The older you get the harder it becomes!

louisafurley · January 2018

I'm finding it hard to burn off fat the older I get. It's depressing. I used to be able to loose at least half a stone in the first couple of weeks on a diet. Any tips or ideas for good fat burning exercises?

manderson27 · January 2018

Diet is key for weight loss. A pound a week is a good goalYou need to weigh all your food and keep to the calorie allowance MFP sets you. Exercise for fitness and strength. Of course you can earn a few more calories that way.

There are a lot of people on here a lot older than you that are losing weight consistantly using this method.

Keep going, be patient and you will get there. Slow and steady wins this race.

cowgirl4063 · January 2018

I am just starting with myfitnesspal, I am a weight watcher and have used that app for years, I can't find a spot for adding steps in my work out section. And I agree with Louisafurley, boy o boy in my mid 50s and can't get under 200lbs~

manderson27 · January 2018

When I first joined MFP I was 58 I lost 32 pounds on here in one year. It can be done.

I then quit smoking and went back to my terrible eating habits and put the weight back on. But I know it can be done no matter what your age.

I am back and I started 1st of Jan and have lost 5.2 pounds and am bang on track for 1 pound a week. So I am confident that I can do this and so can you.

CICO is the answer.

SteamPug · January 2018

I’m only 25 but I was thinking how much harder it is now than when I was a teen. But you know what, I don’t think it’s any harder, I just think I’ve gotten lazy. When I was younger I was out every day being active and walking everywhere because none of us ever had money for buses, and I still found time for 40 minutes of cardio at the end of each day.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but personally I believe I’ve just gotten into lazy habits and that I can absolutely make a ton of positive changes to my lifestyle to fix this. Besides, if I just rest on ‘it’s harder now than it was’ I’ll just become defeated and stop trying, or it’ll become an excuse for not trying as hard as I can. I have to believe that it can be easy again, if I can just make the effort in the first place.

dejavuohlala · January 2018

I'm 70 and have been on here over 4 years, i intend to stay its a new lifesyle, dieting then going back to how you ate before will not work. good luck to you, you really can do this.

bigjonb4116 · January 2018

i'll be 52 this year, and have been losing for about 23months now, started at 456lbs though and have lost 168lbs in that time (average about 1.8lbs a week) i'm 288lbs now and it seems to have slowed down a bit, but the truth is its a long term proposition.... if you think it took 50yrs to put it on so aiming to lose it over 3 to 4 yrs is pretty good going.
i walk the beach most days, and do HIIT on a crosstrainer (only about 5 to10 mins every couple of days) i lift light weights as i have arthritis, but eat as little processed food as possible and watch the CICO.
i believe the lighter you get the slower it gets, but you could exercise with a weighted vest on, or go for a walk with a heavy back pack....good luck
and weigh yourself once a month so you'll only be dissapointed 12 times a yr!!!

FlyingMolly · January 2018

I think it’s harder if only because you get less food! The first time I ever heard of calorie counting I was in my mid-20s, and the calculator gave me 1350 to lose 2lbs/week. At 37, I have the same amount to lose ONE lb/week. I’d love to have that kind of wiggle room in my diet again, but with each birthday it gets smaller.

louisafurley · January 2018

Thank you everyone it's nice to hear other people's views and advice. Your all doing great

evileen99 · January 2018

SteamPug wrote: »

I’m only 25 but I was thinking how much harder it is now than when I was a teen. But you know what, I don’t think it’s any harder, I just think I’ve gotten lazy. When I was younger I was out every day being active and walking everywhere because none of us ever had money for buses, and I still found time for 40 minutes of cardio at the end of each day.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but personally I believe I’ve just gotten into lazy habits and that I can absolutely make a ton of positive changes to my lifestyle to fix this. Besides, if I just rest on ‘it’s harder now than it was’ I’ll just become defeated and stop trying, or it’ll become an excuse for not trying as hard as I can. I have to believe that it can be easy again, if I can just make the effort in the first place.

This is probably the reason. The older you get, the more sedentary, and thus the less muscle mass you have, so you burn fewer calories. I'm in my late 50's, and yesterday I had a 300 calorie breakfast, Burger King for lunch, some fruit and vegetable snacks, a protein bar, some chocolate, and pizza for dinner. I still had a 200 calorie deficit. Why? I took the dog on two walks, went grocery shopping, and painted a room.

ITUSGirl51 · January 2018

I agree about making sure you keep moving. I’m 51 and have lost 56 lbs since March. I try to move all day plus get 60 min a day in intentional exercise throughout the day which includes walking that gets my heart rate above 100. It may be a 10 min walks, but it makes my heart pump. I also take the stairs at work when I can. You have to still eat less, but the weight will slowly come off.

Machka9 · January 2018

I was 48 when I joined MFP and lost 25 kg/55 lbs.

Losing it was pretty straightforward. Maintaining it has been a bit more difficult. I have trouble balancing the fuel I need for the amount of exercise I do with what I don't need to be consuming when I'm not in full-fledged training.

nitepagan · January 2018

Walking is one way to help in your weight loss journey.

callsitlikeiseeit · January 2018

you lose weight in the kitchen.

you gain fitness in the gym.

aka: you cant out exercise a bad diet.

susanp57 · January 2018

I'm 62. Age is an excuse, not a reason. I lost my 30 lbs from March to September.

Panda8ach · January 2018

bigjonb4116 wrote: »

i'll be 52 this year, and have been losing for about 23months now, started at 456lbs though and have lost 168lbs in that time (average about 1.8lbs a week) i'm 288lbs now and it seems to have slowed down a bit, but the truth is its a long term proposition.... if you think it took 50yrs to put it on so aiming to lose it over 3 to 4 yrs is pretty good going.
i walk the beach most days, and do HIIT on a crosstrainer (only about 5 to10 mins every couple of days) i lift light weights as i have arthritis, but eat as little processed food as possible and watch the CICO.
i believe the lighter you get the slower it gets, but you could exercise with a weighted vest on, or go for a walk with a heavy back pack....good luck
and weigh yourself once a month so you'll only be dissapointed 12 times a yr!!!

Congratulations on your 168lb loss!! Epic

CowboySar · January 2018

louisafurley wrote: »

I'm finding it hard to burn off fat the older I get. It's depressing. I used to be able to loose at least half a stone in the first couple of weeks on a diet. Any tips or ideas for good fat burning exercises?

It can be hard, but it is not impossible. I find what makes harder than age, even though it has to do with age is your life. You may have kids, and they have sports, and school stuff, life stressors and the like. All things you did not have when younger.

I am proof it can be done, I was 41 2 years ago, poor eating habits, no exercise and 320lbs. I am now 43 and 199lbs, eat healthy, exercise everyday (weights and cardio), and feel great.

Keep your head up and be strong you can do it.

louisafurley · January 2018

Thanks guys great advice!!!

CowboySar · January 2018

Sorry, just re read your post and seen you also asked for some fat burning exercise. The most important factor is your diet. Exercise is needed but it is secondary to your diet. I hate the word diet as diets have an end point. Anyways I started losing just walking and increase the distance or intensity (hills). When the weather turned bad I got to the gym for treadmill or stationary bike, 30-60 mins. I eventually bought my own cardio equipment so no need for the gym now. I prefer outdoor stuff so if the weather is good my cardio is outside. Something else to consider is weight training, muscle burns fat even when not doing much. If you can add a little muscle you will burn a little more fat.

Another note don't worry so much about a number, worry more how your clothes fit, your measurements, and how you feel. I weighed in January 1 at 199lbs, I weighed in last week at 200 lbs. Am I concerned? No because my chest and waist measurements dropped. 2" on my waist and 1" on my chest. That said it appears I have lost fat and gained muscle.

Again you can do it.

Trina2040 · January 2018

louisafurley wrote: »

I'm finding it hard to burn off fat the older I get. It's depressing. I used to be able to loose at least half a stone in the first couple of weeks on a diet. Any tips or ideas for good fat burning exercises?

It's not harder to lose weight (burn off fat) as you get older. I started at 64, dropped 50 lbs over 15 months and have been in maintenance ever since (68 years old, 5'2.5" - HW 179, Current WT 128. I finally stopped all the yo-yo dieting when I found MFP which became my post-graduate school university. What worked for me was balancing my calories in with my calories out. I use a Fitbit to help keep my balance by staying active and portion control to eat a reasonable amount of anything I want. On less active days, I eat less. I liken it to balancing my checkbook. Exercise alone won't give you the results you want. Lose slowly, make small changes, and don't kill yourself working out. The weight will come off in time.

I still weigh in everyday, log my food, and stay active even if it's just walking around. Yes, life gets in the way but considering the alternative logging, weighing, and staying active is a small price to pay for better health. You can do this; take one day at a time, learn from your missteps and move forward.

GottaBurnEmAll · January 2018

Trina2040 wrote: »

louisafurley wrote: »

I'm finding it hard to burn off fat the older I get. It's depressing. I used to be able to loose at least half a stone in the first couple of weeks on a diet. Any tips or ideas for good fat burning exercises?

It's not harder to lose weight (burn off fat) as you get older. I started at 64, dropped 50 lbs over 15 months and have been in maintenance ever since (68 years old, 5'2.5" - HW 179, Current WT 128. I finally stopped all the yo-yo dieting when I found MFP which became my post-graduate school university. What worked for me was balancing my calories in with my calories out. I use a Fitbit to help keep my balance by staying active and portion control to eat a reasonable amount of anything I want. On less active days, I eat less. I liken it to balancing my checkbook. Exercise alone won't give you the results you want. Lose slowly, make small changes, and don't kill yourself working out. The weight will come off in time.

I still weigh in everyday, log my food, and stay active even if it's just walking around. Yes, life gets in the way but considering the alternative logging, weighing, and staying active is a small price to pay for better health. You can do this; take one day at a time, learn from your missteps and move forward.

Basically, everything she said. I'm going to be 56 this summer and have found it easier to lose weight now than when I was younger because I understand the process more and have more reasonable expectations of how the numbers work given my stats (I'm only 5'1" and weigh 122 and would like to lose a few more vanity pounds ... my starting weight was 210).

I also have a Fitbit and conscientiously work to remain as active as possible. It's alarming how sedentary we become as we age. I genuinely like to move around a lot, but it's something that has built upon itself over time. I started out being completely sedentary.

The older you get the harder it becomes!

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