success stories fro 40 plus for inspiration

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  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
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    I'm 47 and was able to turn it around five years ago. I dropped 40lbs and became a regular exerciser. The hardest part was making it a routine habit because historically I hated exercising. I'd go at it gung ho for a while then burn out. So five years ago I just took it slow. I made myself go to the gym three times a week and at first just went through the motions a bit. Then ratcheted it up a little at a time from there. I didn't over do it. I might not have been maximizing gains but was building it into a habit. It probably took about four months when the switch flipped from something I was making myself do to something I looked forward to doing.

    Five years later I actually get a little excited that it's a work out day.
  • jonnyman41
    jonnyman41 Posts: 1,031 Member
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    brilliant post,bumping this for later as im finding it very difficult at 45 and trying to lose a stone,i seem to be maintaining at 1200 calories and doing 30 day shred everyday and dog walking.
    [/quote

    dog walking seems to be a big feature of what I do too, out of necessity as the dogs always need that walk lol
  • aka_Kamalevantis
    aka_Kamalevantis Posts: 133
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    Hi, I'm 40 years old from the UK.... I started on the 12th November 2012, weighing 22st 13lb - 321lb - 145.6kg

    Over the last 18 months I have lost 10st 2lb - 142lb - 64.4kg by basically eating less calories (learning over time how to make better food choices to get the best value for my calorific intake) and doing more; I now go to the gym every other day and I go walking, for a swim or out on the bike on the days in between my gym days (I do at least 60 minutes exercise every day).

    I favourite exercise machine is the cross trainer, but I am now starting to introduce more strength work as I am only 5lb away from my goal weight and I desperately need to tone my body and change my body composition.

    I am a self confessed gym junkie now, which is quite a turn around, because anyone that knows me will tell yu, I was a proper sofa loafer before I started out on this journey.

    xXx
  • jonnyman41
    jonnyman41 Posts: 1,031 Member
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    I didn't realise this thread had started up again until someone kindly emailed me. Thanks for responding as there are some really positive stories here.
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
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    I'm 53 years old. In December 2013, my roommate died. She had diabetes, high blood pressure, COPD, and a host of other issues and she was several years younger than me. In April, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes.

    Dana was a wakeup call to me. I knew right off that I had to deal immediately with my diabetes. I also knew that cutting favorite foods out of my diet wouldn't work for me, since I have a hard time coaxing myself to eat sometimes and then will eat too much of the things I like. In the first week of just tracking my food and staying as best I could inside my macros, I lost three pounds. Since beginning MFP, I've managed to keep my carb lower than I've ever eaten before (good for my diabetes) and have managed to keep my sodium and fat mostly in check. I've managed to modify some of my favorite foods so that I can still enjoy them. On May 1 I lowered my carb percentage in my macros, giving myself a bit of a new challenge and working toward a final limit of 30 to 35% carbs.

    I'm now 10 pounds lighter than I started and I am *proud* of myself. I know that I am on a long, slow marathon and not a sprint, so I am making all of my changes slowly and gradually. I know it might take me longer to lose weight this way, but I plan to be around for a few decades to enjoy my new weight, so there's no hurry.

    Good luck on reaching your goal!
  • PurpleMomster
    PurpleMomster Posts: 71 Member
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    I'm 45. Last June I weighed 238lbs and was miserable. I've lost 75lbs between logging everything I eat and keeping within a range, exercise (started with walking, now jogging and some weight lifting) and paying more attention to what I eat. I cut out all soft drinks completely - I won't even touch diet drinks - and what a huge difference that made.

    I have 12 or so pounds to go to get to my goal weight but I feel great and hope to keep that going!
  • 1AfroRican
    1AfroRican Posts: 6
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    Great Job
    Keep up the good work
  • 1AfroRican
    1AfroRican Posts: 6
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    Great Job!
    Keep up the good work
  • 1AfroRican
    1AfroRican Posts: 6
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    Great Job!
    Keep up the good work...
  • 1AfroRican
    1AfroRican Posts: 6
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    Great Job!
    Keep up the good work!
  • 1AfroRican
    1AfroRican Posts: 6
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    Great Job!
    Keep up the good work....
  • 1AfroRican
    1AfroRican Posts: 6
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    Great Job!
    Keep up the good work....
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    ^ man that dude is supportive!
  • walkingforward
    walkingforward Posts: 174 Member
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    Bump for later.

    ..... and to return to the topic at hand !
  • danahubley
    danahubley Posts: 40 Member
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    I am 44 and started MFP six months ago. I track my food every day and for the most part stay within my calorie goal. I started exercising and now walk briskly on the treadmill for an hour every day. I have tried to develop strategies for emotional eating and have lost 60 lbs so far.:smile:
  • chele1028
    chele1028 Posts: 248 Member
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    Hi, I am 43. I lost 112 lbs by simply moving this body... exercising at least 5 days a week, eating better, staying focused and never giving up. It took me 28 months to hit my 100 lb goal and I lost another 12 in the last 3 months. Slow and steady was the best way for me. I lost 9 sizes and lots of inches. I have never felt so good in my life! :happy:
  • sue_stef
    sue_stef Posts: 194 Member
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    I have been obese all my adult life
    I was morbidly obese for much of that too
    I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic in Dec 2013
    I came home from the doctor and went back to my MFP account that I had not used in a year
    I started tracking everything I ate
    I cut down on sugars
    I cut down on sodium
    I drink water and tea
    I weigh and measure my food
    and I exercise started out with riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes a day then went to walking just about everywhere
    I use a fitbit and walk a minimum of 15000 steps a day
    I life a little bit but nothing like most of the folks here do that is my next goal to learn how to do it right and get serious about it
    I have a treadmill
    I have fixed my numbers so I am diet controlled no meds for me
    I have lost 60lbs so far I still have 40-50lbs to go but I would be thrilled with 30
    I have 15lbs to go before I am no longer considered obese for my height
  • 1971MLJ
    1971MLJ Posts: 137 Member
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    I'm 42 years old and started on MFP in August 2013 at the request of my trainer (so he could keep an eye on me and give me a kick in the right direction when needed). I've lost 29lb in 7 months and am now maintaining and eating more than I ever used to.

    Initially I did cut calories and hit the gym - hard! I find logging foods just makes me much more aware of what I'm eating and I therefore make better choices. I also massively increased my water intake.

    8 months on I'm in maintenance mode, eating more than ever and still hitting the gym and although it's early days I feel as though I've finally altered my mindset to the right one to allow me to have a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy life. I haven't cut out any food groups at all, still eat pizza, chocolate, ice cream etc. just not every day.

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like to check my diary.
  • LiftHeavyWeights
    LiftHeavyWeights Posts: 336 Member
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    I'm 60. As you can see in my profile pic, lifting weights has made a great difference. I'm fitter & feeling great.
  • 2karma
    2karma Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm 52, and 7 months ago I weighed almost 163 pounds and was very sedentary. I knew I wasn't who I was supposed to be.

    . Started working out with a great (and supportive) trainer - core work and strength training has really helped. It was pricey, but I have spent so much more on quick fixes, that didn't stick.
    . Started doing cardio homework regularly - my stamina has greatly increased
    . Started eating well, and logging my food on MFP. I make sure I take in about 1700 calories daily, and make sure I drink enough water. I never let myself starve, make sure most of what I eat is nutritionally dense, and therefore satisfying.

    My very active husband joined me on MFP as soon as I told him about it. We now enjoy cooking good quality food together (it's one of our favorite things to do as a couple), and logging meals daily. Doing this with my husband's support and participation has been a huge help to me, and we've each lost 27 pounds.

    The main thing is that I now try to do a little bit of exercise no matter what. It is seems that I am often going to have some aches and pains at this stage of my life. If my knee hurts, I focus more on upper body, etc. I'm also going to keep logging my food, even as I begin maintenance.

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