Too old to lose the weight that I want

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Replies

  • jaeone
    jaeone Posts: 649 Member
    You can do this, but you have to be patient. You have lost 5 lbs, thats a great start, keep going! I am 47 and I am in the best shape of my life, but it didn't happen over night! Keep moving and get that metabolism up a running!
  • 0SimplymeStacyLea0
    0SimplymeStacyLea0 Posts: 222
    Too old? My son is older than you! Without knowing your total situation I will only pose questions for you:

    1. How active are you besides the exercise (do you sit a lot)? A person that stands most of the day will burn more calories than a
    person that "works out" but sits down when not "working out"!

    2. Are you logging your food honestly? Do you guess at weights and measures? I use a postal scale and a full set of measuring cups and spoons.

    3. Do you have a heart rate monitor? These are great tools for determining what is or isn't helping you burn calories. My heart rate increased by 20 from sitting to standing. Walking 2 mph raised my heart rate to 90. Your calories being burned is tied directly to your heart rate.

    4. Is your kitchen stocked with "bad" food? (high fat, low fiber, high sodium, etc.) One fat gram has 9 calories, Carbohydrates and Proteins have only 4 calories per gram--1 tablespoon of mayonnaise is 100 calories, 1 tablespoon of ketsup is 20 calories.
    Sodium content is high in most prepared foods--eat fresh when you can--excess sodium will hold the water weight.

    5. When you did lose weight, did you look at your diet and exercise log and figure out why? When you gained weight did you do the same? These logs are for you to find out what works for you--a very important tool. Maybe your an 1100 calorie person. Maybe only a certain exercise "does the trick".

    As we get older our bodies get smarter, they don't make unnecessary movements--we only move to get the job and then we stop moving. I used to workout but then I would over-compensate and go sedentary (sit and watch TV) the rest of the day. When we were younger we didn't focus on jobs, we focused on "play"--and we moved all the time!

    I hope this helps you attain your goal.

    Yes my job requires me sitting for the majority of the day
    I am logging ALL my food in....I don't have a scale for my food but measure as often as possible
    No, I don't have a HRM
    Eh, kitchen has mostly good foods but I have teen children who like junk from time to time.
    Yes when I did lose weight it came from upping my cals a bit to about 1350-1400 a day. Before that I was at 1150-1250.

    thanks for the advice
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
    If I can, you can! I'm 51 and I've dropped 50+ lbs. since Thanksgiving! no excuses, just do it.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I'm 45 and I, too, have been struggling a bit to get the weight to fall off, but I'm definitely in better shape already than I was 5 or 10 years ago. The way I am looking at it is, if I wasn't doing this, and hadn't lost 8 pounds in the last 4 months, how much more would I weigh today? If we don't do something to reverse the trend, it'll only get worse. Better to work at maintaining our current weight (at the very least!) than to keep adding to it.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    Too old!? I don't think so lady.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/mess-ernestine-shepherd-body-building-grandma-benches-150/story?id=10480184
  • jfinnivan
    jfinnivan Posts: 360 Member
    53 years old. Lost 27 pounds.
  • shevanity
    shevanity Posts: 33 Member
    I'm 46 and I've lost 36 pounds since Nov 10. I noticed at times when I hit a plateau, I actually lost inches
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    A pound a week is the IDEAL progress when you have about 25 pounds to lose!

    I know how you feel, though. I'm 39 and when I first started, those first five pounds... actually the first 12-15 pounds... just seemed like a drop in the bucket. But after that? Every five pounds made a HUGE difference. I'm amazed at the transformation I've made, and how wonderful I feel.

    For me, the biggest changes from other weight loss attempts are 1) eating a lot more. Don't forget those exercise calories! And 2) make something non-scale related the focus. For me, it was learning to run. If I didn't notice a change on the scale, I was at least happy that I was making progress on my speed and miles and KNEW that I was improving my health, no matter what the number on the scale said.
  • froggy77064
    froggy77064 Posts: 49 Member
    i'm 42 and have managed to lose about 24lbs.it can be done.Don't get discouraged

    i started my weightloss effort on fathers day.i lost the 1st 10lbs in the 1st couple weeks and have been around a 2lb loss give or take the rest of the weeks.i'm not in any hurry to drop the weight.i want to do it slow and steady.that way when i get to my goal weight my body isn't in shock from a drastic change.i feel that doing it slow and steady will make it harder to gain it back.also along the way i have tought myself to eat smarter and healthier.i log my food as accurate as possible and workout(jog/walk) 3 times a week.i'm doing the couch to 5k program.i will eventually add in 2 or 3 days of weight training on the days i dont run,but i will not overdue it on the workouts.
  • arw060310
    arw060310 Posts: 256 Member
    You can do it! My mom started to lose weight at around 40. She started at 190, and now she is fit and fabulous at 110lbs! She is the most fit she's ever been in her life.
  • Tuffjourney
    Tuffjourney Posts: 971
    Too old, no way your just a babe to me. I am 50(something) lol. I have lost 70lbs since 10/13/10 and I am no way done. I started walking at 10 min a day. Thought I was gonna die... but as soon as it got easier, I increased it. Now I power walk for 1 hour everyday at my lunch break. On weekends I do a 6.4 mile hike by a lake. I also, workout in the pool. I track everyday what I eat on MFP. I wished I had found this site when I first started. But i have it now.... Dont give up. I know you can do it. :flowerforyou:
  • JThomas61
    JThomas61 Posts: 892
    I am 50 and have hypo-thyroidism and have lost 71 pounds so far with a goal weight of 155 that I will hit in Oct 11. So you can do this...whatever your goal, you can get there…as long as you’re willing to be honest with yourself about the preparation and work involved. Good Luck!
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    I'm 43 and got started on MFP in April. I fell off the wagon but after a few weeks got back on. I've lost 10lbs, nothing earth shattering but it's a loss! I often remind myself that I didn't get this weight on overnight and it's taken me many years to start caring about it. The important thing is I'm doing it! We can do this!! We are NOT too old!!
  • circusmom
    circusmom Posts: 662 Member
    It doesn't matter how old you are, what matters is how detremined you are!
  • Goal4Good
    Goal4Good Posts: 115
    I am 50. I've been on MFP about 6 weeks. I have lost 10 pounds. I exercise like a freakin manaic 6 days a week and I log everything I eat. (I also eat most of my exercise calories.) It absolutely IS harder for women our age to lose and yes menopause DOES make a BIG difference. When I was in my 20's and 30's I could knock weight off by just thinking about it hard. Now......I have to work out really hard. Right now I've been in a plateau for 2 weeks. It is VERY frustrating but I'm trying to focus on the fact that I've dropped many inches and I'm already into pants that are 2 sizes smaller than I was wearing 6 weeks ago! We can do this! Sure, its harder, it takes longer but we can still do it. Just stick with it. Slow and steady wins the race. I've got a good friend that is 58. She lost 100lbs over the last two years. It can be done. Don't quit cause its slow. I know you want to throw in the towel sometimes. I do too. But stick that stupid scale in the closet and weigh yourself either every week or every month but definetely not every day. It will make you wail and nash your teeth.

    Oh and get yourself a HRM to get accurate readings on your exercise calories burned. I bought a Polar F4T (I think that was the style number of it) from Amazon. Moderetely priced and worth every penny.

    Don't give up and friend me if you want. I know exactly where you are coming from!!!!
  • tigerbluefly
    tigerbluefly Posts: 257 Member
    You can do anything you put your mind too, regardless of age, I am proof of that. I started running when I turned 40 and I'm getting better every day. The weight comes off but it's a bit slower when you're older. Be patient, stay focused and remember your goal. You can achieve it!

    All the best in your journey. Feel free to add me if you would like. :)
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Last year my mother in law, who is 65, reached her goal of losing 60 pounds by eating less and moving more. Sure, weight comes off slower as you get older but no one is too old to lose weight.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    You are not too old! I just turned 48 last week, and in the last year I have lost 76 pounds. If I can do it, so can you! It may take longer, and we may have to work smarter, but it does happen.
  • ziggy67
    ziggy67 Posts: 351
    You are NEVER too old to lose weight and thats a fact! I am 55 and have lost over three stone since I was diagnosed as hypothyroid in 2008. I am still losing although very slowly...I eat about 1700 calories a day and try to burn 3,500 calories a week through my day to day activities and walking, swimming and water aerobics. I think it is best to take on a whole new healthy lifestyle change and go for sensible eating and exercise plans which will work better for you in the long term. remember today is the first day of the rest of your life! Good luck.
  • PalmettoparkGuy
    PalmettoparkGuy Posts: 212 Member
    I'm almost 40, and yes it is harder, but definitely not impossible. Just be patient, mix up your exercise routines. Be precise with the recording of your calories. Eat a variety of foods. Yes, expect plateaus. Good Luck.
  • sinclare
    sinclare Posts: 369 Member
    I am 48 and lost only 20 lbs since christmas. Slow, it may seem, but these are permanent losses that I will not be re-visiting :)

    I think you are doing great! Don't be so hard on yourself. We didn't gain this weight overnight and it takes time to teach our bodies ( and our brains) how to stay the course.

    Friend me if you like.. I still have many lbs to go and need encouragement!
  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
    5 lbs sounds like great progress to me.

    That
  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    I am 59 years old and started 2/28/2011! I have lost 87 pounds to date. My goal was to loose 100 in 7 months
    I did not make my goal but loosing 87 pounds is wonderful. I love the myfitnesspal program it saved my life!
    I will be a member for the rest of my life.
    I now wear a size 8 I was a size 24.
    Age can not be a negative factor to getting in shape. Though you may not be able to do the same exersises as younger people
    there is always something you can do.
    Good luck on you personal quest. :drinker:
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