Am I too late?

I'm 23 and have had no problem losing weight. As long as you aren't planning on dying in the next few weeks, it's never too late, no matter how old you are.

I've never heard that before. I have heard that it is harder to maintain once you get back to a lower weight than it would have been if you never gained the weight but with hard work it can be done. Anything is possible. I heard about this phenomenon on the Weight of the Nation documentary on HBO. All parts of it are available for free on YouTube if your interested.

Losing and then maintaining weight loss is challenging regardless of age and it will require you to make permanent changes to your habits. But regardless of what you've read, do not let it discourage you from putting forth your best effort.

I am living proof that those people who say that are full of crap.

That sounds like total bs to me. Every person is different and if you continue to eat healthy and exercise the you should be good. Dont beleive just anything you read.

23 is a great age to get into your health and fitness. You're old enough to look into how to do this healthfully, and young enough to have the energy and enthusiasm to have fun with it. (Not that those of us are that older can't have the fun and enthusiasm.)

It is not too late, it makes it more challenging to sustain a healthy weight once have been over weight but plenty of people manage it. I think it is like anything, It takes time to make something a habit. If you can make healthy eating etc a habit then it will become more and more easy as time goes by. The body is very adaptable and given time it will accept your new healthy weight as its set point once you reach and maintain it long enough. If you revert back to old habits then you would get fat again but if you don't then you wont.

I was doing some reading on the internet, and they say it may be too late for some obese people to lose weight permanently. I was wondering if this was true, and if -I- specifically am too late? I gained weight and was considered over-weight at 16 years old, and I am 23 years old now? It's very disheartening to read those articles that permanent weight loss with surgery isn't possible for obese individuals.

Hi Zoey,

Surgery is not for being overweight. Surgery is for obesity that is so bad that it is causing or is likely to cause serious health problems. It is also for those who have tried everything else and have failed. Surgery is just a tool -- with surgery you will still log all of your food, you will take your medicine in non-pill form for the rest of your life, you will eat small portions and eat them slowly and chew them thoroughly, and you will get psychological and dietary support. It is a life-long commitment. Beware the surgeon who tells you anything different.

A tool that surgery adds is called "dumping." If you eat too much food, food that is too fatty, or food that is too sugary, you will deal with it painfully or you will throw it up. This negative feedback will help keep you in line. Another tool is feeling full sooner, and some obese people have been proven to lack some of the signals of fullness.

The laparoscopic Roux en Y Gastric Bypass surgery (research using these names or the initials LRYGB or RYGB) is effective in sustaining weight loss of one-half to two-thirds of a patient's excess weight. Age is not a factor. They almost all lose weight in incredible amounts in the first 2 years, and most gain some back but still keep much of it off. For the stats, research a pubmed article called "Long-term results of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass: evaluation after 9 years." Over 70% of patients of surgery more than 9 years ago are satisfied with their experience.

I was on track for this surgery. My BMI was 41.6. My diabetes was out of control and my insulin and medicines were becoming too hard to manage. In preparation for surgery -- about 8 weeks out from surgery -- I started using MyFitnessPal and exercising (walking 30 minutes 3x a week). I started dropping the weight very quickly. In about two weeks, I started to get hypoglycemic: my blood sugar which was too high as a diabetic was suddenly too low. I stopped the insulin and most of my meds in order to get my blood sugar up to a normal level. This got my attention -- this COULD be a non-surgical answer.

I kept going with MyFitnessPal and exercise. Officially, my surgery is on hold. I've completed all of the steps. But my BMI is 35.7 and once it's below 35 -- only 5 lbs. to go -- surgery is not recommended. My diabetes is so much better, I have stopped all of my meds and my blood glucose readings are superb (averaging less than 70).

To summarize: Surgery works and will work for you at any age and has a better success rate than diet and exercise alone, but it is not easier than dieting and exercise because it is dieting and exercising. It adds a couple of tools. It does a good job for most patients in helping getting rid of much of the weight. Ultimately -- with surgery and without -- it's the commitment to lifelong change that determines whether it will be effective.

for every article or piece of advice from a so called "expert" is going to be one that argues against it. with that being said, no way is it too late. you are in the prime of your life. its much easier for you to lose weigh in your twenties than being older. I am 37 and am losing succesfuly. its all about how much you want it and how you do and eat each day to get to your goals. Don't believe everything you read, just take it under advisement then set out to prove them wrong. I think saying you have a set point and cant lose weight is a cop out in lieu of working your butt of exercising and eating at a deficit. Losing is hard but so worth it. Do it for the 70 year old future you.

I was doing some reading on the internet, and they say it may be too late for some obese people to lose weight permanently.

No, that's not true. Disregard it, in its entirety.

Yeah, I'd like to watch it. I'll check it out right now Thanks.

It's kind of dire. I'd recommend against watching that one, if you're already worried about maintaining. There are studies that show the opposite of their info about metabolism being permanently lowered.

I am 57 and have lost over 135 pounds. It is never too late. I will say however that if you lose weight at your younger age your body will bounce back better than waiting until you're older. What I mean by that is I have former obese woman scars such as stretch marks and sagging skin that I may not have had if I lost the weight at a younger age.