Any suggestions for the Over 40 woman trying to lose weight

i know exactly what you mean...im 52..ive lost 11 pounds, and did that in about a month's time..but i have a lot to lose..i have an underactive thryoid, so that too was to blame for my weight gain. Im not letting my age work against me though, and i really do believe MFP will be helpful..even for us "older" women

Hi Karen....I would qualify for being in that category lol. I'm 45 and will be 46 next month. I joined mfp in February and I've managed to lose 18 lbs. It's coming off slowly but surely:) So it's taken me 3 months to lose but am losing inches too and dropped 2 pants sizes which is exciting!! Just be patient, log everthing you eat and make a point to start some type of exercise routine. Even though our metabolism slows as we get older, just have to kick start it and get it going again. Be glad to be your friend and help you along if you need some support:)

I started MFP 7 weeks ago and I have lost 17.5 pounds. I am 54 and have been struggling also, it doesn't come off as easy as it did when I was younger. I have found that if I stay with the amount of calories they say I should have the weight really does come off. I have an issue of eating because I am bored or because it tastes good, not because I am hungry

I can't say I fall into this category, but I am helping someone in this category at my work. Just log your food on MFP and get a good exercise program. I personally like Chalean Extreme (there is a woman on there that 60) or P90X. Both are at home workouts and have yielded a lot of people good results. Just make sure you have a clean diet with a good amount of carbs/protein/fats. I do a custom setup with 50/30/20 (carbs/protein/fats) but started with 40/40/20 for greater fat shredding. It has worked wonders so far.

Hi Karen,

I wouldn't worry about how old or young you are---I think it's all about finding out what the rules are to meet our goals and then to stick with them, and change with them over time as changes happen....because we know they will.

I'm 42 and since joining MFP about 2 years ago I really had no idea what these rules were. I sort of did the no-bread/no pasta thing, but basically ate healthy whole foods but quantities were not in line. I tried to exercise, but it was hard to do more than 20 min. of cardio a few times/week because I was working so hard and raising a little one.

Since joining I had an aha! moment early on. The math this site has taught me makes all the sense in the world. Calculate what you are eating. Exercise and quantify that exercise into more calories you can add to your daily intake. If you do not exercise, you can't eat as much. It's so cut and dry, I was able to lose the weight I wanted and then some and have maintained for the last year. I didn't particularly like so much exercise at first but I certainly wanted to eat more than 1200 calories a day, so I pushed myself to do more and more, and I would say now it's a habit...and I do look forward to it daily.

I'm not saying it's super-easy, but this makes sense to me. I know down the road my metrics will probably stop working and I'll have to re-evaluate what the new ones are, but I'm ready for it and not in the denial I used to be. I so wish I knew this back in my teens! If you need support, I'd be happy to help!

Since joining I had an aha! moment early on. The math this site has taught me makes all the sense in the world. Calculate what you are eating. Exercise and quantify that exercise into more calories you can add to your daily intake. If you do not exercise, you can't eat as much. It's so cut and dry, I was able to lose the weight I wanted and then some and have maintained for the last year Quote by Robin117

Great! At last someone has put down what I have been saying ...If no exercise - less calories !
And that is wht I only have 1000 calories as I am disabled and not therefore able to exercise.

Hello Ladies, I also am using Weight watchers, it's been 3 weeks, and have lost NOTHING! I am 57 and need to lose approximately 30 lbs. I have several problems, one being, I have sleep problems, I go to bed at a decent hour, but toss and turn till 4:00/4:30. During the tossing and turning stage, I get so frustrated, I get up and snack, from making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to having cereal. Recently found the 100 pack Snackwells cookies and Arnold's 100 calorie sandwich thins, and I add a little of Weight Watchers cream cheese. 2nd I want to join a gym but am terrified to walk through the door. Does any of you have any suggestions to help me on my journey, should I talk to my doctor about not being able to drop even a few pounds. I cannot take any sleeping aids as there is a chemical in them that will trigger my restless leg syndrome. HELP!

hey ladies. I am 42 years YOUNG and yes it is harder for us gals to lose weight, but very very possible. Every woman is different but for the most part, your metabolism does slow down, so you really need to be active and boost the metabolism. I can only share my experience, but I have relied on strength training to build muscle combined with cardio and circuit training.

I eat clean, and boost my metabolism by consistent execise, eating nutrient dense foods, and getting enough sleep at night. I KNOW that sounds cliche, but I really believe it is essential. Cut down as much as possible on processed foods, sodium and other killers.

Start eating soon after you wake up and then stop several hours before you go to sleep. I have always exercised but I had to seriously kick up the intensity after I turned about 35. I am a firm believer in strength training for women in addition to cardio. Our muscle begins to atrophy and we need the muscle for many reasons other than weight loss - and many of us don't focus on it enough.


I wish all of you the very best of luck with your journey. Feel free to friend me if I can be of any support. I believe in kicking our 40's, 50's and beyond right in the BUTT!!!!!! it IS harder for us, but well worth every ounce of the effort!

I needed to read this today! Thanks for posting!

Patience...and lots of it! Use the MFP calculations and don't be afraid to tweak them as needed. I found that I lose better at around 1400 per day than I did at the 1200 per day. I do moderate exercise, mostly walking and using the Wii Fit. I try to limit the starches, but still have whole grain products in my daily intake and moderate to heavy on the protein. I am usually 80/20 as far as clean eatting goes. I don't use powders or bars, lots and lots of vegies though. There will be plateaus, there will be goodies, there will be days when you have no choice on what you eat. One day at a time, and don't get all pissy with yourself when you go off track, just get back on asap.

Oh ... I am 47 (8 soon) and have lost 75 pounds over the last 11 months, 70 yet to go.

Hello Ladies, I also am using Weight watchers, it's been 3 weeks, and have lost NOTHING! I am 57 and need to lose approximately 30 lbs. I have several problems, one being, I have sleep problems, I go to bed at a decent hour, but toss and turn till 4:00/4:30. During the tossing and turning stage, I get so frustrated, I get up and snack, from making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to having cereal. Recently found the 100 pack Snackwells cookies and Arnold's 100 calorie sandwich thins, and I add a little of Weight Watchers cream cheese. 2nd I want to join a gym but am terrified to walk through the door. Does any of you have any suggestions to help me on my journey, should I talk to my doctor about not being able to drop even a few pounds. I cannot take any sleeping aids as there is a chemical in them that will trigger my restless leg syndrome. HELP!

Honestly I would quit the WW foods. I think all the low fat and no fat foods are sorely lacking in nutrients and do little to teach us about portion control.

I also have insomnia. It's gotten better since I quit coffee, but I still don''t sleep like others so I don't try. I don't go to bed until 12/12;30. Even then I am often up between 4;30 and 5. My doctor says 5 hours is the minimum we need to function so I'm happy with that.

i would also plan what to do when you are up in the middle of the night.Plan an activity or even leave have a light snack prepared like a bowl of summer fruit. or puree the fruit with a tiny bit of 0% greek yogurt add a few chunks of the whole fruit and freeze. You have a sort of cream popsicle. If the fruit isn't sweet enough add 1 stevia a(not truvia or purvia, real stevia). better yet why not plan a non food activity like doing 10 mins of arm curls or 20 sit ups. You know that you are going to be up so having a plan means you don't sabotage yourself. I would even drink some water. Don't worry about the water causing you to go, you're already up anyway.

Feel free to friend or view my diary. It's not perfect but I try every day to make good food choices.

I agree you can lose. When I stop playing at it, I lose! It's just so easy to go over on weekends etc :bigsmile:

And I agree that exercise is great for being able to eat more, plus all the other benefits esp, muscle mass!

Eat less, move more. OH, but dont eat too little!! We come from a generation of crash diets!! :laugh: That's bad!!!!

Good luck :flowerforyou:

I would agree to add a combination of strength training and cardio to your exercise routine. Watch the carbs, eat 3 to 4 "bready" servings a day and make the other carbs be fruits, veggies and dairy. Eat plenty of protein!! That is huge!! Be consistant...you can't have 1 or 2 bad eating days a week an expect weight loss. To lose weight, you have to be consistant every day for 2 to 3 months....you can do it!! I am 42 and lost 100 lbs from the ages of 38 to 39.......and have kept the majority off for 3 yrs! Good luck!! You can do it!!

So, the answer in short version, is to work on your muscles....build them up strong and viola - these muscles will burn off the fat and keep you healthy...

YES!! Strength training has been the key for me too. Cardio alone wasn't doing it for for me; I think it was just pushing an already low metabolism even lower. The half hour or so, 3 times a week, I put in on the resistance machines (Nautilus) in gym got things moving again in a hurry. And though I resisted doing it in the beginning because of my age, it has been surprisingly easy to build up to heavier weights - no harder than I remember from my early 30s. I still do cardio, but only about 150 to 300 calories worth, depending on whether or not I strength train that day. At this age, cardio is more about building up stamina that burning off calories.

I just turned 58, by the way, and did so wearing muffin top-free size 8 jeans. In early January I was bursting out of relaxed fit size 14s.

google the better body system and see if that is something you may be interested in. I also have been struggling with menopausal weight. I have lost over 7lbs in 1 week.