LF women over 40 who have lost 50+ pounds

arlenem1974 · August 2013

I will only be 40 in April but I have lost 60 since being on here and 12 before that.

kiramaniac · August 2013

I'm 40 years old, 5'5". I target 1500 calories a day. I've lost 56 pounds since Sept, 10 2012. I do moderate exercise (Crossfit 3-5x per week), and I eat back exercise calories. I follow keto - low carb, high fat, moderate protein. I love the food that I get to eat! I've also recently added in Intermittent Fasting (although I do a Bulletproof Coffee variation, where you can drink that during the fasting period).

Weight loss was -
Month 1: -10
Month 2: -5
Month 3: -8
Month 4: -4
Month 5: -6
Month 6: -7
Month 7: -5
Month 8: -0.5
Month 9: -2.5
Month 10: -5
Month 11: -0.5
Month 12: -2 (with 2+ weeks left for the month)

I've started doing occasional cheat days, to ensure my leptin levels don't drop, which in yurn can cause my metabolism to drop.
I hope to lose another 30-40, but it'll ultimately depend on body fat, size and how I look / feel.

mamadon · August 2013

Hi! I am 51 years old. My name is Kathi and I have lost 78 pounds since the beginning of January. ( yes it was a New Years resolution lol). I really did not feel I had a different mind set this time as opposed to the other bazillion times I have tried to lose weight over the last twenty years. I did however really try and think about what would work for me and why I had never made it more than a few days with a diet before. I decided that anything that was too difficult to do would cause me to quit. So.....no low carbs, as I love them, no points figuring, no elaborate meals( hate to cook) no worrying about fat or sugar grams. I decided to use this app, count calories and eat less. I kind of picked 1200 at random. Many say this is too low, but it has been doable for me and I feel great. As I lost weight, I started exercising more, only doing ones that I like. Again, because if I tried to do those I consider torture, I would quit. That word "quit" has also been a key for me so far. As long as I never ever quit, I can't fail. Like so many of us, in the past, I would fall off the wagon, hate myself, and quit. I realized I have to stop that cycle. Falling off the wagon was not the failure, it was the giving up.
Lastly, I realize my addiction in life is not drugs or alcohol or cigarettes, it's food. I look at it like a disease that I will have to monitor the rest of my life. If this means always counting calories to maintain at some point, than I am ok with that. Oh, and I also have a cheat day once a month to get over any cravings I have been having.
Sorry this was so long, and maybe no one will ever read it, but it felt good writing it lol.

DebbieLyn63 · August 2013

Glad to see this thread come back to life every few months. It certainly helps to see all the successes!

An update on me, I did fairly well for the first 9 months, and managed to get below the Obese point and am now simply Overweight. Yay!
Life got very busy for a couple of months and I maintained for awhile, eating between 1400-1600 cals. This gave my body a break from the strict dieting and me a mental break as well, while still staying somewhat focused.
At the beginning of Aug, I kicked in back in gear to get the rest of the weight off, but even with dropping my cals back down, and exercising, I couldn't seem to drop below the 185 mark. I knew I shouldn't go too much lower with the calories, so I looked into IF- intermittent fasting. On Monday and Thursday I only eat 500 cals, mostly protein, then 1 day a week I eat at maintenance, (1600) then the other 4 days are between 1200-1400.
After my first 2 'fast' days, I had lost a half pound each day, so I have lost 1 pound for the week, yay! Today was my third fast day, so I am expecting another loss in the morning.

This most certainly will not be for everyone, but it has managed to get me losing again without lowering my weekly calorie total.
I can also plan to eat out, or have foods I normally wouldn't have, on my higher cal days.

Being down 53 pounds feels fantastic. I have so much more energy and far less pain. I still stick mostly to a diet of proteins, healthy fats, and non starchy veggies with some fruit, and avoid processed sugars and grains, especially wheat. My body definitely feels better eating this way.

The secret is consistency and patience. It definitely takes longer at this age, but this past year was going to pass whether I dieted or not, and the only question would be where would I be health-wise at this time.
I do not regret one minute of self control and exercise. It has all been worth it, and I am looking forward to saying goodbye to the final 29 pounds over the next 6 months or so. (or however long it takes)

I will hit my 50th birthday next week, and this has been the best gift I could ever have given myself- the gift of better health.

:drinker: :drinker:

Keep those stories coming!

Brummig · August 2013

I'm 42, and I've lost 75lbs. I started losing with Slimming World 2 months before my 40th birthday. I lost over 4 stone in 9 months in 2010/11. I started exercising at the beginning using EA Active on the wii. In Aug 2011 we got a 4 week gym membership (largely so my son could use the pool). I was happily surprised to find I could do more than expected, and started jogging, which I then kept up outside. Rejoined a gym in Feb 2012 when it was just too darn cold to run outside! Never gained more than 2 lbs of weight back, continued going regularly to SW, went to the gym (treadmill, elliptical and bike only) felt pretty good. Oct 2012 was my next turning point. I sprained my shoulder (fell over, not pissed, on flat floor!). Couple of weeks out of the gym, went back but struggled, was really nervous about damaging it again or making it worse (I'm a total hypochondriac!) so broke my usual habit and spoke to gym staff to ask for advice. Started working with a PT, who after a couple of sessions asked about goals and I admitted I really wanted to get down to a 'normal BMI' (13lbs from where I was then) and he challenged me to do it. I started working with him regularly - and soon realised that I had thought I was working hard, and really wasn't! That's when I joined MFP and started logging. Reached my 5stone loss (and 'normal' target)8 weeks later (just after Christmas).
Reset target slightly so loss now 5 stone 4.5, have never gone more than 1lb above. Love gym, cycle 3 miles to work and never feel I have to miss out on food I want! Definitely feel better than I did at 30 (and probably 20 - at uni then so lived on toast!)

Cedarwren · August 2013

bump

1yoyoKAT · August 2013

I'm 55 (how did that happen?) and I've lost 129 pounds so far, last week was my 1 year mark on MFP. I am 5'1" and have lost steadily, slightly slower now than in the beginning, but still moving along. Here's my story:

<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1075986-55-years-old-1-year-126-pounds-lost">

I have approached this as a lifestyle change, something that I can sustain for the rest of my life, as opposed to another diet. I feel better than I have in years! :drinker:

Birder150 · August 2013

mamadon said:

That word "quit" has also been a key for me so far. As long as I never ever quit, I can't fail. Like so many of us, in the past, I would fall off the wagon, hate myself, and quit. I realized I have to stop that cycle. Falling off the wagon was not the failure, it was the giving up.

So very true!!! That's my history with attempts at weight loss ... quitting.

DebbieLyn, thanks so much for starting this thread. It's very helpful for those of us just beginning (again) to read about those who've gone ahead, done the work and successfully reached or are close to reaching, their goals.

Also, I find your new calorie cycling intriguing. Almost like the 5:2 fasting method. Do you find the 500 calorie days easier when you eat more protein? I've tried JUDDD in the past but found it tiring to fast so many days a week. Only doing it twice a week seems more sustainable.
Hmmmm ... ideas, ideas.

edit because I don't know how to bold.

HollisGrant · August 2013

My apologies.... deleting my post because I haven't lost 50+ pounds (sorry, didn't see all the title).

NikiChicken · August 2013

I'm 42. I've lost 70 pounds so far and have another 50 to go. It's taken me since March, 2012 to lose 70. I eat between 1300-1500 calories each day and have since I started and I also have a hypo-thyroid, making weight loss every more slow/difficult. I tried going down to 1200 calories for a brief period time to speed up my weight loss, but it did nothing to boost my loss and only made me hungry and frustrated. I eat back about 1/2 of my exercise calories. I believe MFP overstates exercise calories earned, so I am cautious about eating too many of them. I also don't want to tie eating to exercise because I think that's a trap and you can never outrun your fork.

I'm happy with my weight loss so far. I look and feel dramatically different. I'm also eating a reasonable amount of food, an amount that I can eat for the rest of my life and be happy. I haven't given up *anything* I just don't eat everything I want anytime I want it in unlimited quantities!

Would I be happier if it was going faster? OF COURSE, who wouldn't! However, the speed of my weight loss is not my focus. I try to stay focused on how I feel. I have more energy, I can outlast my 10-year-old on a hike, my mood is better and I have more self-confidence.

lynty2 · August 2013

bump for later

leeanneowens · August 2013

I am 47 years old. I began trying to lose weight in July of 2012. I lost 6 pounds and then discovered MFP. I've lost 54 pounds since joining for a total of 60 pounds in 13 months. Since being on MFP I have done my best to stay within the calories MFP has given me except I have a cheat day once a week, sometimes twice, where I have one meal during the day that I eat whatever I want. I love sweets and I have found some lower calorie options that satisfy my sweet tooth. I do not eat "clean". Most of the foods I eat are the same ones I always have. I just don't eat large portions or as often as I used to. I have 3 meals a day and two small snacks. When I exercise, I DO eat back the calories. I just went on maintainance calories two weeks ago. I thank God for MFP. It has helped me to get back to a weight I thought I would never see again and I feel better than I have in years.

LuckyDuck63 · October 2013

I've just turned 50 and am trying MFP - your story inspires me! Thank you. : )

newjojie · October 2013

I am 45 years young and I have lost 69 lbs since Jan 2013. I try to eat healthy most days, I use the 80/20 rule...eat healthy at least 80% of the time and I log everything that goes into my mouth. I run and I do Jillian Michaels video's.

maybeazure · October 2013

I've lost 52 pounds since the end of May. I still have about 50 to go. I eat between 1200 and 1300 calories a day. If I get a lot of exercise I might eat a few more. I don't eat all of my exercise calories back. I have been trying to get an hour of exercise at least a day.

JanaCanada · October 2013

I joined MFP in Sept. 2012 at age 53, and by May 2013, I had lost 50 lbs. However, since then, I have only lost 7. They say that the closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to take pounds off.......I believe it!

jeansuza · October 2013

I am 51, 5'3'', and lost 165 pounds in the last 18 months which means about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. I did it by slowly changing my lifestyle one step at a time (still not perfect by far) but always eating back some of the calories spent. It was a great incentive for me to get moving that I could eat more. I usually eat between 1300 and 1500, sometimes more, but never below 1200. Since 3 weeks, I have been recovering from surgery and can't exercise. I had to cut down on my intake but never went below 1200. It has been a struggle but I made it and I look forward to go back to my usual routine of workouts and eating because it worked well for me and seems quite sustainable in the long term...

Healthy67Chick · October 2013

Thanks to DebbieLyn for starting this topic and also thanks to everyone who has replied! I will be turning 46 next month and have 75 to 85 lbs. to lose so this thread is very inspiring to me.

lydian8 · October 2013

Bump.

I'm turning 44 next month. I've lost 87 pounds since March, but I have a total of 181 to lose. I've found that if I keep my intake around 1600, I keep losing. Sometimes I eat as much as 2000, but never under 1200. My body doesn't like it. I do weight training periodically and try to get in at least 20 to 30 minutes of walking everyday. I'm in the process of moving slowly into another home. Once that's complete, I want to regiment my weight training a little better.

LF women over 40 who have lost 50+ pounds

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