Losing weight in your 50's?

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I'm retired military and still work out 5 days a week and yet I am finding it so hard to lose any weight now that I'm 52 and going through menopause. Exercise is the easy part for me. Diet is another story. Help!

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  • Christine_1085
    Christine_1085 Posts: 310 Member
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    Hello and welcome. I am turning 50 this year and I have noticed that my metabolism is slower. I don't look forward to menopause. They said that losing weight is 80% food and 20% exercise. My biggest temptation is candy and chocolate! I have changed my diet or my way of eating it is similar to vegetarian but I still eat eggs, fish and chicken. No processed or refined food.

    List the foods that you eat that you consider not healthy. Try to eliminate 2 or 3 items per week. Baby steps. May be eliminate fast food (chips and french fries) or whatever temps you the most.
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    All my weight has been lost past 50. What I did was hire a trainer to teach me how hard I should push myself when exercising. I clearly wasn't exercising enough as the minute I started to REALLY exercise the weight started to come off. I decided a few months later to tweek my diet so it was healthier and the weight really started coming off. I still need to lose about 25 more and now I'm kind of stuck and diet really needs to be tight. BUT I feel so much better just having the 75 pounds off.
  • Christine_1085
    Christine_1085 Posts: 310 Member
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    :flowerforyou: :drinker: :bigsmile:

    So happy for you!!
  • branbuds
    branbuds Posts: 624 Member
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    I agree that losing weight at this age seems much harder! Gaining it is easier then it used to be as well.
    I keep telling myself that if I am consistent at eating at a deficit and exercise regularly that the weight will come off. It has taken 3 months to lose 6 pounds!! I lose a few pounds and suddenly gain a few without any change in my routine. Very discouraging. But I am trying to stick with it.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    Well, I never seriously tried when I was younger. I haven't had a problem, though. All I've done is eat less, exercise more. It really works!
  • Caribou2u
    Caribou2u Posts: 31 Member
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    I'm discouraged too. After trying with just diet to lose weight for 2 years (hit head on brick wall repeatedly), I started working out daily. I've been doing this now for almost 6 weeks...I've only skipped about 5 days of working out. I've stayed in a calorie deficit or at equal (according to MyFitnessPal)...drinking lots more water....cut the Diet Cokes to 1/day. AND the sum total is I've lost 4 inches off my waist....nothing off arms....no weight loss....my thighs have gotten BIGGER....hips lost 1/2 inch. I'm 52.... perimenopausal symptoms. Just ticked off that I have not lost a single pound even after bustin' *** for 6 weeks. :-(
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I'm discouraged too. After trying with just diet to lose weight for 2 years (hit head on brick wall repeatedly), I started working out daily. I've been doing this now for almost 6 weeks...I've only skipped about 5 days of working out. I've stayed in a calorie deficit or at equal (according to MyFitnessPal)...drinking lots more water....cut the Diet Cokes to 1/day. AND the sum total is I've lost 4 inches off my waist....nothing off arms....no weight loss....my thighs have gotten BIGGER....hips lost 1/2 inch. I'm 52.... perimenopausal symptoms. Just ticked off that I have not lost a single pound even after bustin' *** for 6 weeks. :-(

    Are you willing to open up your diary?
  • Caribou2u
    Caribou2u Posts: 31 Member
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    Nevermind the below question......I made it viewable to my friends only on here....
    (Yes....how do I make my diary "public" ?? If I do, is it public to everyone?)
  • Caribou2u
    Caribou2u Posts: 31 Member
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    Every day when I complete my entries for the day, it tells me "If every day were like today........ 140 (+/-) pounds in 5 weeks" It's been sooooooo many weeks I can't count. Once I got to 144, but it must have been a freak occurence. WAter or whatever... one day I weigh 148, the next could be 146...then 149...then 148.... So frustrating... what is wrong with this ?
  • elliec63
    elliec63 Posts: 6
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    Do not be discouraged. When you exercise you not only burn calories, you also build muscle. Therefore it makes sense that some parts of you may get a bit bigger and others smaller, depending on where you are loosing the weight and gaining the muscle. On the flip side muscle burns calories so even though you get bigger you will have less body bat and those bigger muscles will burn more calories to help you lose further weight eventually.

    However, you need to make sure you are doing the proper type of exercise. So get some advice on that from someone who has the knowledge. Good luck and keep it up!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    Every day when I complete my entries for the day, it tells me "If every day were like today........ 140 (+/-) pounds in 5 weeks" It's been sooooooo many weeks I can't count. Once I got to 144, but it must have been a freak occurence. WAter or whatever... one day I weigh 148, the next could be 146...then 149...then 148.... So frustrating... what is wrong with this ?

    Weight does fluctuate daily due to water levels in your body. Don't let that bother you. Best not to weigh every day. I weigh once a week.
  • Businessloanlady
    Businessloanlady Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm 52 and 12 years post-menopausal. Gaining weight is as easy as snapping my fingers. I have to keep an eye on calories, walk at least 12,000 steps/day and get in at least 45 mins of aerobic exercise/day, along with light weights at least 3x/week. It's not enough to lose weight at this age, because there is too much muscle loss that naturally occurs. BTW, I never, ever input the calories burned when lifting light weights - I figure I'd be too apt to make mistakes, and anyway, being toned is more important to me than just being skinnier.