Anyone over 60 with weight loss success story?

Raina, you're amazing! Great photo.

Rockyniki,

I have always been a pretty good loser, in fact, I lost 75 pounds in my mid-40s and kept it off for an entire decade. But after taking a medication known to cause weight gain, I have not been able to lose a pound--I was on it for a year and gained 10 in that time even with trying hard not to. And in the 1.5 years since I've been off of it I have put on another five.

I have tried over and over to lose even five pounds. I have been obsessively careful to weigh every bite. I have double and triple checked the items I eat a lot for accuracy. I only use listings from USDA figuring they are the most accurate. I keep my calories around 1300 and my carbs around 100 or so.

Last February I made another major effort. I stuck exactly to the plan--1300 to 1400 calories and around 100 carbs. I only had two days where I went over (around 2200 and 2400). The first week I lost 1.4 pounds, the second week I lost .6 pounds, the third and fourth weeks I lost .4 pounds, and for the last six weeks I lost nothing at all. Plus I was starving all the time and got insomnia. Insanity! So I gave up the calorie counting and just ate what I wanted--another two pounds added in the next two months that will not budge.

Two weeks ago I started again, 1200 to 1300 a day, I have doubled my usual walking routines, more hills, faster, further. After two weeks I've lost 1.4 so that is something. But I will have to see if it continues or not.

I just gain easy and lose slowly anymore. It is beyond frustrating. I have had my thyroid checked and I am perfect in that regard. I am working very hard to stay off the scale because it just leaves me defeated. I figure at this point, I have to accept the extra pounds and just work very hard on building my body with a very healthy diet and as much exercise as I can manage. I feel that my body is changing--getting less bloated looking, even if the scales aren't reflecting much.

I'm writing all this just to tell you you are not alone in the slow loser category. Many women our age can lose weight but I've been off and on diets my entire life now and I think my body just adjusts to lower calories very easily.

Take care
Ann C.
(PS, Yes, I tried upping the calories and that didn't help at all either.)

rockyniki wrote: »

Thank you everybody for your comments and support. I should also mention that I am on medication for anxiety. I swear it seemed like I gained 15 pounds overnight. So I went from being 30 pounds overweight to 45 pounds overweight. I do work out approximately 3 times a week and am trying to increase that to 5 days a week. Some days I do good at logging my food and others, not so much. But I do feel more determined than I have in a long while and support on MFP is going to help tremendously. .I am going to reach my goal and stay there this time!!

Logging ALL my food EVERY DAY has been paramount to my success. Otherwise, I can't know for certain if I am eating at a deficit. I consider my food scale, my body scale, MFP, MapMyHike, and S Health (on my phone to count steps) as tools in my weight loss tool box to help with my mission. I weigh myself daily just because it helps me to keep focused. If I want to splurge a little on extra food or a beer or glass of wine I will exercise more to make sure I've burned enough calories to account for the extra calories in. My challenge for the near future is determining maintenance calories, that worries me somewhat because I don't ever want to fall off this wagon again.

My mother recently lost about 15 Kg She is 72

middlehaitch wrote: »

I am 62 now but lost my weight when I was a menopausal 54yo. I have maintained my weight loss for 6+ years.
Counting calories and starting to move more were the key for me.
I started doing both of the above the same week and haven't looked back.
I am fitter and stronger than I was in my 40's.

With age we naturally start being less active. This lowers our metabolism by 50-100 cals per decade (depending on weight, height and gender) from the age of 20-ish on. With the lack of activity comes the loss of muscle, this too helps lower ones BMR.
(My BMR at 62is about 200 cals less a day than it was at 22)

A reasonable calorie deficit with plenty of protein, research is showing that older people need more protein than previously thought as it helps with muscle retention even when not exercising, combined with an increase in activity, both daily activity and formal cardio and resistance/weight work is the method that worked for me.

Like losing weight at any age it takes consistency and determination.

Me at 54yo 5'1 and 130lbs vs me at 62yo 5'1 and 105 lbs.



Me 58yo 105lbs


Me 62yo 103lbs. Body weight, hand weighs and machines, then heavy lifting have helped not only preserve bone and muscle density/mass/strength, but also contoured my body into a much more pleasing shape.





You can do it, there are a good amount of us 60+ on here to inspire you and cheer you on.


Cheers, h.

Amazing!