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Old 07-05-2011, 02:32 PM   #1  
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Default There is hope after 50

Hi,

I found this forum several weeks ago. Frankly it scared me to death because many people were talking about metabolism slowing down and how much harder it was to lose weight at this age. I'm 52.

I got so discouraged, but am grateful now because I decided not to believe it.

I lost 34lbs in the last 2.5 months doing my own diet, which is basically eating everything I LOVE and not exercising. I could have lost more but was tweaking my own diet and at first was doing the right thing by eating the recommended calories and exercising.

That was horrible and I'll never do it again. After 14 years of dieting "The right way" I topped the scales at 205lbs. Been there done that. I knew there was a better way for me.

My liver enzymes were 4 times higher than normal when I started and they insisted I get a sonogram. I refused. Glad I did. Now my blood work is perfect.

I'm back in my size 12s from 18s and on my way to the golden 8s. The 12s are getting looser by the day!

Thanks for this forum and best of wishes to everyone. I know how hard this is, but it isn't any harder at this age than it was in my late 20s and 30s.

I think we get the idea in our head from experts that we're all the same and there's only one way to lose weight and that's slowly.

For some of us that's a death sentence.

I just wanted to let anyone know who's out there that's discouraged before you even begin not to worry about your metabolism being an obstacle.

Unless you have a thyroid disorder or some other unknown health issue, it's not your metabolism. It's also not WHAT your are putting into your mouth, but how much.

Most diets are designed by the diet industry and their own scientists for profit. Maybe we should be questioning these experts' opinions.

Best wishes,

Jude
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Old 07-05-2011, 08:21 PM   #2  
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Hi Jude!

You are welcome to hang out with us on the Golden Girls. Lots of people on different plans there.

Rie
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Old 07-06-2011, 08:53 AM   #3  
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Hi, Jude. I am 60 and had the same concerns you mentioned in your post. After some research, I learned that metabolism does slow down a bit as we age, but if you figure your basal metabolic rate, you'll realize it's only about 5 calories a year! OK - my DD is 32 years younger than I am. That means if we do the exact same things on any give day, she can eat about 150 calories more than I do. Even put like this, it doesn't seem like much! I agree that we older women can lose effectively. I'm also living proof. This has been much easier at 60 than it was when I tried to lose weight at 35. Old chicks are WAY more determined, if you ask me! LOL
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Old 07-06-2011, 09:00 AM   #4  
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Hi Jude! You are so right. I am 64 and lost 34 lb in 5 mos calorie counting and doing mild exercise every day. There is no food that's off limits--I just watch the quantities.

I am long past menopause and was really out of shape. Now I am slim and energetic--ditched the frumpy old clothes and now dress with pizzazz.

People talk so much about metabolism slowing down....well, mild exercise will speed it up.

Not boasting--just saying that we golden girls CAN certainly lose the weight and get into shape. We don't need to be discouraged because of our age.

Congrats to you and best wishes to all of us in our prime who are working to look our best.
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Old 07-06-2011, 09:03 AM   #5  
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Old 07-07-2011, 12:48 PM   #6  
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Thanks very much. It's been quite a journey. I'm glad to be here.

I hit another goal today and am thrilled.

This is so mental! My mind is so focused on the positive and future goals I forget I am still overweight and am stunned at times I'm still this heavy. "Like, what? I'm not there yet?" My head is already there!

I saw my hair dresser yesterday and his mouth fell open. Now he's going to start doing what I'm doing. I LOVE this diet. Another friend started Sunday. I am so happy. How cool is it to get to help someone!!

A light bulb went off in my head one day as I was thinking about different diets. It seemed no matter which diet, even if you add exercise, they all had one thing in common. Calorie reduction.

It didn't matter if you were cutting out carbs, fat, cardboard, chicken feet, sex, etc., everything was centered around eating less or the diet didn't work. Period.

I wondered what kind of game is the diet industry playing with us. They focus so much on one little culprit and bury the truth about what is really necessary to lose weight. Since diets in general have about a 90% failure rate, the only one who seems to be profiting are the people who create them.

Hum....

That was the last day of my fat life. I was set free from the hopeless prison of the Bulge.

It's good to be here and yes I do think we as older women may have more conviction and determination. After all, I want to look good again before I'm so old and wrinkled no one would even know I was in the room--like when I'm fat. I want to look "Hot" at 52, 62, 72, maybe even 82.

I told my DH and teenagers I am so going to dress like a slut when I hit my goal weight...husband smiled and appeared to be in deep contemplation of future forays, and kids giggled.

That's really interesting about metabolism! I knew it wasn't true and am glad to hear it from someone else.


I couldn't imagine getting to 165lbs when I was 200lbs.

Today is a great day!

7 more pounds and I'll be lighter than I have been in 14.5 years and weigh less then my husband!!! If all goes well according to my records, I should be there in about two weeks!

Thanks everyone for getting back to me. I haven't had very many people to talk to since I've been doing this.

Best,
Jude
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Old 07-07-2011, 01:06 PM   #7  
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Hi, Jude:

Yes, it can be done, and at any age.

I actually began my weight-loss journey at the age of 75, and I have lost 65 lbs. I'm now 'maintaining' that loss, and couldn't be happier.

I also ditched my fat clothes and invested in a whole new wardrobe.

I think it is a mind-set problem - we think we can't lose weight because we are too old, our metabolism has slowed, and we are on medications that hinder weight loss. But all these things can be overcome.

Well, old habits die hard, and it's difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. Pooh on those thoughts.

What we "oldies" have acquired through the years is some wisdom and perseverance that can really be a help in the losing of the weight.

So we "oldies" can do it, so let's do it - let's lose those unwanted lbs.
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Old 07-07-2011, 09:29 PM   #8  
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Jude - Oh, my gosh - I know it's true, but isn't it a shame that the failure rate in the diet industry is 90%? People ask me what I can eat on my diet. I tell them anything I want. I just control the amounts. And there are some things I don't eat as often as I used to, but there isn't much I don't eat. I was at a party recently and the sisters of the person who hosted it all need to lose a lot of weight. They were sitting with me asking all kinds of questions about what I was doing. I told them basically just cutting back and exercising. They thought a structured diet would be more effective. Apparently they didn't notice that I was the only one at the table NOT eating entire bags of chips and 3 bowls of dip as we talked. One asked if I used fat free salad dressing since I was eating so much salad. I said "No - I hate the taste." She told me she used it and I really should consider trying to get to like it since regular dressing was so high in fat and calories. I wanted to ask her if she had noticed which one of us had recently lost over 60 pounds and which one of us had just eaten 3000 calories of chips and dip in an hour. People just don't get the idea that any reduced calorie eating plan will cause you to lose weight. I don't have to know how many points are in a bowl of dip to know I should only eat a little bit of it - and only once in a while!

I hate the word "diet" because it makes it sound like what we are doing has an end. I have news for us all - it never ends. "Diet" is what you do when you bought a killer dress and need to lose 5 pounds to make it fit perfectly so everyone will drop dead with envy when you wear it. "Diet" is not a life change. And we really have to agree that someone who has to lose more than 20 pounds or so really has to change their lifestyle to accomplish it. I just hope I can keep this in check after I've reached my goal.

I have no doubt that I will reach my goal - hopefully by the end of the year at the latest. Then the real challenge comes in. I absolutely hate it when people say, "WW (or Atkins, or SB, or whatever) worked for me but then I stopped doing it and I gained all the weight back. It's a hard diet to stay on." I have news for them - you can't stop! And I agree with you 500% that the diet industry burying the truth. The simple truth is we have to eat less and be more active. Some days that comes more easily than others., but we have to keep on keeping on (as we used to say in the 60's!) End of story.

Hope everyone had a great day and stayed OP. And here's to a great tomorrow.

Lin
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Old 07-07-2011, 09:35 PM   #9  
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Thanks to all for the encouraging posts!
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Old 07-07-2011, 09:39 PM   #10  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gracewriter View Post
Hi,

I found this forum several weeks ago. Frankly it scared me to death because many people were talking about metabolism slowing down and how much harder it was to lose weight at this age. I'm 52.

I got so discouraged, but am grateful now because I decided not to believe it.

I lost 34lbs in the last 2.5 months doing my own diet, which is basically eating everything I LOVE and not exercising. I could have lost more but was tweaking my own diet and at first was doing the right thing by eating the recommended calories and exercising.

That was horrible and I'll never do it again. After 14 years of dieting "The right way" I topped the scales at 205lbs. Been there done that. I knew there was a better way for me.

My liver enzymes were 4 times higher than normal when I started and they insisted I get a sonogram. I refused. Glad I did. Now my blood work is perfect.

I'm back in my size 12s from 18s and on my way to the golden 8s. The 12s are getting looser by the day!

Thanks for this forum and best of wishes to everyone. I know how hard this is, but it isn't any harder at this age than it was in my late 20s and 30s.

I think we get the idea in our head from experts that we're all the same and there's only one way to lose weight and that's slowly.

For some of us that's a death sentence.

I just wanted to let anyone know who's out there that's discouraged before you even begin not to worry about your metabolism being an obstacle.

Unless you have a thyroid disorder or some other unknown health issue, it's not your metabolism. It's also not WHAT your are putting into your mouth, but how much.

Most diets are designed by the diet industry and their own scientists for profit. Maybe we should be questioning these experts' opinions.

Best wishes,

Jude
So I am 51, and read your thread here...there's one thing I found that might add a little insight to the calorie issue. I've always said that there is no magic to losing weight, just MOVE MORE, and EAT LESS. But recently I proved that isn't all there is to it.
With excellent blood work and no health issues, I was 30 pounds overweight. I began (again) a serious plan of counting calories, and working out. I wasn't losing, so I varied the calories and exercised more....and more...and more. I was up to 3x a week kickboxing and running 5 miles a day, weighttraining 3x a week for 30 min a time. It was ALOT of time and energy and I kept a food diary, ate organic, calories always in check. THE SCALE WOULD NOT change! I went back to the doctor; nothing showed up.
Finally, I tried watching the carbs. For me, it was not calories any longer but insulin. Now I'm exercising like a normal human being, and eating well, not hungary, and I've lost almost 15 pounds.
I do think there is something valid in the glycemic load and it is helpful to educate yourself on it with any plan.

Love any feedback....
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Old 07-07-2011, 09:59 PM   #11  
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Quote:
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Finally, I tried watching the carbs. For me, it was not calories any longer but insulin. Now I'm exercising like a normal human being, and eating well, not hungary, and I've lost almost 15 pounds.
I do think there is something valid in the glycemic load and it is helpful to educate yourself on it with any plan.
This is me. Calorie counting and counting points was definitely not the answer to my failure to lose after 50. I was extremely strict about measuring, weighing, etc. Started South Beach diet and now watch the carbs (only whole grain and less of them). I actually eat way more veggies than I've eaten in my life, more good fats than any other program (MUFA's) I've been on before and don't constantly think about food anymore. I am extremely satisfied on this plan. I do think as we age, we process food differently and many of us grow insulin resistant. Lots of medical research supports this. It's the only plan I've been able to maintain my weight on and have done so for 3 1/2 years now.
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Old 07-08-2011, 11:46 AM   #12  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purrfect View Post
So I am 51, and read your thread here...there's one thing I found that might add a little insight to the calorie issue. I've always said that there is no magic to losing weight, just MOVE MORE, and EAT LESS. But recently I proved that isn't all there is to it.
With excellent blood work and no health issues, I was 30 pounds overweight. I began (again) a serious plan of counting calories, and working out. I wasn't losing, so I varied the calories and exercised more....and more...and more. I was up to 3x a week kickboxing and running 5 miles a day, weighttraining 3x a week for 30 min a time. It was ALOT of time and energy and I kept a food diary, ate organic, calories always in check. THE SCALE WOULD NOT change! I went back to the doctor; nothing showed up.
Finally, I tried watching the carbs. For me, it was not calories any longer but insulin. Now I'm exercising like a normal human being, and eating well, not hungary, and I've lost almost 15 pounds.
I do think there is something valid in the glycemic load and it is helpful to educate yourself on it with any plan.

Love any feedback....
I appreciate what you said about carbs. I did mention on another thread some health issues may hinder the process.

I'm glad you found something that works for you and no doubt it is working. But when I saw how much you were exercising it got me to thinking about my own experience.

At first I was exercising like crazy and the scale wasn't moving. I realized the problem was not what I was eating but I was gaining muscle! The instant I stopped exercising and dropped my calories, I started losing 4lbs a week. Now I lose between 4 and 3 pounds a week.

I have some issues with carbs as well. Certain carbs I can feel instantly drain my energy. I understand what this is and why, but I stay away from doctors because most don't know anything about nutritional healing.

Had I listened to my doctor with my liver issue, no doubt by now I wouldn't have one, a liver that is. But it is completely healed and she doesn't understand how I did it and how quickly. Even though I told her what I did. With the right nutrition and herbs I believe we can heal anything. (I'm working on the nodes in my breasts right now.)

Still I don't avoid any carbs but have noticed if I eat something else with them it doesn't do anything to my energy level. At the end of the day when the weight is finally off, I will be addressing that issue as well.

I'm just wondering if you measured yourself when you were exercising when the scale wasn't moving. It's not likely that you didn't lose any inches.

Best wishes and best of luck!
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Old 07-08-2011, 08:58 PM   #13  
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Lin,

You have lost so much weight!! Congrats!!!

I really enjoyed your post. You are really funny!

It's great to find a kindred spirit!
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Old 07-09-2011, 12:30 AM   #14  
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Great post Jude,
I so agree with what you had to say.
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Old 07-14-2011, 10:09 AM   #15  
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I am glad I checked in, I find too, that I have success when I cut out processed foods, the white flour, sugar and eat 'normal' food, I use the reg. salad dressings too, just not as much. You have really inspired me to get back on track. thanks! Pam
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