Women over 40- Let's lose 20 pounds!

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Replies

  • avtlove
    avtlove Posts: 82 Member
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    Anyone else just absolutely frustrated at slow (if any) weight loss?
    Lost 60lbs, gained back 30 and now... my weight has been STUCK.
    I am trying to reduce stress, but not seeing my efforts (dieting and exercising) result in ANY changes on the scale or measurements is frustrating as hell.
  • planktonbye
    planktonbye Posts: 58 Member
    edited June 2020
    avtlove wrote: »
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.

    MFP "assigns" me 1610, but I am 209 lbs., so if you weigh less, it'll be less. I am 42. When I was counting calories at 170 lbs., I believe my allowance was more like 1200.

    Doing my best not to "eat back" exercise calories, because in fact I get very little exercise (I am a pathology resident).

  • mom123abc
    mom123abc Posts: 5 Member
    Hi all! I’m 43, have 3 elementary aged children, and work in education. I was at my heaviest about 2.5 years ago, and started using MFP. I lost 20 lbs between April and Nov of that year, but struggled to keep it off while working - I was getting up at 3:30 or 4:00 am to work out, but that kind of schedule was not sustainable for me. Shortly after losing the weight I took a new job (which is incredibly sedentary) and began continuous year round grad classes, which should be done this winter. I gained back 25 lbs, and am back at MFP.

    MFP has given me 1620/day, but I consistently eat my exercise calories. I feel like my progress is so much slower this time. I feel like once I turned 40 my metabolism turned off and my hair turned gray. I feel like I look 60. 😩 UGH I can’t wait to start seeing progress.
  • m1ss1onH1llZ
    m1ss1onH1llZ Posts: 7 Member
    avtlove wrote: »
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.

    I’m 41, trying to lose five more pounds and then maintain at around 135. I’m 5’ 8” and eating a snack and a meal and a small dessert in a short window in the evening (5pm to 8pm). Mfp estimates this intake at 1200 to 1500 calories. I average 8500-12000 steps a day and do no other exercise. How about you?
  • mizalmond
    mizalmond Posts: 22 Member
    avtlove wrote: »
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.

    I see a lot of people go all the way down to 1200, but I don't feel like that's setting me up for long term success (note: this is just me and my opinion). I'm keeping myself under 1600, but the weight loss is a lot slower that way. Still, my fitbit says I'm burning around 2600 calories a day, so that's a 1000 cal deficit - more than enough to get this weight loss party started. I'm 5'8" and 182.2 right now, trying to get down to 160-165.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,155 Member
    I started with a personal trainer last week. I am 5'4 and 180 pounds. He says if I want to lose 2 pounds a week, I should consume 1500 calories. If I want to lose 1 pound a week, then 1800 calories. I haven't lost any weight lately and I know it's the extra 300 calories a day due to snacking. If I could cut out the snacking (Doritoes) I know my weight would go down. Also,I drink coffee with Hazelnut creamer (sugar free) but it still feels decadent. Maybe I'll switch to half hazelnut creamer and skim milk in my coffee.
  • RubyRed427
    RubyRed427 Posts: 4,155 Member
    LiLee2018 wrote: »
    Anyone else just absolutely frustrated at slow (if any) weight loss?
    Lost 60lbs, gained back 30 and now... my weight has been STUCK.
    I am trying to reduce stress, but not seeing my efforts (dieting and exercising) result in ANY changes on the scale or measurements is frustrating as hell.


    I lost 30 pounds three years ago and gained back 20. It is frustrating. And I'm mad that I let myself gain when it takes so much effort to lose weight. I feel your frustration.
  • mom123abc
    mom123abc Posts: 5 Member
    mizalmond wrote: »
    avtlove wrote: »
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.

    I see a lot of people go all the way down to 1200, but I don't feel like that's setting me up for long term success (note: this is just me and my opinion). I'm keeping myself under 1600, but the weight loss is a lot slower that way. Still, my fitbit says I'm burning around 2600 calories a day, so that's a 1000 cal deficit - more than enough to get this weight loss party started. I'm 5'8" and 182.2 right now, trying to get down to 160-165.

    Mizalmond...our stats and goal are nearly identical! I’ve been working at it for a few weeks now and haven’t seen progress yet, but I’m hopeful! 🤞
  • mizalmond
    mizalmond Posts: 22 Member
    mom123abc wrote: »
    mizalmond wrote: »

    Mizalmond...our stats and goal are nearly identical! I’ve been working at it for a few weeks now and haven’t seen progress yet, but I’m hopeful! 🤞

    I just started to see it working, after about 6 weeks. Keep it up, you've got this!!
  • planktonbye
    planktonbye Posts: 58 Member
    RubyRed427 wrote: »
    Also,I drink coffee with Hazelnut creamer (sugar free) but it still feels decadent. Maybe I'll switch to half hazelnut creamer and skim milk in my coffee.

    It's been a while since I compared their stats, but maybe take a look at evaporated skim milk (in the can--I believe all evaporated milk is skim). Better than regular skim in coffee for sure.
  • skotch
    skotch Posts: 1 Member
    This may be the group for me. I've been on-again/off-again with tracking calories over the years. I've fluctuated from my goal weight (around 145), up 20 pounds. I have hypothyroidism, PCOS/Insulin resistance, adrenal fatigue, etc. I'm pretty active, and do my Peloton or go for walks/jogs, etc. Over the years I've done WW, tracked my calories on MFP, HcG, dabbled with keto, done some IF, etc. Ultimately, I believe my best bet is sticking to low carb and managing calories. My biggest downfall/derailer is wine... I love red wine! I also love chips and salsa, but as long as I'm managing my wine intake, I can usually control that.

    I just can't seem to stay consistent and I am looking for people like me. Here are my stats:

    CW: 162
    GW: 145

    I believe my caloric goal is around 1500-1600 calories per day depending on my activity level. I say this because I know that my basal metabolic rate is 1420 (meaning this is how many calories my body needs just to function as if I were completely sedentary). I'm told it is NOT safe to go below your BMR for sustained weight loss.

    I look forward to sharing accountability!
  • mummiecakes
    mummiecakes Posts: 28 Member
    avtlove wrote: »
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.

    So, this is a question I have been struggling with lately. MFP gives me 1200 cals per day (and always has) when I put my goals and stats in. Recently I was looking at Macros Inc. and tried their calculator which gave me a target of 1610 cals and about 135 grams of protein. This was considered a “painful” deficit. I can’t remember the last time that I regularly ate that much without being on vacation. So, I have adjusted my MFP calorie goal to 1350 to see if a little less stress on my system actually makes a difference. It makes me very nervous though. And I find it so hard to get all that protein!

    Open to ideas and/or thoughts on this. I did read in one article that it is not recommended to consume less than 10X your body weight in calories. Not sure about that either.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    WOO BOY. I've decided to try Chloe Ting workouts. I picked the wrong one to start with. I decided to try the core 2 week challenge and... that was a mistake! rofl. I can't do planks. Or well.. proper planks that puts pressure on your wrists so will have to do an easier version. It's only my 2nd day and I can already feel certain body parts becoming sore.
    But hey... 2 weeks. I can stick with it for 2 weeks!
    Has anyone else tried her workouts before?
  • msapplek
    msapplek Posts: 95 Member
    avtlove wrote: »
    How many calories a day are women over 40 (I'm 45yo) eating? I'm lightly active, I have a sendentary computer job but I walk 3-4 miles three-four times per week.

    So, this is a question I have been struggling with lately. MFP gives me 1200 cals per day (and always has) when I put my goals and stats in. Recently I was looking at Macros Inc. and tried their calculator which gave me a target of 1610 cals and about 135 grams of protein. This was considered a “painful” deficit. I can’t remember the last time that I regularly ate that much without being on vacation. So, I have adjusted my MFP calorie goal to 1350 to see if a little less stress on my system actually makes a difference. It makes me very nervous though. And I find it so hard to get all that protein!

    Open to ideas and/or thoughts on this. I did read in one article that it is not recommended to consume less than 10X your body weight in calories. Not sure about that either.

    @mummiecakes and @avtlove - I'm brand new to calorie tracking and MFP, and I am also getting confused about what calories per day I should be following!

    MFP gave me 1270 calories for 1 lb/week weight loss, but I've looked at 3 other calculators and the range of cals/day that I got for my age/height/weight for weight loss was 1748 to 1800 calories per day. One calculator listed 1300 as the daily calorie allotment for extreme weight loss.

    I've read here that MFP doesn't account for exercise, so you can eat back the calories after exercising. But members on the forums seem to be divided on whether to eat back all or some of those calories. Today's exercise increased my daily calorie allowance to about 1600cal., which is still below what the other calorie calculators were indicating I should eat.

    Also, how do people eat all their protein grams? I'm a meat eater, so I don't have restrictions, but I still have a limit as to how much animal protein I want to eat daily, and other plant-based proteins still don't get me close to the protein macro goals.

    My head is spinning! I find myself more obsessed with food than before! Looking for any MFP veterans to weigh in!
  • planktonbye
    planktonbye Posts: 58 Member
    skotch wrote: »
    I also love chips and salsa, but as long as I'm managing my wine intake, I can usually control that.

    Have you tried just eating the salsa, you know, with a spoon? That's what I do, but after all, I am from San Antonio. :D
  • planktonbye
    planktonbye Posts: 58 Member
    edited July 2020
    msapplek wrote: »
    MFP gave me 1270 calories for 1 lb/week weight loss, but I've looked at 3 other calculators and the range of cals/day that I got for my age/height/weight for weight loss was 1748 to 1800 calories per day. One calculator listed 1300 as the daily calorie allotment for extreme weight loss.

    I hate to send you to yet another calculator, but I would try the USDA at https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/. That should be as authoritative as it gets. Gives you protein, vitamins, all that. Then subtract 500 calories from that for one pound a week lost, 1000 calories for two pounds a week lost. (The magic number is 3500 calories per pound of body weight.)

    To give you an idea, I weigh 207 lbs. and my MFP goal for a pound a week is 1610. Two pounds is 1200. Back in the day when I was thinner, one pound a week was more like 1200. The heavier you are, the more calories it takes to run the machine.

    I am not an exercise physiologist, so I say it with extreme caution, but I believe that the regular person out taking a walk or a moderate-speed bike ride should not "eat back" exercise calories if they want to see results. BUT if you're training hard, swimming for an hour a day, or Lord knows what hard exercise I haven't even dreamt of, then yes, you will need to eat something extra to fuel yourself.