Over 40 year old weight loss

I'm slightly conflicted over whether it's harder this time around or not. My first gut reaction was 'Hell YAH it's harder now!', but when I really consider it, perhaps not. I'm 44 now. I lost about 40 lbs over the course of 10-12 months when I was 33. Back then, I did WW (the old points system) and walked 1-2 miles a day 4-5 times a week. That's it. It worked. I kept it off for a pretty long time, but I eventually gained it all back +7lbs and started over using MFP this past February. That is to say - I also tried losing at a half-a-dozen different times over those 11 years as well by going back to the WW method. All subsequent WW attempts were not very successful. That's what convinced me I needed to track calories and excercise.

This time around, I am losing at about the same pace as I did in my early 30's and am on track to lose the 34 lbs I originally wanted to lose within about 34 weeks - so the rate of loss is pretty equivalent. However, I am finding that I need to be much more diligent in my logging than before. I weigh most of my solid foods (on occasion, I'm too rushed or lazy, so I do the 'eyeball'...) and measure liquids. And I am working out much more often and strenuously than I did in my 30's. I've also finally added in the hydration element (those pesky 8 glasses of water per day) that I never did in the past (even though WW also recommends it). So given just those things, which I was much more lackadaisical about in my 30's, it seems a bit "harder".

BUT - thanks to that increased activity through exercise, I feel like I'm in much better shape than I ever have in my life. I could not do a single push up (not even 'girly-style') when I started! Now I can do 23 in one minute. Did I really need it to lose? Maybe not. I originally did it because MFP only allowed me 1230 kcal a day and I really wanted to be able to eat more! Also - as rabbitjb mentioned - I watched my 90 year old grandmother sit for years on her couch at the end of her life, unable to get around and leave her own home - or even the room - without a major struggle. I don't want to experience that - I want to get myself fit now, before it's too late. In any case, at some point the exercise has morphed from something that I dreaded and did for more calories, into something I do now because I actually want to. I want to see what I'm capable of! So while it may seem like I'm having to work much harder this time, I'm better equipped to handle it now, and I think I'm reaping much more benefit from it than I did from the walking in my 30's. When I reach my goal weight, I really want to try lifting heavy. I'm working my way up to that - because I was so completely out of shape when I started... On the 'diet' front, I'm also actually eating what I want to eat and fitting it in to my calorie allotment (and trying - sometimes not so successfully - to hit my macros) whereas the first time I did 'fat-free' and 'sugar-free' and diet everything - and I pretty much gave up all sweet treats.

So all things considered - maybe not too much harder once I found what worked. It's worth it in any case OP - I hope you stick with it and find what works for you!

imustdoit wrote: »

Hello...I'm44 yrs old and I am also having problems losing weight. I have read the posts on here and I think I will be increasing my daily exercise. I am only walking right now. 2 miles a day and still no results.

Walking is good exercise and will help increase your fitness. But you still must have a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

I'm 53 and have lost 42 pounds since January. I've used nothing but MFP.

Didn't read all the responses, but are you using a food scale?

I think the second to last poster has a good point. The medicines people take around fortish slow down weightloss and speed up weight gain. I was on one years ago Elavil for sleep (though thank goodness) but it added forty pounds to my frame. Eventually I was able to go natural and get rid of this but I have to say the forty pounds are still there. It is similar with acid reflux medicine.

I also think that at a younger age, I could have lost weight just going to the gym once or twice a week. Now, it's like I need a repetitive exercise five or six times a week or the scale doesn't budge.

The dietician also pointed out that people need to eat the food fats at a 2 to 3 ratio to the unsaturated fats. So if you're eating fifty grams of fat a day, two thirds should be from good fats like olive oil. It took about a week once I started adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil to foods to see my stomach start to deflate. Good luck on your weight loss journey. Keep believing in yourself.

What other outside factors do you have? Kids? Husband? S/O? Etc?

I started in JAN14 when I was 44.
Am doing well so far.
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Someone on my friends list started in her 60's and has lost ~125 lb.