Losing weight after 50, HELP!

I’m 74 and lost 1 stone since 1st Feb…. 7lb to get to my goal. I do on average of 10.000 steps a day. If weather amiable then try walk outside if not I have started the indoor walking . I do it in 15 min bursts . I’m also on 1200 calls a day eating protein a try stick to less carbs . I’m in average eating 1000-1100 cals a day , drinking 50 oz water and feeling very full. It’s tricky keeping to the protein/carb/fibre ‘allowance’ and go over most days by a few grams but it’s going and I’m pleased with it. Maybe fat is turning to muscle ? Depending on what exercise ? This happened to me when I joined a gym few years back so left that behind.Best of luck , it will happen 😀

csadams6aolcom2016 wrote: »

I’m 74 and lost 1 stone since 1st Feb…. 7lb to get to my goal. I do on average of 10.000 steps a day. If weather amiable then try walk outside if not I have started the indoor walking . I do it in 15 min bursts . I’m also on 1200 calls a day eating protein a try stick to less carbs . I’m in average eating 1000-1100 cals a day , drinking 50 oz water and feeling very full. It’s tricky keeping to the protein/carb/fibre ‘allowance’ and go over most days by a few grams but it’s going and I’m pleased with it. Maybe fat is turning to muscle ? Depending on what exercise ? This happened to me when I joined a gym few years back so left that behind.Best of luck , it will happen 😀

Muscle mass is slow to add. Under the best of circumstances, a pound of muscle mass gain per month would be a very good result for a woman, maybe 2 pounds for a man. "Best circumstances" include relative youth, a good progressive strength program faithfully performed, good nutrition (especially protein), favorable genetics, and a calorie surplus (i.e., weight gain).

It's not necessarily that no one can gain muscle mass in a calorie deficit (or without those other helpful aspects), but it would certainly be slower.

So, sadly, the OP hasn't gained enough muscle mass in two weeks to mask any reasonable rate of fat loss on the scale. I wish it were faster! (Strength gain can be very fast at first, from better recruiting and using existing muscle fibers: That's very worthwhile. There can even be a bit more muscle definition from the water retained in muscles for repair.)

BTW, the protein, fiber and carbs don't need to be exactly exact every day. Pretty close, on average over a few days, is just fine. Health, fitness, and weight management aren't magic spells in which every syllable needs to be accurate in order to reach our goals. Close on average is enough, and over on protein or fiber can even be beneficial for health/fitness. (Calories are the direct determinant of fat gain/loss.)

Best wishes!

2 weeks isn’t enough time to review how x amount of calories is affecting your weight so give it a few more and adjust weekly calorie amount as needed.

I am 55 and lost 23lbs in 40 days doing Dr Joe's turnup

Losing weight after 50 can be challenging, but it's not impossible. Focus on balanced meals, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and managing stress. Consulting a healthcare professional or nutritionist can provide personalized guidance and support.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/profile/Lclawson2015 I’m also on the high protein plan- also around 130 g. Seems to work for me.

I think we get caught up with the age as the reason. For me, I think the reason I've gained weight is because my lifestyle changed. When I was younger, I was more active daily without thinking about it. Now when I hang out with friends, it's over lunch or dinner maybe with some drinks. When I was 30 or 40, I would have been more likely to go for a walk with friends with the stroller or to a park or walk around a mall. Now I have to be more intentional about walking. No way I'm as naturally active as I was. Back then I was just active and then I might also intentionally exercise.

I ma 52 y.o. an I have lost 15.7kg over last 3 months - almost twice that much in the last 11 months. The calories deficit is one thing but it is important what are you getting those calories from - what your macro composition is. There are verious calculations depending on your activity level - some base ratio would be 0.8g of protein per pound of lean body mass, not more than 40% of calories from fat and rest from complex carbs. Additionally, no buzz, sugar and eliminate processed food. If you maintain about 700-800 calories deficit per day there is no possible way that your weight wouldn't drop. How can you create calories deficit? You can cut what you eat but there is another way - steady state low intensity cardio exercise - zone two of the heart rate. You need this in the morning - preferable before your breakfast - an hour of that 5 times per week would do a magic. Don't go any higher than zone two.

derekmiz wrote: »

I ma 52 y.o. an I have lost 15.7kg over last 3 months - almost twice that much in the last 11 months. The calories deficit is one thing but it is important what are you getting those calories from - what your macro composition is. There are verious calculations depending on your activity level - some base ratio would be 0.8g of protein per pound of lean body mass, not more than 40% of calories from fat and rest from complex carbs. Additionally, no buzz, sugar and eliminate processed food. If you maintain about 700-800 calories deficit per day there is no possible way that your weight wouldn't drop. How can you create calories deficit? You can cut what you eat but there is another way - steady state low intensity cardio exercise - zone two of the heart rate. You need this in the morning - preferable before your breakfast - an hour of that 5 times per week would do a magic. Don't go any higher than zone two.

Overall this is good advice IMO, but I disagree about the exercise. Zone 2 and below is good for beginners, absolutely, and has less fatigue penalty than more intense exercise for pretty much everyone (but not zero fatigue penalty, especially for beginners). Fatigue can bleed calorie burn out of the non-exercise side of life, and most people can only do a limited amount of higher-zone work without over-fatiguing.

Timing of the exercise isn't going to make a material difference, though. Making the exercise convenient and practical (so a person does it rather than skipping it often) is much more important than the timing.

There's no documented significant benefit from exercising fasted (i.e., before breakfast). Fasted exercise makes me miserable, and I underperform, so I never do it. I lost weight fine anyway.

An hour a day of zone 2 is probably too much (too fatiguing) for beginners, but it's a good thing to work up to. (However, it is more than the mainstream minimum recommended for basic good health - twice as much.) People who are more conditioned/experienced can mix in some higher zone work in reasonable doses, of course keeping an eye on recovery and fatigue management.

Anyone relying on exercise to lose weight still needs to control calorie intake somehow. I was training hard 6 days most weeks for a dozen years, even competing as an athlete (not always unsuccessfully), and stayed overweight/obese. We see people here thinking just adding exercise to their routine (not controlling eating) should result in weight loss. It ain't necessarily so.

An hour of zone 2 might be worth 300 calories or so (depending on the person's size). That's about the equivalent of 2 tablespoons (32g-ish) of peanut butter on one slice of hearty bread. It's easy to eat that much extra without noticing, when not calorie counting or otherwise controlling the eating side. (That's especially true if the calories come from things less filling and more calorie dense than PB and bread.)

Exercise is good for a person, and potentially useful in a weight management situation, but I wouldn't call it "magic", personally.

I'm skeptical of "no more than 40% of calories from fat", too. I eat less than that, but some of the low carb/keto folks probably eat more than that, and do fine.