Women over 40, wanting to lose 20 lbs, support/motivation/success?

I'm a bit late to the party, but I'd love to join for some support and accountability. I'm 42 year old, 5'2", and currently 146 pounds, working my way down to somewhere between 120 and 130. I have 10 kids ages 3 to 22, with 7 of them at home (ages 3 to 17) and we homeschool them all with the help of a local homeschool co-op with friends. My fitness journey has been one with many interruptions for pregnancies and recoveries, with my weight increasing with each baby. I was 100 pounds before my first baby, and have absolutely no expectation of ever being that weight again. After baby #7 I got down to 117 pounds, but even that is lower than I want to go again, as I have since put on more muscle than I had then.

I started lifting weights at the end of 2014 at 40 years old when my baby was a year old, and started CrossFit at the beginning of 2016. I am truly in the best shape of my life right now and not looking back. I've been taking it slow on the weight loss, not wanting to lose too much muscle/strength as a result of losing pounds. However, I've been sitting at right around 150-152 pounds (my heaviest ever outside of pregnancy) since last May and I'm just tired of the muffin top and not being able to see my muscles. So a couple of weeks ago, I started at a bit more aggressive of a calorie deficit using homemade meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch, and watching my macros pretty carefully. At this point I'm willing to back track a bit on my gains if necessary to shed the extra padding. The strength will come back.

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Hope to be able to cheer y'all on as well as benefit from your energy and encouragement.

Hi, I've just turned 44 5'3" and nearly 2 stone overweight. Want to slim down for a holiday booked for June any support and suggestions would be great.

Hi, I turned 40 a few months ago. Lost over 20p since September, on and off. Still have 50ish to lose. I've finally been able to lose more than 8-9p with low carb dieting. And recipes that recreate things I love and make me feel less deprived in low carb (pizza, some desserts) helped a lot. If I have this http://amzn.to/2jpOU96 and this http://amzn.to/2jDbecI I don't feel like I'm dieting and it's easier to feel in control of what I'll eat. I don't get tempted by pizza now, just make my own low carb one.

designerdiscounts wrote: »

Weekly weigh in was this morning (for me anyway). Another 1.2 lbs down! Yippee!

Start date 1/3/17: 150 lbs
1/9:   147.2
1/16: 146.0
1/23:
1/30:
2/6:
2/13:
2/20:
2/27:
GW: 130

Of course today I am fighting a sweet tooth.... Just say no!

Way to go! We are right about in the same weight range.

I'm almost 40. Can I join too?

Hi there. I will be 50 in just 3 months. Wanting to loose 20 pounds, wanting to help my knee problems I have seem to have the past several months, wanting to feel better about myself and how I look in my clothes lately and wanting to feel better and more confidence in myself to meet people. Being a single mom for 10 years and decided now is the time. Kids are at a older age and I'm not getting any younger. Has been a challenge with my bad knee but I am determined. I am here for encouragement and to give encouragement. We all just want to feel and be healthy. Good luck to all! Feel free to add me!

designerdiscounts wrote: »

Congrats on the loss Utahmom! I've also been fighting a cold and ate half a bag of Ricola cough drops today and now I feel queasy, lol. Kids are home for the holiday, can not wait to take Piyo again tomorrow. I don't know how you homeschool! My sister homeschools and loves it, I guess I'm just used to my alone time.

What percentages do you try to keep your macros at? I try for about 45% protein/30% fat/25% carbs. I haven't actually researched what I should be doing, that just seems to work for me.

Thank you! I'm sorry you're sick, too. It stinks, especially for us moms!

My macros are set at 40P/30F/30C. I did do a lot of research to settle on this, but there are so many conflicting opinions out there, it's hard to say what is the "right" thing to do. You just have to do what works for you. I do find that if I get too few carbs my body doesn't care for it. I don't have enough energy, especially for my CrossFit workouts when I skimp on carbs. This percentage structure seems to work well for me, even if I am in a calorie deficit. I've even hit personal records in my strength training while losing weight when I'm sticking to these macro percentages.

Homeschooling is hard for sure, but it's a lifestyle. We love it. We have been doing it since my 17-y/o was 5 years old. It's not for everyone, but it has been one of the best decisions we have made for our family. I couldn't do it without the support of friends with our co-op and stuff, though. It really does make a difference.