Anyone 50+ actually succeed in losing weight in your 50s?

[Anonymous]

It certainly gets tougher after 50 but it's very doable. First, set a realistic target. Shoot for a pound a week and simply reduce your calories especially processed food such as snacks. Working out doesn't burn a ton of calories (sad but true!) but it can help add some muscle tone. Years ago I could cut back my calories and lose 5-8 pounds in two weeks. It doesn't happen now. If you target 20 pounds assume it will take at least 20 weeks and require a modest diet modification. Extreme diets don't work. Think of the hare and the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the day. It takes discipline but not a major sacrifice. Once you get some momentum going you will feel really good about yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eat less but don't deprive yourself. Minimize carbs but don't cut them out completely. Exercise with particular emphasis on weights to maintain muscle tone.

The big one is to avoid eating out because restaurant food is really a killer when it comes to diets what with fried food, too much salt and excessive portions.

We eat out as a family every Saturday night and the trick to portion control is when your food arrives immediately divide it into halves or thirds and just eat that portion. Take the leftovers home for the next few meals.

[Anonymous]

I'm 54, 5'4", and have lost 8 lbs in 3 months. I really should lose 8 more, but the scale seems stuck at 138.
I'm going to exercise class three times a week and running 1-2 times a week. I've really cut back on what I eat, but I still like a glass of wine with meals. The weight on my stomach just won't go away!
Any ideas for me? I'm getting discouraged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 54, 5'4", and have lost 8 lbs in 3 months. I really should lose 8 more, but the scale seems stuck at 138.
I'm going to exercise class three times a week and running 1-2 times a week. I've really cut back on what I eat, but I still like a glass of wine with meals. The weight on my stomach just won't go away!
Any ideas for me? I'm getting discouraged.

Try ditching the wine for water for a few weeks. See if that makes a difference. I know for me, alcohol makes me gain weight fast!

[Anonymous]

PP, have you gone through menopause -- if so, have your migranes decreased? Does food/diet cause migranes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 53 and I've lost 38 lbs. since January of this year. I have another 20 lbs. to get to my goal weight. I've started exercising, I've cut back on what I eat and when I eat it (my few carbs are the in the morning vs. late in the day), and I got prescription medication to help me control my appetite.

And there it is......sigh....

PP here, would you prefer that I lie and say that I did it all myself with my superior willpower? I was ravenous, and my food choices were making me even more ravenous, and between stress and menopause, I'd gained 60 lbs. I own my decision.

[Anonymous]

I'm 5'5" and I weigh 162 lbs. Ugh. I weighed 128 until I had kids, and by kid #4 I hit 145. I thought that was horrible, but then I hit menopause and gained 15 lbs!! Just after I hit menopause, I also hurt my foot and can't walk the 3 miles I used to every day or two.

I've always eaten a healthy diet, but I used to eat sugar every day on top of my lean protein, organic fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds. I've cut out the sugar and most grains, yet still I'm stuck at 162.

I hear about how exercise can't help you lose weight, yet I can't believe that stopping my exercising didn't contribute to my gaining 15 pounds post menopause.

Don't have the energy to do extreme cardio now. I need an exercise that won't exacerbate my foot injury. Someone suggested rowing, but I'm thinking that's just too hard! Walking was perfect for me, but I can't walk more than a mile now, and after that I'm in pain. I guess I'm stuck with this fat? Blech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 53 and I've lost 38 lbs. since January of this year. I have another 20 lbs. to get to my goal weight. I've started exercising, I've cut back on what I eat and when I eat it (my few carbs are the in the morning vs. late in the day), and I got prescription medication to help me control my appetite.

And there it is......sigh....

PP here, would you prefer that I lie and say that I did it all myself with my superior willpower? I was ravenous, and my food choices were making me even more ravenous, and between stress and menopause, I'd gained 60 lbs. I own my decision.

My concern about this is: What happens when you go off the medication? Won't your appetite come roaring back, and then you'll gain back all that weight!

I heard recently that the best way to lose weight is to drop about 1 pound a month. That way your body gradually gets used to the new weight and won't try to put it back on later. The body has a way of holding onto our weight for some scientific reason I don't remember exactly. So by losing weight very slowly, you trick your body into keeping the weight off.

A lot of the PPs above are bragging about losing XX pounds in the last three months or so. That's nice, but what I want to see is someone who's kept the weight off for a few years. Not many are able to do that. I have not figured it out yet either. But I'm trying to eat healthy, mostly paleo, and exercise as much as I can. I hope this works. Excess weight is a health issue when you are over 50, so I have to lose it somehow but most important keep it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It certainly gets tougher after 50 but it's very doable. First, set a realistic target. Shoot for a pound a week and simply reduce your calories especially processed food such as snacks. Working out doesn't burn a ton of calories (sad but true!) but it can help add some muscle tone. Years ago I could cut back my calories and lose 5-8 pounds in two weeks. It doesn't happen now. If you target 20 pounds assume it will take at least 20 weeks and require a modest diet modification. Extreme diets don't work. Think of the hare and the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the day. It takes discipline but not a major sacrifice. Once you get some momentum going you will feel really good about yourself.

I eat 1500-1800 calories a day and walk 3-5 miles a day (any further and my knees swell up and my plantar fasciitis kicks in). If I eat fewer than 1500 calories I start getting low blood sugar and migraines. Please tell me how I can lose 1 pound a week merely by reducing the number of calories I consume. I am GF, added sugar free, almost completely decaffeinated, almost alcohol free (average 3-4 glasses of wine a month) local/sustainable fruits and veggies and treat meat as a side dish a few times a week. I drink 80 oz filtered water, one cup of decaf coffee in the am and 1 cup of green tea in the pm. According to my doctor, my thyroid is fine. I have been doing this to maintain weight. My BMI is considered to be in the obese range. I am 52.

In my 30s, I was able to lose 1.5 pounds a month on this program (well I only walked three miles a day then, but I had a 2 and 4 year old too). I have never ever been able to lose as much as a pound a week. That is crazy talk in my world.

[Anonymous]

Anyone still unsure about how to lose weigbt, please watch YouTube videos by dr jason fung.

Successful weight loss methods vary, but he outlines a very helpful platform pretty well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It certainly gets tougher after 50 but it's very doable. First, set a realistic target. Shoot for a pound a week and simply reduce your calories especially processed food such as snacks. Working out doesn't burn a ton of calories (sad but true!) but it can help add some muscle tone. Years ago I could cut back my calories and lose 5-8 pounds in two weeks. It doesn't happen now. If you target 20 pounds assume it will take at least 20 weeks and require a modest diet modification. Extreme diets don't work. Think of the hare and the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the day. It takes discipline but not a major sacrifice. Once you get some momentum going you will feel really good about yourself.

Agree. I am 51 and I have lost 5 pounds over the past month, 15 more to go. I exercise four or five times a week to keep the metabolism up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 54, 5'4", and have lost 8 lbs in 3 months. I really should lose 8 more, but the scale seems stuck at 138.
I'm going to exercise class three times a week and running 1-2 times a week. I've really cut back on what I eat, but I still like a glass of wine with meals. The weight on my stomach just won't go away!
Any ideas for me? I'm getting discouraged.

Lift heavy and cut out the alcohol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 5'5" and I weigh 162 lbs. Ugh. I weighed 128 until I had kids, and by kid #4 I hit 145. I thought that was horrible, but then I hit menopause and gained 15 lbs!! Just after I hit menopause, I also hurt my foot and can't walk the 3 miles I used to every day or two.

I've always eaten a healthy diet, but I used to eat sugar every day on top of my lean protein, organic fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds. I've cut out the sugar and most grains, yet still I'm stuck at 162.

I hear about how exercise can't help you lose weight, yet I can't believe that stopping my exercising didn't contribute to my gaining 15 pounds post menopause.

Don't have the energy to do extreme cardio now. I need an exercise that won't exacerbate my foot injury. Someone suggested rowing, but I'm thinking that's just too hard! Walking was perfect for me, but I can't walk more than a mile now, and after that I'm in pain. I guess I'm stuck with this fat? Blech.

Lift heavy weight if you can but take up swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It certainly gets tougher after 50 but it's very doable. First, set a realistic target. Shoot for a pound a week and simply reduce your calories especially processed food such as snacks. Working out doesn't burn a ton of calories (sad but true!) but it can help add some muscle tone. Years ago I could cut back my calories and lose 5-8 pounds in two weeks. It doesn't happen now. If you target 20 pounds assume it will take at least 20 weeks and require a modest diet modification. Extreme diets don't work. Think of the hare and the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the day. It takes discipline but not a major sacrifice. Once you get some momentum going you will feel really good about yourself.

I eat 1500-1800 calories a day and walk 3-5 miles a day (any further and my knees swell up and my plantar fasciitis kicks in). If I eat fewer than 1500 calories I start getting low blood sugar and migraines. Please tell me how I can lose 1 pound a week merely by reducing the number of calories I consume. I am GF, added sugar free, almost completely decaffeinated, almost alcohol free (average 3-4 glasses of wine a month) local/sustainable fruits and veggies and treat meat as a side dish a few times a week. I drink 80 oz filtered water, one cup of decaf coffee in the am and 1 cup of green tea in the pm. According to my doctor, my thyroid is fine. I have been doing this to maintain weight. My BMI is considered to be in the obese range. I am 52.

In my 30s, I was able to lose 1.5 pounds a month on this program (well I only walked three miles a day then, but I had a 2 and 4 year old too). I have never ever been able to lose as much as a pound a week. That is crazy talk in my world.

Can you eat 1500 calories a day, versus 1500-1800, and add heavy weight lifting twice a week? If you increase your muscle mass, you will burn fat better.

[Anonymous]

More fat, fewer carbs, more coffee, high intensity interval training (20 minutes is plenty).