20lbs in 5 months - turning 40!

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Alice_Figs
Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, I've been trying to lose just at least 20lbs ever since I turned 39 amd my goal was to lose that by the time I turn 40. Pretty long time huh.

But nowwww, I have 5 months left and I'm still at 140lbs. Perhaps some of you my age are experiencing the same?

I'll be trying to do IF starting tomorrow with an 8 hour window of eating. Appreciate your inputs on what worked for you especially those similar to my situation. Thanks!!
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  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
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    What's your current height?
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
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    IF or not you need to be in a slight caloric deficit. IF is just meal timing that has various pros and cons not in itself a wieght loss strategy
  • Alice_Figs
    Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
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    xchocolategirl wrote: »
    What's your current height?

    @xchocolategirl I'm just 5' so 120lbs is ideal
  • Alice_Figs
    Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Thanks for that insight @jdog022 i just feel that I'll be able to control the calories more if I control my eating hours... having a hard time about the kind of food and portions though!
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    edited April 2017
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    It is all about the calories. Plan your meals and choose foods that allow you to stay satisfied. Also, make certain that your logging is accurate. Also, increasing your activity will buy you more calories to work with along with just being good for you.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    alfigs24 wrote: »
    Thanks for that insight @jdog022 i just feel that I'll be able to control the calories more if I control my eating hours... having a hard time about the kind of food and portions though!

    The kind of food is the food you like. Unless you have medical restrictions, or chose to restrict because of binge tendencies, no food is off limits.

    For portions, get yourself a food scale, it will give you greater accuracy. You may find just eating what you normally eat for a week or two and logging it a good way to see what your portion sizes should be.

    Treat your protein and fats as the minimum and use carbs to fill in.

    Plan for nutrition and satiety.

    Cheers, h.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    losing over 1lb a week is serious work for someone close to their ideal body weight.

    Are you tracking everything you eat in MFP, and what loss goal did you set per week?
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I'm 42 and lost 60+ pounds two years ago. Age doesn't prevent weight lose.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    I'm 42 and lost 60+ pounds two years ago. Age doesn't prevent weight lose.

    This. I'm 41 and have lost 40 pounds since I started calorie counting last summer. (Total weight loss so far = 70 pounds, but that includes the baby boy I gave birth to. :smiley: )
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    @alfigs24 IF isn't for everyone, so don't think there's any magic to an eating window. Some do a lot better spreading calories out over the day and never getting super hungry. Pick what ultimately works for you, but that has to include a deficit. Five months is plenty of time to lose 20#, just set MFP to lose 1# a month.
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 798 Member
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    I'm also 5' and I'm 34. SW 152 CW 138.4 GW 110-115? Add me if you like. I find that riding my exercise bike regularly and staying at around 1200 cals (plus up to 1/2 exercise cals if really hungry) is helping me lose. I think if you have a deadline then the cardio will really help create that necessary deficit:)
  • Alice_Figs
    Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
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    Theo166 wrote: »
    losing over 1lb a week is serious work for someone close to their ideal body weight.

    Are you tracking everything you eat in MFP, and what loss goal did you set per week?

    It is hard!! I just never got any pounds off at all despite working out with HIIT --- but I didn't track my food. I've been using MFP mostly for reading feedback on certain types of diet but haven't really pinned down the tracking :blush:
  • Alice_Figs
    Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    I'm 42 and lost 60+ pounds two years ago. Age doesn't prevent weight lose.

    Perhaps you're right, or maybe bec I'm a woman? But yeah, that's why I'm reaching out to my age group for hope :)) thanks!!
  • Alice_Figs
    Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
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    SusanMFindlay wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    I'm 42 and lost 60+ pounds two years ago. Age doesn't prevent weight lose.

    This. I'm 41 and have lost 40 pounds since I started calorie counting last summer. (Total weight loss so far = 70 pounds, but that includes the baby boy I gave birth to. :smiley: )

    Waaaah that is awesome! I have 2 kids and I've never gotten the weight off. Mind you, they're 14 and 11 now -__-. I have tried the quick diet pilss and some have worked, but I'm not young and stupid anymore so I want the healthier route :) cheers to us moms!
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
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    alfigs24 wrote: »
    Thanks for that insight @jdog022 i just feel that I'll be able to control the calories more if I control my eating hours... having a hard time about the kind of food and portions though!

    absolutely and it might be effective for you. I use it myself off and on to combat periods of excess food focus and hunger pangs. I just wanted to make the point, that I think you understand, that if you still consume a surpluses of calories during your IF window that no wieght will come off.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    edited April 2017
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    alfigs24 wrote: »
    Theo166 wrote: »
    losing over 1lb a week is serious work for someone close to their ideal body weight.

    Are you tracking everything you eat in MFP, and what loss goal did you set per week?

    It is hard!! I just never got any pounds off at all despite working out with HIIT --- but I didn't track my food. I've been using MFP mostly for reading feedback on certain types of diet but haven't really pinned down the tracking :blush:

    You won't lose weight unless you are in a persistent calorie deficit. It sounds like exercise just makes you hungry and you eat back what you burned.

    I'd suggest temporarily making calorie counting your religion, even if you stop exercising. I'd set the goal in MFP at 1 lbs off per week or even lower if you can't stick to the limit. The process will greatly improve your self awareness on what works for you and on portion control. Use a kitchen scale in the beginning till you eye estimation improves.

    After you get into a rhythm and your meal planning improves, you'll be able to increase your lose target without feeling like it's self-torture. If IF doesn't cause you to binge, combine it with calorie counting.
  • 8675mir
    8675mir Posts: 10 Member
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    Hi. I am 40 years old. I have 2 kids.I lost 50 lbs. in 5 months but I have another 25 to go. Take it one day at a time and set small goals -they help you get to the big goal! You can do it!
  • Alice_Figs
    Alice_Figs Posts: 12 Member
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    Maggie4211 wrote: »
    Hi. I am 40 years old. I have 2 kids.I lost 50 lbs. in 5 months but I have another 25 to go. Take it one day at a time and set small goals -they help you get to the big goal! You can do it!

    Hi @Maggie4211 wow you give me hope! Haha. We're almost in the same boat, I have 20 to go, it's just that it's been 20 to go ever since lol. Will definitely take everyone's advice on here, this community is a big help!
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    alfigs24 wrote: »
    Maggie4211 wrote: »
    Hi. I am 40 years old. I have 2 kids.I lost 50 lbs. in 5 months but I have another 25 to go. Take it one day at a time and set small goals -they help you get to the big goal! You can do it!

    Hi @Maggie4211 wow you give me hope! Haha. We're almost in the same boat, I have 20 to go, it's just that it's been 20 to go ever since lol. Will definitely take everyone's advice on here, this community is a big help!

    Try logging all your food/drinks. Even if you don't actively pick a calorie target yet, the accountability of having to log it tends to make you make smarter choices and increases your awareness of portion size. My weight loss had slowed to a crawl before I decided to start weighing and logging my food last summer. Just "eating right and working out" (which is what I was doing before) won't necessarily make you lose weight if your portions are too big - and, for some foods, "too big" doesn't look like much.
  • spiffychick85
    spiffychick85 Posts: 311 Member
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    OP...I would never guess your turning 40 from your pic, you look so young to me :) ...I digress...I do IF now on the weekends because I know I'm going to have a calorie heavy dinner...and then I eat 3 meals regularly throughout the week...this has helped me consistently lose and still enjoy my weekends out. I just keep my calories in check and keep a deficit.

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