Weight loss in your 30's
Jankatherton
Posts: 70 Member
just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
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Replies
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If you think it is hard in the 30s, wait until the 50s! LOL
I do think it is harder to lose and maintain weight loss the older we get.....unless we truly modify the amount we eat.
I lost weight much more easily in my 40s than now trying to "re-lose" it in my 50s.
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It's so frustrating!0
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30's? Yup, I remember when I was a kid
Metabolism drops as you get older, and most people have lower muscle mass than when they were in their 20's (which can be rectified by weightlifting). It's doable, 'tho -- I lost 60 pounds when I was 53. Hang in there. 0 -
I think it's that we are more set in our ways and less motivated to change as we age.
I think if we are honest with ourselves and really put the effort in, we can achieve anything.
It's only hard because we are telling ourselves it's hard.
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Yes, it is harder now than it was then. I used to be able to continue eating what I wanted as long as I exercised and the pounds would just fall off. Now I have to focus MORE on my diet. Not just calories either. I have to be eating more protein and less carbs (like under 50%) in order to lose anything. It is very frustrating.0
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I never tired in my 20's. Didn't need to. I didn't even notice my weight going up until 32.
Seriously, I don't find it THAT hard even now. Maybe I'm strange.0 -
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It's those darn last 15 pounds !!0
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Jankatherton wrote: »just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
it's not, you just think it is.
i'm 40 and weigh the same as i did when i was 18, or actually, maybe a little less. it was easy. lost a bunch of weight in my late 30's. when i decided to start tracking on mfp, the weight flew off.
i have no opinion on 50, but for 30's up to early 40's, people just need to quit making excuses.0 -
Yes, it is harder now than it was then. I used to be able to continue eating what I wanted as long as I exercised and the pounds would just fall off. Now I have to focus MORE on my diet. Not just calories either. I have to be eating more protein and less carbs (like under 50%) in order to lose anything. It is very frustrating.
This sounds like me. In my 20's id just exercise a couple times a week and eat pizza like every day and still lose weight ahah
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There is some effect from loss of muscle mass, but it's pretty slight--something like 50 calories a day per decade. You can offset some of this loss by lifting heavy.
There is also a change in lifestyle--people tend to get more sedentary as they get older. Some of it is job related--junior office workers might be running more errands, walking from cube farm to cube farm, or you might be paying your dues in retail before settling into insurance claims handling or something. Some of it could also be social life related--no more evenings out dancing. You moved from your city apartment where you walked to the laundromat, to the suburbs where you take four steps into your laundry room. (THIS IS AN UNQUALIFIED GOOD THING BTW.) The little things that add up. You can offset this by forcing yourself to make up for the activity--walking on your lunch break, commuting by bike, etc, in addition to whatever normal exercise or chasing small children and furry animals and other random movement you're used to.
My fiance and I are both trying to lose a little weight right now. I evaluated my eating patterns, changed some things, started tracking calories, and I'm basically at my goal after a few months. He's complaining about how his "metabolism" is slow now that he's 30 and how everyone in his office experienced the same phenomenon, and has only lost like two pounds. Hm...0 -
Jankatherton wrote: »just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
it's not, you just think it is.
i'm 40 and weigh the same as i did when i was 18, or actually, maybe a little less. it was easy. lost a bunch of weight in my late 30's. when i decided to start tracking on mfp, the weight flew off.
i have no opinion on 50, but for 30's up to early 40's, people just need to quit making excuses.
Not making up excuses. I'm grinding away at the gym 6 days a week and seeing no results. I haven't missed a day in over a year and a half but haven't lost a pound. I'm just comparing that directly to how I was in my 20's and I'd casually go to the gym once or twice a week and lose weight while eating whatever I wanted. Just saying there is a obvious difference at least for me.
I know I need to clean up my diet some more and I'm not making excuses for that. Just saying it wasn't necessary in my 20's
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Ultimately, everyone is different, but the motivate and time to put in the work necessary to lose/manage weight differs as you age. Personally, I think it gets easier.
Going from 20 to 30 maybe harder if you start involve raising children and other adult responsibilities. Not to assume what anyone's lifestyle is like for some, the 20's could be just going out with friends and living the social life to the fullest.
For myself, I spent my entire 30's obese but at 40 my mentality changed towards life. A lot of factors contribute to the change, but to be brief, as I got order and sorted out life schedules, I found time to put in the work. Also as you live life (age) you start seeing more friends and family die due to various conditions, so you begin to think and rethink how you want to live the rest of your existence.0 -
cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »There is some effect from loss of muscle mass, but it's pretty slight--something like 50 calories a day per decade. You can offset some of this loss by lifting heavy.
There is also a change in lifestyle--people tend to get more sedentary as they get older. Some of it is job related--junior office workers might be running more errands, walking from cube farm to cube farm, or you might be paying your dues in retail before settling into insurance claims handling or something. Some of it could also be social life related--no more evenings out dancing. You moved from your city apartment where you walked to the laundromat, to the suburbs where you take four steps into your laundry room. (THIS IS AN UNQUALIFIED GOOD THING BTW.) The little things that add up. You can offset this by forcing yourself to make up for the activity--walking on your lunch break, commuting by bike, etc, in addition to whatever normal exercise or chasing small children and furry animals and other random movement you're used to.
My fiance and I are both trying to lose a little weight right now. I evaluated my eating patterns, changed some things, started tracking calories, and I'm basically at my goal after a few months. He's complaining about how his "metabolism" is slow now that he's 30 and how everyone in his office experienced the same phenomenon, and has only lost like two pounds. Hm...
Hmm yeah you could be right about the change in lifestyle. I am a nurse so still on my feet a lot but I think in my 20's I was even more so. I used to walk everywhere as I didn't have a car.
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I'm finding it easier to lose in my 30s, but I attribute some of that success to having better tools and knowledge than I did in my 20s.0
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It has been super hard for me now that I am in my 40s . In my 30s it was very easy because my kids were younger and I would run around with them. Now that I am an empty nester I find myself snacking because of boredom.0
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Jankatherton wrote: »just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
I can't really compare because when I wanted to lose weight in my 20s, I would go on insane diets. So yeah, I would easily shift ten pounds on 600 calories a day. Now I lose more slowly and steadily, but I also have the maturity needed to stick with a reasonable plan.
Science says my metabolism has slowed down, but I still don't think I would have been able to lose this much weight in my 20s (if I had needed to). I was just too young and dumb.0 -
Jankatherton wrote: »Jankatherton wrote: »just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
it's not, you just think it is.
i'm 40 and weigh the same as i did when i was 18, or actually, maybe a little less. it was easy. lost a bunch of weight in my late 30's. when i decided to start tracking on mfp, the weight flew off.
i have no opinion on 50, but for 30's up to early 40's, people just need to quit making excuses.
Not making up excuses. I'm grinding away at the gym 6 days a week and seeing no results. I haven't missed a day in over a year and a half but haven't lost a pound. I'm just comparing that directly to how I was in my 20's and I'd casually go to the gym once or twice a week and lose weight while eating whatever I wanted. Just saying there is a obvious difference at least for me.
I know I need to clean up my diet some more and I'm not making excuses for that. Just saying it wasn't necessary in my 20's
are you sure you weren't eating less than you think you were in your 20's? as someone else said, the metabolism difference is only like 50 calories a decade. that is not a lot.0 -
I think it's that we are more set in our ways and less motivated to change as we age.
I think if we are honest with ourselves and really put the effort in, we can achieve anything.
It's only hard because we are telling ourselves it's hard.
And we become less active as we get invested in jobs and/or kids. So it makes it seem like it's harder when it's not. Our lifestyle has changed while the change in our physiology has only minimally changed.0 -
Jankatherton wrote: »cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »There is some effect from loss of muscle mass, but it's pretty slight--something like 50 calories a day per decade. You can offset some of this loss by lifting heavy.
There is also a change in lifestyle--people tend to get more sedentary as they get older. Some of it is job related--junior office workers might be running more errands, walking from cube farm to cube farm, or you might be paying your dues in retail before settling into insurance claims handling or something. Some of it could also be social life related--no more evenings out dancing. You moved from your city apartment where you walked to the laundromat, to the suburbs where you take four steps into your laundry room. (THIS IS AN UNQUALIFIED GOOD THING BTW.) The little things that add up. You can offset this by forcing yourself to make up for the activity--walking on your lunch break, commuting by bike, etc, in addition to whatever normal exercise or chasing small children and furry animals and other random movement you're used to.
My fiance and I are both trying to lose a little weight right now. I evaluated my eating patterns, changed some things, started tracking calories, and I'm basically at my goal after a few months. He's complaining about how his "metabolism" is slow now that he's 30 and how everyone in his office experienced the same phenomenon, and has only lost like two pounds. Hm...
Hmm yeah you could be right about the change in lifestyle. I am a nurse so still on my feet a lot but I think in my 20's I was even more so. I used to walk everywhere as I didn't have a car.
yeah, this would explain it more than 30's being that much different based on bmr alone.0 -
PosJankatherton wrote: »Jankatherton wrote: »just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
it's not, you just think it is.
i'm 40 and weigh the same as i did when i was 18, or actually, maybe a little less. it was easy. lost a bunch of weight in my late 30's. when i decided to start tracking on mfp, the weight flew off.
i have no opinion on 50, but for 30's up to early 40's, people just need to quit making excuses.
Not making up excuses. I'm grinding away at the gym 6 days a week and seeing no results. I haven't missed a day in over a year and a half but haven't lost a pound. I'm just comparing that directly to how I was in my 20's and I'd casually go to the gym once or twice a week and lose weight while eating whatever I wanted. Just saying there is a obvious difference at least for me.
I know I need to clean up my diet some more and I'm not making excuses for that. Just saying it wasn't necessary in my 20's
are you sure you weren't eating less than you think you were in your 20's? as someone else said, the metabolism difference is only like 50 calories a decade. that is not a lot.
possibly but I really don't think so. I recall eating a lotttt of pizza and drinking a lot of beer haha0 -
Guess I just need to face the music and cut the calories.0
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Yes!! I have actually noticed how hard it is now in my 30's. I was able to maintain my weight and never really gained at all in my 20's. Now that I look back I now realize that I was in the clubs all the time, working a restaurant job, walking around the city on weekends, and would go on fad diets once in a while. Now I barely go out anywhere, work an office job and avoid fad diets.
Soooooo yeah I can see why it was much easier in my 20's.
oh and I was probably an alcoholic....still maintained weight. Cause CICO I guess.0 -
[quotewayankatherton;10085361"]just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
[/quote]
It is way more difficult0 -
diet counts for far more than gym when you do the maths for calorie:weight. That completely contradicts what i thought for years.
exercise never made me lose weight - helped me start to get in shape again though. A strict diet did - a lot less carbs and eggs for breakfast. Although those results just started, time will tell.0 -
Yeah, I was underweight at 5'9 135 pounds until age 37.....now two years later i'm 196 pounds, and my waist is 8 inches bigger....I get a lot of double takes when I meet people I haven't seen in a while.0
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Jankatherton wrote: »PosJankatherton wrote: »Jankatherton wrote: »just wondering if anyone else notices how much harder it is to lose weight in your 30's vs in your 20's?
I remember when I was in my 20's and I decided I was going to lose weight I could just drop it like nothing. Now it seems to be sooooo much more work and I have to be sooooo careful with my diet and can't afford a single slip up
it's not, you just think it is.
i'm 40 and weigh the same as i did when i was 18, or actually, maybe a little less. it was easy. lost a bunch of weight in my late 30's. when i decided to start tracking on mfp, the weight flew off.
i have no opinion on 50, but for 30's up to early 40's, people just need to quit making excuses.
Not making up excuses. I'm grinding away at the gym 6 days a week and seeing no results. I haven't missed a day in over a year and a half but haven't lost a pound. I'm just comparing that directly to how I was in my 20's and I'd casually go to the gym once or twice a week and lose weight while eating whatever I wanted. Just saying there is a obvious difference at least for me.
I know I need to clean up my diet some more and I'm not making excuses for that. Just saying it wasn't necessary in my 20's
are you sure you weren't eating less than you think you were in your 20's? as someone else said, the metabolism difference is only like 50 calories a decade. that is not a lot.
possibly but I really don't think so. I recall eating a lotttt of pizza and drinking a lot of beer haha
i mean, my weight certainly did creep up in my 30's, but i have a feeling i was eating more. in my early 20's i never went to the gym at all. i didn't even join a gym until i was 27. i was a stick. but with how easily i lost it all at close to 40, i think that anyone can do it unless they have an underlying medical condition. just aging isn't a good reason.0 -
Ugggg I can see now after reading these comments that I just need to suck it up . I just don't feel like I'm overeating so it's sooo hard to make any cuts0
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nah i think it's an excuse people tell themselves as they get older. put in the work, and you'll get the results. patience.0
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Not really. I was much more active when I was younger, so it probably would *seem* easier than now that I'm 42. Back then, I worked in a warehouse, so I was on my feet all day. I also golfed much more often (walked the course then - I rarely golf now, but ride when I do), bowled on the weekends, played softball, and went out with friends much more often. Now, I'm usually sitting either at a desk or at a bench in the lab. Most of my current exercise is spent lifting, with a little cardio here and there - mostly walking at lunch. When I do go out with friends, we usually end up sitting around, as opposed to really "doing" things. As such, I have to pay much more attention to how much I eat, whereas back then? I'd burn off many many many more Calories normally than I do now.0
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