Losing weight after age 30....

TooFine4MFP
TooFine4MFP Posts: 134 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I remember losing weight when I was 26. I was 260 and badly out of shape. So i decided to begin walking and making basic changes and weight just fell off. I remember eating badly on the weekend and then going back to the gym on Monday and working it all off....fast forward to today at 33, i feel like I am working 10 times harder to lose weight. The scale doesnt move like it used to and Im just wondering, is this an age thing????

Replies

  • eriny
    eriny Posts: 1,509 Member
    good morning :flowerforyou: i might be a little wrong but i would say its the eating habits # 1 thing to change as a lost and changed body after 40 started with this site and changing food lifestyle good luck :drinker:
  • FemininGuns
    FemininGuns Posts: 605 Member
    I think when we get older we notice things more and this is why it "appears" to be harder... At 26 we had less wisdom and fun was #1... Everything came in second (for me anyways). I remember the same exact thing... running every morning, doing weights while at university was just a way of life and then drinking and getting up the next morning and hitting the pavement again. Never complained! Now it's more challenging. Give yourself time, it's doable... I'm 35, have been at it for 2 months and have lost 7lbs and a total of 7 inches... YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    They do say the older we get the slower our metabolism works, what we could do when we were younger, doesnt necesarily work the same as we get older.

    However, you can work on jump starting your metabolism. I am 31 years old, and I feel the weight comes off slowly, but the slower the better, because its being done properly and wont go back on as quickly, maybe when you were younger you were doing more of the quick weightloss programs.

    Ensure you are eating every 2-3 hours, that will help your metabolism to work harder and faster. Drink tons of water, atleast 64 oz but more if you work out, which I hope you are able to work out as well.

    It takes time, just stick to it, and you will get awesome results, just try and minimize the amount of days you pig out on the weekends dont pig out for the entire weekend, give yourself one treat item each weekend...and maybe once a month you give your self a whole day

    Goodluck
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,275 Member
    Not necessarily, I think the more you diet, the harder it becomes to lose the weight, but also I believe your weight is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise, so it's a toss-up.....scientifically though they say you lose 1/2 lb muscle mass each year, and people's metabolism does slow a bit with age, meaning you have to work harder to keep it off. I say keep working at it and the results will come, just not as quickly as they used to......but make sure you're good on your diet, because there's no amount of exercise that overcomes bad dieting lol
  • arielsmom
    arielsmom Posts: 6
    I can't give you any specific scientific knowledge off the top of my head, but I know that I've read many times that your metabolism begins it's slow-down at age 30, so not only is it difficult to lose gained weight, but it's also harder to stay fit. I know, I know, just add one more obstacle in the weight loss game! Another difficulty is that you're energy levels are lower BECAUSE of the lowered metabolism, so exercise feels a bit more difficult, so you're not only required to consume fewer calories, but you're also burning fewer when you work out. The good news (yes, there is some) is that many people in their 30s are mentally and emotionally in a place in their lives where changes in lifestyle are more permanent, so even if the weight comes off slower this time, committing to working out regularly for your health and to clean eating for your health will more easily become part of your overall persona than they did in your late teens and twenties. Again, I'm not quoting anyone specific, but have done lots of reading on this since I turned 32 and had baby #2. Just remember that you're actually a stronger person in your 30s and that it will come off, and STAY OFF, with the permanent changes you're making. Good luck to you!
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
    You can do it. It might take just a little more work. I'm now in my 40's and I'm feeling better than anytime in my 30's and the majority of my 20's. Good luck to you!
  • SylvieJacques
    SylvieJacques Posts: 113 Member
    It wasn't harder for me to loose the weight and I"m 46 (started I was 45). Bottom line, my problem was that I was more active when I was younger and it was easier to be active. Now I"m a single mom, so going to the gym is not always an option and I have to arrange everything for when my son is with his dad and this is assuming that I'm not too tired to go.

    But once, I got the schedule working and ended up walking at my lunch hour, and was more active, I haven't noticed much of a difference as far as loosing weight was involved.. lost was pretty much the same as before. The only difference is this time I had stopped kidding myself that I can loose the weight and just not worry after that and I wasn't going to gain it back (so lifestyle clean up at the same time).

    I took the long term approach and something I can live with for the rest of my life instead.

    You can do it !!! Good luck
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    I remember losing weight when I was 26. I was 260 and badly out of shape. So i decided to begin walking and making basic changes and weight just fell off. I remember eating badly on the weekend and then going back to the gym on Monday and working it all off....fast forward to today at 33, i feel like I am working 10 times harder to lose weight. The scale doesnt move like it used to and Im just wondering, is this an age thing????

    I'm 31 and in the best shape I've been in since I was 17.

    It is possible and I agree that most of it is nutrition.
  • hplvt
    hplvt Posts: 62
    I know how you feel! I'm in the same boat. I have some friends who are older than me / us and their advice was to change what I was doing. I never had to worry about what I ate- now I do! I was successful with 1 step ( working out) but after a few years I have found that I have to make it a 2 step process- working out and eating right. That's why I'm here, cause the old way just wasn't working anymore :happy:
  • dj_stevie_c
    dj_stevie_c Posts: 270
    I've always found my body reacts to what I do to it pretty quickly. I guess I am lucky that way. I'm 36 now, last time I lost this much weight was almost a decade ago, yet I find myself losing now as fast as I was then, but doing it more sensibly.

    I guess it all depends on the mindset and if you truly want to lose. A week, a month of things not going well shouldn't matter to you,what should matter is doing things right and keeping to your plan. And only weigh yourself once a week Max if you get frustrated that the scales don't move daily.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I've become more mindful of what I'm doing, so that's slowing me down a bit. For instance, I'm eating meals rather than having a pickle for dinner and going to bed early to avoid food. I'm also trying to think of this day as the next day in my life, rather than a count down to the end of a diet. It's bound to go more slowly when I'm just living rather than in a short-fix situation. Though I rather miss the single digit pants of my short-fix twenties, I couldn't sustain the life that got me to that weight!
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 22,240 Member
    I'm 49, and I weigh less now than I have my entire adult life. The key, no matter your age, is consistency. If you convince yourself it will be too hard, it will, so get that out of your head and just get started — and then keep going! :smile:
  • bmb32
    bmb32 Posts: 4 Member
    I am having an extremely hard time losing weight!!! I am watching what I eat and the weight is still NOT coming off!! I am getting so frustrated!! I understand the need for consistency, watching what I eat and exercise but GEEZ!!! I can't catch a break with this weight thing!! Any suggestions will help tremendously!! I'm trying not to give up!! I need to lose this weigt for health reasons and it's extremely tough!! ????????
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    You can do it. It might take just a little more work. I'm now in my 40's and I'm feeling better than anytime in my 30's and the majority of my 20's. Good luck to you!

    x2...I am going to be 42 in November, feel better and look better than I did even in my 20's...

    I am at prepregnancy weight ( son was born when I was 21) but smaller than I was then..and I was in the military at that point.

    I think it's easier now because I understand more, I am mature and get it...

    I look at these young pups in tip top shape not working at it...and think...boy is that wasted on the young...tight everywhere, firm this, firm that...and they don't appreciate it..they complain they are fat if something jiggles or if they don't have thigh gap...

    I appreciate my butt...it's lifted and high and firm but that is from work...hard work...squatting 3x a week at least 120lb 5x5...I appreciate the fact I can lift my nephew over my head...or one of those young things even...:bigsmile:
  • MsMimidoll
    MsMimidoll Posts: 249 Member
    I hate it, I remember at 26 if I gained a pound or 2 all I would have to do was barely eat for a day or so and i was back to my nornal weight...which is about 45 lbs lighter than i currently am :-(
  • jennybennyhillbilly
    jennybennyhillbilly Posts: 2
    same boat here. at 25 i lost ALL the baby weight (60+lbs) and then some (20lbs) after having 2 kids back to back within 3 mths. now at 37 it took me 8 mths just to lose 35lbs........still have 20 to go. sticking to the calorie goal has worked so far. lost 4lbs in one week instead of 2. can't eat what i'm used to. good luck
  • TheWorstHorse
    TheWorstHorse Posts: 185
    I am fifty-five years old. I had heart surgery in November. I was sick or injured for most of the two years before that. Since I left the hospital I have lost twenty-nine pounds and gone from taking a five minute slow walk around the hospital corridor to doing HIIT and endurance cardio workouts five or six days a week. That's in five months. I am not starving myself or spending twenty hours a week in the gym; I am just grinding out the workouts and paying honest attention to what I eat.

    Based on my experience, it is mostly a matter of putting your mind to it, whatever your age and capabilities/limitations. Being honest with yourself about what you are eating, sleeping, drinking, and exercise habits is key.

    When I was thirty, I recovered faster, survived binges, injuries and self-inflicted stupidly better, and made progress faster. Not as fast as I did in my twenties. And a lot faster than I do now. I imagine that the same will be true for you.

    You can do it. Don't worry about how old you are, just get to it.

    EDITED for stupid grammar mistakes. :|
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    I turn 30 next month. Will my weight loss become impossible then?
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Meh, it's not any harder for me at 33 than it was at 26, as long as I eat at a consistent calorie deficit.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    I am fifty-five years old. I had heart surgery in November. I was sick or injured for most of the two years before that. Since I left the hospital I have lost twenty-nine pounds and gone from taking a five minute slow walk around the hospital corridor to doing HIIT and endurance cardio workouts five or six days a week. That's in five months. I am not starving myself or spending twenty hours a week in the gym; I am just grinding out the workouts and paying honest attention to what I eat.

    Based on my experience, it is mostly a matter of putting your mind to it, whatever your age and capabilities/limitations. Being honest with yourself about what you are eating, sleeping, drinking, and exercise habits is key.

    When I was thirty, I recovered faster, survived binges, injuries and self-inflicted stupidly better, and made progress faster. Not as fast as I did in my twenties. And a lot faster than I do now. I imagine that the same will be true for you.

    You can do it. Don't worry about how old you are, just get to it.

    EDITED for stupid grammar mistakes. :|

    Ditto. I'm 54. I had a C6-7 neck fusion last April and shoulder surgery two years ago. Last August I was walking because my knee hurt too much to run anymore. I ran 7 miles tonight and my knees feel fine. We slow down as we get older but the physics don't change. You can choose to burn more calories than you eat and you will lose weight like a 19 year old--you just will be a cranky old *kitten* because you want that donut!!
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    I'm 37 and the only difference from losing weight now and in my 20's is I'm doing it in a healthier way, eating and exercising more. Back then, I ate way less when losing weight and didn't have healthy habits so that would be the reason it came off so fast.
  • wyattj99
    wyattj99 Posts: 454 Member
    To answer your question that would be a no. I started my lifestyle change when I was 35! It came right off. I feel and look way better than in my 20's :)
  • RobsGirl_lds
    RobsGirl_lds Posts: 211 Member
    Age does change your metabolism a but but at 33 it is in no way impossible. I think the challange comes from having more responsibilities that take your energy. Make sure you are a priority and do what needs to be done!
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Well now the OP is 37...I wonder if she self destructed.
  • RobsGirl_lds
    RobsGirl_lds Posts: 211 Member
    Well now the OP is 37...I wonder if she self destructed.
    Aaanndddd now deactivated. Guess it is impossible. Shrug*
  • Unknown
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  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    I think it is mostly diet, I am over 50 and have lost a lot since January, because of diet, I tried for years through exercise alone and it never worked well enough, you need both. The tools on here are great to help you figure things out.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    The only thing that I've seen is harder for losing weight at a later age (started at 45 here) is recovery time from cardio and lifting weights is longer, making the food part MUCH more important.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    Nope, it's not. It's a muscle mass thing. If you havn't been exericsing (as in resistance, a walk in the park won't work), you have lost muscle mass and your metabolism doesnt go as fast because of this. We lose muscle mass as we age yes, but it's not age, it's lack of use. Muscle mass is easily retained and gained at ANY AGE, if you put for the effort. So...lift heavy.
    I just lifted my first barbells last night (I mean ever except maybe fooling around as a teen I think I lifted one of some guys barbells once)...started at 40 lbs. because I was used to 20 lbs. of hand weights before that, but I actually think I will be able to progress fairly quickly. It was suprisingly not hard to lift that although I don't want to push my body too fast, so going slow and watching videos and stuff to learn the right form. This is a whole new chapter for me...and I have to say I like it.
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