Is over 60 too late?

Hi, I'm a 61 yr old woman who is new to MFP. I was thin as a teen, but packed on pounds with my first pregnancy at 19. My new husband was a compulsive eater and I took on his habits. An under active thyroid and chronic pain and nerve damage in my legs coupled with my sugar addiction has made weight loss feel like mission impossible. I have exercised by treadmill or stationary bike for years, but just never seem to get anywhere because I couldn't control my eating in the long term. I have tried WW and every other diet imaginable, but here I am with 70 lbs to lose on a 5'1" frame. I don't want to give up and just sit in a chair and get fatter until I die. I am fighting, but is it too late for me? Are there others who have lost large amounts of weight in older age and/or with health issues that slow it down? I need a community on here. Please add me!
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Replies

  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
  • tamaranewman
    tamaranewman Posts: 5 Member
    NEVER too late! I am 55 years old, 5'2, at least 50-75 pounds overweight. LIfe long weight struggle and image issues with a sugar addiction thrown in! There is no magic here, just hard work both mentally and physically. It's worth it. Do all the things you have been hearing for years: journal your food, and move your body. Get off the couch for at least 1/2 a day and walk. Plug in your music and just GO! Clean out the pantry and fridge and restock with fresh fruits, veggies, protein bars. There are so many healthy food choices these days. No excuses! It's worth it. YOU are worth it. Good Luck. YOU CAN DO THIS! :-)
  • Fsunami
    Fsunami Posts: 241 Member
    The only day its too late is the one youre not here anymore.
    Doing this now will likely extend that window for you

    Please feel free to FR me if youd like

    Fsunami
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
    I am 66 and this past May it was 6 years that I have been changing my life and evolving at 66 I am still looking to lose the last 20 pounds and finish more races.
    It was a slow and steady process but my age had nothing to do with it. My attitude and mindset were important.
    If you want to do it you can do it and live to be a 100 ( well maybe) so forgot how old you are and realize how young you can feel
  • nyboer
    nyboer Posts: 346 Member
    I'm not sure if this is the best link but you may want to read this and other posts by MFPer Handfordrose.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1174189-me-lose-100-pounds-impossible-but-i-did-it

    Never too late!
  • PAnn1
    PAnn1 Posts: 530 Member
    I will be 60 in Nov. I started this journey in Jan of 2008. I had initially lost 82# through exercise (mostly walking) and changing the way I ate, such as eliminating a 10 am breakfast of chips and dip. I eat a lot more variety of vegetables and try to find a good balance in all the foods I eat, good fats (a lot lower saturated fats if any), carbs, protein, etc. I cut out salt, and that did wonders, as I was a big salter prior to this. Over the past two years I had gained back about 10# due to illness and injury, but was still at a good weight. This past June I quit smoking and gained weight. Now I am back in the swing of things and moving forward. If you'd like to add me as a buddy, please do. We're never too old to get healthy, as has been stated here. Best wishes on your journey.
  • snoringcat
    snoringcat Posts: 131 Member
    Nope/ It's only too late when you're 6ft underground.

    I'm 51 & just started my journey. Lost 16lb so far (about halfway thru my goal). Have started running for the first time in my life (started slow with a C25K program and now doing 5K 3 times a week) and loving it! Feel better & more energy than I have in years.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
    I am 59 and started this journey in October 2012. I have lost close to 60 pounds. It's not to late. The only time it will be too late is when you are dead. Love yourself enough to give you the gift of good health for the remainder of your life. You can do this. Do what you can and then push yourself a wee bit more beyond what you think you can do. Get up and get outside. Go for walks. Garden. Move. Log your food faithfully, ever day. Be good to yourself. You can do this. Yes YOU can!!!
  • valley2mtn
    valley2mtn Posts: 16 Member
    Mom, you can do this! I want NOW to be the beginning of the best of our lives! Forget things not tasting as good as skinny feels. Nothing tastes as good as healthy and reduced pain feels! I'm excited and completely determined with a clarity that i don't think I've ever had. No more excuses. No more "365 reasons to party with food". Let's GO!
  • nonacgp
    nonacgp Posts: 132
    It's never too late to work on your health. You've come to the right place! I am 51 and recently lost 30 pounds through diet and exercise. I find logging my food helps to keep me honest. I'll be starting a clean eating challenge next week. Let me know if you want to join. Best of luck and do one day at a time! Laurie www.workouwithLaurie.com

    She does not need shakeology or whatever other beachbody crap you are trying to sell her.

    I totally agree....gimmicks may work for the short term but anyone I know that did the shakeology stuff gained it all back. I wish people would stop trying to seel that stuff to vulnerable people. Now for the OP (original poster), I am 67 yrs old. A shorty (4"ll) and had to lose 30 lbs. I have lost 22 lbs. in 4 months. I now do a 5 K (at least) every day, do step aerobics or zumba. Oh and did I say....I'm 67 yrs old. You can do it. I won't lie but the weight does come off slower as we age but increasing your exercise slowly over time will help you with that. I started walking a half mile a day and worked up to where I am now. Forget the gimmicks and save your money while doing it!!! Good luck and add me if you need support. :drinker:
  • itsmeggietoyou
    itsmeggietoyou Posts: 2 Member
    Not just no, but HELL NO. It is not too late. Never too late. Track your food. Exercise. Expend more calories than you take in. And don't be too hard on yourself.
  • As a 61 year old woman with 65 more pounds to lose (I've lost 3 pounds in the past month), and who is battling a sugar addiction as well, I can say to you no, it is not too late! In August, I started seeing a registered dietician who has helped me enormously by having me record everything I eat and drink and any exercise I do. I never did that before because I thought what a pain that would be, but now I find it to be a great eye opener. My eating before, particularly sweets, was out of control. And it seemed the more I ate of it, the more I craved. Do get in the habit of tracking your food and exercise on this site. The fact that I also have to report back to my RD keeps me honest. I don't want to overindulge in some massive dessert if I have to write it down and tell her about it! :smile: I do still enjoy a small sweet now and then but I factor it in and it is enough to satisfy without breaking the bank. Aside from that, eating better (and less, particularly less sugar) just makes me feel better overall. It isn't always easy, but I believe it is worth it. We can do this! Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck!
  • ACrowsDay
    ACrowsDay Posts: 64 Member
    I agree...it's never too late! I too am 61 and in the last 10 years have been slowly putting on the weight. I hate it! A few years ago I did MFP and I know it works...I sadly went back to my old life style. But now I'm back and still trying...never stop trying! Befriend me if you like. We can do this! Jen
  • l_gauvin1956
    l_gauvin1956 Posts: 1 Member
    Never too late! I'm 58 and have over 100 lbs to lose. I just started MFP 2 weeks ago and eating no sugars, flour, wheat. Best of luck to you and hope to see updates from you!
  • Sharol1
    Sharol1 Posts: 4 Member
    Since I'm 74, I look at 60 as being young. Of course you can do it. It gets harder as you get older but so worth it. I decided that before I would be eligible for medicare I wanted to be healthy and fit. That was 10 years ago and I lost 55 pounds. Yes, I have gained some of it back and am always a work in progress. I have learned to like tracking my food and exercise. It is very satisfying to set small goals and be able to achieve them. Stick with MFP and you will find how motivating people that you only know through the internet can be. Good luck and I would like to be your friend!
  • naticksdonna
    naticksdonna Posts: 189 Member
    One of my favorite sayings: Decide.. Commit.. Succeed.. What's stopping you? I'm in my 60s and started being serious about this weight loss thing in 2012. I've lost 80 lbs., got too comfy and gained some back. But - I'm still here! I'm determined to get the last 25 lbs. off. It's never too late. Don't give up on yourself. Feel free to friend me if you like. Everyone here is working some kind of program to get and stay healthy. I have mobility issues stemming from a head on collision with a drunk driver but I still do the best I can.. Good luck!
  • I'm so glad you asked this question I am 59 and when I joined almost a month ago I wondered the same thing. All of the comments and answers people have given you this morning has encouraged me. I, too; have some health issues but just changing the way I have been eating for just a short time has made me feel a little better. I'm believing if I continue to journal what I eat and do the best I can I will lose weight. A big thank-you to those of you who share things you have done along your journey to help those of us just starting out.
  • velocityc6
    velocityc6 Posts: 2,137 Member
    I will be 60 next year. I started seriously on MFP in Sept. 2013. Running was never in the cards but in Feb. I ran a 5k and now I run 30 to 40 minutes 3 days a week. Hurt my elbows this summer trying to lift too heavy or used improper form not sure which so for now it is all cardio. I've lost over 35 lbs and feel great. The summer found me slacking a little on my eating habits but I will get back on board now. It's never too late to start and you will find plenty of motivation at MFP.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,854 Member
    I can assure you that calorie deficits work for those of us over 60 too.
  • Artionis
    Artionis Posts: 105 Member
    I"m going to repeat a response I made to a similar post:

    No, it isn't too late. One of the many inspirational success stories on mfp is that of Hanfordrose. She is in her late 60's and changed her life from being morbidly obese, confined to a wheelchair with damaged knees to taking her life back and achieving a normal weight and movement. Comb the success stories and bookmark the ones that speak to your heart.

    I'm 66, and have lost 42 pounds (moving from obese to merely fat) and I will be at the top of "normal" weight range within 2-3 months. [Yeah, I know the limitations of using BMI as a metric.] Age is not a valid excuse. Later this year I will be jumping off the Sky Tower in Auckland, something I would never have considered 42 pounds ago. I want to go up in a hot air balloon over Sedona or Cappadocia, why not? My weight is no longer an impediment to wonderful adventures. How cool is that?

    Start now, and in a year or two you can write a success story. Do not "try." Instead commit yourself to a change of lifestyle.
    Read the stickies, so much wisdom there. Good luck.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    Too late?!? For what? I met a man this year after a 5k race and we got talking about running. We discussed times and technique, blah blah blah. He said he started running 14 years ago. I told him I started less then a year ago and was enjoying it. He said he is still trying to get faster and stretches daily and watches his diet. As he walked away I asked him one last question, his age. He said "Oh I'll be 84 this year. Do you really think I can get a little faster?" True story.
  • botography
    botography Posts: 95 Member
    Same pattern as you. Hard to make a difference and being so short as I am it really shows. I do need exercise which I hate. I dance almost every evening but by day I really don't get lots of exercise activity.
  • botography
    botography Posts: 95 Member
    Trying really hard. I have to stay away from dessert. And I am losing slowly... so slowly that I have given up so many times.
  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 772 Member
    I'll be 68 in 2 months.
    Not too late.
  • vicabra
    vicabra Posts: 56 Member
    NEVER.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    No, you are never too old.
    I started 3/12/12 at age 60. I will be 63 at the end of this month.
    I have gone from size 24W (tight) to size 10.
    If I can do this, anyone can do it.
    As for any age, it just takes self control, determination and perseverance.
    Best of luck to everyone.
  • farmerpam1
    farmerpam1 Posts: 402 Member
    No, it's never too late. I'm 55 and I haven't felt this good in years, getting my mojo back. You can do this. Take it one day at a time, don't think of it as a "diet", it's a lifestyle change. Move more, eat less. You can do this, do it for you!:flowerforyou:
  • Obeah1
    Obeah1 Posts: 54 Member
    Hi,

    I'm 62. I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for over 40 years, drank too much and didn't eat well. My blood pressure and blood sugar weren't seriously off but were out of the ideal range.. My body fat percentage and waistline were in the unhealthy zone.t quit smoking six years ago, reduced my alcohol consumption soon after and got really serious (after many false starts) about diet and exercise two years ago.

    This July my son and I went to Tanzania and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro together.

    I know that its not too late for you. I hope that you realize that also,

    Best wishes.
  • paxsom1
    paxsom1 Posts: 7 Member
    It's never too late. You might want to be careful with the intensity level of your exercise program, depending on your general health, but never too late.
  • sdps745
    sdps745 Posts: 33 Member
    Many great stories and MUCH inspiration here!! NEVER give up!!