Losing weight over 40
sineadski
Posts: 2 Member
hello,
I'm new here, but am doing weight training twice a week with a trainer followed by cardio and a long run (training for half marathon) but cannot shift ANY weight and am not seeing any results in terms of toning. My diet is pretty good, I track it daily on the app. Am I just doomed because of my age?
Any and all suggestions to kickstart this are welcome!
Need some encouragement / ideas to help.
Thanks
Sinead
I'm new here, but am doing weight training twice a week with a trainer followed by cardio and a long run (training for half marathon) but cannot shift ANY weight and am not seeing any results in terms of toning. My diet is pretty good, I track it daily on the app. Am I just doomed because of my age?
Any and all suggestions to kickstart this are welcome!
Need some encouragement / ideas to help.
Thanks
Sinead
4
Replies
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I started at 41. At 45, I've lost 176#. Weight loss is about eating less than you burn, not about how old you are.
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how long have you been tracking for? are you weighing everything? underestimating what you're eating and overestimating what you're burning for exercise are big culprits.
otherwise, if it hasn't been too long give it some time. i've gone a couple weeks without losing anything and then it will fall off. plus if you're new to weight training your muscles can be holding onto water.1 -
You are NOT doomed! Between MFP and weight training I have reproportioned my body and stabilized my weight right at my college weight, and all of that after age 45. My birthday present to myself for my 50th birthday was to do "men's" push-ups for the first time ever in my life. I am now 54 and working towards the goal of pull ups. (The exercise, not the diapers haha.) It's a slow process but keep at it! It's totally worth it!11
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It's nothing to do with your age!
More likely either an inappropriate calorie goal or inaccurate logging - eating more than you think most likely.
Your diary is private and you haven't revealed how long you have been trying to lose weight. You don't need a kickstart, you need to consistently do the right things.
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Hi,
Since you use Myfitnesspal, then I assume you control your intake calories (You have a target intake calorie at least and you eat less than or equal to your target). This might happen at any age.
Being overweight for a major duration of our lives, the body will adopt its system with this extra weight. The problem with this adoption is that now you want your body to CHANGE. And change is always difficult! It takes time.
However there is some solution to this situation:
1- Calorie counting is not exact. It's normal to have a difference of 100-200 calorie between what we eat and what we log. Hence I suggest lower your calorie intake target at least 200 calories.
2- Do Daily 20-30 exercise, preferably HIIT (Hight Intensity Interval Training) It's like jogging outdoors, mark the light posts, do two posts at a slow pace and one post as fast as you can. It's the most basic HIIT. It will burn fat and increase your metabolic rate.
3- Drink as water as you can but at least 16 glasses of water. An average person needs eight glasses, but you're losing fat, increased metabolic rate requires the aqueous environment to perform, and that's where those eight extra glasses take effect.
4- Sleep more! During the day you eat less, exercise and drink water but the actual fat burning process takes place when body is recovering for tomorrow... in your sleep!. You must increase your sleep time otherwise body won't lose weight as fast as you might expect.
5- Review your expectations: I was above 110 kg for the whole last year and above 116kg for the past month. When I started to lose weight, I lost the first few kg very quickly and reduced to 111 pretty fast. Because that was my average last year weight. But I know to break 110 and move below that number I have to wait till my body accepts new standard.
Regards,
Jubin2 -
or if you arent losing weight then its possible you are eating the same amount of calories you burn therefore maintaining your weight. you get that toned look by losing fat over the muscle. has nothing to do with how good your diet is. if you are eating more than you burn you gain,the same amount you maintain,and less than you burn and you will lose weight. I will be 42 in august and I lose weight,although slowly I still lose some. I weigh everything to be accurate because I know using measuring cups are incorrect most of the time, or eyeballing my portions for me is way off. I also know I can gain weight or not lose if I eat the same amount or too much of ANY food.you can overeat and gain weight whether you are vegetarian,vegan,paleo,etc. there is no such thing as toning,you can get a toned look but if you arent seeing results something is off, could be many factors1
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Started July 4, 2015 at 60, 220#s 42 inch waist. Now, 185 #s 36 inch waist. Currently 61. Age has nothing to do with weight loss. Calories in vs. Calories out. How you get to and maintain that deficit is your business. If you aren't losing weight, you are not maintaining a calorie deficit. Review what you are doing, find the mis-estimation and fix it.
I'm finding it funny that 41 year olds are complaining that they are "old".6 -
While it is obviously a more uphill battle after 40, no way are you doomed! I am 45 and dropped 15# and 6% BF in 3 months just working out and counting. I'm nothing special. If I can do it, so can you!2
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I lost 40 lbs from 198 to 158 and reduced my BF% from 28 to 15% (measured hydro-statically) in 5 months when I was 62 doing a combined diet/cardio/weight lifting program.
I started gaining weight back after 3 years at 65 and started the the same program again 5 weeks ago and have already lost 16 lbs from 196 to 180. Haven't measured my BF% recently but I'm pretty sure my BF% has already dropped as well.
Went kinda crazy w/weight loss 3 years ago, so my goal now is only 175, which I expect to reach shortly. So, if I can do it at over 60, there's no reason you can't lose weight at 40. Good luck!3 -
It is all about calories in and out. I am 40 and can still lose:). If you eat at. 200 calorie deficit you will lose. Maybe on the scale maybe just inches or maybe both. Be careful with half marathon training. You are burning more calls that the average person. It is just as easy to eat too little and that dooms weight loss too. What is your calorie intake?0
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I guess to clarify, I have been working out on and off for many years - my body isn't reacting the same way it has in the past to doing the work in either weight or inches. So Yes, although 41 isn't old, my body is behaving differently.
My calorie intake via my Fitnesspal is 99% below the daily goal and it consistently tells me, if you ate like this every day you'd be (20lbs) lighter in 4 weeks.
Thanks for the suggestions / encouragement guys and gals!0 -
As you age your body really reacts the same way - just slower. It took me a year to add 80lbs to my bench press when I decided to get in shape - 30 years ago I could have done that in a few months.
Recovery speed is markedly slower too. Yes your ultimate genetic potential will obviously reduce too but that's academic to most of us.
But I still think you have your focus wrong if you are looking for your training to make a big impact on your weight. I'm currently cycling over 100 miles a week and have no difficulty at all in maintaining my weight.
If you are comfortable opening your diary people may be able to make suggestions, your stats would help too.
If not then suggest you start making adjustments to your calorie goal based on long term results not estimates.
Best of luck.
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I assume you mean eatting 99% of your calorie goal. Keep in mind MFP is an estimate and does not work at those numbers for everyone. I will tell you I can not lose if I eat less than 1600 per day and lose best between 1600-1800 per day which is MORE than MFP allots me. Without an open diary or info on what you eat it is hard to see what may help. Just remember it is 70% diet. The wrong food types/wrong calorie intake will hinder results. Just modify things here and there. You will find the "sweet spot." Good Luck on your journey. Oh yes, and enjoy your half marathon.0
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My weight doesn't seem to care about how old I am, it stays pretty stable. What I weigh now is about what I weighed at 22 when I worked out an hour a day and had someone feeding me three meals a day. It's gone up with pregnancy and down with stress but it stays in the same range as always.
What I do notice now is recovery time is longer. If I get hurt, it takes so freakin' long to heal! Which means I am less aggressive with my workouts, which means that things take longer to accomplish. Though I do see progress, it's never quick. I am taking longer than a week on each week of couch-to-5k, for example, as I get back to running post-injury, but am increasing in aerobic capacity as I expect, just likely slower than someone younger. Are you sure you are working out with the same intensity as previously?
You do need fewer calories as you get older, but that difference is small. Look to your output.0 -
I started at 47 and I'm now 48. I've lost 55 pounds and I'm 5 pounds from my goal. You are not doomed because of your age. Are you weighing your food on a digital food scale? If not then it is pretty likely that you are eating more than you think.3
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workout_junkee wrote: »I assume you mean eatting 99% of your calorie goal. Keep in mind MFP is an estimate and does not work at those numbers for everyone. I will tell you I can not lose if I eat less than 1600 per day and lose best between 1600-1800 per day which is MORE than MFP allots me. Without an open diary or info on what you eat it is hard to see what may help. Just remember it is 70% diet. The wrong food types/wrong calorie intake will hinder results. Just modify things here and there. You will find the "sweet spot." Good Luck on your journey. Oh yes, and enjoy your half marathon.
there are no wrong food types. what hinders results is eating too much or eating the same amount you are burning,or over estimating your calorie burns and eating all of those back. its all about calories in vs calories out unless you have a health issue then certain foods may cause issues or slow your loss, but its still CICO.0 -
I bought into that myth about losing weight over 40 and consequently did not even seriously try until I was 60 and found this site. I went on to lose over 1/2 of my current body weight and have kept it off for over 2-1/2 years now. It isn't easy at any age, but I don't believe that age hindered my loss in the least. I did meet with my doctor about my plan and got his approval. I found that I need less calories than younger people, but lost consistently with 1200 calories. On maintenance, now, I eat around 1800/day. I never exercised until I had lost 100#. Remember that weight loss is mostly about eating less calories than you are burning. You can exercise all day, but if you are eating more calories than you are burning you will gain, not lose weight.2
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kathleennf wrote: »You are NOT doomed! Between MFP and weight training I have reproportioned my body and stabilized my weight right at my college weight, and all of that after age 45. My birthday present to myself for my 50th birthday was to do "men's" push-ups for the first time ever in my life. I am now 54 and working towards the goal of pull ups. (The exercise, not the diapers haha.) It's a slow process but keep at it! It's totally worth it!
Haha! Love that! I reached my goal of regular push-ups last year (and still try to do a couple sets every night), but now my goal is pull-ups as well. I have a pull-up bar over my bathroom door so it's right there in my face every day.
OP, it's probably a matter of eating more than you think. Is your diary open? I haven't checked yet.2 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »workout_junkee wrote: »I assume you mean eatting 99% of your calorie goal. Keep in mind MFP is an estimate and does not work at those numbers for everyone. I will tell you I can not lose if I eat less than 1600 per day and lose best between 1600-1800 per day which is MORE than MFP allots me. Without an open diary or info on what you eat it is hard to see what may help. Just remember it is 70% diet. The wrong food types/wrong calorie intake will hinder results. Just modify things here and there. You will find the "sweet spot." Good Luck on your journey. Oh yes, and enjoy your half marathon.
there are no wrong food types. what hinders results is eating too much or eating the same amount you are burning,or over estimating your calorie burns and eating all of those back. its all about calories in vs calories out unless you have a health issue then certain foods may cause issues or slow your loss, but its still CICO.
I agree there is no wrong food
but eating clean gives better results faster than the same calories in pop and junk food (not insinuating this is how anyone eats). Clean eating and moderate exercise go a long way:).0 -
It's not age alone but lifestyle that changes as we get older. NEAT tends to downshift as we age. Driving more instead of walking, for example.
I got pregnant at 42 (I'm 47 now) and post-preg weighed more than I ever had in my life. I've lost it all and then some. I weight train 4x week plus glute days & cardio is walking or hiking. When I got my Fitbit I started moving more. Not just planned exercise but walking places instead of driving, parking farther away from the store.
Another thing is have your doctor check your thyroid if you really feel something isn't right.0 -
workout_junkee wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »workout_junkee wrote: »I assume you mean eatting 99% of your calorie goal. Keep in mind MFP is an estimate and does not work at those numbers for everyone. I will tell you I can not lose if I eat less than 1600 per day and lose best between 1600-1800 per day which is MORE than MFP allots me. Without an open diary or info on what you eat it is hard to see what may help. Just remember it is 70% diet. The wrong food types/wrong calorie intake will hinder results. Just modify things here and there. You will find the "sweet spot." Good Luck on your journey. Oh yes, and enjoy your half marathon.
there are no wrong food types. what hinders results is eating too much or eating the same amount you are burning,or over estimating your calorie burns and eating all of those back. its all about calories in vs calories out unless you have a health issue then certain foods may cause issues or slow your loss, but its still CICO.
I agree there is no wrong food
but eating clean gives better results faster than the same calories in pop and junk food (not insinuating this is how anyone eats). Clean eating and moderate exercise go a long way:).
there is no proof of any of this if there is please give me links that prove it. I mean scientific and peer review studies,. and what is eating clean? everyone will have a different definition as to what it means.your body doesnt know the difference between sugars,carbs,etc. your body will use all food as fuel. now some foods may be broken down more slowly due to fiber, but as for better results? theres no proof of that. I have ate "clean" which means cutting out junk foods, and I have ate things I like in moderation. one does not give me any better results than the other. The difference is eating healthy nutrient dense foods will yield a higher volume of food than calorie dense less nutrition food. a calorie is a calorie for most people.0 -
workout_junkee wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »workout_junkee wrote: »I assume you mean eatting 99% of your calorie goal. Keep in mind MFP is an estimate and does not work at those numbers for everyone. I will tell you I can not lose if I eat less than 1600 per day and lose best between 1600-1800 per day which is MORE than MFP allots me. Without an open diary or info on what you eat it is hard to see what may help. Just remember it is 70% diet. The wrong food types/wrong calorie intake will hinder results. Just modify things here and there. You will find the "sweet spot." Good Luck on your journey. Oh yes, and enjoy your half marathon.
there are no wrong food types. what hinders results is eating too much or eating the same amount you are burning,or over estimating your calorie burns and eating all of those back. its all about calories in vs calories out unless you have a health issue then certain foods may cause issues or slow your loss, but its still CICO.
I agree there is no wrong food
but eating clean gives better results faster than the same calories in pop and junk food (not insinuating this is how anyone eats). Clean eating and moderate exercise go a long way:).
Eating clean may give "YOU" better results faster, but for me it was all about moderation in all foods.
As CharlieBeans said, "what is clean eating?" No clear definition of such a phenomena.
All anyone can do is tell what works/worked for each of us.
This may or may not be true for anyone else. Finding our own way, by trial and error, what will work for each of us and be sustainable for a healthier future is what works in the long run.
A plan that you will stick to for the long term is what will "go a long way". This has been my personal experience.
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It's definitely possible but absolutely harder. Don't let young women or any aged men tell you different. Things that worked in my 20s (increase my exercise, weight gone), 30s (increase exercise not enough, add eyeball portion control), 40s and beyond (increase exercise, weigh and measure and count calories). Your perception is correct. Our caloric needs go down as we age...so or room for error gets mighty small.2
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At 42 I'm leaner, healthier, and more fit than I was in my 20s.2
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I was a normal weight all through my 20s & 30s and it was easy because I wasn't trying to lose or maintain. I just lived my life. But I'm in better shape at 47 than I've ever been because I work for it and I have better information about diet and exercise. I happen to enjoy it so that doesn't seem hard to me. Scheduling can be harder. I keep track of my calories & macros because I worked hard to get to this point and want to protect that. But I could have done this in my younger years, I just didn't. Wish I had, though!2
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When I'm not losing, it's almost ALWAYS because I'm not logging accurately enough, which almost ALWAYS means I'm eating more than I realize.2
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I agree with looking at what your eating.
I just finished a 1/2 marathon and only lost 5 pounds.
Putting in all those miles makes you hungry. The long mile days plus 2-3 days of shorter miles. Takes a toll on your body and eating schedule. This is the first time I tracked my food during the training. I had to eat back at least 1/2 of my calories on short days and almost 75% on the long day. Don't be discouraged. Its a process.
I may not be the fastest but every time I finish a race, I am thankful for my body. My strong body has endured 2 c-sections, multiple surgeries, and still keeps going.
Enjoy your run.
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Few things here:
• How long have you been measuring results with MFP
• Do you have a physical goal in mind (look vs weight)
• What are your activity settings for calories?
You are not messed up metabolically. Simple matter is as we age we burn less calories. As we age we, coincidentally have to eat less. It is not easy getting older, this I agree. But with that stated you must accept and adjust your caloric intake to reflect the body's adjustment.
Look at health.
Look at fitness.
Look at happiness now vs the past.
Are you accurately measuring results?
Are you focusing on longevity?
You have wisdom. Use it.1 -
kathleennf wrote: »I am now 54 and working towards the goal of pull ups. (The exercise, not the diapers haha.) It's a slow process but keep at it! It's totally worth it!
This totally cracked me up.
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