Over 40 Fitness

Well...from one who has managed to be catapulted kicking and screaming into her 60s I can share a couple of "sage" (cuz that's what "old" people get to do, doncha know LOL) thoughts.

First of all, one can change metabolism and adjust body composition at any age. Is it harder as the decades fly by? Yup. Impossible? Nope....at least not in my humble opinion/experience.

When was in my early 50s (which is still a ways down the road for some of you who chimed in on this thread) I decided that if I wanted to enjoy a bikini body EVER in my lifetime it had to be right then. Atkins had been making his pitch at the time as was Agatston (South Beach) and I put myself on a low carb food "lifestyle". I also entered the gym...a place I had not been before!! I bumped up my daily walking pace/distance and did the full circuit of weight machines 2 - 3 times per visit (3 times a week). The pounds came off and I went from 128 pounds (which was my setpoint weight for as long as I can remember) to 112 pounds in 6 months. I had great abs and quads and dropped from size 8 pants to size 2 - 4 (depending on the style/cut).

Then...over time...I got busier/lazier/older...whatever! I also discovered a love for good wine.

I now describe myself as "skinny fat". My arms are skelatal but I have a nice ring of fat around my middle.

Here are a couple of things I've realized in the past decade relative to having an attractive body as one ages: (1) It's DAMN HARD to preserve muscle tissue. It just wants to disappear and starts to do so at an alarming rate at a certain point--for me that was about 5 years ago!! (2) A body with diminished muscle tissues does not burn (require) as many calories as a more youthful body that is comprised of more muscle so to lose weight (at least initially if one has been inactive) it is entirely possible that one has to reduce the calorie intake one could have enjoyed at another time in life. (3) Age and stress contribute to stores of fat in the belly. That's just the cold hard jiggling truth of things. (4) Becoming "comfortable" in one's life makes it become harder to enjoy pushing one's body in uncomfortable ways (such as experiencing "cravings" and exerting oneself to exercise).

So the conclusions I've drawn are: (1) The primary goal as one ages should be to protect and build muscle tissue...that means minutes devoted to exercise should focus on strength work more than aerobic burn. The more muscle one acquires the more calories the body will start to burn. In terms of food, there should be a concerted effort to make sure one hits one's protein goal every day. (2) Because fewer calories are required, there are none to "waste" on junk food. Make every calorie count toward fueling the body in a healthy manner. "Saving" calories to have dessert, or chips or wine deprives the body of healthier fuel. (3) Healthy ways to relieve stress are important to practice. (4) Finding motivation and inspiration are key. Finding ways in which to be "accountable" may be necessary. More "trial and error" may be necessary to find the exercise and food lifestyle that one can truly believe in and stick with.

Where I am with all this at the moment? Still struggling! I joined MFP at the end of December and I'm doing a lot of "trial and error" exploration. I have gotten food management pretty well under control. For me it meant subscribing to a diet of limited grains (bread, rice, pasta, crackers, etc) and limited refined sugar. It also meant that I needed to count calories because whereas at one time all I needed to do to lose weight was cut out the "junk", now I need to stay at 1200 or less to take off that belly fat. Since I've been counting calories I lost the pounds even though I have not exercised with ANY consistency worth even noting. I've also been gaining a "sense" of where I can find the protein I want and also where calories are lurking in the foods I consider --that helps me plan/arrange my choices from day to day. Am I hungry sometimes? Yes at times...but geesh no one ever died from an hour of feeling hungry. I also think those of us who are used to being "well fed" have a hard time distinguishing between true "hunger" and just "craving". And speaking of craving....don't even get me started about how hard it is to give up that pre-dinner glass of wine!! Just kill me now!

Bottom line...change is hard....really hard. It's easy to get discouraged because there is a lot of effort required and sometimes there doesn't seem to be enough "payoff" to trade for all that effort. And yet...if that "payoff" weren't so important, then none of us would be here would we? At some level the changes we seek are VERY important to us. How we find the strength and motivation is the real battle.

I do believe though (because at one time I experienced it) that given time and consistent effort the food/exercise lifestyle we seek becomes more our "norm". It won't always be "this hard".

[NOTE: the "realizations" and "conclusions" I've drawn are only MY personal experience/thoughts. I claim no expertise]

Body For Life has some simply easy to stick with work outs and you can do them in less than an hour as a matter of fact you HAVE to do them in less than an hour. I have been doing it for years when I don't feel like doing other things, these workouts are programmed in my mind and I can just "do it " and get it over with. Also, In my recent pre-menopausal state, I have been researching like crazy.. If you doubted every having a reason to work out with weights this statement might help.. just google weight lifting and bone density..

“High-intensity resistance training, in contrast to traditional pharmacological and nutritional approaches for improving bone health in older adults, has the added benefit of influencing multiple risk factors for osteoporosis including improved strength and balance and increased muscle mass.” In other words, lifting heavy weights (high-intensity resistance training), not to be confused with those cardio classes with tiny dumbbells at the big box gyms, is better than drugs and supplements because it addresses more of the risk factors for osteoporosis.

This is a great site for workouts and information : http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/afterburn-3-ways-to-burn-more-fat-build-muscle.html

40 and FABULOUS ????. Yeah ok.. If it doesn't already hurt it will! Lmao I'm 42 full of life and very thankful for everyday but dang where has the time went? Hard to believe I'm in my 40's. There was a time when I were a kid I thought.. That's OLD..lol nawwww that's GREAT!!!! Just wanted to stop in and say"HEY" Hope everybody is doing good‼️. Feel free to add me if ya want a nutty old friend????. I dare you.. Hehe

I'm 43 and hypothyroid. I'm finishing losing the weight I gained when my body went all wacky bo-bo. What works for me is:
* Eating a lot of protein, more than my carb intake.
* MFP is set to 1500--because that's what Body Media is set for and since they sync, it was easier to have them match. I customized my macros. I often eat 1300-1500.
* I pack all my food and water and take it with me--meals and snacks. No excuse to eat something bad.
* Working out hard. I love the gym and it's stress relief, so that works. And when I don't really feel it--I just have a light day. But going always makes me feel better. I lift heavy, do HIIT and yoga (and I always stretch after working out). Sometimes I do spinning.

In spite of all the icky I've been through to get here, I'm about to pass my low weight of my pre-thyroid self. And I feel like I'm getting in the best shape of my life. Hang in there, it'll happen!

I am 61 years old and thought I couldn't lose because my metabolism was slow. I even had my doctor test me, but everything came back negative. I know a lot of people on here say to up your calories, but it didn't work for me. I had to stay at 1200 calories until I hit goal. Then I was able to up it a bit for maintenance. I am often hungry, but find that when I stay away from junk food and try to stick to healthy natural foods (lots of fruits and veggies), I feel satisfied longer. That doesn't mean I deprive myself of sweets, but it does mean that I take them in moderation. As a matter of fact, portion control has been the most important key to my successful weight loss. As for exercise, even after several years, I still have to force myself to get started, but after I finish, I always feel better. An added benefit is that I don't feel the urge to graze as much on days when I exercise. I try and switch it up so I don't get bored (alternate TM with circuit training). I won't give you advice, as you have to find what works for you, but drinking lots of water has been very helpful to me. You CAN DO THIS!!!! We all support you! Good luck.:happy:

I'm 58 and agree with all ^^^^^^^ Eating good food and avoiding c---p works for me - I only feel really hungry when I have wasted calories on food which doesn't give me much nutrition. I do get hungry before meals and never feel really full but I am used tot hat now and prefer not feeling stuffed.

I enjoy my wine and build in a measured amount into every evening (150 - 175 ml); I save it until after my meal so that I can savour it - I am happy adding a bit of water to make it go further (can't drink it without now!). I used to drink a lot more than that - arguing it helped alleviate stress - it didn't really.

Good luck and take good care of yourself

jillian michaels recommends no alcohol until you're at maintenance weight. I replaced evening cocktail with herbal tea. sounds like stress may be a problem for you, keep trying something that helps you wind down. yoga? reading? music? gabbing on phone or online? bubble bath? replace the fat packing habits to create a new lean lifestyle. not so easy to do! I'm always struggling too.

I'm shocked about the extra fat intake and the effects on your skin! That's an amazing observation I'm almost in disbelief. I usually have to give it to my dog or my husband (haha not in that order!)

Fats are essential for your body to do cell repair and other important things. Collagen and gelatin are proteins, but the best sources of them are skin and connective tissue. Chicken thighs with skin on give plenty of both if you cook them slowly (baking, grilling, etc...) to break down the collagen and release the gelatin. There are also several fat soluble vitamins and nutrients that you won't get much of in a low at diet.

Fat doesn't make people fat and doesn't have that correlation to heart disease that we all grew up hearing constantly. Eating excess calories causes weight gain regardless of the source and more recent studies suggest that insulin levels and high blood sugar have a much stronger correlation to circulatory problems than dietary fat fat alone does.

Speaking of the the effects of aging..............wondering how many of you use anti-aging products? I had been hesitating to use them because I wondered if, over time, they did more harm than good. Now I am also wondering about the safety of the ingredients being used over time. They Vitamin A, which is what is in most of these products, has been shown to cause damage to the skin when exposed to sunlight. Well, I already have very sun-sensitive skin, and a suspicious area on my face as it is............what do you all think?

....more fit people can sometimes work against us mentally. Believe me, if I were in your shoes I would be thrilled to be at the gym, and while I look great for my age I know I can't keep up with them....

I agree with this comment though. Quite often I look at profile pics on MFP and see women in great shape and get all sad/depressed/mad that I can't/don't look like them. Then I notice some are in their 20's early 30's. Some haven't had children -- yay belly flab. They still have great skin elasticity--I'm noticing wrinkles on my knees. It totally puts me into a funk.

But we (over 40's) can achieve fantastic results too. There a bunches of women over 40 and over 50 who look absolutely amazing.

On a side note about keeping up with younger women. I row and competed in a million meters challenge that ended in April. I made the 1 million--it was a lot of rowing. THEN I read a story about a 71 year old woman in the UK--who in the same time frame as me, rowed 2 MILLION meters. Talk about trying to keep up....omg.

I don't feel hungry on 1200 calls but I do feel greedy. I want to eat more, especially sweet and fatty stuff - but I can't honestly say I feel truly hungry. I feel so resentful! Especially when I don't lose any weight and I've stuck to the calories and been to the gym every day. I'm 52 this year so proper old!

I agree with this comment though. Quite often I look at profile pics on MFP and see women in great shape and get all sad/depressed/mad that I can't/don't look like them. Then I notice some are in their 20's early 30's. Some haven't had children -- yay belly flab. They still have great skin elasticity--I'm noticing wrinkles on my knees. It totally puts me into a funk.

But we (over 40's) can achieve fantastic results too. There a bunches of women over 40 and over 50 who look absolutely amazing.

On a side note about keeping up with younger women. I row and competed in a million meters challenge that ended in April. I made the 1 million--it was a lot of rowing. THEN I read a story about a 71 year old woman in the UK--who in the same time frame as me, rowed 2 MILLION meters. Talk about trying to keep up....omg.

Oh man! I have begun noticing wrinkles on my knees too! What the heck! I hate that!

I pray I can get to where you are Amy. I suspect your activity level is pretty high. I'm jealous!