Losing weight in your mid 50's

[Dawny65]

Has anyone successfully lost weight in your mid 50's? I haven't tried yet but I'm 5'4" & must be about 18 stone. Blood sugar level, cholesterol & BP are all fine. It's lack of exexcise, sitting down job & grazing & big portions at every meal that is the problem. However, people say it's too hard in your 50's as your metabolism slows & you get middle aged spread.
I have a wardrobe full of clothes of varying sizes that do not fit. My DH says get rid of them as I'll never wear them again. I live in hope that I'll wear them again. Some of the items are really lovely & I could get away with wearing them now so I want to keep them. Loads of t-shirts that if they fit I wouldn't need to holiday shop for a few years! Do I get rid of it all or is it really possible to change your body in your 50's?

Look up rebelfit on Facebook - don’t go on a diet, they don’t work. Google ‘why diets don’t work’ - there’s been a bit about it recently in the news, proper research which has found why diets don’t work.

You can be healthy and fat - you can be unhealthy and thin. Concentrate on improving your health, eat delicious food, learn how to cook something new, do yoga, go for a walk/run/bike ride/swim. Don’t focus on weight, focus on health, and you might end up losing weight, but if you don’t then at least you’ll be healthier. If you go on a diet research shows you have a 95% chance of gaining back any weight that you lose and a 40% chance of ending up gaining more back.

For your last question - yes it’s possible to change your body if you want to, but again change your focus from losing weight to changing the composition, don’t deprive your body of calories but do exercise to build muscle and change your body composition. Again, it might result in weight loss, it might now - but you can change shape without losing weight x

Michael Mosley fast 800 diet. Buy the book. Read it. Do it properly. Required will power. I lost a stone in a month. I never lose a stone in a month.

Have a look at Trinity Transformation on Facebook, it’s free - there’s a paid version but the free content is also very good. It’s specifically designed for women over 40, it’s worked exceptionally well for me. Sensible calories and weight based exercise, good community of like minded women and helpful trainers.

52..lost a stone earlier in the year with Second Nature app. Never really lost any weight before. It jus5 worked for me.

Yes of course you can, you just need to be determined. At 18st you know you are obese and you will live longer if you shift the weight.
Just pick a diet and stick to it. I love Slimming World.
OP you CAN get back in those amazing clothes

I'm nearly 50 and couldn't seem to lose a single pound and was considering weight loss surgery.
I tried cutting the carbs (something I thought I'd never do!) and am absolutely astounded to have lost 12kg!
I feel like I've seen the light and unlike the many diets I've tried before, I think I could eat like this forever.
I aim for 1200 - 1400 calories per day which I log on my Fitbit app which is a lot of food if you don't eat bread or pasta and aim for below 100g of carbs so nothing too strict but still effective.

I lost over a stone in my fifties on the 5:2 diet and have maintained the loss. It was slow , and the first 2 weeks were hard but then I got used to it

I haven’t but you can totally do it

It is possible, but I’m not clear on what you’re willing to do to achieve it.
I recommend Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast and books.

Of course you can, but you do not need a diet, rather a change in how you eat.
You have already identified the areas that need attention: lack of exercise, grazing and large helpings, so a small change could be, getting out for a brisk 30 minute walk every day, stop eating "mindlessly" and between meals, weigh out your food for a while to re-educate your eyes and mind as to what a normal helping looks like.
Assuming you normally eat what is regarded as a "healthy" diet those things could start you off on the right track.
However, if you eat a lot of "sludge" - heavily processed food that requires little or no chewing and contains hardly any fibre and don't drink enough water, you might want to consider changes in those areas, too.
Good luck!

In most cases it is about mindset. So if you decide you really want to do it, it should be possible.

I recently did similar to what abstractzebra wrote. Just woke up one day and started. Almost 20 pounds gone 3 months later and don't feel like I missed much. I still fit a chocolate here, a burger there, but compensate somewhere else.
This less social time is perfect to do it (I think), less coffees with biscuits at work, or drinks with colleagues....

I was a stone over my usual weight before lockdown.
Almost a month in, I started to worry I was not getting the exercise I usually would at work (WFH in lockdown).
Luckily, one of my dcs has a walking treadmill.
I started off going on it twice for twelve minutes at a time. I'm now up to three lots of fifteen minutes a day. I put some music on and really go for it! I can manage around 2500 steps per session.
I also decided to cut down on carbs, and have what I call 'salad days' where I make a huge salad, with some kind of protein in it too. I find it very filling!
The combination of the above means that today I got back to the weight I was aiming at. It took me about three months, but I still had days where I did eat carbs (things like stir fry with noodles), and still occasionally ate a bit of chocolate or a packet of crisps.
I didn't give up alcohol though, and I'm sure if I had, the weight would have gone much more quickly.....
It's entirely do-able.
And to add, I feel so much better for it. I'm no fitness fanatic and as I said, I didn't go at it in a drastic way. But, it worked for me.

I lost 2 1/2 stone aged 52.did it over 4months. 1 stone in first month, half a stone a month for the next 3. Started in January. Cut out alcohol, logged what I ate with MyFitnessPal and went for a 30 minute walk every lunchtime.

That was it.

Worked for me.

5 years on, I started losing fitness in lockdown so tried C25K. Just finished 7th week and feeling a lot better. Probably half a stone above the lowest point after the big weight loss but still size 10/12 (and 5’10”) so happy with where I am.

53 and slimmer & healthier than I’ve ever been in my entire adult life.

Started Keto way of eating in November, after being inspired by a friend’s success (reversed fatty liver & diabetes) and have found it easy - sleep so much better, energy levels increased, down two dress sizes and never hungry.

More or less given up alcohol, was a very moderate drinker anyway , but it affects you much more when you’re low carb and I couldn’t deal with the hangovers! Very rarely crave sugar now.

Started C25K during lockdown and now run 5k every other day, something I never ever thought I’d do. And I always do 10,000 steps a day.

I wasn’t hugely overweight (12-14) and to be honest the weight loss is a bonus - it’s how much better I feel ...... used to get regular aches & pains and feel sluggish and lethargic - now I’m a bundle of energy and wearing my hubby out

Noom is a good option

Yes, I did OP, though it's took a long time, and there's been a lot of up and downs which I won't bore you with.
I was 51 in 2011, I weighed 14 stone 11 pound. I'm 5'4" . Lost nearly 5 stones, settled at about 10 stone over the last year, though have gained a few pounds over lockdown. I've just started to lose it again.
My advice is to get as fit as you can, and find a diet that suits you, with the emphasis on good nutritious food rather than processed crap.

My mum was always overweight from having me in her 40s. At 60 she decided to get weight off. Joined rosemary Connelly and lost all.the weight and has kept it off and she is 80 odd. She said it came off slow around half a pound a week

And walking is your best start. I was so unfit i found counch to 5k too much. So I just walked for 30mins a day gradually getting faster, then choosing some hills.

I lost 20 pounds at age 60. It came off gradually over the year through moving more and eating bless. I am fitter and happier than I have ever been.

Only eat when you're hungry, don't snack in between meals and use a side plate instead of a dinner plate. And walk every day. You will definitely lose it and it's a lifestyle change rather than a diet as such so if you get used to it there's no reason not to keep it off.

I lost 10kg over the last 6 months. Basically retuned my eating habits. Cut portion size and cut out high carb foods. I haven’t altered exercise habits ( daily dog walk) but would like to get back to swimming ASAP.
I’m a stress eater and became semi retired 18mnths ago. De stressing really helped. I’m not a boredom eater so found sticking to diet really easy during lockdown.

Aaah, don’t give up! Don’t buy into that mindset, OP!!! I’m 48 and went into menopause when I was 42. I had been morbidly obese since my 30’s. I decided I was over it. I hurt all over and I had chronic migraines. What has worked for me may not be what will work for you, but the universal theme is finding something and sticking to it. Your husband’s negativity is just not going to help. He can fuck off. My neurologist suggested a medical keto diet (not the Pinterest one) for my migraines. It’s boring as batshit, but it worked (along with decreasing the awful migraine meds!) and it had other health benefits. I lost a LOT of weight and very quickly. I ended up sticking to a very low carbohydrate diet because it WORKS FOR ME. Four years later, I am 60kgs lighter and went from size 20 to size 8. At 5ft1, that’s healthy for me. I now weigh about 55kg. (I don’t look scrawny at all, but healthy.) I also suggest you acknowledge the idea that nobody knows more about diets than the overweight. Don’t listen to every bloody armchair expert. Look at your long-term health and lifestyle goals. I am sure that at this point in your life, these are important to you. You don’t want a greater risk of heart problems, joint pain, diabetes or fractures as you age. Clear out the cupboards and fridge of all the things that sabotage you and start anew. You are not depriving yourself, but treating yourself to a new lifestyle.

I lost 24lbs at 48 using Myfitnesspal and exercising regularly. At our age we have to restrict calories as our metabolism is slowing down. What helped me was finding lots of food I really enjoyed but were low in calories such as turkey slices, grilled chicken and fish. Carbs definitely need to be cut back while you should eat ENORMOUS salads. "Eat to Live" is a book by a heart doctor with all the evidence and medical studies which show which foods if not restricted can lead to bad health and cancers. He is the one who says you should be eating a TON of green leafy salad daily. I used his advice to lose weight after each pregnancy. I put on weight due to I'll health.

It's best to make changes that you can change forever rather than temporarily. I found with a protein shake for breakfast (with peanut butter, a banana in a chocolate shake yum) and two healthy meals I lost weight steadily.
Eat to Live

Definatly doable.
I lost 2 1/2 stone last year(59).
I joined WW as I needed a diet that I could adapt my normal meals too and feed my teen.A lot was portion size and just being organised and not grazing.
During Christmas and then Lockdown I have only put on 3lb so have retrained my body a bit.Im due to have surgery soon so need to loose the last stone and am getting in the zone again.
I did not starve or deny myself just cut out snacks,crisps ,peanut butter and have got better at portion sizes.