In my 40's it's so much harder!!!!

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2

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  • leahkathleen13
    leahkathleen13 Posts: 272 Member
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    I'm 40. I could not lose weight without this app and the calorie counter. I tried for three years. I got strict with my intake and invested the time toward logging food and started to see slow and steady results. At times I'm hungry but the key for me was veggies and water.
  • Lucy1752
    Lucy1752 Posts: 499 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I lost in my mid20s without much effort other than watching my intake and rollerblading. 20 years later I had a very hard time until I got a smartphone and MFP. Now that I can track as I go through the day, see other folks success pictures and know that the journey is one many people are taking at the same time, I am having a better success rate.
  • drumbum764
    drumbum764 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm 39 and I find getting rid of that last little bit of belly fat is getting harder. Consistency is key in everything.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Yes, I've found its easier to gain weight and takes longer to get off.
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
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    drumbum764 wrote: »
    I'm 39 and I find getting rid of that last little bit of belly fat is getting harder. Consistency is key in everything.

    Belly fat... ugh.. yes the hardest to get rid of.
  • Cindy4FunFit
    Cindy4FunFit Posts: 2,732 Member
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    I'm 46, the hardest part for me has been how much I eat. I've always been pretty consistent in staying active, but the older I've gotten, the more likely I am to snack, never miss a meal, eat out and just have more food, in greater variety and abundance around and within reach at all times. Utilizing the MFP calorie tracker is a big part of successfully meeting my goals.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    Not really. I started on MFP in my early 50s, and this has been the easiest, most successful (in terms of raw pounds and BW% lost), and longest-sustained (two years and counting) weight loss of my entire life. It seems easy to me because I can eat whatever I want, so long as I keep track of it, which was really not an easy thing to do in the days before the Internet and massive food databases. There's no restrictive list of foods I "can't" have or ones that I "must" eat, so it's also easy to stick to. And once I figured out my actual TDEE from my results, it was easy to know what I had to do to get results that I wanted.

    What exactly are you struggling with?
  • weightlossissues
    weightlossissues Posts: 28 Member
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    I will be 45 in a week. Omg it's hard. I have lost 32 pounds in 85 days. I have 18 or more to go by July.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    40's were harder - busy building a second career after redundancy, young family who took away my "me time" (willingly given of course).

    Far easier in my 50's so at least you youngsters have something to look forward to. :smile:
  • Justdoitkelly
    Justdoitkelly Posts: 23 Member
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    45 here and finding it more difficult but I think I need to find something to motivate me and to stay disciplined as far as daily exercise. What does everyone use as motivation?
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
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    Results are my motivation.
  • DebDesautels
    DebDesautels Posts: 22 Member
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    Overweight by 30-40 pounds probably since my late 20's. While it's hard to have lost it in my mid-40's, I think the resolve is stronger because, let's face it, it's never going to get any easier and I think it's easier to stay focused and more disciplined. I'm only half-way there but feel confident that I've found a sustainable "happy place" and that my goals will be met by my self-imposed deadline of September, 2016 (when I'll be 47, gasp). It's easier to accept the whole it's-a-lifestyle-not-a-diet concept at this age and exercise some moderation.
  • lcottomsvcs
    lcottomsvcs Posts: 25 Member
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    RoseTheWarrior wrote: »
    I'm 47 and started this on Sept 1/15. I've lost 60 lbs. It honestly just takes persistence, patience, and a willingness to put in the work. I have no issues losing weight. Where I have issues is exercise. I have arthritis in my spine, degenerative disc disease, and hip pain. I'm keeping the makers of Tylenol in business. I'm also seeing a physiotherapist, chiropractor, and physician. Starting massage therapy as well. I want to get fit and strong, but THAT is where my struggle lies. As JeromeBarry1 said, make a plan, stick to it. The weight will come off.

    Rose, A question: do you have access to a light yoga class? I have RA and have found more relief from my pain in yoga than in anything else. Not the over-the-top power yoga, but something slower, focused on stretching and breathing. The beauty of yoga is it can be personalized to your own practice, so if something hurts, you don't do it. That is where I started when I decided to increase my fitness, and I greatly look forward to my twice-a-week practice.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Harder is in your head. Mentally it can be easier to lose as we get older because we've lived with the weight longer, want to get rid of it more badly, know how to commit to a goal, are more aware of the health concerns, and just have more internal motivation. Forget all the chatter about whether or not it's harder. At my small fitness studio, I've earned a lot of respect from many younger people who've been bouncing up and down the same 10 pounds while I've dropped 135+.

    At this point in life we have the experience & maturity to overcome obstacles and reach our goals. Lots of women have done it!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I lost 118 pounds at age 50. I didn't find it difficult at all when I realized all I had to do was count calories and eat less than I burn.
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
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    lcottomsvcs wrote: »
    RoseTheWarrior wrote: »
    I'm 47 and started this on Sept 1/15. I've lost 60 lbs. It honestly just takes persistence, patience, and a willingness to put in the work. I have no issues losing weight. Where I have issues is exercise. I have arthritis in my spine, degenerative disc disease, and hip pain. I'm keeping the makers of Tylenol in business. I'm also seeing a physiotherapist, chiropractor, and physician. Starting massage therapy as well. I want to get fit and strong, but THAT is where my struggle lies. As JeromeBarry1 said, make a plan, stick to it. The weight will come off.

    Rose, A question: do you have access to a light yoga class? I have RA and have found more relief from my pain in yoga than in anything else. Not the over-the-top power yoga, but something slower, focused on stretching and breathing. The beauty of yoga is it can be personalized to your own practice, so if something hurts, you don't do it. That is where I started when I decided to increase my fitness, and I greatly look forward to my twice-a-week practice.

    I'll check it out! Thanks for the tip!
  • reyoflightphoto
    reyoflightphoto Posts: 76 Member
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    Justdoitkelly wrote: »
    45 here and finding it more difficult but I think I need to find something to motivate me and to stay disciplined as far as daily exercise. What does everyone use as motivation?

    @Justdoitkelly - I use MFP to log all my food. Everything that goes into my mouth, that has calories, gets logged. I weigh everything I can too so it's as acurate as possible. I also have a Fitbit, which I LOVE!!! What does all this have to do with motivation? Well, I can only eat about 1500 calories a day if I just go about my day regularly. I want to eat more, so I exercise for more food. Exercise for me is the difference between just lean meats and veggies vs. bread with jam, whole pasta and maybe even some sauce with my lean meats and veggies. I also workout so I can indulge in bits of junk food. ;-)
    Long story short, my motivation is FOOD!!! But I must say, I have realized that once I get up and move, and the more regularly I do it, the younger and better I feel. I am lovin it!! But I still crash in the exercise department from time to time. But I always stay under my calories, if at least for maintenance every day. I find the diet a lot easier when I exercise because I have more freedom to enjoy more variety.
    BTW another thing that is important in my diet aside from just eat less calories than I burn is get 120g of protein because I lift.
    You can friend me if you'd like encouragement.
  • mlstaubin
    mlstaubin Posts: 32 Member
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    Hey lady! I'm 36 and lost 45 pounds in the last year. Would love to connect! Save me as a friend
  • got2befitnow
    got2befitnow Posts: 108 Member
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    I'm 39 and decided last year that I am going to enter my 40's being healthier than I have been since I was 20. Yep, it took a lot longer than I thought it would. After 14 months I'm down 45 pounds and now working on toning. It may take a bit longer, but stick with it and your body will make the changes.
  • reyoflightphoto
    reyoflightphoto Posts: 76 Member
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    Something to note though is it has to be a new way of life. You have to decide to make a lifetime commitment to better health. The work doesn't end at losing the weight or getting toned. If it does you go right back to square one. If you want to keep what you work for, you have to continue being mindful of what you eat, and you have to be willing to push yourself to keep moving for better health. This is not a trip with a destination, it's a new way of living. Now that I am living it, I must say, IT'S WELL WORTH IT!!! I don't want to go back.
    The HelloHealthy blog on MFP had a quote in one of their posts that said "If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse." That is painfully true.

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