Men over 40

sgrebensteib
sgrebensteib Posts: 17 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hey guys was just wondering how losing weight at an older age had been. I have been over weight my whole life with a few short term success diets sprinkled in.
My heaviest 420 pounds, also has come later in my life. I just turned 44 and refuse to think it's over for me. There's so much I have missed out on in life and fear Im running out of time to experience everything I've missed out on.
Currently I'm at 386 and dropping. Standing at 6'4" I guess I should add. Walking and working in the yard is my exercise atm but plan on adding more. Mainly cut out cola and fast food. Plenty if vegetables added in.
So what is it like? Have you been seriously overweight and lost it? How's life now? More interest from the opposite sex? Life in general?
Ladies feel free to chime in too. I seen many threads for women so I just figured I would make one for guys. But what's your opinion? Did your bf or husband lose a bunch? What's the story?

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I am a woman :D but I want to chime in. I was 43 and obese when I discovered MFP. I had already started my "weightloss journey" - again. But MFP was different. I started to think and feel differently, and permanently, not just eat and move differently for a few months. Getting in real information, practicing autonomy, decision making, I no longer longed to go back to eating whatever whenever. I don't struggle with my weight anymore, I don't worry about eating the wrong things anymore.

    Of course this feels great. I enjoy food and my hot body :p But part of me is bitter, feeling I had squandered so many opportunities to get it right. Because in reality, I have only learnt a few completely new things; the change has come from understanding and accepting and believing in what I already knew: Weightloss is all about calories. A healthy diet is balanced and varied. What you do from day to day is way more important than the occasional splurge. I can eat anything as long as I don't consisntently overeat. Food is good and to be enjoyed, but not abused.
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
    Read this success story:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/42355008
  • sgrebensteib
    sgrebensteib Posts: 17 Member
    DoubleUbea wrote: »
    Read this success story:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/42355008

    Wow. Guy looks damn good. There is hope
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,463 Member
    I was 44 yrs old and weighed 285 lbs and climbing. 300 lbs was in easy reach. Yesterday I weighed 169 lbs.

    I can tell you this frequently overlooked point, weight loss is liberation. I thought weight loss was going to be austerity, deprivation and the death of fun. It’s proved to be the opposite.

    We only get one life. One day I woke up to two things. One was how isolated I was becoming because of my weight. The other was the utter foolishness of just fatting myself to death.

    But this- I lost about 65+ lbs just sort of on watching what I ate autopilot before getting stuck at about 215lbs. Stayed stuck there for years until I start tracking and counting calories. How hard I was working at the gym didn’t matter, it came down to nuts and bolts CICO.
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
    sgrebensteib wrote: »
    Wow. Guy looks damn good. There is hope
    I don't have this man's story but his picture was in one of the success picture threads.
    tuti4elhd397.png

    Get a food scale and start monitoring EVERYTHING you eat. The food scale and logging everything will really change how you eat.





  • GrayRider61
    GrayRider61 Posts: 337 Member
    Sounds like you're on the right track. And its definitely not over.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Hey guys was just wondering how losing weight at an older age had been.
    I lost my excess weight in my 50's and it was far easier than previous attempts - partly the tools (like this one), food labelling but mainly I simply got my head in the game and made myself accountable for how much I ate.

    I just turned 44 and refuse to think it's over for me. There's so much I have missed out on in life and fear Im running out of time to experience everything I've missed out on.
    My 50's have been wonderful, possibly my best decade. Healthy, fit, strong and happy.

    So what is it like? Have you been seriously overweight and lost it?
    I was only 30lbs overweight but that had hung around for 20 years.

    More interest from the opposite sex?
    Yes - public transport is like running the gauntlet of inappropriate touching from gorgeous ladies (well in my dreams anyway.) ;)

    Life in general?
    My pain from several long term injuries is far less, feel full of life and energy - a lot of that is down to improved fitness levels, not just weight loss. I eat a lot, I exercise a lot (because I like it) and I enjoy life.


  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    sgrebensteib wrote: »
    Hey guys was just wondering how losing weight at an older age had been.
    I lost 74 pounds starting at age 53, and have maintained the loss for nearly a year so far (now about to turn 56). I'm in the best physical shape I've been in (and have the lowest bodyfat percentage I've had) since I was 21.

    I ate (and continue to eat) all the same things I've always eaten - just more of some things and less of others. I won't say it was effortless, but I didn't find it difficult at all - just time consuming. Patience and perseverance will be your best friends, treat it as a marathon rather than a sprint.

    Age is not a barrier to losing weight, you simply have to consume less calories than you expend, by whatever means you choose to do that - that's the same whether you're 18 or 98.


    sgrebensteib wrote: »
    I just turned 44 and refuse to think it's over for me. There's so much I have missed out on in life and fear Im running out of time to experience everything I've missed out on.
    It's not over for you if you choose not to let it be. You have plenty of time left to enjoy life and 'catch up' on all those things.


    sgrebensteib wrote: »
    More interest from the opposite sex?
    I've been with my wife for almost 30 years and she loves me whether I'm fat, skinny, or anywhere in between. But yes, I've certainly received plenty of compliments and passing glances from the opposite sex that I didn't get before.


    sgrebensteib wrote: »
    Life in general?
    This one goes a little deeper - I feel that life is what you make it. If you're miserable and hate yourself when you're overweight, you'll still be miserable and find another reason to hate yourself when you're not overweight anymore. Loving yourself is the most important ingredient in happiness. Yes, getting to a healthy weight has made life better, but I always thought life was pretty darn good in the first place!

    That philosophical aside out of the way, life in general is great - I'm more active than I've been in years, enjoy running, cycling, lifting weights, playing sports, and I'm not self-conscious about taking my shirt off at the beach anymore now that the big ol' gut/spare tire isn't there. My health has improved considerably, I sleep better, have more energy, and am enjoying the process of continually trying to improve myself. My mantra is "I haven't come this far just to come this far!".
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    I'm 56. My highest weight, and I don't know what it was, was January 1, 2000. I was 37. That midnight, something in my brain toggled, and I wanted to live. I discarded some destructive habits and lost about 100 lb. From that point I sort of maintained around 270 for several years until in January of 2016 I was motivated by a doctor visit to google for a food diary. Thus I found myfitnesspal. Since then I've lost more weight, at one point last summer I was very near my weight goal when I decided to eat more. I gained 50 lb. I'm back to losing again. I know how. I'm on track. My small clothes are in the closet, waiting for me.

    Last week we vacationed to Houston. One day we visited the battleship Texas. For 2 hours in the 95 degree humidity I climbed and clambered all over that iron hulk. I don't think I would have wanted to do that 10 years ago. I know that my mother could not have done that at this age. My dad was in great shape at this age. He could still do a one-legged squat. I'm not to the one-legged squat yet, but I've got his genes and I'm trying.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    My highest weight ever was 182lbs. Now at 52 years old I weigh around 170, with a goal of 165 but it keeps eluding me.
  • perkele69
    perkele69 Posts: 6 Member
    I turned 30 a few months ago and was 200lbs. A girl in a nightclub called me fat, then my mate said id never get a six pack again because after 30 your metabolism is slower. People chat absolute nonsense! Which they do about age as well.

    5months later now I weigh 168lbs and 6months from now I WILL have that 6pack back.

    When people talk about age its complete BS until you get into your 80’s that’s actually old, which is twice your age.

    If you eat less calories than you need, you lose weight regardless of age. Also if you lift heavy things and eat protein your body will adapt to it and you will gain muscle. There is NO age restriction on losing weight or gaining muscle!!!

    Wrinkles and hair loss is different 😂 but weight loss and muscle definitely isnt.

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