Women over 40- Let's lose 20 pounds!

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Replies

  • mummiecakes
    mummiecakes Posts: 28 Member
    @mizalmond Thank you! Will have to look into this...I've had one for about 6 years and have definitely struggled with a slow, but steady gain over that time (most of the weight I am currently working to lose). I've been thinking about being done with it recently anyway...maybe once we are a little more back to 'normal' this will give me the push to go ahead and get it done!
  • mkern500
    mkern500 Posts: 8 Member
    Hi! I finally got serious about my nutrition and fitness. I've managed to lose about 25 lbs and looking to conquer another 10-20. Always looking for more FitnessPal friends to help keep me motivated so feel free to send me a friend request :)
  • 16bg
    16bg Posts: 1 Member
    This is so good to find! I’m 43 (nearly 44) carrying extra baby weight-well, that’s an excuse! The baby is now five years old😹 got around 20 pounds to lose but lockdown, inactivity and too much to eat/drink has meant my weight has crept up and up! Am hoping to start tomo sticking to 1300 cals 6/7 days with one day of eating/drinking a bit more freely, good luck girls with your journey! 🙌
  • Mountainlove
    Mountainlove Posts: 23 Member
    edited June 2020
    I'm with @mummiecakes - I haven't posted lately, but have been logging. It's great to see so many new faces! You got this!

    During our stay-at-home phase of Covid-19, I started running outside again. We have a treadmill that I've used since my kids were little, but running outside and the treadmill are just not the same. I had totally forgotten how much better I feel after a run! I've kept it up and started logging again.

    I turned 46 last week and I'm 5'7".

    Here are my stats:
    Starting: 158lb. (sometime in February or March)
    Current 149.4lb (our scale is really wonky. You can step on it within 10 min, and it fluctuates ...sometimes 3 lbs!). I try not to freak out and usually it continues to be a downward trend).
    Goal 135-140lb
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    Well, in the last few weeks, I managed to drop to a post-lockdown low weight, but then within a few days bounced right back up. I know in my head that it's hormone-related water retention and I just have to wait it out....but it's not very nice looking at the scale!!

    Other than that, I am trying to get back into some kind of exercise routine...not very successfully. My small studio gym was working so well for me, but folded over lockdown. The owner has offered me weekly private sessions for the remainder of my membership period, so that's going well, but I need to fit more in the other 6 days of the week! Still figuring it out really.

    But in good news, I had a big flare-up of migraines over the last few months and saw the doctor last week for a review of medications. Some adjustments, and so far it seems promising. It will take a while to know for sure, as mine definitely have links to my menstrual cycle so it's hard to tell just yet. But getting that sorted will definitely help me be able to deal with other things - like meal planning and regular exercise.
  • wendyron3
    wendyron3 Posts: 91 Member
    Hi to all! I haven’t posted since work started back up. During quarantine I was able to exercise on most days, since being back to work that is more challenging. I am working 3 12-14 hr days, on those days I haven’t even tried to workout. On off days I am doubling up. It’s been 5 weeks so far and I’m down about 4-5 lbs. my diet is staying the same except for eating dinner late. Any ideas on how to best work around this new lifestyle?
  • RaeWats
    RaeWats Posts: 57 Member
    I started this journey about 5 years ago due to a health related wake-up call. Then around 2 years ago, some work related stress, mixed with stuff at home, got me all out of whack, and the emotional eating ramped up BIG time!
    I’ve committed to getting myself at least back to where I was before - 175lb, if not less by May of 2021. My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and I would love to be in my best shape!

    8a6gjw0778ay.jpeg

    Current stats: Just turned 41, 198 lbs
    Goal weight: 165-175 by May 2021

    Currently tracking like a fiend, reducing junk, upping water, trying to hit 10k steps daily and working out minimum of 30mins 3x week (cardio and strength training).

    Married, work full-time, mom to 2 teenagers, son is Type 1 Diabetic

  • m1ss1onH1llZ
    m1ss1onH1llZ Posts: 7 Member
    This is my first post on MFP ever, so I hope I’m doing this right!
    I’m going to hit post and if it works I will post more.
  • m1ss1onH1llZ
    m1ss1onH1llZ Posts: 7 Member
    Hey, it worked!
    I’m 41, 5’ 8”, been unhappy about my weight for years. Since my second kid was born in 2013, the scale only went up and up, till I was scared to look at it. But I know it was 157 in June 2019 when I went to the doctor for a routine checkup.
    I lost some weight at start of 2020 from work stress and giving up having white wine every night (still was drinking, but subbed in vodka and basil water.)
    I started IF in May 2020, right after Mother’s Day. I was at 149 then.
    Started doing OMAD at the start of June.
    Today I was 138.
    I’m pushing for just five more pounds! That will bring me back to where I was before DD2.
    SW 149 - 5/12
    CW 138 - 6/16
    GW 133 - ???
  • ivariggs
    ivariggs Posts: 5 Member
    Hi, can I join you all? I am 40, trying to lose about 20lbs. I have been "trying" for a long time, haha! Finally I am resorting to counting calories again since it has worked in the past (when I was younger :p ) for me. I also have been Intermittent Fasting (for months) biking every day, and doing a few other random workouts. I weigh 143 right now and 125 would be lovely. I'm 5ft2, mom of 3.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    Hey ladies! Hope everyone is doing ok.
    AF is finally almost gone and with it, the bloat I gain from it.
    Was 182 this morning. Yay. It's not down a whole lot, but it's still down a little :)
    I've also been exercising somewhat consistently. It's not much, but right now I'm just trying to get my butt up to do something instead of making lame excuses not to.
    Also been doing a lot of deep breathing the last couple of days and thankfully it's been helping A LOT with my stress.
    Do plan on having some adult beverages this weekend, so weight will go up a little, but it should come back off quick.
  • planktonbye
    planktonbye Posts: 58 Member
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    Do plan on having some adult beverages this weekend, so weight will go up a little, but it should come back off quick.

    And what is life without adult beverages?! We actually have a dangerous delivery service here in Boston that will bring beer to your house even in non-pandemic times.

  • BittersweetVita
    BittersweetVita Posts: 745 Member
    Hello new members! Some of you have posted some really awesome weight loss already! It has taken me a while to accept that everyone's journey is different. I see that some people post mini-goals of how much weight they want to lose in 2 weeks/a month/etc.. My body has been a mystery to me for several years due to health conditions, so my mini-goals have been to be consistent with calories and walking, increasing my water intake, and commit to 3 months solid. I am happy to say that I have been meeting those goals! Within my current 66 day "streak", I have lost 8 pounds. So, I have on average lost less than a pound a week. In the past, I would have quit and given up on my body. I had a re-start of MFP back in January and gave up after two months of not seeing the scale move as I had expected it to do. While I wish I had a little more weight loss to show, I learned more about my BMR and TDE, I can now walk four miles in an hour and four minutes, and I am drinking half my weight in water daily. So, if anyone 40-something is feeling like I was in January, please, just give your mind and your body some more time! I also found this report (if I can learn how to attach it) on MFP that has helped push me forward when the scale keeps reading the same number day in and day out. I know the loss will come eventually if I just staying the course. Happy journeys!0pakj2z1xbck.png
  • m1ss1onH1llZ
    m1ss1onH1llZ Posts: 7 Member
    edited June 2020
    Keep on going strong, @BittersweetVita! I think it’s great you can walk that far in an hour, it takes me nearly two hours to walk just five miles! I definitely need to increase my water intake, that’s great you are staying so well hydrated. walking is now the only exercise I do since I’m too worried about the virus to go back to gym or yoga. Maybe in July I’ll add some sit-ups in, also. Good luck with your journey!

    SW 149 - 5/12
    138 - 6/16
    135.9 - 6/18
    GW 133 - ???
  • RaeWats
    RaeWats Posts: 57 Member

    Any repeat losers here? Meaning I got to my goal weight before (3 years ago), and now I’m trying to get back there again.
    Is it harder the second (or third) time around?

    I’ve added strength training to my workouts a whole lot sooner than I did the first time. Could this be a reason for the scale not moving very much?

    I didn’t take measurements before I started, but I’m feeling like I’m loosing inches (ok maybe centimetres) in my trouble areas, but scale has only went down 3 pounds in the month.

    I was in my mid/late 30s last time as well. Could it honestly be age playing a role?
  • mummiecakes
    mummiecakes Posts: 28 Member
    @IDARae I have been up and down over the years. I managed to lose a little more weight after each of my three kids, but my youngest is now 13 and my weight has crept up over the past several years. I lost 20lbs about 3 years ago, but have gained 10 of it back.

    I also do a lot of strength training as I want to fight bone loss and to manage back issues...I also like feeling strong :) I find it is very slow, but if your measurements are changing that counts too! Maybe even more than the number on the scale which may misrepresent the progress you are making.

    Trading in muscle for fat is a good thing! The things I have been reading recently say that to lose fat without losing muscle you have to go slow and have a mild calorie defecit (300-400 calories).

    I've also read mixed things regarding age, some saying it makes little difference re: metabolism and others saying it is significant. I feel like it's harder than it used to be, but there are so many possible culprits...age, muscle mass/loss, cortisol...I try to remember that if I did it before, I can do it again...even if it is slower now!
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    IDARae wrote: »
    Any repeat losers here? Meaning I got to my goal weight before (3 years ago), and now I’m trying to get back there again.
    Is it harder the second (or third) time around?

    I’ve added strength training to my workouts a whole lot sooner than I did the first time. Could this be a reason for the scale not moving very much?

    I didn’t take measurements before I started, but I’m feeling like I’m loosing inches (ok maybe centimetres) in my trouble areas, but scale has only went down 3 pounds in the month.

    I was in my mid/late 30s last time as well. Could it honestly be age playing a role?


    It's definitely slower for me. Part of that might be age, but most is just life stage & circumstances.

    When I first lost a significant amount of weight, I was single and child-free. I worked a busy job, but my evenings and weekends were free to do whatever I wanted, and even getting to and from work allowed a bit of incidental exercise.
    Now I have 2 kids that need to be taken to various activities, I work & also volunteer for various things. And we have been doing various renovation projects that have sucked up our weekends for a while now. I have little time for exercise compared to what I used to (and now my gym has shut down permanently, so back to the drawing board there...).

    And diet-wise, I am conscious that I want to set my kids up for a healthy relationship with food, so I don't want to have special or tiny meals, or make a big fuss about weight at all.

    So, it's slower progress this time, but the small changes do add up.

    If you are losing inches, and a bit of weight, then to me you are on the right track - just hang in there.
  • ivariggs
    ivariggs Posts: 5 Member
    IDARae wrote: »
    Any repeat losers here? Meaning I got to my goal weight before (3 years ago), and now I’m trying to get back there again.
    Is it harder the second (or third) time around?

    I’ve added strength training to my workouts a whole lot sooner than I did the first time. Could this be a reason for the scale not moving very much?

    I didn’t take measurements before I started, but I’m feeling like I’m loosing inches (ok maybe centimetres) in my trouble areas, but scale has only went down 3 pounds in the month.

    I was in my mid/late 30s last time as well. Could it honestly be age playing a role?

    Yes, I first lost 40 lbs (to land on my ideal weight) when I was in my late 20s. Then in my 30s I had three kids. Each time I gained 40 or 50+! But each time I have been back to within 10 lbs of ideal, in about a year. But each time needed more effort.

    Now I am 40 and feel like I'm putting in a lot of effort but it's very hard to get under "20 lbs over" where I really want to be.

    I am looking for support here. :)