Diet in your 60's.
junedave3
Posts: 36 Member
Do you think it gets harder to lose weight as you get in your 60's.
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Replies
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No.
I do think most people in their 60s have gotten into a lifestyle that doesn't include enough exercise, so that's something easily remedied.
I lost 80ish pounds in my mid fifties. That was more than ten years ago now. I still have to watch what I eat, I mean I'm not 25 and working a physically demanding job and then dancing the night away. Not riding my bike everywhere I go. Basically just living a more quiet and less active life. So I have to work at getting exercise.14 -
I’m not quite 60 and find it harder than it used to be, in some ways, to lose weight. My tolerance for things seems to be lower. I can’t tolerate noise as well as I used to be able to, temperature extremes etc., including hunger. I’m less healthy than I once was and it affects a variety of things. I can’t tolerate keto for instance. (It could be argued that I’m not doing it right, but I doubt I did it right back in the Atkins days either, but had no trouble). I can’t push exercise like I once could. I get injured too easily, and I don’t see the quick improvement in my fitness level that I used to see. I found those fast results very motivating.
The good news is that, for me, the ability to track calories so easily, and all the helpful science-backed tips (like focusing on fibre and protein), balances out those problems. Yes, it takes longer than it used to, but now I see that it SHOULD take longer.6 -
I'm in my mid 50s, so not quite 60 yet. Losing weight is no harder now than it was when I successfully did it 10 years ago. The reduction in our metabolism as we age is exaggerated. A 25 year old me would burn only 150 calories per day more with a sedentary lifestyle than I do at 54.
In my opinion, the biggest difference in our total calorie balance as we age is activity level and muscle -- which actually go hand in hand.
If you are still able bodied then you should be able to increase your activity level slowly and safely over time. Increasing your activity level will give you either a higher budget to eat or increase the rate at which you lose -- you'll get to decide.5 -
No. I lost 50+ pounds in just under a year at age 59-60, and have lost a few vanity pounds in the past year (intentionally very slowly) at 64-65.
The average person has habits that decrease daily life movement as s/he gets older, and loses muscle mass if s/he does nothing to keep/improve it. That creates a negative spiral: Less active, less fit, lower calorie needs, increased weight . . . increases tendency to be less active still.
Any of those things are in our control. If we find a way to change them, we change.
At our age, we may have better skills at patient progress, and we know our own strengths and limitations well (we know how to work with them). Those insights can be helpful for health and fitness progress.
Age makes an easy excuse, in some cases. That's a choice, IMO, not a truth.
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Age is just an excuse, don’t let this define you. Be the best you can be.8
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No. I lost 1/2 of my body weight at age 60. It wasn’t any harder, or easier, than weight I lost at age 20 or 30. Like many other people, the difficulty for me, was keeping the weight off.7
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I would say that every age bracket has its own set of challenges. For example, the university student trying to lose weight is under stress during exam times, is away from home, peer pressure to drink (so many calories!), etc. The young parents who are juggling work, small children, finances, and are sleep deprived. The busy households with teenagers, scheduling proper mealtimes around their jobs and after school activities. Empty nesters who are getting re-acquainted with their spouse plus work pressure because by this time they may have more career responsibilities. Then there's retirement, with its change in routine and less disciplined days.
Of course I'm generalizing, but the point is that every age has its own battles. The great thing about being older is that often we have more time to devote to the process of losing weight. I have less outside noise in my life, less demands on my time. I think at any age we can find excuses for not buckling down and doing what needs to be done. But that's what they are: excuses.
I lost 90 pounds in my mid 50's. As a 61 year old sedentary woman I can only eat 1500 calories in maintenance. That's not alot, so I "move" a minimum of 60 minutes per day. I need it for my mental health as well as my physical health and couldn't imagine a day without it. And I have to be vigilant about my calories or the scale creeps up.
Bottom line: Its no harder in your 60's. Just different challenges.12 -
Dieting shouldn't be harder. What a lot of older people deal with is less physical activity due to a myriad of things. Could be joint pain, disinterest in exercise, driving everywhere, etc.
Your metabolic rate does slow down but mostly it's due to inactivity of the muscle.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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In my 20's, I fretted over 5 or 10 pounds which easily came off every spring without even trying, as I amped up my outdoor activities. In my 60's, I have to be more diligent and track the calories in and out, but it still happens, slowly. I am sure my metabolism is not what it was at 20, or at 40 when my thyroid went kaput but the Math doesn't change because we got older or our metabolism slowed.2
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No.
Willpower and determination aren't related to age.
61 now, retired, doing more exercise than ever and eating more than I have since my teens to maintain in my goal weight range.
Biggest challenge in getting started (in my 50's) was letting illogical excuses go and just getting on with taking responsibility for how much I ate. Once you decide to get it done actually doing it wasn't that difficult.12 -
i think it depends on your general overall health. i lost a lot of weight a few years ago and gained it back when i got depressed and started junking out. I decided to go back to the menu that lost me that weight and so i will lose it again and THIS time i'll get a thicker skin when it comes to the problem that got me depressed then.7
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Thankyou to everyone who replied to my question .its helped me a lot so much so that i will be starting jogging tomorrow.3
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I just turned 70 and had no problem losing 40#s in my 60's and continuing to main that wtloss now.
The key to wt loss is cal control (CI<CO) wc is the same requirement regardless of your age.
While exercise will increase CO, the main reason to exercise is for fitness NOT to increase the cals expended.5 -
I posted this on another thread, but think it's relevant here:
https://www.trainwithjoanofficial.com/0 -
I just turned 70 and had no problem losing 40#s in my 60's and continuing to main that wtloss now.
The key to wt loss is cal control (CI<CO) wc is the same requirement regardless of your age.
While exercise will increase CO, the main reason to exercise is for fitness NOT to increase the cals expended.
@sgt1372 I disagree that these are absolutes. A calorie burned is equal to one not eaten. The key to weight loss is the balance between CI and CO. A person can decide to balance it either way.
For me personally, I find it MUCH easier to live a normal life and lose weight with exercise. If I were relegated to a sedentary budget to lose weight I would be miserable. As a highly active 54 year old, I can eat close to 2000 calories per week and lose 1.5 lbs per week. If I were sedentary I would have to eat 1252 calories per day to lose 1.5 lbs per week. The CO part of my equation is the most important part.
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I am 62. I have been overweight or obese all of my adult life. I have dieted literally hundreds of times. About 10 or 11 years ago I lost quite a bit of weight and that brought me into the overweight category. I kept it off for a few years but I slowly put 40 pounds back on. I have been making life style changes since last spring and have lost 31 pounds. I would like to lose at least 22 more. I am finding it easier to lose weight this time than I ever have. I think it is because I have no time line. I am not "on a diet." I exercise regularly and I eat healthy most of the time. I never cheat because there is nothing off limits. I try to stay around 1250-1400 calories and I rarely exceed that. If I do go over I don't panic, I don't feel like a failure and give-up. Those are behaviors from my past and obviously they didn't work for me. I am doing this for my health, it will take as long as it takes.11
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I will be 70 in July....after decades of being overweight, I have lost over 100 lbs in the last 20 months.....it can be done!17
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kshama2001 wrote: »
Beat me to it. If you haven’t jogged before, start by walking, and build both distance and speed.
Hurling yourself into it is a recipe for injury and fast burnout, as @kshama2001 so wisely points out.5 -
Thankyou to everyone who replied to my question .its helped me a lot so much so that i will be starting jogging tomorrow.
Keep in mind what you do in the kitchen is a far bigger driver for weight loss, which is a huge part of why age isn't a barrier to weight loss.
I'd suggest that keeping exercise as being for health/fitness/enjoyment. Plus as we age keeping our everyday capabilities as long as we possibly can. One of my over-arching goals is to have as many good years as possible.
I do agree with @FitAgainBy55 that boosting your overal calorie allowance with exercise makes sustaining a calorie deficit easier. I'd feel very restricted taking 500cals off my sedentary allowance but it's far easier to take the same number off my very active and high exercise volume allowance.3 -
Yes! It has been much harder at 64 than when I was younger. Our metabolisms naturally slow down. Women who go through menopause lose hormones and tend to squire belly fat that we have never had before. And just the fact that our bodies are older makes it harder to do some exercises. All these are contributors.3
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No. It’s hard at every age. I lost more weight age 59-61 (150 lbs) than any previous time in my life. I have kept most of off for several years since. In our 60s we have the life experience to commit to reasonable goals and perhaps more discipline to stick with it. We know how to pick ourselves up after stumbling and keep moving towards our goals. Even if it “is” harder to lose weight, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. As pointed out above, every age has its challenges. Just set your goals and have a plan to work on them. 💕6
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yes i am a jogger. and i do enjoy it thanks everyone .2
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@lorrpb that profile pic says everything!2
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Thanks for the motivation! I'm in my mid 50's and have gained 5 pounds since early Jan. I'm ready to start tracking everything again and maybe that will open my eyes to how many calories I'm really consuming. I also know that I need to increase my activity and work on muscle mass.5
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I think it's become harder and slower with each decade.2
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I started at 63 years old. 12 months later I had lost 89 lbs. 4 1/2 months after that, present day, I am stuck 2 lbs. away from my 100 lb. goal.
Basic CICO. 1000-1200 daily. Walking is the only exercise I do.
I consider myself in maintenance now and walk and eat about 1350 cal. Log food everyday.3 -
For me it’s not harder but definitely requires more intention. When I was younger I was getting a lot of Non-exercise energy expenditure- just from lifestyle. I was always moving- in weekends never sedentary. Hanging with friends might be at a basketball court or park or beach- moving. Now it’s sitting around a table and talking.
Now I have to do planned things - gym/running/cycling etc to expend calories4
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