    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.
  • LifeIsNotADressRehearsal
    LifeIsNotADressRehearsal Posts: 745 Member
    I am 49 and stalled with 5 lbs to go. I bought my Fitbit, set my cals at 1450, ate back every single exercise and Fitbit calorie and was at goal in 5 weeks. It doesn't have to be painful! Patience does help! Good luck!
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Dan's roadmap??

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

    More specifically... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    The last 10-15 is slower, and you need to approach it differently. Work smarter, not harder.

    Think of it like you want to knock down a tree. You can push it, push it, push it with all your might, but no matter how hard you work, it's not going to fall over. When you use the right tools and some physics, you can knock that sucker over in no time flat. For me, the right tools were a combination of cardio and heavy strength training, and the physics was eating at an appropriate deficit. If I eat 1200, my body freaks out and I stall. If I eat 1800-2000, the pounds slowly fall off.

    YES!!! Eat more and heavy lift and be patient...it will work. (I am 42)
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I have always had to workout a lot to lose weight, even as a teenager. But dang did I look good when I got onto the adult volleyball league and was able to play every night of the week!

    As a matter of fact, at only an hour a day, I am working out less than I did to lose weight in my thirties. The main differences are that I am eating better and work smarter/ harder.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    Dan's roadmap??

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

    More specifically... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    The last 10-15 is slower, and you need to approach it differently. Work smarter, not harder.

    Think of it like you want to knock down a tree. You can push it, push it, push it with all your might, but no matter how hard you work, it's not going to fall over. When you use the right tools and some physics, you can knock that sucker over in no time flat. For me, the right tools were a combination of cardio and heavy strength training, and the physics was eating at an appropriate deficit. If I eat 1200, my body freaks out and I stall. If I eat 1800-2000, the pounds slowly fall off.

    YES!!! Eat more and heavy lift and be patient...it will work. (I am 42)

    Yes!!! Eat more & lift heavy & be patient....it will work. (I am 54)
  • laura328
    laura328 Posts: 136 Member
    Dan's roadmap??

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

    More specifically... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    The last 10-15 is slower, and you need to approach it differently. Work smarter, not harder.

    Think of it like you want to knock down a tree. You can push it, push it, push it with all your might, but no matter how hard you work, it's not going to fall over. When you use the right tools and some physics, you can knock that sucker over in no time flat. For me, the right tools were a combination of cardio and heavy strength training, and the physics was eating at an appropriate deficit. If I eat 1200, my body freaks out and I stall. If I eat 1800-2000, the pounds slowly fall off.


    Um....I just did the calculation according to this and I'M OBESE!!!! I wear a size 10! Now I'm more depressed than ever!
    Thanks Dan! :sad:
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    I am 66 and I have lost a total of 38 lbs or about 25% of my weight.. It was by eating clean, no processed foods or soda, lots of water, and moving more. I use the formula TDEE - 20% = 1025c per day for me. (I am very tiny.) Good luck. Don't wait like I did.
  • laura328
    laura328 Posts: 136 Member
    I am 66 and I have lost a total of 38 lbs or about 25% of my weight.. It was by eating clean, no processed foods or soda, lots of water, and moving more. Check out Dan's Roadmap.

    I hate Dan right now. See my post above.
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
    I am 42 and totally agree with everyone else. It is slow and a bit harder, but for sure can be done! I personally hate to exercise and when I was younger I never really had too. After 40 I have realized that I HAVE to exercise to maintain and I had to make a life style change, no longer a diet! I do not cut any foods out, just concentrate mostly on eating more of the good foods and most important for me is learning portion sizes! It will be a year on MFP for me on the 22nd of this month and currently 2 lbs away from my goal weight, so again it is not fast but been slow and steady. Best of luck to you, you got this!!
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    I am 66 and I have lost a total of 38 lbs or about 25% of my weight.. It was by eating clean, no processed foods or soda, lots of water, and moving more. Check out Dan's Roadmap.

    I hate Dan right now. See my post above.
    \


    LOL - no reason to hate Dan. It is what it is. His numbers just help you SEE what it is, so you can do something about it. :wink:
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  • thecloud6
    thecloud6 Posts: 11
    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!
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
    It is doable.. I eat pretty much everything I always have with some newer items added in.. I work out regularly now also.. It doesn't fall off like it did back in my 20s but it is coming off..

    I think it all a matter of finding your right NET number..
  • KeithChanning
    KeithChanning Posts: 202 Member
    I'm over 60. No, it isn't.
  • spirit80
    spirit80 Posts: 327 Member
    I'm 52 and 13 months later 73 lbs down. You can do it. It is more mental.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    I turned 49 last Aug when I joined MFP. 6 months in and over halfway to goal weight. It certainly is a lot slower at this age, and I can't get away with slacking off like I could when I was younger, but it is definitely doable. There are hundreds of people over 40 and succeeding on this site. You just have to accept that it will take perseverance and patience.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    sorry dans road map isnt for everyone

    I hate how it has become the MFP bible

    Personally, I just use MFP. I did the math and the difference wasn't big enough to be of any concern to me.

    It just helps for people who have a mental block about eating their calories back.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    Another one here! I lost 35 pounds at age 47 by netting about 1500-1600 calories a day, eating back my exercise calories along the way.

    I'm tracking calories again two years later to go down another 15 or so (did not gain all the pounds back in the meantime--I maintained within a few pounds since my initial loss, although when I started in January I was 5 pounds up after holidays and a couple of weeks of travel). This time, since I have less to lose, I'm netting closer to 1700 and still losing weight.

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