how to lose weight at age 44

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 54, I have lost 6 pounds over the last month on WW, 5’4” and from 170 to 164, my goal is 140. I do eat my smart points but usually not all of them and sometimes I use my weeklies but I have had about 2/3 of them left at the end of a week. I usually use most of my smart points for dinner with my family and I drink wine on the weekends.

I walk a good amount and do yoga. On my Apple Watch I burn 500-650 calories a day and close my exercise circle 5 of 7 days. I also focus on getting enough quality sleep and use my watch to track that as well.

The zero points foods really help to manage the hunger in the afternoons that has always been my weak point.

Same poster again. On the issue of aging and weight loss. My mother, who is 79, lost 27 pounds over the last year through modest dietary changes and small but consistent exercise changes. It was not so much a conscious weight loss goal for her but upping her exercise to ensure she remains mobile as she ages. The weight loss was a bonus, I do not think she wants to lose any more though. She found out the number of pounds at her annual check up.

[Anonymous]

OP, I relate to you so much. Right before I turned 30, I decided to get fit for the first time my life. Started exercising, eating right, dropped 40 lbs in about 4 months. Kept it off for about 7 years. Then the weight just started coming back for absolutely no reason. Also had all my thyroid etc checked. No issues. First jump was from about 145 to 153. Sat there for a year or two, then up to 155, now closer to 157-160 at 41. I work out religiously. Every day. Sometimes twice a day - cardio and weights. I became a vegetarian 5 years ago. I cook all my own meals, very rarely go out, don't eat processed food. Gave up sugar about a year ago. Weight keeps creeping up. I tried Whole 30 and did drop some weight, but found it esp. hard to maintain as a vegetarian. I'm just posting to say that the struggle is real and you are not alone.

[Anonymous]

For me, 48, only low carb and IF work. In the past Atkins alone worked, not anymore. So, for example, yesterday to today I dropped 1lb. Day before, I dropped another. I have done this in the past and can tell a pattern, and not just water weight. I also do yoga and slow cardio few times a week. That is the key for me, to add exercise, it makes it so much easier.
Yesterday I ate Wendy's pecan salad large(two dressings) and chunk of aged cheddar and a small bowl of blackberries(so not 100% Atkins). And I basically eat once a day, or within 4 hours per day. The issue is that when you stop, you gain it back within days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I relate to you so much. Right before I turned 30, I decided to get fit for the first time my life. Started exercising, eating right, dropped 40 lbs in about 4 months. Kept it off for about 7 years. Then the weight just started coming back for absolutely no reason. Also had all my thyroid etc checked. No issues. First jump was from about 145 to 153. Sat there for a year or two, then up to 155, now closer to 157-160 at 41. I work out religiously. Every day. Sometimes twice a day - cardio and weights. I became a vegetarian 5 years ago. I cook all my own meals, very rarely go out, don't eat processed food. Gave up sugar about a year ago. Weight keeps creeping up. I tried Whole 30 and did drop some weight, but found it esp. hard to maintain as a vegetarian. I'm just posting to say that the struggle is real and you are not alone.

It's the vegetarian thing. For some people it equal being overweight and hungry. I did it for a while and literary kept eating so healthy and adding weight. The problem for me is, portion control, I am never full without ton of protein, hence I need more carbs and veggies to fill full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are your blood sugars? If high, that may make it difficult IF will help on that but you may need a little more. Are you very sedentary during most of day

I am similar but exercise. Just to maintain my weight , I have to do IF 16-8 and 30 minutes rigorous exercise 6x a week (peloton / running) plus core/strength also med Active during day on top of that - ie make sure I walk, stand etc. it’s not that it’s a lot but I have tracker to remind me as have desk job. Walk during conference calls when I can.

To lose 1.5 lb a month - I have to do a lot more

It’s a pain sometimes but at least these things are all healthy

I should also note that I avoid processed food and do lower carb,but not the full out low carb - keto. Struggle is very real for some of us versus what I see my friends do. (47 , slow and steady weight loss of 12 pounds over 5 months )

[Anonymous]

I'm 43 and recommend WW. I started about 6 weeks ago and have lost 8 pounds after seeing my weight slowly go up over the last four years from 135 to 172! I'm still horrified typing that. During that time, I ran two marathons and worked out 5 times a week while eating what I thought was a pretty healthy diet. The truth is, I was snacking way more than I was admitting and taking extra bites of my kids' foods, having a regular handful of candy at the office, etc. It was all stuff that I thought was minor, but it added up big time over the years.

I eat all of my daily and weekly points on WW and frequently dip into my Fit Points as well, but I try to only spend my FPs on healthy foods when I'm actually hungry from exercise. I also only track FPs from my HIIT workouts and not from any other form of "activity." I burn 400-600 in a workout, but I can no longer eat that back if I want to lose weight. My only caveat with WW is that you still have to eat reasonable portions of zero point foods. I have no desire to eat more than 2 eggs in a day or a single chicken breast of piece of salmon at a time, but I know that can be an issue for some people. I also don't stuff myself with fruit, though I don't limit either. Those aren't my trigger foods.

Good luck. I know this thread is starting to sound like it's sponsored by WW, but in my age group, lots of us are doing it and having success for the first time in years.

[Anonymous]

I e list 25 in 2 yrs on WW. Slow and steady and Able to maintain. It's actually fun with the app. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

You’re eating more than you think. Weigh your food in a scale and log in weight. Keep THAT to 1400 calories and you’ll likely lose. You think you’re at 1200-1500 but most people underestimate by 40%.

[Anonymous]

42 year old and have struggled with my weight all my life. Clean keto or low carb is the only thing that works for me. I also work out daily. I’ve lost 40 lbs since September and am the smallest I’ve been since my 20s.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don't believe you. I don't believe your report of calories consumed.

Better to do this - track your calories, honestly. You don't have to keep it up perfectly forever. Do 4 days, allow some spurges on the 5th day. Repeat. Expect results in a month, much progress will take many months. Commit to it for a year.

Your IF is good. Continue.

[Anonymous]

I'm 47 and track calories and exercise for the first time in my life. Maybe track carefully for a couple weeks without getting too hung up on your calories. Through tracking, I was able to see that on days that I surpass my protein and fat targets (I also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables), I eat fewer calories without feeling deprived. I'm hungrier when I eat more carbs and I tend to binge on dairy foods (love cheese!). I think your path to losing weight is really personalized, so it's good to try some different approaches without beating yourself up about it if you try something and it doesn't work for you. For example, many people say never eat after dinner, but I just can't do it. It makes me miserable and sets me up to fail, so I just make sure that I have calories set aside for night snacks.

[Anonymous]

What was your tsh? Low end of normal on the quest or labcorp numbers is actually off in the eyes of endocrinologist

[Anonymous]

Make sure you are not iodine deficient. That can affect hormones. Big issue with everyone shifting to sea salt.

Make sure your gut bacteria is getting good stuff like kefir or kombucha.

Start taking b complex with c, vitamin D, and E.

Try those three things and see if it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What was your tsh? Low end of normal on the quest or labcorp numbers is actually off in the eyes of endocrinologist

With regard to gaining weight, I think you mean high end for TSH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re eating more than you think. Weigh your food in a scale and log in weight. Keep THAT to 1400 calories and you’ll likely lose. You think you’re at 1200-1500 but most people underestimate by 40%.

+1

Unless you have a major health issue, which most people do not, the reason you can't lose weigh is because you are not accurately tracking, weighting and measuring EVERYTHING you consume, 7 days/week, 365 days year. I have found that most people are not nearly as consistent with their diets as they thing they are being. People tend to eat well for a few days, eat more on the weekends, not count the extra glass of wine or bites of their kids food. For years I "ate healthy" and couldn't lose with weight even when I ate "low calorie", I was baffled and blamed it on everything from my thyroid (I do have hashimoto's but it's in check with meds) to just having a slow metabolism. Truth was I wasn't really being as accurate or consistent as I thought. I would do well for a week, not see the scale more and give up. Once i started to more accurately track calorie, stay consistent with tracking, and weighing myself daily (seeing fluctuations, plotting to see the overall downward trend over TIME and by time I mean a month or more not a week of healthy eating) lo and behold, I lots the weight. I didn't give up any food groups, I didn't do anything crazy, I just accurately tracked. And when I do this I CAN lose weigh eating "more" calories than I thought I was eating before. More in quotes because I am not really eating "more" it just looks that way on paper because my previous "1200 calories/day" was really a lot more than that vs my current 1500-1700 of accurately tracked calories.