61 YO female trying to stay on track - AGAIN

Hurray! You've done great in 8 weeks. That's pretty impressive! I'm 57 years old, and have lost 6 pounds in 4 weeks. I'm walking a lot, too. I won't give up coffee, it's my favorite part of the morning. I think losing weight at this point in my life is going to require discipline and patience. It's certainly more challenging than when I was 20 years younger! Congrats on all you've accomplished so far.

You can do it.

The way one loses weight is the same at any age. If you are finding you are not losing at the rate you expect, and you are logging accurately using a food scale for everything, get a check up. There are a number of medical conditions that can make losing a little harder if left untreated.

At our age we do get fewer base calories than someone 20 years younger, between 50-100 per decade.
(I am petite and 63, at 23 I would have got about 200 more calories)

That being said, the reason that happens is because as we age we tend to move less so use less energy, we also lose muscle through inactivity.

We can really help ourselves by moving more in daily life, and doing some purposeful exercise that includes some cardio, some resistance (helps with muscle retention), and something to help with balance and flexibility.

As far as your calorie goal, chose a deficit that suits your goal. If you have over 50 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs a week is good, under 50lbs 1lbs a week is good. When you are down to the last 20 lbs aim for .5 lbs.

Protein is very important for muscle retention as you lose. Aim for about .8-1g per lbs of your goal weight.
(ie: I weigh 102 lbs and aim to get 80-100g a day)
It is also good to eat the majority of your protein in meals that have 20-35g. We process and utilize it better when ingested in those quantities.

As far as what you eat, so long as you aim for an overall nutritious diet, you have no need to eliminate anything (medical reasons and trigger foods excepted).

I lost weight at 54 during menopause and have maintained my weight for over 7 years.

Cheers, h.

I'm 61, too, and am finding it hard to lose weight. I've done WW in the past and hope to get back on track. I have the tools I need, but just need to get off my duff and use them. Smaller goals sounds like a good idea and I agree that losing weight at this age requires more patience. I know I need to make better choices and hope this'll be a start. I've been logging what I eat for five days now. I even turned down macaroni and cheese at lunch today - making a better choice of salad. Good luck to all...

middlehaitch wrote: »

You can do it.

The way one loses weight is the same at any age. If you are finding you are not losing at the rate you expect, and you are logging accurately using a food scale for everything, get a check up. There are a number of medical conditions that can make losing a little harder if left untreated.

At our age we do get fewer base calories than someone 20 years younger, between 50-100 per decade.
(I am petite and 63, at 23 I would have got about 200 more calories)

That being said, the reason that happens is because as we age we tend to move less so use less energy, we also lose muscle through inactivity.

We can really help ourselves by moving more in daily life, and doing some purposeful exercise that includes some cardio, some resistance (helps with muscle retention), and something to help with balance and flexibility.

As far as your calorie goal, chose a deficit that suits your goal. If you have over 50 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs a week is good, under 50lbs 1lbs a week is good. When you are down to the last 20 lbs aim for .5 lbs.

Protein is very important for muscle retention as you lose. Aim for about .8-1g per lbs of your goal weight.
(ie: I weigh 102 lbs and aim to get 80-100g a day)
It is also good to eat the majority of your protein in meals that have 20-35g. We process and utilize it better when ingested in those quantities.

As far as what you eat, so long as you aim for an overall nutritious diet, you have no need to eliminate anything (medical reasons and trigger foods excepted).

I lost weight at 54 during menopause and have maintained my weight for over 7 years.

Cheers, h.

@middlehaitch Great advice for the newbie. I would like to send you a friend request. Hope you accept it. You seem highly motivated and I like that in my friends

I'm 59, have been on MFP for a year and a half or so, but actually working MFP for the past two months. I'm down 43 lbs and have quite a ways to go yet. I have a recent diagnosis of diabetes (which I am resisting with all my strength) so I really have to watch the sugars and starches. Exercise comes a little more slowly, but it is improving.

Keeping a food diary has been tremendously helpful for me. It's just amazing how much less hungry (or appetite-ridden, take your pick) I am when my protein's higher and my carbs are lower. That doesn't mean I've given up bread or baked desserty-things -- that's never going to happen. I don't take stone deprivation well.

It looks like you have a good grasp on what works best for you. I recommend the food diary, if it works for you. You like walking and that's great, but you might look into other kinds of exercise to see if there are other things you enjoy -- it's possible to get bored with doing one thing only.

There's quite a lot of us "olders" out here, doing well. Congratulations on your good work so far!