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For those of you over 40 please tell us your best tricks for losing weight and keeping it off.
Don't say basic stuff that we all know such as "I eat more sensibly and exercise every day". Please be more specific about the changes you've made, which supplements you added that you think helped with your weight loss [or general well-being]. What did you change specifically in regard your food intake and/or exercise routine?
Losing weight in your 20s is a piece of [chocolate] cake but once you hit your 40s it's game over, or game on, depending on your point of view. Gaining the weight is so easy but losing it is so much harder.
Thanks for all input!
P.s. - I'll get the ball rolling-
Two years ago I gave up all soda pop, even the diet stuff, and then eventually fizzy water-based ones. As a result, I lost 15 pounds. That's 15 pounds of permanent weight loss. When I do indulge in drinking pop once in a blue moon, my body's bloated, gassy response reminds me why giving it up was a very good idea.
Its the same no matter what age you are. There are no special secrets or methods that work better for a 40+ year old person than a 20 year old person.
Just like you gave up soda, you should give up other things that may be in your diet that prohibits weight loss like - sugars, refined sugars, breads, etc.
Knowledge is key when it comes to losing weight, keeping it off, increasing fitness levels, and just being healthier. Pick up a few books on NUTRITION (not diet books) and immerse yourself in it, then apply it to real life. Don't go to the market hungry. Eat minimal fruits. Try not to eat anything that is processed foods. Do cardio first thing in the morning. Do resistance training in afternoon or evening. Sign up for some type of fitness class that is OUTSIDE of your regular gym and gym membership and do that at least twice per week - like at a yoga studio, pilates studio, martial arts studio.
I don't agree that you should feel you have to "give up" anything, unless you have a diagnosed medical illness that requires such extreme restrictions.
I DO believe that reduction requires reduction. If you want to lose weight, and you're eating a few different things every day that have starch in them, reduce it to just one or two. Or make each portion smaller. For instance - instead of tuna on a hoagie roll, try the same amount of tuna, in one sandwich-sized slice of bread folded over. Instead of a big plate of french fries, try a single baked potato. Instead of an entree-sized portion of macaroni and meatballs, have the same amount of meatballs, but in a cereal bowl of macaroni instead of a dinner-plate. Those are just examples - you can still eat these things, just eat less of them.
And then, add more fiber-rich vegetables. Any veggies that taste good raw should be part of your daily diet.
Instead of cutting out sugar, restrict the source of the sugar. So - maybe no ice cream, but you could have real actual sugar in your coffee. No cake, but a few berries with a dollop of real whipped cream can be a fresh, delicious dessert treat. See, you're getting sugar. Just not as much. This way, the berries become the thing you remember - and the whipped cream is more of a condiment. With cake, the whole thing is the "thing"
Try to avoid pre-mixed or pre-packaged goods. So, none of that pre-sweetened single-serving oatmeal packages that you just add water and nuke. That stuff is loaded with sugar and has a lot of sodium in it as well, and very little nutritional value. But you can still have oatmeal - even "quick-oats" is better than the single serving stuff. Put 1/3 cup in a bowl, add 2/3 cup of water, nuke for 60 seconds. Stir, nuke until the oatmeal starts looking like it's about to erupt like a volcano. Take out, add a splash of milk, a tablespoon of brown sugar, a handful of raisins, and a dash of cinnamon powder. It is SO much tastier than the instant crap, and SO much more nutritious.
I don't agree that you should feel you have to "give up" anything, unless you have a diagnosed medical illness that requires such extreme restrictions.
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I disagree with this. IF someone is fat/obese I believe they DO need to give up things. Just like if someone is diagnosed with lung cancer, they should give up smoking, not just "cut back a bit". Or if someone is diagnosed with liver disease, they should stop consuming alcohol, not just "limit their drinking to only a cocktail or two per day". If a person is fat, they need to give up eating the foods that are horrible to them like cake, sugars, soda, ice cream, deserts, etc. If they feel "deprived" then they should look into visiting a mental health provider because they are looney in the head.
Knowledge is always key, then application of that knowledge is where success will be achieved.
Here's my experience. I'm 47 and it's nothing like being 30 or younger. Losing weight and keeping it off has been a now 5 month journey.
I started off on a blended drink binge (80% veggies and 20% fruit) and went practically vegan and went from about 235 to 220 then I was dizzy and added eggs back to my diet. Then I got down to about 207 and was stuck there.
Then I saw a nutritionist who talked me out of being vegan to eating good healthy meat/protein at every meal, a salad as the main course, and a bit of either legumes or healthy grain or nuts seeds berries etc, and don't shy away from a bit of healthy fat.
After I started that, I lost a pound a day for 12 days straight and got down to 195. I hit a huge plateau with that but have been down to 190.2 the other morning.
My goal is 180. I eat a salad 2 or 3 times a day, I still blend daily, I drink about 100 oz of water per day, no soda no coffee no booze, I prefer grass fed beef free range poultry wild caught cold water fish. When I eat bread I stick with whole grain and am trying to learn how much grain I can eat without affecting weight loss.
My problem with breads is that I go overboard too easy. I know I can afford two slices of pizza once in a while but my brain says to eat the whole pie. So I don't eat pizza for now.
Exercise, I do it but sparingly. I have more energy and hopefully get more benefit from the normal activity we get in our daily routine. As I get motivated, I'd like to hit the treadmill and the weights and the mountain bike regularly, but I just ain't there yet. I may bust it to reach my goal of 180, but I won't become a gym rat to do and maintain it. I got other stuff to do and I do enjoy my couch time every so often.
I disagree with this. IF someone is fat/obese I believe they DO need to give up things. Just like if someone is diagnosed with lung cancer, they should give up smoking, not just "cut back a bit". Or if someone is diagnosed with liver disease, they should stop consuming alcohol, not just "limit their drinking to only a cocktail or two per day". If a person is fat, they need to give up eating the foods that are horrible to them like cake, sugars, soda, ice cream, deserts, etc. If they feel "deprived" then they should look into visiting a mental health provider because they are looney in the head.
Knowledge is always key, then application of that knowledge is where success will be achieved.
I completely agree with you KG - it was only after I gave up sugar, oils & butter and junk food that I truly lost the weight I wanted to and kept it off - 80 lbs loss - 2 years - now size 2/4, 5'9 - 128 lbs. I weighed 208 - wore a tight size 16. I am now able to exercise vigorously nearly every day and that helps me to stay motivated in keeping the weight off.
Eliminating the foods that historically caused me to gain or regain the weight is the only thing that has been completely successful for me with regards to losing weight and keep it off. I have never felt better.
To the OP - stop eating so much meat/fat/cholesterol and you will begin to lose the weight you need to. You don't need meat at every meal....I would also find a new doctor - one who knows something about nutrition.
I think all of the suggestions posted so far are good. I will not dispute them. However, for many of us over 40 these "rules" seem daunting and even unachievable.
So let suggest what has worked for me - even if they sound like "baby steps" and rather lame:
1. Eat off smaller plates and drink out of smaller glasses. (Smaller portions!!! Smaller portions!!!)
2. Eat out less, and much more at home.
3. No more patronizing fast food places like Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc.
4. No "Buffet" places! Never ever again!
5. Avoid all sodas - even "Diet" sodas.
6. Increase exercise. I joined a gym. If you won't join a gym at least be prepared to walk more than mile or two a day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
I'd listen to Cattknap--she's walking the walk and is successful in weight control and good health.
I pretty much do as she does...little meat, some poultry, some fish, lots of salads, beans, stir frys, veggie soups with lentils and barley, mostly eliminated sugar and white, processed carbs.
I use whole grains, some unusual ones such as quinoa, teff, and brown rice at times.
Rarely eat bread, though I love it.
With age comes slower metabolism, so we have to change our lifestyle and switch to nutrient-rich foods, eliminate the crappy foods high in chemicals and calories, drink lots of good water--and get our body's moving...walking is a great start--as is dancing around the house until you're sweaty and breathless...just close the curtains so you don't scare the neighbors.
Since I hate to diet and be hungry, eating as I do is the cure for creeping weight gain and not being hungry. Salads and other high fiber foods add bulk and stave off hunger.
Yoda says, "It's eating smarter we must do" if we want to grow in wisdom--instead of body size.
I lost 40 pounds at the age of 46. I focused on eating whole, fresh foods. I did not eliminate any food group. I watched my portions and I exercised a lot. Every time I went to the gym I would push myself a little harder.
The weight cam off slower than it did when I was getting rid of post pregnancy weight in my 30's. But that was to be expected. I am 52, a size 2/4. I eat pretty much the same as I always have. I enjoy wine just about every night. I go out to eat at least 4 times a month (never, ever at a chain or fast food place). I still push myself at the gym every time I go, 3 to 4 times a week. I walk my dog, go for hikes and stay generally active.
Stay away from fad diets, or diets that eliminate food groups.
Eat a variety of whole, fresh foods.
Drink plenty of water.
Watch portion size.
Exercise as much as you can fit into your life and make the most out of it.
Stay away from fad diets, or diets that eliminate food groups.
I disagree. White processed sugar and fructose corn syrup and transfat and white processed flour are junk and exist in most of the garbage you find in grocery stores these days.
You gotta look for healthy food these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luckyd609
A much harder thing to do is to live your life full of restrictions.
It's much easier when you're getting positive results from it. It takes a while, but after eating salads regularly, fresh vegetables start to taste better. Couple that with feeling all around better and there's your motivation.
Last edited by McGowdog; 06-01-2014 at 02:01 PM..
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but once you hit your 40s it's game over, or game on, depending on your point of view. 
Gaining the weight is so easy but losing it is so much harder. 
