is it possible after 40 ???

I was 40 last November. I started at 220lb at the end of February and have lost 27lb so far. I'm now starting to add daily cardio and alternate days weight training in a bid to ensure things get nice and tight as the rest of the flab goes! I'm finding more results now I'm committed than I ever did in my 20s and 30s. I'll never look like a fitness model, I've had 6 children, but I hope to be fairly flat in the right places!

I am 44, and have been on again/off again exercising and watching my foods for the past two years. For the past 8 months I have been consistent, and I'm down from a size 12 to a 6, fat is coming off everywhere, and I would say I'm probably in better shape now than I was in my 30s.

It's definitely been a process, some trial and error, lots of combing through topics here and reading a few books to educate myself on the best ways to get healthy and stay that way. If you're like me, the mid-section, hips & thighs are where you carry your fat, and it has been the slowest to shrink on me. I did notice a couple months ago that my back fat has disappeared! Legs are looking better, the belly is shrinking, but it is definitely the slowest to shrink. Adding strength training to my workouts definitely made a difference.

What is your weight loss set to here at MFP (1lb a week, or 1/2lb, etc), and what is your calorie intake set to? Do you eat back your exercise calories? A lot of what I have learned is that most of us aren't eating enough. Your diary isn't public, so I can't view it, but seems a lot of us are set at 1200 when we first sign up. It works for awhile, but for the average woman, especially with exercise, 1200 isn't enough. The body needs fuel to get through the workouts and just daily routine, and if it doesn't get enough, it tries to conserve, metabolism slows, and you don't burn fat. Feed the body properly, and metabolism increases, efficiently burning the fuel you give it, and not storing fat.

There's a group here on the boards that covers this, check it out: Eat More To Weigh Less - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Life begins at 40 remember :flowerforyou:

I'm almost 42 and it is possible, just not easy as it was when I was younger. You can do this!

I am 50 next month and have lost 23lbs since NewYear. 4 years ago over a period of 18 months I lost 44 lbs although put 32 back on :sad: So yes it is just as possible after the age of 40 and their is no real evidence, that loosing weight is any harder as we age. What evidence suggests is we become more sedentary. I haven't had to change what I eat, just the amount. I was shocked when I started weighing my portions, I must have been eating as if I was a large man doing manual work, instead of a small female office worker!

I am 50 next month and have lost 23lbs since NewYear. 4 years ago over a period of 18 months I lost 44 lbs although put 32 back on :sad: So yes it is just as possible after the age of 40 and their is no real evidence, that loosing weight is any harder as we age. What evidence suggests is we become more sedentary. I haven't had to change what I eat, just the amount. I was shocked when I started weighing my portions, I must have been eating as if I was a large man doing manual work, instead of a small female office worker!

The metabolism slows as we age, which makes it harder, although it's true that people do become more sedentary because of lack of opportunity or injury. They also fail to alter their eating habits, as you said. The approach of menopause brings hormonal changes that cause differences like the redistribution of fat, increased distribution of fat, and muscle atrophies without exercise.

I'm 47.

I am 47 and I started exercising last June. I do weight lifting and cardio, one or the other each day of the week. It has been a long hard journey but I am seeing great results now. I am still not to where I want to be but I am getting there. I suggest maybe working out more often and/or switch up your workout routine. Do something different.

I'm 56 and down 9 lbs in 70 days. It works. Make sure you eat enough calories, exercise, and the pounds come off.

You definitely aren't wasting your time Exercising helps keep our heart in shape, helps blood circulation, releases dopamine which is a feel good chemical in the brain, it fights off resistance to infections and colds, it helps the circulatory system, we breath better so it helps our lungs, it raises our self esteem, it fights off depression and anxiety, you reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes, you reduce the risk of having high blood pressure. After the age of 40 your body can no longer develop new muscle, but you CAN tone the muscle you do have. There is no such thing as spot reducing, your body chooses to take the weight off where it wants to take the weight off. So doing a million sit ups won't solve the problem. If you have children, the area in your lower stomach usually isn't fat, it's usually skin. What you can do, for example, do muscle toning work outs. The first day do 5 sets of 12 reps, but on the second day you want to do, 3 sets of a much higher intensity reps. Keep building up the numbers because your body will begin to think that it needs to demand more from the muscles. Lean muscle mass burns fat. The first 20 minutes of a work out you're burning carbs, after 20 minutes you start burning fats. Also, if you exercise in the AM, you get 14 to 15 hours of fat burn through out the day. I hope this helps you! Keep it up, it really is worth it to exercise every day!!