To ask which diet has worked best after 40

[WorriedMum192]

I have a considerable amount of weight to lose (4 stone) and my body fat percentage is alarmingly high. Last year I got diagnosed as pre-diabetic and I've tried all sorts to lose weight (paleo/fast diet/MFP) and trained for and run a half-marathon, but the scales have refused to budge and I weigh exactly the same as last year, with the same high fat percentage.

I'm not lacking motivation as I really want to avoid full-blown diabetes, I've tried so hard but it seems so much harder than in my 20s and 30s. I lost about 1.5 stone with Weight Watchers for my wedding 10 tears ago but I no longer agree with that scheme as they seem quite tolerant of processed food which now thanks to paleo I can't stand.

I can only think that having two kids and turning 40 has changed my metabolism for the worse. So, I'd like to ask, for those of you over 40 which diet or way of eating has proven most successful for you to lose weight and lose fat?

Many thanks!

Me too for the 5:2 diet. I'm 53 and I've been doing it for almost 2 years. I've kept weight off and still feeling good on it.

Slimming world - I lost 4 stone when I was mid 50's - took a year, but have kept it off for 5 years now. :)

Mfp and going for a walk in my lunch hour.
Over estimate food recorded, underestimate exercise. I lost 2 stones in 3 months and my problem now is eating enough that I don't lose more weight.
I'm 52.

Thanks for your replies! I'm glad in a way to know it's not just me who struggles with this. I've tried 5/2 with MFP, so based off the replies so far I'm going to go with Swimming World online . Signing up online tonight, I've also signed up for a borrow a bike scheme to try something a bit different for exercise.

5:2 lost 9lb in 4 weeks so far.

Lost ten stone on slimming world at 29 Lost a stone a month for 7 months and took over a year to lose the final 3 . That was on their Green plan which meant pasta noodles etc.

Started back at SW in Sept 2013 at 40 but a LOT less to lose this time Have lost 3 stone 9 pounds Its come off a lot slower AND i cut out pasta noodles diet coke right at the start.

Age is definately a factor. It pissed me off that it was so slow at first but im happy now. Im 42 next month and dont yet have any wrinkles or gaunt skin on my face.

I do have some loose skin on my body so i always knock that off the total in my head when i weigh in. I would like to lose a few more pounds but considering i was a size 28 and am now a 14 i can happily live with the Hendricks look

Wow that's seriously impressive HelenaDove! Well done!

I eat two meals a day and spin
I think it is the eating really - on three meals I have to watch and count - on two I can eat normally have the odd twirl or glass of wine

Thanks Worried Mum I did try Weight Watchers but couldnt get on with that stupid little calculator Took ages to do a supermarket shop with that thing Fuck that.

SW is easier.

And i agree with you about WW processed food Its also packed with sugar. I also dont touch slimming world hifi bars, muller light yoghurts for this reason.

Instead i will have a smattering of full fat greek. yoghurt on a bowl of blueberries for dessert.

My body seems to deal better with a small amount of fat than it does with sugar and carbs.

but i do have a slice of cake on my birthday and some chocs at Christmas . Havent seen the inside of a Greggs or a chippy for years though.

Fat not the demon that it has been painted as if taken in moderation.

sainsburys full fat greek yoghurt = 5 grams of sugar per 100g
The low fat version = 13 grams of sugar per 100g

WorriedMum Congrats on the half marathon. And dont be hard on yourself These things arent easy.

I swapped most of my evening meal for roast vegetables.
I cut out bread.
Minimal sugar.
I think l've lost about half a stone in about 4 months.
I know that sounds very little, but l wasn't overweight to start.
So, l imagine if you have a bit more to get rid of, it makes for a very simple routine.
Oh l am 43.
Good luck.

YY Feminine Thats a good loss at a sensible rate. I also do half a plate of veg every night.

I was a size 12-14 my whole adult life. Up to 18 after DD2. I gave this programme 12 weeks off my life and lost 10kgs. Did a second round and lost another 5kg. Now a 10 for 2 years. Www.12wbt.com.au it's an Australian programme but works on low calories in and exercising 6/7 days.

Yes, helena where as l used to have a large plate of pasta - l put the vegetables on first.
I sprinkle (what can only be) about six strands of spaghetti. It is amazing how my body thinks it had a plate of it!
I think the tricky thing is when you are cooking for others, it is a massive faff to start doing different meals...
The other thing l do, (if it's rice) is microwave a massive bag of kale - and again just sprinkle a bit of what everyone else is having.
My stomach is much flatter (3 kids) and l got bit that lower part (bikini line l suppose) back!
I do 10 minutes of pilates three/four times a week. However, l was also going that before l modified my diet :)

5:2 I have lost 9lb since Jan so slow going but this is certainly a diet I could stick to long term.

Also yoga. I have no science but I think it improves metabolism.

Also for your running do you do interval training. E.g. run for an hour but alternative 3minutes easy jog and 3 minutes at the fastest pace you can sustain for the hour long session. I alternative speeds of 10k per hour and 11.5k per hour. This is much, much better for weight loss than just running for an hour.

My weight loss is so slow. I wonder where I'm going wrong. One stone since January/February is rubbish.

Completely honest MFP. I've found that 'diets' don't work, I just eat less.

On MFP don't rely in others estimates for food and add everything including cooking oil etc. Also DO NOT eat back your calories! MFP massively overestimates what you burn in a workout and if you eat those back you will definitely be over eating.

Another vote for high fat low carb bootcamp. I'll grab a link for you in a second :)

Ifyou have pre-diabetes, you need to get your sugar down. Diets like slimming world rely on a high sugar count through unlimited fruit and there is also evidence that low cal sweetener can lead to an insulin spike, even though it has no calories. So any diet relying on sweetener and fruit will be bad for your prediabetes.

High fat low carb relys on the fat to keep you full, and you end up eating less. There is loads of research to back it up, fat isnt the enemy it has been made out to be.

Right, off toget some links...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/low_carb_bootcamp

www.mumsnet.com/health/diet-and-fitness/low-carb-bootcamp

I am 51 and find that 5:2 allied to some of the Fitnessblender videos on Youtube shift my pounds.

If you have pre-diabetes, then I think you need to be looking at something low carb rather than just eating less. It's the one thing that low carb does have a reasonable evidence base for.

Even if you don't lose all the weight or fat percentage you want, you are likely to make a difference to your chances of developing diabetes.

Im very aware that I'm losing muscle mass as I'm getting older and that's definitely a cause of a slower metabolism so mixing up your exercise as you say is probably a good idea.

You may also be interested in this article on the diabetes.co.uk website talking about the 5:2 diet and its benefits for pre-diabetes.