Hi folks,

Being a 40-something who exercises on and off, I am not 100% educated about weight loss patterns and trends over a period of time...

For example, I started my most recent weight loss effort exactly 2 weeks ago, and have been exercising and dieting every day without a break for the last 2 weeks. While I noticed a 2.5 lb loss the first week, this second week brought *nothing*. I feel very discouraged.

I tell myself that it might come off over the period and motivate myself to continue what I am doing (also because I don't have a choice). My biggest fear being not doing enough of what it takes to lose weight.

At this point, it started occuring to me that if I knew about the weight loss patterns of other 40+ ladies, then I might have an idea of what to look for.

1. On an average, how much weight do you lose in a week?

2. Is it steady - meaning consistently every week that you lose or you lose periodically?

3. How much calories do you consume in a day?

If members can answer these above questions, I will be most obliged.

Thanks,

71

Hi 71-

I'm 43 (will be 44 in December).

1) I would say I lose about an average of 1 pound per week--sometimes more, sometimes less. I've gone from 184.5 earlier this year to 150.2 as of this morning. My goal is 139.5 (so it will be an even 45 pounds lost :-) and then to maintain.

2) It's up and down usually. This week was a big down, but hadn't seen much movement in the previous week and actually fell off the wagon for a few days about a month ago and got up to the high 150's again. But unlike in the past after I had gone back to bad habits, I just got right back to healthy eating and the weight did drop off again.

3) I really have no idea how many calories I consume each day! I'm always amazed, reading postings on this site, that people seem to know exactly the number of calories they've consumed. I've been focusing on: limiting carbs from white bread, pasta, white rice, potatoes, etc. And eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lean meats. I also make sure I get enough fat via: olive oil in salad dressings, some dairy--especially cheese which I love, avocado, olives. It keeps me full. I mostly eat 3 meals a day in which I aim to feel satisfied but never stuffed. I try to eat just enough so that I'm hungry by the time the next meal comes around. If I get TOO hungry in between meals I snack on fruit, nuts or sometimes pickles. I eat whole grains with dinner a few times a week and on nights where I'm not doing that, I make sure to get an extra serving of something like roasted cauliflower or roasted broccoli.

I think two of the most important things for me on this "plan," (besides limiting processed carbs and upping the fruits and veggies) have been 1) preparing almost all of my own meals. and 2) eating only things I really like and making them taste good.

I hope this helps you some! I think everyone has to find something different and specific that works for them. Losing weight is hard work!

OakLandDieter,

Thank you for the reply!

I agree with you it is different for each person, their constitution, how much exercise they are doing each day, and ofcourse the diet... But being a 40-something (43 to be 44 on end of October) I kinda get confused from time to time if I am doing enough of the right things, as I see the scale doesn't budge easily... And then to add in the mix, there are doubts over how much efficiently someone in this age group can burn fat, even if doing the right amount of exercise and dieting. Last year I lost 35 lbs, but I was on diet pills too... Now I am doing exercise and dieting on my own, and this is new to me, to do the weight loss efforts on my own without the help of diet pill that revved up my metabolism last year...

A pound a week is good, shows you are very motivated, it must have taken a significant amount of time to lose the 35 lbs with a pound a week and I wish you continued success!

I was 231 lbs to begin with with 80 lbs to lose (now I have 50 lbs since I gained 5 lbs)...

Thanks again for replying. Very helpful.