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Over 40

A lot harder to lose weight when u are over 40+. Any suggestions? Only lost 17 pounds for my first month.

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    17 lbs in a month? That's extremely fast weight loss
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    Unless your over 300lbs, 17lbs in one month is spectacular or borderline dangerous. It's taken me a year to lose nearly 50lbs.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    edited April 2017
    I am over 40 and if I lose 4lbs a month I am happy...

    ETA: I too took over 1 year to lose 50lbs...and I felt it was a good healthy way.

    I have maintained now since then.

  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I'm 42. I've lost 75lbs since September. I've even had to work to slow it down it has come off so fast with just a calorie deficit and some walking. 25 more to go and I'm taking it super easy and slow to keep up those good habits I've been building up!
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Losing weight isn't easy at any age.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Losing weight now that I'm over 40 is just as hard as it was when I was when I started all this some 10 years ago.

    It's also just as easy.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    It's not more difficult over 40, and 17 lbs in a month is aggressively fast weight loss. According to your profile, you only had 50 lbs to lose. You should be expecting to lose 1-2 lbs per week at most.
  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
    I think part of the problem may be the TV.

    "Biggest Loser"
    "Extreme makeover: Weight loss edition"

    .....

    They set unrealistic expectations on what people should accomplish in a given amount of time regarding weight loss.


    OP: Hang in there... small changes add up to huge results, given time... as others have said, 17 lb is a FANTASTIC month - and there's a fair chance it will slow down as you continue your journey.

    Remember.. You probably didn't gain all your extra weight in just a few months.. so don't expect it to come off that fast either.

    Focus on changing the things that got you overweight to begin with.. Learn and internalize the process, so that once you reach your goal weight, you can stay there for the rest of your life.
  • givesometogetsome
    givesometogetsome Posts: 35 Member
    If this isn't a gimmick to sell diet pills, then here's some advice: slow down with the weight loss. Unless you have 200+ lbs to lose and your health is being majorly affected, you want quality loss, not quantity. Preserving muscle as much as possible will make things easier down the line.
  • TigerLily100
    TigerLily100 Posts: 81 Member
    Wow you think 17lb in a month is slow.......
    I am 45 and aim for 4-5lb loss per month - I want it to be a healthy loss, sustainable long term and to get fitter and stronger as I do this.
    By the time I am done, I will have developed good eating habits, be much more active as person and with these 2 things having become second nature, I don't think I will struggle to maintain my new healthy life style.
    17lb sounds drastic to me, and suggests a crash diet or very low calorie diet - neither work long term as nearly always people just pile the weight right back on once they stop.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    edited April 2017
    Uhm, NO?! 17 lbs in 1 month?! That is not Slow!!! I will be 42 in 1 week and I am in better shape now then 15 or more years ago. I also weigh more but also have gained muscle.

    I have my weight loss goal set at losing 0.5 lb a week, because I have about 10 lbs to lose and I know this is not a race. I don't want to feel hungry, I want to do it the healthy way, I don't want to lose the muscle I worked hard for, etc...

    Congrats on your loss so far, keep going. Hopefully, you don't get burned out, with wanting to lose so quickly.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    Bry_Lander wrote: »
    If I am at a social gathering and people my own age (late 40s) start talking about how old they are in negative terms ("I have no energy", "everything aches", "my metabolism is so slow", etc.) I just excuse myself and go talk to more positive people, I don't care to participate in the pity party. It isn't the number of years that you have been alive, it is a matter of how much you have prioritized your health. If you take care of yourself, age doesn't become this dreadful liability, it is just a number.

    Yep. Drives me nuts, but I avoid conversations with these types also. They don't want to hear the truth, just the easy fixes which don't exist. I usually just sympathetically nod along and say nothing. These individuals don't want the truth, they want someone to believe their excuses, acknowledge they can't do it, and permission not to improve.

    The truth is every single person I know who remains in a healthy weight range pays attention to it and works at it in some form or fashion. If they find themselves outside of their acceptable range, they do something about it before it becomes too daunting of a task. Some eat less, some just move more, but most do something in the middle. Bottom line is this is a life time commitment and not just something that lasts for 6 weeks and then you're done.

    The truth also it that getting in shape is the hard part. Maintaining a base fitness is pretty easy. Personally, I like new challenges and am always out chasing a PB in whatever activity is currently holding my focus, and that is what keeps me interested.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    I'm 49 and the difference in calories for me to lose today v. 20 years ago honestly is negligible. I do find myself less tolerant of how much I want to undereat so I am currently set on my MFP settings to half a pound a week. I'm totally good with that and continuing to lose.
  • birgitkwood
    birgitkwood Posts: 486 Member
    I'm 62 and must 100 lbs over twelve months. You're 40+? Pshaw...