Over 50, Just Joined
patmprecop
Posts: 12 Member
Hi everyone. I just joined. As I'm over 50 my metabolism has really changed. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you.
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Replies
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Age does not matter. I just turned 60. Metabolism slow-down is a fairly minor thing. Eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Plug in your age, weight, height, etc. on this app and follow the calorie recommendations. It works.7
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^this. 50 here and lost 39 lbs so far plus had hysterectomy. Plug in your stats and get your calorie goal. Eat what you normally eat within that goal. Eventually you will learn what keeps you satisfied and what's worth eating once in awhile.
Read the forums, there's a wealth of information!2 -
I'm 69 and have lost 46lb it has been slower for me obviously
You are not always as active as you get older and I have a desk job. Yes of course you will lose weight take one day iat a time and be patient, good luck.3 -
What differed for me in my 50s was that I had to be more careful about ramping up exercise (my joints and tendons couldn't keep), yet I needed daily cardio to sleep well. I have been trying to solve it by choosing different types of exercise instead of concentrating on just one and really pushing it the way I used to. I also couldn't handle anything more than .5lb/week deficit. Not sure why. But it worked. I'm down 30lbs now and feeling strong. Go get 'em!5
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Thanks everyone!!!2
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Welcome! I'm 49 years old. 50 lbs. down in one year and 30 to go, using calorie counting and workouts. I do not generally "eat back" my workout calories. I would recommend working out for general health and specifically weight-bearing exercise to help maintain bone going forward, in our age group.0
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Welcome to MFP! I'm 58 and can say that MFP works if you follow the program. Age hasn't been a problem, I found. All you need is determination. You can do this.1
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I rejoined MFP back in September at 52 years old. My metabolism *had* changed since my 30s and early 40s. I could no longer see a weight loss at 1700 calories. I put in my information (sedentary office worker) and got dealt the dreaded 1200 calories. I did that for a few weeks and it worked!! I have been able to up my calories now as I've lost the weight I needed to. My maintenance is now the amount of calories I used to lose weight on, but I'm sure less muscle mass all over has a lot to do with that.0
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I just turned 54. In 2016, I lost 35 pounds by logging my food faithfully and moving more. I lift weight twice a week, but most of my exercise was walking in my neighborhood. Most days 4-6 miles. All my labs are normal now, my BP is perfect, my heart rate is now in the mid 60's (from low 80's when I started). Good luck!2
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Welcome to MFP! I'm 58 and can say that MFP works if you follow the program. Age hasn't been a problem, I found. All you need is determination. You can do this.
Thank you so much. I have the determination. Been getting used to MFP and it seems pretty user friendly. Happy New Year.0 -
I rejoined MFP back in September at 52 years old. My metabolism *had* changed since my 30s and early 40s. I could no longer see a weight loss at 1700 calories. I put in my information (sedentary office worker) and got dealt the dreaded 1200 calories. I did that for a few weeks and it worked!! I have been able to up my calories now as I've lost the weight I needed to. My maintenance is now the amount of calories I used to lose weight on, but I'm sure less muscle mass all over has a lot to do with that.
Thank you so much. It's great to hear such positive feedback.0 -
If any of you have a go to meal you like, please....thank you.0
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I just turned 54. In 2016, I lost 35 pounds by logging my food faithfully and moving more. I lift weight twice a week, but most of my exercise was walking in my neighborhood. Most days 4-6 miles. All my labs are normal now, my BP is perfect, my heart rate is now in the mid 60's (from low 80's when I started). Good luck!
Wow 35 pounds is wonderful, Congratulations!0 -
I think it just takes longer. I just turned 55 and am slowly losing a little weight - have been in here a year or two now. Would love to be friends with anyone who wants to support each other. I have not been able to exercise much in past 2 months due to health issues and really want to get back on track!0
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I'm 51 and am finding it almost impossible to lose weight... I am trying (as of a few days ago) to cut out alcohol and lower white flour and refined sugar... Hope it helps! Feel free to add me as a friend!0
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I started on MFP post-50 and found the flexibility of eating whatever I wanted or was available in various circumstances, so long as I stayed within my calorie goals, made for a more successful weight-loss effort than I had ever had when I was younger and tried various prescriptive diets or simply "eating less" with no way to effectively measure that when comparing meatloaf and mashed potatoes on one day to spaghetti marinara another day, etc. (with success measured in terms of pounds and % of starting weight lost, as well as time maintaining the loss -- 3+ years now).
Being over 50 doesn't change the basic issue, which is consuming fewer calories than you need to maintain your weight. And if you remain active and maintain muscle, the number of calories you can consume and maintain at a given weight won't change much (if you're a woman and post-menopausal, there will be a small cut in maintenance calories, but we're probably talking about 10 or 20 calories a day, averaged across the month).
Best of luck.3 -
Lost 63 pounds here on MFP in about 10-11 months, starting at age 59 (now 61, been in maintenance about a year, in the low 120s at 5'5"). I'm hypothyroid, as well as post-menopausal.
By your/my age, we tend to know ourselves pretty well, and have both successes and failures in our pasts, so we know our strengths and limitations. These are powerful tools we can exploit in a quest to get healthier.
+1 to lots of good advice above. I'd add that it may be helpful to set a slower weight loss goal at first, in order to give yourself time to figure out what/when/how to eat and still stay happy & satiated.
One helpful technique, for me, was to log food meticulously, then review my diary regularly, looking for things that "cost" a lot of calories, but didn't bring me enough tastiness, satiation or nutrition for those calories. I'd reduce or eliminate those foods, instead eating something else I enjoyed that better contributed to my goals. Gradually, my eating became more nutritious and filling, while still being tasty. Special foods or meals are not needed.
Get a food scale, and use it at home. They're only about $15-20, and not only more accurate, but also quicker and easier than measuring with cups/spoons, once you know the tricks.
While exercise is not essential for weight loss, it helps avoid unnecessarily losing muscle along with fat. Since muscle is slower to add at an older age, and because muscle helps us delay that potential one-way trip to the assisted living facility, it's worth hanging onto what we have now. As a bonus, a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat (just a few more - but still!
).
You can do this: Persistence and patience are your friends!
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P.S. There are some groups here on the MFP forums for us, um, more mature folks:
Mature Adults support, motivation and sharing 55 +
Over 50 Group
The first one has been the more active of the two recently, though both are smaller/less busy groups. Thinking they may pick up a bit now that it's New Year's Resolution season! 2 -
P.S. There are some groups here on the MFP forums for us, um, more mature folks:
Mature Adults support, motivation and sharing 55 +
Over 50 Group
The first one has been the more active of the two recently, though both are smaller/less busy groups. Thinking they may pick up a bit now that it's New Year's Resolution season!
it just occurred to me im old enough to be in both those groups lol THANKS
Good luck0 -
Lost 63 pounds here on MFP in about 10-11 months, starting at age 59 (now 61, been in maintenance about a year, in the low 120s at 5'5"). I'm hypothyroid, as well as post-menopausal.
By your/my age, we tend to know ourselves pretty well, and have both successes and failures in our pasts, so we know our strengths and limitations. These are powerful tools we can exploit in a quest to get healthier.
+1 to lots of good advice above. I'd add that it may be helpful to set a slower weight loss goal at first, in order to give yourself time to figure out what/when/how to eat and still stay happy & satiated.
One helpful technique, for me, was to log food meticulously, then review my diary regularly, looking for things that "cost" a lot of calories, but didn't bring me enough tastiness, satiation or nutrition for those calories. I'd reduce or eliminate those foods, instead eating something else I enjoyed that better contributed to my goals. Gradually, my eating became more nutritious and filling, while still being tasty. Special foods or meals are not needed.
Get a food scale, and use it at home. They're only about $15-20, and not only more accurate, but also quicker and easier than measuring with cups/spoons, once you know the tricks.
While exercise is not essential for weight loss, it helps avoid unnecessarily losing muscle along with fat. Since muscle is slower to add at an older age, and because muscle helps us delay that potential one-way trip to the assisted living facility, it's worth hanging onto what we have now. As a bonus, a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat (just a few more - but still! ).
You can do this: Persistence and patience are your friends!
All of this is solid advice, and it's what I've followed to successfully lose 94 pounds starting at age 52.
It's true that caloric needs change slightly as we get older, but we can still lose weight quite simply.
I've dieted on and off my whole life and tried lots of different things, and I have to say that logging on MFP has been the easiest "diet" I've ever tried. It's also been the one I've been most successful with. I always thought it was hard for me to lose weight. It turns out that it's not. I've had an easier time losing weight now, after menopause, than I ever did when I was younger.
Hanging around the forums and learning about how weight loss works so that I could implement a proper caloric deficit and finding out about how I could choose different foods to keep me feeling satisfied and not deprived while getting proper nutrition was life-changing, and enabled me to learn the principles of ongoing weight management.
I agree, you can do this. Trust me, if I can (I failed at 40 years of dieting) anyone can!2 -
Lost 63 pounds here on MFP in about 10-11 months, starting at age 59 (now 61, been in maintenance about a year, in the low 120s at 5'5"). I'm hypothyroid, as well as post-menopausal.
By your/my age, we tend to know ourselves pretty well, and have both successes and failures in our pasts, so we know our strengths and limitations. These are powerful tools we can exploit in a quest to get healthier.
+1 to lots of good advice above. I'd add that it may be helpful to set a slower weight loss goal at first, in order to give yourself time to figure out what/when/how to eat and still stay happy & satiated.
One helpful technique, for me, was to log food meticulously, then review my diary regularly, looking for things that "cost" a lot of calories, but didn't bring me enough tastiness, satiation or nutrition for those calories. I'd reduce or eliminate those foods, instead eating something else I enjoyed that better contributed to my goals. Gradually, my eating became more nutritious and filling, while still being tasty. Special foods or meals are not needed.
Get a food scale, and use it at home. They're only about $15-20, and not only more accurate, but also quicker and easier than measuring with cups/spoons, once you know the tricks.
While exercise is not essential for weight loss, it helps avoid unnecessarily losing muscle along with fat. Since muscle is slower to add at an older age, and because muscle helps us delay that potential one-way trip to the assisted living facility, it's worth hanging onto what we have now. As a bonus, a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat (just a few more - but still! ).
You can do this: Persistence and patience are your friends!
Thank you so much for the helpful info!0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Lost 63 pounds here on MFP in about 10-11 months, starting at age 59 (now 61, been in maintenance about a year, in the low 120s at 5'5"). I'm hypothyroid, as well as post-menopausal.
By your/my age, we tend to know ourselves pretty well, and have both successes and failures in our pasts, so we know our strengths and limitations. These are powerful tools we can exploit in a quest to get healthier.
+1 to lots of good advice above. I'd add that it may be helpful to set a slower weight loss goal at first, in order to give yourself time to figure out what/when/how to eat and still stay happy & satiated.
One helpful technique, for me, was to log food meticulously, then review my diary regularly, looking for things that "cost" a lot of calories, but didn't bring me enough tastiness, satiation or nutrition for those calories. I'd reduce or eliminate those foods, instead eating something else I enjoyed that better contributed to my goals. Gradually, my eating became more nutritious and filling, while still being tasty. Special foods or meals are not needed.
Get a food scale, and use it at home. They're only about $15-20, and not only more accurate, but also quicker and easier than measuring with cups/spoons, once you know the tricks.
While exercise is not essential for weight loss, it helps avoid unnecessarily losing muscle along with fat. Since muscle is slower to add at an older age, and because muscle helps us delay that potential one-way trip to the assisted living facility, it's worth hanging onto what we have now. As a bonus, a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat (just a few more - but still! ).
You can do this: Persistence and patience are your friends!
All of this is solid advice, and it's what I've followed to successfully lose 94 pounds starting at age 52.
It's true that caloric needs change slightly as we get older, but we can still lose weight quite simply.
I've dieted on and off my whole life and tried lots of different things, and I have to say that logging on MFP has been the easiest "diet" I've ever tried. It's also been the one I've been most successful with. I always thought it was hard for me to lose weight. It turns out that it's not. I've had an easier time losing weight now, after menopause, than I ever did when I was younger.
Hanging around the forums and learning about how weight loss works so that I could implement a proper caloric deficit and finding out about how I could choose different foods to keep me feeling satisfied and not deprived while getting proper nutrition was life-changing, and enabled me to learn the principles of ongoing weight management.
I agree, you can do this. Trust me, if I can (I failed at 40 years of dieting) anyone can!
Sounds so much like me. I've tried so many different diets. I'm so encouraged by everyone. It's about being accountable. Thanks.0 -
And congratulations everyone on your weight loss, just awesome!!1
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