The older you get the harder it becomes!

PokeyBug · January 2018

I'm 46 years old, and, while I find it's much easier for me to gain weight than when I was in my 20s, probably because I'm not as active, it's actually easier for me to lose. After years of trendy diets that worked while I was able to stick with them and my subsequent return to old eating habits because none of them were actually do-able for me in the long term, I understand the basic, simple fact that I cannot eat more calories than I burn. And since I'm lazy, and I only work out in spurts, I've really just got to keep an eye on what I put in my mouth. Now that I'm not looking for a trick to lose weight, because there are no tricks for lazy people like me, it's actually relatively straightforward.

ms_havisham · January 2018

I tried losing weight in my teens, twenties, early thirties, and now, at 38, I actually find it easier. Counting calories and logging everything is a huge part of it but what has helped me most is that my mindset has matured. I have better self control now, and now I see everything that I do towards my goal as something I am doing for me. As a mom, as someone who has cared for her own and other peoples children for 20 years, who tends to take care of everyone in her life in one way or another, it is amazingly freeing to be doing a few things that are solely for me. Excercise isn't a chore when it is "me time". Tracking my food, cooking a delicious meal that fits my calories, or having that treat that I saved the calories for is amazing! It is a huge change from playing short order cook, grabbing a mediocre sandwich from McDonald's because the kids want a happy meal, or making a high-calorie dinner I don't even like because it is someone else's favorite. So far I have lost over 40 pounds and am excited to see the rest of the weight go.

Before, it felt like work or deprivation. Now it is just a big stack of things that make me happy.

MissyCHF · January 2018

What annoys me (about myself) is that I lost 34lbs in 26 weeks - easily. I need to lose just another 10lbs to get to my goal and I'm struggling. I am however in that 'just get on with it' frame of mind again so - watch this space!

rockymir · January 2018

louisafurley wrote: »

at least half a stone in the first couple of weeks on a diet

That was mostly water. Keep going.

crlynj01 · January 2018

I'm 52 down 100 lbs...I follow balanced macros....40% protein, 35% carbs and 25% fats...based on a 1000 calorie diet. You can do this!

LivingtheLeanDream · January 2018

Its kind of a myth that its harder to lose as we get older, CICO (calories in/calories out) works regardless of age. Once we get a handle on not eating more than we burn, weight loss follows.

I'm in my late 40s, been in maintenance now for almost 5 years and only wish I knew 20 years ago what I know now as I wouldn't have spent so many years in my 20s/30s overweight. Moving a bit more and eating a bit less was all it took. (and a lot of patience).

catlynnl · January 2018

I think it potentially could be harder as we age, particularly for women. Seems estrogen might be linked to either metabolism or satiety (maybe both?): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28333235

kristen8000 · January 2018

I really don't think it gets harder as you get older. But when we are young we do drastic things to get it off (cleanses, shakes, extreme exercise, etc). But as you get older you have more responsibilites. It's not just YOU any more. It's him/her, them and all the other people in your life. So, it takes some dedication and some planning. And it needs to be another priority.

In my 20's I was able to exercise 10-15lbs off and be good to go. In my early 30's I needed both diet and exercise to lose 30lbs. Now I'm almost 40, I realize I can't eat like I used to and I need to move. Not just from the couch to the kitchen. It may be as easy as parking farther away and taking the stairs at work. I need to get up from desk chair every hour and stretch. Not so much for weight loss, but for health. Your priorties tend to change the older you get too. In my 20's I wanted flat abs and tight butt. Now, close to 40, I just want to remain healthy, limber and feeling good.

elisa123gal · January 2018

I know we all say it gets harder as we get older. But, i truly think it got harder for me, just because i was older and tired of dieting more than when i was younger. i think we use up a lot of will power. We are also older, and we want to lose weight for different reasons.
When younger, i always wanted to lose weight to look good, for a special occasion.. because i was single and wanted to find my mate.
Now, I'm older..married... fat and happy... life is food centered for fun and entertainment. My husband loves me no matter what, and actually doesn't even notice when i lose 20 pounds. . ..so.. it is harder to bite the bullet and get motivated to lose.

workinonit1956 · January 2018

I find it’s not any harder for me now than it was when I was younger. I’m 61, and counting calories works well for me.

VintageFeline · January 2018

On average, we lose 100 calories per day for every decade. But that's the average and assuming the person has done nothing to maintain muscle mass which is the largest dictator of BMR (resting energy needs). Everything else comes from your activity level. As others have pointed out, we tend to get more sedentary the older we get and that's what has the biggest impact. Truth is probably that when the weight flew off in your teens you were undereating for your activity level.

So no, it isn't any harder to lose but it may be harder to form or reform old habits that made maintaining a deficit easier.

MegaMooseEsq · January 2018

rheddmobile wrote: »

I'm 49 and lost 113 lbs in the past year.

I disagree with the statement that you can't out exercise a bad diet - first of all, the main reason it's harder for older people to lose weight is lower activity levels and muscle mass, and those are absolutely things you can change with exercise.

Maybe you can't go for a walk and then eat an entire kitchen, but you sure can eat a comfortable amount of food and still lose weight if you increase your exercise levels substantially. I went from morbidly obese to normal weight without ever logging a day less than 1600 gross calories, and usually I eat between 1900 - 2100. It's not difficult to earn 400 - 600 calories with an hour of serious exercise - I don't mean slowly pedaling an elliptical, I mean getting sweaty. And the difference in happiness level, at least for me, between 1200 calories a day and 1800, is enormous. 1200 isn't even three normal sized meals, it's three teeny diet meals. 1800 is three normal sized meals and a substantial snack.

Plus, there's a database which follows people who have kept off substantial amounts of weight long term after losing it, because this is so rare that people study it. The database found that the thing they had in common was that all of them exercised regularly. I seem to recall the average was 45 minutes daily.

Last but not least, exercise is like a magic prescription for health. So if you are losing weight to improve your health, it makes no sense to avoid exercise if you are capable of it.

Find something you enjoy enough to stick with it - I started with Bollywood Zumba, now I'm running three times a week. And do some strength training, it preserves muscle while you eat in a deficit.

That's the National Weight Control Registry - I aspire to become a participant one day (you need to lose at least 30 lbs and keep it off for one year). They did find that 94% of participants increased physical activity, and that 90% exercise at least an hour a day, but the most commonly reported form of exercise was walking. So yes, exercise is important in the long run, but it doesn't have to be strenuous.

mph323 · January 2018

I'm 67 and lost about 50 lbs over the last 18 months or so. Chiming in to say that I agree that a reduction in NEAT as we age can easily contribute to lbs creeping on, even though we may still be eating the same way as always. I found it was easier to lose weight this time (and keep it off) because I did it slowly and sustainably. In the past I've lost various amounts of weight very quickly using VLCDs, and always put it back on plus some immediately. Starving myself was hard and watching the weight pile back on was hard. Small changes in calories and activities made losing weight this time so much easier, and sustainable.

HoneyBadger302 · January 2018

Pretty sure my weight loss has little to nothing to do with ageing.

As I've gotten older, my jobs have become more professional (ie, more and more sitting behind a computer screen all day) as opposed to my jobs in college where I was training horses and working at stables all day when I wasn't in class!

I now have to make special time for fitness and the gym - it used to part of a class or club I was in.

Other things that come with career, money, etc: more driving, less walking; longer hours at work; home obligations rather than working out or other sports; watching your kids play sports rather than playing them yourself; going out with friends is now sitting around at a cocktail bar instead of dancing until the wee hours of the morning...the list goes on.

I think it takes more DEDICATION as you get older due to these reasons, but I don't believe it's physically any more difficult. Also calculate in muscle loss unless you are actively doing something to keep it up which will take a hit to your metabolism. Now you have to make time to keep up that physical activity!

fitoverfortymom · January 2018

I feel like my age and maturity has actually helped me because I have very realistic expectations and I understand and value the necessity to lose weight for my long-term health.

Timshel_ · January 2018

Focusing on the difficulty doesn't add anything to the effort. We just need to come to terms with the fact you have no choice but to exercise and eat right to at least maintain where you are, least you fall further in your health.

beldacov · January 2018

I had a very heart to heart chat with my doctor today about calorie today. This was her analogy of calories in: "I can eat 1200 calories in pizza and then starve the rest of the day because I consumed all my calories for the day and it really wasn't that much pizza. On the other hand, you could eat 1200 calories in carrots (might turn a little orange) but that 1200 calories of carrots would be a lot of food and really filling versus 1200 calories of pizza. At the end of the day, we both ate 1200 calories and I walk away feeling starved all day because I used all my calories on a little bit of pizza while you are stuffed to the brim with carrots. A calorie is a calorie. We can feel full or feel deprived based on our food choices."

DEBOO7 · January 2018

Losing fat and losing weight are two different things! Example: I'm female, 56 y/o, 5'2 and stable at 115lbs. My goal is fat loss while maintaining current weight. Since October my body fat % has reduced by 2% and I look a lot leaner - people ask if I've lost more weight. How? I now swim 2-3 times a week regularly and started CrossFit 3x a week.
In an earlier comment a member indicated age isn't a factor - I agree. At my heaviest 217lbs four years I've worked on where I'm at today... one step at a time. Eating healthy food, getting adequate sleep and getting of my fat *kitten* off the office chair and home sofa to get active (and that's been progressive). Small changes that stick and build new habits are what work. It takes time.

lynn_glenmont · January 2018

beldacov wrote: »

I had a very heart to heart chat with my doctor today about calorie today. This was her analogy of calories in: "I can eat 1200 calories in pizza and then starve the rest of the day because I consumed all my calories for the day and it really wasn't that much pizza. On the other hand, you could eat 1200 calories in carrots (might turn a little orange) but that 1200 calories of carrots would be a lot of food and really filling versus 1200 calories of pizza. At the end of the day, we both ate 1200 calories and I walk away feeling starved all day because I used all my calories on a little bit of pizza while you are stuffed to the brim with carrots. A calorie is a calorie. We can feel full or feel deprived based on our food choices."

I would be a lot hungrier on the carrots (no protein, no fat) if I could get that many down, than I would eating the pizza.

Poisonedpawn78 · January 2018

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

beldacov wrote: »

I had a very heart to heart chat with my doctor today about calorie today. This was her analogy of calories in: "I can eat 1200 calories in pizza and then starve the rest of the day because I consumed all my calories for the day and it really wasn't that much pizza. On the other hand, you could eat 1200 calories in carrots (might turn a little orange) but that 1200 calories of carrots would be a lot of food and really filling versus 1200 calories of pizza. At the end of the day, we both ate 1200 calories and I walk away feeling starved all day because I used all my calories on a little bit of pizza while you are stuffed to the brim with carrots. A calorie is a calorie. We can feel full or feel deprived based on our food choices."

I would be a lot hungrier on the carrots (no protein, no fat) if I could get that many down, than I would eating the pizza.

thats 6.5 lbs of carrots. Just think of all that chewing and time on the bathroom. 1 Vote pizza please.

The older you get the harder it becomes!

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