Over 50 Maintenance struggle and ideal weight
Missmazza160
Posts: 3 Member
Hi everyone, in Jan 2016 I weighed in at 205lbs. I set a goal to lose the weight and be healthy and look good in my Daughters wedding photos in Sep. I set a goal of 160lbs and I surpassed that goal and weighed about 153lbs by the time the wedding came around. I then lost another 10lbs after that.
I felt Motivated, in charge, clarity of mind, strong and just all around wellbeing. I also felt fear that it would all come crashing down.
I needed to find my ideal weight and a Happy medium of life exercise and diet.
I have every valuable tool I need to succeed but I did not account for my mental game. It was brutal and took charge. It became easy to convince myself I didn’t have to work out every day and that I could increase my caloric intake. And slowly but surely my fears are becoming a reality. I gained over half the weight back.
Good news is I am on a new mission. Using my lessons learned and getting back to counting my calories and getting active I hope to bust the whole yo yo weight loss cycle by focusing on the mental game.
1. Understand the effects of what foods set off my uncontrollable hunger and feeding frenzy’s.
2. Remind myself of how good I feel after a workout.
3. Kick the devil off my shoulder and embrace the angel on my shoulder.
4. Stop binge watching Netflix!
If you are in the same boat let’s do this together. Feeling good mind and body is my goal.
I felt Motivated, in charge, clarity of mind, strong and just all around wellbeing. I also felt fear that it would all come crashing down.
I needed to find my ideal weight and a Happy medium of life exercise and diet.
I have every valuable tool I need to succeed but I did not account for my mental game. It was brutal and took charge. It became easy to convince myself I didn’t have to work out every day and that I could increase my caloric intake. And slowly but surely my fears are becoming a reality. I gained over half the weight back.
Good news is I am on a new mission. Using my lessons learned and getting back to counting my calories and getting active I hope to bust the whole yo yo weight loss cycle by focusing on the mental game.
1. Understand the effects of what foods set off my uncontrollable hunger and feeding frenzy’s.
2. Remind myself of how good I feel after a workout.
3. Kick the devil off my shoulder and embrace the angel on my shoulder.
4. Stop binge watching Netflix!
If you are in the same boat let’s do this together. Feeling good mind and body is my goal.
21
Replies
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Exactly the same Boat! I lost 75 pounds from 2014 to 2016 bringing me to my doctors goal! Thought I was “cured”. A few extra calories and some treats “I deserved” and eased up on the exercise and low an behold two more years and I regained 50 + of the 75! Oh dear! Currently I am back in control and am at 202 — originally I was 230 before I lost 75. So onward and upward! I just joined the Biggest Loser Challenge since I already on track as extra incentive. I also am really zeroing in on saturated fats and sugar as I am trying to get my LDL down without statins! I definitely want to feel better in mind and body!
Thanks for your post — nice to see I am not alone!5 -
Yes, that voice in your head can be so convincing! Maintenance is a job that is never done. I like your line of attack.5
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I am 68 and have decided I need a lifestyle change and not a diet.,...I started the Keto diet and I really like it....for me it makes sense.....I am not a fruit lover and love protein....the diet is moderate protein, limited carbs and a range of fat that suits how I cook and how I live.....we will see. I have done Weight Watchers, South Beach etc. and they work however, I never made a lifestyle change....I want to do this for the long run and remind myself I didn't get here overnight and won't release my excess weight in two weeks! So here we go....good luck and stay the course.3
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I am about to turn 60 and have lost and gained back a few times, but this is the most I have lost (~65 pounds) and the longest I have kept it off (5 months so far). It all comes down to one word - discipline. It helps that I set a range where the top is below my original goal, so I have a gap that gives me time to get things right. Also, I committed from the start to make goal at or above the top of my maintenance range. That is so that if I decide to increase the range, I have to lose weight to get to the middle of, not give myself permission to gain weight.3
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At 50, I have bottomed out at 147-153. This is right at “ideal weight” abs are visable and doc is happy. To keep this though, I still have to eat right around 1700/day, run 3x a week. I veer from that in the slightest and I’m back up in the high 150’s. As someone mentioned above, discipline is the key to maintaining
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51 here and lost 75 in over a year. I’ve been in maintenance since April 1. Lost about 5 lbs since I started maintenance. I wanted to lose some more when I went to maintenance but having a significant deficit to lose .5 to 1 lb a week was too hard, so now I just leave a few calories if I’m not hungry. I also have a nice meal on the weekend which balances it all out.
I still count calories and weigh every day. I am basically in “diet” mode all the time unless there is a special occasion or vacation. That’s the only way I can maintain this weight loss. I also want to be able to eat a decent amount of food, so I can’t be too thin and still enjoy life and maintain the weight. When you decide on your ideal weight make sure you can live with maintaining it. Your ideal weight is within a healthy BMI AND one you can actually maintain.8 -
yup - the mental game is probably the toughest part. I will be maintaining for a year come Oct 1. That was my first mental goal when I hit maintenance. Most likely will extend that. Maintaining is really just a smaller yo yo series and since most of us will never be truly able to just "eat when we are hungry" again it does take monitoring. But maintenance is nice because you don't have to be SO strict and you can give yourself a little more room sometimes. Just don't throw the baby out with the bathwater or go off the deep end.9
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I’m 63 and agree that, for me, maintaining is a mini yo-yo of dieting within a narrow range of about 4 pounds. What Imtrying to avoid is a 30# yo-yo!7
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You have done this before you can do it again.
50 here.
I've been maintaining for four years. I've overcome most of my old behaviors. It's a mental game to keep the weight off. For me, maintaining is just as much work as losing weight. It's a forever lifestyle of nutrition and exercise.
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Im 58 and lost 45 lbs, noticed i was creeping up again and so got back on mfp to keep control4
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I lost 85 lbs in 9 months, and am 4 months in maintenance within a 5-lb range. Just turned 60. The past week has been challenging, what with 7 visiting family members from out of state, and much food and wine being consumed (but I still only added 2.6 lbs, which I consider a win). It's a mental game - if your head isn't fully in it, you *will* have a tougher time staying on track.4
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I have a woo follower. Lol. Every single post. Funny. Not funny.16
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I'm currently 59, and have been at this for a smidge over 2 years. During the first year, I lost 40 pounds, and 10 pounds during the second. I'd like to lose at least another 10, maybe 20 pounds.
I keep logging with the idea that I have to at least maintain what I've lost so far. I'm having a harder time losing as my calorie allowance goes down, and as hard time trying to increase activity due to long commute, elderly parent needing care, and spouse who has had several major surgeries during this time.
As I mentioned, I'd like to lose 10-20 more pounds, but have a lot of ongoing upheaval that keeps me from retaining my focus. Til something gives, maintenance will be good enough.7 -
I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.17 -
I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.
Yep, nowine4me, same here. Need to shed 8 to be back at my loss goal. Up, down.....what do I do? Keto, low carb, count calories and forget about macros?? It's driving me cray cray. I need to figure out the best macros for me. Currently doing Keto, but hating it and I need to quit stressing over all this because my hair is falling out!
Stay strong!3 -
I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.
Yeah - no one tells you that year one in maintenance is a struggle. I think that losing was a walk in the park compared to maintenance. Love your perfect description of pure white knuckle ride from hell...
Congrats on your 2nd year and staying within a 10 # range. You would think that it would be easy to just "lose the weight and move on with your life" but you are right in that it just doesn't work out that way - esp as we get older. We have to keep changing up the game - different goals, different foods, different approaches etc. And it feels like we always have to keep a vigilant eye on our weight. sigh. 5 -
SummerSkier wrote: »I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.
Yeah - no one tells you that year one in maintenance is a struggle. I think that losing was a walk in the park compared to maintenance. Love your perfect description of pure white knuckle ride from hell... Congrats on your 2nd year and staying within a 10 # range. You would think that it would be easy to just "lose the weight and move on with your life" but you are right in that it just doesn't work out that way - esp as we get older. We have to keep changing up the game - different goals, different foods, different approaches etc. And it feels like we always have to keep a vigilant eye on our weight. sigh.
i feel like I'm on the right path with all that you stated above! Maintenance is not easy and i do believe we need to change it up as each year goes by especially if our lifestyle changes. I know I'm a number person, that scale RULES my day, urgg. Right now, I'm 8 pounds over and can't figure out why as I've been eating clean and green and exercising. I suppose the 3 mile walk 6 day/week is not helping the cause. I feel great tho (maybe that should be considered). I'm at 30 BMI and my Endo said not to stress over that with a drastic weight loss. I need to calm down...and lose the 8#---
Have a great day!3 -
So. I lost 70ish pounds in less than a year. I called maintenance after losing 50ish. Probably different than some, I continued losing for a while and ended up officially underweight. I struggled with the mental thing about gaining weight. I knew I should put on a couple of pounds but was scared I would keep gaining.
Fast forward three years. I have put on those couple of pounds, stopped logging, and kept my weight within a couple of pounds. I exercise every day - run most days, walk every day, and throw in some strength stuff 2-3 times/week.
Yep, gotta keep moving for the rest of my life if I want to stay slim. Can I eat a cheeseburger or pizza from time to time? You betcha! Veggies rule, lol.
Oh, I started this journey at age 56 and will turn 60 next month.
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So. I lost 70ish pounds in less than a year. I called maintenance after losing 50ish. Probably different than some, I continued losing for a while and ended up officially underweight. I struggled with the mental thing about gaining weight. I knew I should put on a couple of pounds but was scared I would keep gaining.
Fast forward three years. I have put on those couple of pounds, stopped logging, and kept my weight within a couple of pounds. I exercise every day - run most days, walk every day, and throw in some strength stuff 2-3 times/week.
Yep, gotta keep moving for the rest of my life if I want to stay slim. Can I eat a cheeseburger or pizza from time to time? You betcha! Veggies rule, lol.
Oh, I started this journey at age 56 and will turn 60 next month.
WTG mk2fit!! Such a great outlook, I'm right there with ya
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I'm in year 6 of maintenance, it takes working at to keep within 3 or 4lbs basically all the time. It is what it is, and for me, its worth keeping on it because there's no way I want to go back to being heavy again.8
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I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.
Yep, nowine4me, same here. Need to shed 8 to be back at my loss goal. Up, down.....what do I do? Keto, low carb, count calories and forget about macros?? It's driving me cray cray. I need to figure out the best macros for me. Currently doing Keto, but hating it and I need to quit stressing over all this because my hair is falling out!
Stay strong!
Hey @atkhorses I had trouble with falling hair on a super low cal, low carb diet. I quit the diet at that point but just wanted to reassure you that your hair will come back. I find my maintenance is easier if I keep my carbs a bit on the lower end but I lost with just a calorie deficit. I agree tho maintenance is not easy but it is necessary. I will never been that fat again!
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Age 57, lost 70 lbs 10 years ago determined not to reach age 50 in the "obese" category--and maintained for nearly 3 years. Then gained 40 back over about a 2 years, lost 30 and maintained 3 years, then gained 20 in less than 6 months. My goal now is to lose 25, but more importantly to really focus on the mental stuff.
I can peg my weight gain periods to three cycles of intensely stressful workplace and life events.
Stress eating is my kryptonite. It's all "you-deserve-this-treats" and "comfort beers" and "I'm too exhausted to work out" --when, in reality, I know that exercise is a great stress reliever and treating my body well is the best "treat" and "comfort" of all.
I am really focusing right now on the head game: I'm working on building the habits of regular meditation and breathing exercises to better cope with stress and improve my overall mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.
I recognize that how I act is directly tied to what I feel, and what I feel is a product of what I think, so when I feel like grabbing a "treat" or "comfort" food, I do a mental THINK-FEEL-ACT check-in to figure out what I'm thinking and what I'm feeling that has me acting that way. Then, I'm working on reframing what I THINK in a way that serves me (from "the CEO doesn't know what he's doing to our unit with these cuts!" to "the CEO has had to make some really tough decisions that I don't envy, and we'll adapt in time") , or just allow myself to FEEL the feelings I have rather than stuff them down with food.
And thanks to all ya'll-- knowing that I'm not unique in my struggle with my head is a comfort!11 -
Six years post-50 here, down 97 from my highest, 74 from December 2016. I had to change everything about the way I eat and I had to change my mind that it's not a diet and I need to adopt this as my permanent way of eating. I have one or two or three-day "off plan" days every so often, and I do weigh daily because that's what works for me, but it's my lifestyle now. If I want to live long and be healthy, I've got to remain changed.6
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cheryldumais wrote: »I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.
Yep, nowine4me, same here. Need to shed 8 to be back at my loss goal. Up, down.....what do I do? Keto, low carb, count calories and forget about macros?? It's driving me cray cray. I need to figure out the best macros for me. Currently doing Keto, but hating it and I need to quit stressing over all this because my hair is falling out!
Stay strong!
Hey @atkhorses I had trouble with falling hair on a super low cal, low carb diet. I quit the diet at that point but just wanted to reassure you that your hair will come back. I find my maintenance is easier if I keep my carbs a bit on the lower end but I lost with just a calorie deficit. I agree tho maintenance is not easy but it is necessary. I will never been that fat again!
Thanks CherylD! I need to drop 9 pounds then maintenance. However when o add more carbs I gain. This time I will watch calories as I add in more food. Pretty much don’t care to eat bread, cookies and cakes anymore. Crave fruits!! I hope hair will come back, I do feel it is the nutrition and hormones as I am 53. Nice to hear from youcheryldumais wrote: »I’m 53 and approaching my 2nd anniversary of maintenance after losing 85# (at one point it was 99#).
Year one was a pure white knuckle ride from hell. Year two I’ve been bouncing around up 10, down 10, but today I’m at exactly the same weight as January 1.
There’s a brutal honestly that sets in when your recognize your new reality. To stay lean, you have to work at it. That’s it.
I found it helpful to seek out other health and fitness goals. Mine was to go whole Food plant based (which is a whole new set of challenges) and to become an expert at Pilates (a work in progress).
It’s not easy (at least not for me), but it’s worth it.
Yep, nowine4me, same here. Need to shed 8 to be back at my loss goal. Up, down.....what do I do? Keto, low carb, count calories and forget about macros?? It's driving me cray cray. I need to figure out the best macros for me. Currently doing Keto, but hating it and I need to quit stressing over all this because my hair is falling out!
Stay strong!
Hey @atkhorses I had trouble with falling hair on a super low cal, low carb diet. I quit the diet at that point but just wanted to reassure you that your hair will come back. I find my maintenance is easier if I keep my carbs a bit on the lower end but I lost with just a calorie deficit. I agree tho maintenance is not easy but it is necessary. I will never been that fat again!
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I've maintained my goal weight (80 lbs lost) for 2 years and four months so far.
The only "lifestyle change" I made was in now getting the recommended amount of exercise.
I still eat all the things I used to love. I just eat them in moderate amounts.8 -
I'm 61 and have been maintaining 120-125 for a couple of years. I enjoy running and that is my main key to keeping my weight down. Training for long races gives me a lot of extra calories, so I'm not fighting my urges for an occasional beer or ice cream. I do have to watch out that those don't become daily indulgences, which sometimes happens. Obviously, my biggest issues come when I can't exercise as often - like when we go on long road trips. However, I'm also not usually as hungry then as when I'm training, and I really don't like fast food, so though I'll gain a few pounds, it's never all that much.1
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I lost half my weight from 250 to 215 or so by exercising in my mid 40s. I started tracking in my late fourties and lost the rest (down to 170 at my lowest). Agree with what others have said. Here I am, on a tracking site (I lost on another tracking site), maintaining. I'm currently at 192, but I've literally added 15 or more of muscle over five years. I do competitive rowing. I workout out, roughly, seven hours a week of hard training. I'm doing a training program that is similar (but not as many meters) as college rowers do, ready to turn 54 this year.
I've changed my "red line" weight a few times to keep up with the muscle development, but now it's 195 (not the same looking 195 at all as on the way down, completely different). If I get close to that, I start tracking again. I eat for nutrition now and have completely changed my relationship with food. I weigh myself daily and I'm always cognizant of what I eat. I'm also more plant based now and gluten free (originally for my wife's health but it turns out I had problems with gluten I didn't realized and might even be celiac). We don't eat any processed foods, which helps tremendously with keeping on track.
The common themes of those that keep weight off over a few years is the same regardless of age. Working out around an hour a day, weighing nearly daily, having a "red line" and going back to tracking/moving more at the first sign of gaining.5 -
I forgot above, my "ideal" weight is 188 currently. I feel great at 188 and I don't feel like I'm either big or small at that weight, so I'm around 4 pounds over that currently.1
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I'm 53 and just hit my goal weight after losing 60 pounds in 7 1/2 months. Now comes the hard part right? I'm so afraid of crashing and burning but I am just going to keep on keeping on with the tracking and walking! Being healthy after so many years feels way too good to go back to the way it was before.2
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You are wise to acknowledge that your struggle in mental rather than age-related. The mental struggle should be a bit less daunting for older women because we have the life experience of overcoming many challenging situations. We have "character" and determination!
I started weight loss at 59 and spent 2.5 years thinking about maintenance every single day. While losing 150, I thought about why I had failed to keep weight off before and what I would do differently this time around. I was determined not to go through this again. Now I've maintained for 2 years within a 10 lb range. I'm now peeling off that high end of 5-10 and plan to keep in under 5 going forward. The key is to go back into a deficit/portion control as soon as you hit the top end of your range. I'm not saying it's easy, but that it works. If it works, why not do it now rather than later!7
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