Anybody in their 60s ?
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terinubody
Posts: 1 Member
I just stared FP 2 days ago. Need to loose at least 40 lbs. weightwatchers is too slow and too expensive. Excited about taking charge of my weight. It says I need to eat 1200 cal per day but I am only 5 ft 2. Do you think I should drop to 1000 cal?
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I'm on the plus side of mid-sixties. Should lose twice as much weight as you and probably a different gender. Having warned you of all those good reasons to disregard my advice, why not give 1200 a one month trial. There's usually a learning curve to tracking calorie and nutrient intake with MFP. A quick initial weight loss isn't as helpful in the long run as consistent behavior that can be sustained over the long haul.3
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I'm in the next decade beyond 60. Already lost over 50 and have that plus a little more to go. It took a long time for me to get the habits down that I need to keep up ... up and down was not a good way to get where I want to be. I ditto the above poster ... the reason being is that you have probably been eating a lot more than that up till now and going too far removed from it would not, from my experience, be something you can keep up for a long time. It's really best to stop overeating first, and then start eating at a deficit so that you lose some weight each week. Whatever changes you make in your diet will have to stay with you, possibly, for the rest of your life.5
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If you put all your stats into MFP, don't try to second guess. 1200 is absolute minimum for women to get proper nutrition. For 40 lb loss you should set MFP up lose 1 lb per week. Please read the sticky posts and other threads on here so you can learn how the process works. 62yo here.4
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If you put all your stats into MFP, don't try to second guess. 1200 is absolute minimum for women to get proper nutrition. For 40 lb loss you should set MFP up lose 1 lb per week. Please read the sticky posts and other threads on here so you can learn how the process works. 62yo here.
^^^ Truth, there. If there's a doubt in your mind, go read her MFP profile or her thread over in Success Stories.
Don't immediately assume the calorie estimate is too high. Try it for a month (less if anything negative happens, of course).
I'm only a little taller than you (5'5"), and was initially recommended 1200 (age 59 then, and sedentary). For me, it was way too low, and I corrected as soon as I realized I was losing too fast, but still experienced some weakness and fatigue that took weeks to recover from. I lost most of 50+ pounds at 1400-1600 (net) in just less than a year at 59-60, and am maintaining a healthy weight nearly 2 years since (now 62).
I'm not saying 1200 will be too low for you. I'm suggesting you try what MFP gives you at the 1 pound a week setting, and see what your average weekly loss is in a month (6 weeks for premenopausal women).
Losing too fast risks losing more than minimum lean tissue (including muscle or bone) alongside fat. Muscle is slow and hard to rebuild, especially for women. It can be done, but it's easier and healthier to keep what we have in the first place. Losing too fast won't keep you healthy, won't keep you strong, and will make you look worse, not better. Why risk it?
In as month, if you're losing too slowly, make corrections then. Stay strong, healthy, and looking great!5 -
I'm in my mid 60s. I am 163cm (5'4") and it suggested 1200 for me too. I don't lose weight on that, but generally that is okay as I am using MFP mainly to track nutrients to help with my insulin dependence (T1 diabetes). If I want to lose a little weight I do find that I have to crank up my exercise & drop some calories off the recommended.
As others have already suggested I'd start off with the recommended 1200 and then re-evaluate it up the track. You can really derail your efforts by having too high an expectation. Happy journey, I hope it goes will for you.1 -
MFP suggests 1200 for a lot of women because they put in the most aggressive goal of 2 lbs per week. If you get 1200 it's a good sign that your goal is too fast. 1200 is the minimum MFP allows. I lost 150 Lbs Eating About 1700. I'm taller than some of you, but my point is that you don't have to go so low to lose. If it takes a little longer, it's OK, Everyone including me wants to lose fast, but you're not making changes only until you reach your goal, you need to make changes for life. By the time I got to goal my losing cals became my maintenance cals so my eating hasn't really changed in maintenance. Sad, but true.1
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Try to get moving. I'm a walker. Haven't hit the gym yet.0
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I'm 61. I'm 5' 6". I have never been able to stick to 1200 calories a day for more than a week. I just get too hungry. Fortunately, I like to exercise, so I was able to lose weight eating about 1400 calories a day, plus exercise calories.
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Well I'm 26 does the six count? And don't drop to 1000 calories we are the same height I don't. Good luck!1
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Raven_Hawk wrote: »I'm in my mid 60s. I am 163cm (5'4") and it suggested 1200 for me too. I don't lose weight on that, but generally that is okay as I am using MFP mainly to track nutrients to help with my insulin dependence (T1 diabetes). If I want to lose a little weight I do find that I have to crank up my exercise & drop some calories off the recommended.
As others have already suggested I'd start off with the recommended 1200 and then re-evaluate it up the track. You can really derail your efforts by having too high an expectation. Happy journey, I hope it goes will for you.
You sound like you are my twin! All statistics are mine! My weight loss is slow but it's a minus!0 -
I'm 70, it will be slower when you get older. It's not good to drop to 1000 calories. I am stuck and have been for months but if I go back to old ways then I will gain again. Try moving more and log all that you eat and drink, most importantly stick with it.!good luck, invite some mutually supportive friends to keep you going in the tough times. Good luck1
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I am a little over 5'1". For maintaining MFP actually gives me 1210 total calories and then throughout the day it adds based on activity. Usually Fitbit ends up around 2K cals and MFP around 1900. But that's with running added in. I am going to say that each of us is different. I lost just a little over 1 pound per week on 1050 cals. I was not faint. I was not starving. It worked for me (but it's not for everyone tho!)You will lose at 1200 just a little slower. It's really up to you and how you feel. I do agree with the others that start at 1200 is not a bad idea if you have never counted before and watching the scale etc. I did couch to 5K when I started and got a fitbit alta to monitor my HR and sleep and steps. I am 59 and maintaining at 100. It also depends on your start weight and activity of course. If you are starting at 175 or 200 than 1200 per day might be low. Just an alternate opinon and experience to share.0
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Today I begin again. For me it's just getting on the right path: the actual weight goal is not as important. I need to get back to mindful eating and regular exercise. I hope this app will encourage me. The tracking is important.
I went to the Y this morning and did some moderate walking. Planning healthy eating for today.
I actually changed my calories to 1800. This is how I like to begin. Then I will drop it down.
One of my biggest hurdles is my OCD
I am trying to focus on what I need to do for me first before worrying about the perfection of everything else before I can focus on me.1 -
Hey there! I just turned 60. I also set my weight loss goal at about 40 pounds. I'm 5' 3" and eat 1300 cal. a day. MPF gave me 1200, but I simply can't sustain that so I bumped it up a bit. I've been consistently losing about a pound a week- I'm down 19 pounds in 17 weeks. For exercise I mostly walk outside- started with 1 difficult mile and now do about 3 miles several times a week. This has greatly helped all the annoying aches and pains I was having and just makes me feel so much better overall. I definitely think 1000 calories is much too low- you cannot get the nutrition your body requires and it will be very difficult to sustain- just try to move more. Feel free to add me- and good luck to you
Jan1 -
Guilty! Love this site for all the caloric detail! For all the calories you ingest, just remember to burn some off with exercise. Hitting all your marks may be difficult, a protein shake a day really helps me out. GL0
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