What's a good weight loss program/regimen for over 50?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| I'm a 55 year old man with no serious health issues but I really need to lose weight--20 pounds at least. I feel sluggish and uncomfortable. Any suggestions for things that have worked for you? |
Anonymous
|
Tracking what I eat. My dr recommended Lose it App, but there are many others out there. You don't need premium. Free option suffices to stay withing calorie daily limit and observe your nutritional intake. I have lost 20 lbs in 6 months without dieting.
Watching carb intake. Exercising daily. My husband jogs with the dog. I take classes at the rec center and at SWOW because I enjoy group exercise classes and music. Get a fitbit. Start small and you will get into the new habits. GL |
Anonymous
|
I am 53. I have a Fitbit. I walk an average of 15-18k steps a day. 10k at an aerobic pace (HR:>120), 4 days it is 60 minutes on a treadmill at 3.2mph and 6% average incline and on the weekend it is for 4-6 mile hikes. The rest include leisurly paced dogs walks and 10-20 flights of stairs a day. I bike on a stationary bicycle 30 minutes 4 times a week(I go as fast as I can which iturns about to be just over 10k in 30 minutes at level 4).
I eat 1600-1800 calories day. If I eat less, I get migraines and the shakes. No added sweeteners, almost gluten free, broccoli/cauliflower/kale every day, mostly caffeine free, mostly alcohol free. Steel cut oatmeal for breakfast every day. Lean locally sourced meats. I drink about 80-100oz of liquid. Tea, decaf coffee, mostly water, ginger tea. No sodas. I am almost 200lbs and am 5'7'. I recently lost some weight (40lbs) but it has plateaued over the past three months. Weight gain was due to my negligence over a number of years when I put other things above me on my priority list. However, I only lost weight when I started on metformin. I have insulin resistance. So at this point I do what I do to maintain. My suggestions is to just start eating less and better and move more. Figure out what you like to do for exercise and make time for it. Put it at the top of your priority list. We are all different. I know people who eat more than me and do half of what I do and are as skinny as they come. We get the body we get and need to make the best of it. |
Anonymous
| In addition to the other suggestions, try to get enough sleep. I find that when I am stressed and/or tired, I tend to snack on junk, and those calories really add up. |
Anonymous
| If you drink alcohol, cut back. I didn't think I drank all that much, but I gave up my nightly glass of wine most week nights and also made my limit 2 drinks when we go out about 1 x per weekend and I lost 12 pounds over 6 months (so translation, I have 2-4 drinks per week now vs daily glass of wine. I feel much better too. Also, cut carbs and eat protein first when you eat your meals and you will fill up faster. Good luck - it is hard once you hit 50 but these two small things really worked for me. |
Anonymous
| Cut out alcohol during the week, and snacks and desserts all the time. Avoid processed foods. Eat plenty of fruit and veggies. This is all very basic but you can easily lose a pound or two a week without a ton of effort. It takes a ton of exercise to lose weight but it is very good for overall fitness. Stay away from anything that is extreme as you will not be able to sustain it. Tracking the calories of everything you eat takes a lot of work. Simply cut out or reduce bad stuff will do the trick. |
Anonymous
|
Anonymous
| Eat less. Exercise more. |
Anonymous
| Lift heavy weights |
Anonymous
You know it is not this simple, right? |
Anonymous
I'm not the pp but I agree it is not this simple but if you have any discipline it's not brutally difficult unless you set ridiculous goals such as 3-5 pounds a week. Setting a goal of one to no more than two pounds a week is very achievable especially if your SO does the same thing. |
Anonymous
|
Hi OP,
You might like weight watchers online. The app is pretty good, and can tie into a fitbit. I like the smartpoints approach. Basically you get a budget of points for the week. You can "spend" them on what you want. Going out with friends? fine, splurge. Everyday breakfast? Maybe don't splurge on that krispy kreme donut. It kind of retrains you to eat more whole foods, more protein, less refined junk. THere are a lot of men on WW-- there's a social media component to the app so you can see what other people are eating, going through, how they are doing. One more thing -- fitbits are great. Get on the app and start to track your steps from week to week. Link up with friends or co-workers for a weekly challenge-- you'd be amazed how much you start to up your steps so you can win. Then you feel better overall, which helps you stop self-medicating with food and booze. Good luck! 20 lbs is totally doable, especially for men. I would just try to lose 1-2 lbs a week-- which won't shock your body or metabolism too much. You gained it slowly, so lose it slowly too. |
Anonymous
| Fitbits, weight watchers, competitions, tracking calories etc mask the fundamental approach of eating less and eating smart as some of the other pps have noted. Ultimately, losing weight and keeping it off is about self discipline, not gimmicks. Over time people get tired of gimmicks and revert to their normal behavior. Eat less and eat smart can become normal behavior but it does take work. |
Anonymous
| Something you can stick with. Give up all sugar and white bread (or all bread products). But don't limit food. |
taketothebank
Member Offline
Member Offline
|
Spend the money and get a good dietitian and training instructor.
You need a program that is built for you. I love to box and was able to find a trainer that knew how to blend boxing into a overall program focused on getting me in much better shape. I can now run a sub 8:00 min mile (good for a 54 year old man) and can do 50 push up anytime anywhere (where six months ago I was out of breath looking for the remote). At 6' 1" and 210 (about 12% body fat) I am focused on dropping below 200 by the end of the year. The best part is the right team of professionals can help you find ways to move that you enjoy and that can help you. |