Who can help a 50 year old women lose pounds?

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  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    Yeah, I just find her off-putting. She can talk to me when she comes out the other side!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,878 Member
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    It's all about CICO. Be sure to stay in your deficit. Buy a digital food scale if you don't have one, weigh everything!! It will happen! :) Good luck!!

    ^^ This!

    I'm 48 and have been steadily losing weight since February. 17 kg down. :)

  • brook0530
    brook0530 Posts: 18 Member
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    I'm 56 and starting a Keto lifestyle and a new product that puts your body into ketosis within 59 minutes! So far, the lower carbs,higher fat is awesome for me and the ability to burn fat is really making a difference! I've tried so many things, and this is working for me! Just "food for thought"! You can do it... No matter what you choose! Find what works best for YOU!!
  • madkcole
    madkcole Posts: 110 Member
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    I don't know whether to be inspired or jealous of all you 50 something's who've lost so much weight in such a short amount of time. LOL

    Matzie - have you checked the accuracy of your daily calorie goals? Also, weighing foods and water intake are very important. Something I'm learning too. Hang in there.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Nice post Caitwn.
    So true for me, I was slowing down gradually, and gaining weight gradually.
    Once I realised that, started counting my calories and moving more the weight came off and stayed off.

    Cheers, h.
  • jftypes
    jftypes Posts: 10 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    It's an interesting topic to me, too. I really hate to admit it because half of me still thinks that 50 makes you an old lady and well, I AM NOT OLD, so I can't be looking at things for old ladies. But it's always interesting to hear people's take on stuff. :)

    I am 51 and definitely not old! I have been through menopause and did see my metabolism slow down. I think it is important to become more active and work on overall health not just weight. If you are eating correctly and logging everything even if you are not losing you will feel a whole lot better.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,878 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Caitwn wrote: »
    I'm past menopause and older than the OP and don't find weight loss to be a problem. I'm 5'3" with a very small frame. I started at 167 and am currently 136. Will probably go into maintenance somewhere around 120; am currently losing a pound per week but I'm trying to slow that down to 0.5 a week.

    I use CICO. I don't restrict any foods. Sugar and some refined flour is fine with me (you will not be removing tortillas from my life, thank you very much). I like to make sure there's room in my weekly caloric allowance for a serving or two of really good ice cream.

    I kicked diet sodas awhile back because I simply felt I was drinking too many and wanted to temporarily eliminate them while I introduced other options. I LOVE green tea. These days I drink a couple of diet sodas a week. I'm not afraid of artificial sweetners because I know how to interpret research findings. Yay for science literacy.

    My carbs are set at 35% (or 30. I forget at the moment because I've been changing them around some) only because I'm participating in a study that requests I set my carb intake at that level. I don't find carbs to be a problem and will probably set them back up to 40% once I'm done with this study.

    Exercise is not necessary for weight loss, but it IS necessary for the quality of life I want as I age. I do low-impact aerobics for an hour a day, six days a week. At least 10K steps a day, 7 days a week (I have a Fitbit). I'm slowly introducing weight training 3X per week. It's only slow because I have some significant issues to deal with based on prior (non exercise-related) injuries. I want core strength, balance, and good bone density as I age. Strength training will help with that. It is NEVER too late to start strength training.

    I log carefully and weigh almost everything, but admit I am not 100% rigorous about logging every food item. If my weight loss wasn't so steady, though, you can bet I'd be weighing food like crazy.

    I get a little annoyed when I hear women talk about how hard it is to lose weight when they get "older". I've heard women ranging from 29 (!) to 70 say this and I feel like it's usually pretty much an excuse. We aren't attacked by magical fat hormones when we age - but we do tend to become less active and to fail to adjust our caloric intake to account for that.

    Good post!! :)

    I am 48 and well into perimenopause (confirmed by gyn), and used it as an excuse for a while. Then I decided to give MFP a good go and see if I could lose weight. I was sceptical.

    I entered my information, set myself as sedentary, and selected 0.5 kg/week. MFP gave me a max calories, and I stuck to that as a net value. In other words, if I exercise I can eat more ... but not all my exercise calories because MFP and others tend to over-estimate calories burned. It is all CICO ... not restricting anything in particular ... but not going over my max net value.

    And I proceeded to lose at a rate of 1 kg/week! I'm not sure why I lost double what I set myself at, but it didn't bother me. :)

    I hit my goal of 15 kg lost mid-June ... 16 weeks after I started. Took a little break, and now I'm back at it, and have lost another 2 kg so far.

    I love being active ... I think being active helps keep me feeling young. For me, it's mainly cycling and walking, but I throw a few other things in there too. Last weekend I went swimming (laps) and the weekend before I was snowshoeing, this coming weekend might be hiking. I also make an effort to climb the 5 flights of stairs to my office a few times a week. And I really like the fact that all these activities seem easier the more weight I lose. :grin:
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    As I have aged, I appreciate my flexibility. As joints age it is great to have muscle/tendon flexibility. I watched my mother and aunts age into their 80's and stay active and strong. Some older ladies lead increasingly sedentary lives after 80. Soon they can barely carry their own groceries in or garbage out because of muscle loss. The ladies in my family love the outdoors, especially gardening. My mother who has RA and occasional gout has pain daily but she has found working through it helpful. My teenage son jokes that his Grandmother really could physically outdo some of his friends. My mother and my aunt both had/have health conditions that they treated with diet. A since of pride came from how few medications they took compared to others in their age group.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    Caitwn wrote: »

    I get a little annoyed when I hear women talk about how hard it is to lose weight when they get "older". I've heard women ranging from 29 (!) to 70 say this and I feel like it's usually pretty much an excuse. We aren't attacked by magical fat hormones when we age - but we do tend to become less active and to fail to adjust our caloric intake to account for that.

    Yes to this. Women hear so many "horror stories" about menopause. I remember getting a book from the library that promised practical ideas for getting through menopause. It was one depressing read. Point after point after point about how dismally life will change....it actually made me furious. But you know, a LOT of women believe it and brace for the absolute worst.

    It occurred to me that if I view this time of my life as "the worst", I'm buying in to a bunch of negative mindsets and excuses. Who has time for that?



  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    I'm 59. As a cancer survivor, I'm celebrating every year as an accomplishment (15 since diagnosis, yay!). I've been in menopause since chemotherapy (i.e., it put me in menopause, as it often does to women who are in their 40s).

    TL;DR warning: You seem to be asking a "how" question, so I'm going to be specific and somewhat detailed. I'm a work in progress: 5'5" (formerly 5'6" before all that cancer-treatment nonsense - wah!), SW 183, CW 153, GW 130 (probably).

    Between mid-April and mid-July, I lost 25 pounds by estimating my maintenance calorie requirements at a healthy weight, and training myself to eat that daily (trying to establish sustainable, healthy habits). (For the technical geeks, this was a TDEE estimate at a "lightly active" level, which may've been an activity underestimate for me. It was roughly 1500 calories.)

    I also estimated calories by learning the calorie count in my most calorie-dense foods and mentally tallying those for the day, leaving a cushion of a couple hundred calories to cover my non-calorie-dense foods like non-starchy veggies, of which I eat a lot.

    I weigh daily (have for years, even when not losing) and make a tick on graph paper so I can watch it over time. The above had me losing about 2 lbs/week, which seemed OK for someone starting in the obese BMI range.

    Mid-July, I plateaued, decided I needed more accurate logging, and joined MFP. I'm now logging like it was religion, with an MFP net calorie goal of 1200, eating back a good share of my exercise calories so most days I'm still around 1400-1500 actual calories.

    I still have about 23 pounds to lose (based on my original goal, which I may re-evaluate when it gets closer). Since I'm no longer obese, it makes sense to target 0.5-1 lb/week loss. Too recent a change to be sure, but based on a couple weeks data, the MFP-based approach seems to be playing out OK.

    I can't see that menopause is making much difference, but I did become much more active post-cancer (I'm a rower), so I may not have lost as much muscle post-menopause as others might who are truly sedentary.

    FWIW, if I'm under on calories, especially if I'm feeling fatigued, I try to eat protein (because I'm vegetarian, it's hard to get enough,) or healthy fat (avocado, walnuts . . . .); both of these are satiating. I do have the occasional glass of wine or ale (maybe once/twice a week) but log it.
  • dawniemate
    dawniemate Posts: 395 Member
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    vivmom2014 wrote: »
    Jillian Michaels is only 41! :s
    No way. ..and the rest. ..isn't it shaun michaels in gym gear!
  • tekkiechikk
    tekkiechikk Posts: 375 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I'm almost your age but am losing 1 pound per week by eating less and exercising more. I gave up wine because I felt like I couldn't afford those empty calories in my calorie budget.

    Same here. I'm 52 and have lost on average 1.4 pounds per week since January 5. I'm post-menopausal and hypothyroid, too, so it can be done! Regular exercise and weights have helped me gain muscle (I'm so proud of my forearms). I never did drink a lot but I prefer not to drink my calories in any form, anyway (why I don't do shakes and smoothies... I like to chew lol).

    Here's what I found to be crucial for my weight loss success: 1) log in every day to MFP, 2) record EVERYthing- even the binges or bad food days, 3) buy a scale and weigh my food, 4) exercise and lift weights regularly... at least a few times a week, and 5) change the way I view food and reverse the desire to eat from emotional responses.

    If you are gaining muscle you are doing something right... don't give up.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I found the basic keys to losing weight successfully in my 50's were:

    Stopping making excuses by blaming someone or something else for making me fat.
    Consuming the right number of calories without excluding any food or drink I enjoy
    Prioritising my time to fit in exercise.

    "is my problem drinking coke (the fake sugars) and a glass of wine with a meal" - Sorry OP but that is a great example of majoring in the minors!
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    A large part of losing weight, or not needing to lose weight, at any age, is resisting the forces that conspire to keep us sitting instead of being active. Be creative. I found a way to stand at my desk. I limit my time on the couch. I walk around if I'm talking on the phone. I clean house instead of watching TV. Those things are in addition to exercise.
  • gainesma
    gainesma Posts: 96 Member
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    Matzie wrote: »
    Are u my my age and can't get the pounds off? I've lost inches and gained muscle is my problem drinking coke (the fake sugars) and a glass of wine with a meal? Help me please, I gotta and wanna lose pounds.

    ■■■ Diet soda may not raise blood sugar but it does raise insulin. Insulin is the fat producing hormone. If you always have too much floating around in your blood you will always struggle with weight loss. Consider a ketogenic or low carbohydrate diet; if you find success here you will know you have a metabolism problem with sugars & carbohydrates. I or my diabetic symptoms into remission in 3 days eating a high fat diet. I eliminated over 400+ insulin shots in these 11 weeks and losing 2 to 3 lbs a week since week 5. Without hunger. I do use saccharine in coffee & tea, but stopped diet pop completely... I eat 65 -75% fat; 20% protein, 5% carbohydrate on my ketogenic plan.

    Most people have no clue that their weight and health problem are in hidden sugars with many in clever packaging listed as healthy foods. So in my opinion you should become a carbohydrate sugar expert and limit these in your diet.

    This is especially true if you put weight on in your midsection. To determine if you have a sugar problem get a glucose Meyer with free strips at any Walgreens. I've seen.them as low as 10.00 in the store with 10 free test strips. Eat a normal meal that you typically eat. 2 hours later test your blood sugar. If it's 140 or more you are either insulin resistant or prediabetic... This means you need to consider excess carbohydrates & sugar and excess insulin as enemy#1 to your body. To get control of this condition you need to reduce blood dugar levels & insulin simultaneously. That's done well with either a ketogenic or Atkins eating style...
    ■■■
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
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    I just turned 50 in May. Not in menopause yet, though.

    Losing weight has always been a struggle for me; turning 50 hasn't made it any harder. It's still about CICO, and I've always been much better at putting the calories in than getting them out. :wink:

    I can see that this topic is really super important to the OP because she's been back so many times to comment.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited August 2015
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    gainesma wrote: »
    Matzie wrote: »
    Are u my my age and can't get the pounds off? I've lost inches and gained muscle is my problem drinking coke (the fake sugars) and a glass of wine with a meal? Help me please, I gotta and wanna lose pounds.

    ■■■ Diet soda may not raise blood sugar but it does raise insulin. Insulin is the fat producing hormone. If you always have too much floating around in your blood you will always struggle with weight loss. Consider a ketogenic or low carbohydrate diet; if you find success here you will know you have a metabolism problem with sugars & carbohydrates. I or my diabetic symptoms into remission in 3 days eating a high fat diet. I eliminated over 400+ insulin shots in these 11 weeks and losing 2 to 3 lbs a week since week 5. Without hunger. I do use saccharine in coffee & tea, but stopped diet pop completely... I eat 65 -75% fat; 20% protein, 5% carbohydrate on my ketogenic plan.

    Most people have no clue that their weight and health problem are in hidden sugars with many in clever packaging listed as healthy foods. So in my opinion you should become a carbohydrate sugar expert and limit these in your diet.

    This is especially true if you put weight on in your midsection. To determine if you have a sugar problem get a glucose Meyer with free strips at any Walgreens. I've seen.them as low as 10.00 in the store with 10 free test strips. Eat a normal meal that you typically eat. 2 hours later test your blood sugar. If it's 140 or more you are either insulin resistant or prediabetic... This means you need to consider excess carbohydrates & sugar and excess insulin as enemy#1 to your body. To get control of this condition you need to reduce blood dugar levels & insulin simultaneously. That's done well with either a ketogenic or Atkins eating style...
    ■■■

    please dont derail the thread and make it into a sugar discussion
    she is asking 50 year old woman with the same experience


  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,878 Member
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    I just turned 50 in May. Not in menopause yet, though.

    Losing weight has always been a struggle for me; turning 50 hasn't made it any harder. It's still about CICO, and I've always been much better at putting the calories in than getting them out. :wink:

    I can see that this topic is really super important to the OP because she's been back so many times to comment.

    Hardly any one ever does. They post one question .............................................. and vanish.

  • lindawlas
    lindawlas Posts: 42 Member
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    Mattie ... Losing inches is a good thing! You seem to be on the right track! I am 51 and slowly loosing weight but happier to see the inches go and my body changing! The one part of me that doesn't seem to be moving at all is my stomach area but I think that as I lose more weight, that will come! It is all about being patient! I enjoy my wine too but limit it to weekends and totally stopped drinking pop .. Changed that out for water but that is just my personal choice ... I think that as long as we keep being aware of our eating habits, exercise and try to keep a deficit with our calories, we will do fine ... Every step forward is a step on the right direction! ☺️ all the best to you!