Too late to get slim and sexy at 48?

[bevy2603]

I am majorly overweight 13st 10lb 5ft4" and nearly 48! Feel like I have left it too late to get slim and sexy! Started the gym and healthy eating but it seems to be taken an age to see any results and time is already not on my side with my 50th insight!!!

Have I left it all too late?

You can't eat:

potatoes
rice
pasta
bread
flour
sugar

You need to limit:

legumes/beans/pulses
fruit
certain veg, e.g. beetroot, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, carrots

You can, however, (and are encouraged to) eat:

butter
cheese
cream
olive oil
fatty cuts of meat/fish
plenty of veg/salad
oily salad dressings

And you need to drink lots of water

Sadly, you also need to limit alcohol

There are a million and one different ways to low carb. Have a look at the Bootcamp threads for yet another plan - but one that we do here on MN!

Waves at BIWI:)

Yes, bevy, well done for the gym too. I run outside as it fits into my life better, I don't have to time to get to and from the gym. But I am seeing a pt next week for some extra help with my tummy, and it actually works out cheaper than belonging to a gym and never going I see her as and when.

I hope not OP! I think it does matter how you go into the menopause because things are trickier after that.

Low carbing will help you lose weight quickly but i'm not sure it's great for everyone long term. My dad did the paleo diet for a couple of years and he had a lot of unwanted side effects! Plus there is something a bit disgusting about eating as much meat as he did IMO. Also a diet high in dairy is not recommended from a cancer point of view. But short term it probably will help you lose the first couple of stones.

Maddeningly, with me it seems to be sugar and booze - cut down on those and the weight falls off me. (White carbs count as sugar btw.) why is it always the best stuff that you can't have??

This is such an inspiring thread. I'm 47 soon and feel fat and unfit. The weight has been gradually creeping on and I could do with losing around 3 stone (not sure exactly as am avoiding the scales!). I've had some health problems recently (asthma related) so my fitness level isn't what it should be, although I have just started going for gentle walks.

It's great to hear about people who have lost weight and feel good about themselves in their 40s and 50s. I certainly feel more motivated now!

What side effects did he have crazy? I can't see how removing processed, refined carbs from your diet would produce any.

Constipation, bad breath, high blood pressure. There may have been more. It's not cutting out processed carbs that did it, it's replacing processed carbs with massive quantities of red meat and cheese, both of which make me personally feel lousy. All carbs are not created equal and there is a massive difference between wholefood grains and, say, pasta and bagels.

Anyway it just grossed me out to see him eating frigging chicken drumsticks at 10am and entire slabs of cheese for supper and claiming it was good for him . Aside from the ethical question of gorging on that much meat.

But I don't mean to hijack your thread bevy2603! Honestly I would limit the refined carbs and sugar and the booze and go easy on the dairy and get lots of sleep and do some exercise you will stick to - I love jillian michaels workouts and there are lots of other fans in the Exercise section if you want recommendations.

I am in my early 40s.
Since January I have been doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred every day.
I cannot be bothered to 'diet' except for cutting out all alcohol / rubbish snacks / mindless consumption in front of TV.

I don't weigh myself. I eat 3 healthy meals a day, including religiously having a bowl of porridge for breakfast whereas before it was a meal I would skip regularly.
I have dropped two dress sizes since January and feel amazing.
It is not so much what I look like that motivates me, more the feeling healthier!
I have tried low carb and just end up craving fruit and bread so it is not a sustainable option for me, though my sister gets on OK with it.
Just find whatever works for you and do it.
Good luck.

I'm 48. Lost almost a stone last summer - lost my appetite due to personal stuff going on in my life. So back to my ideal weight after putting on that stone when I went back to work - less physical activity & more cake!

Now maintaining by running for 30 mins two or three times a week or doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred at least 5 times a week (depending on the weather).

I also have a bowl of porridge every morning. Have given up milk in coffee, cut down on the biscuits and treats and am just generally taking a bit more care about what I eat.

I have bought a set of scales for the first time in my life as I don't want the weight to creep on again - on the basis that it's easier to maintain than lose it again.

Really inspirational thread. Thankyou. One thing I would agree with is using weights to increase muscle mass. As you hit your late forties muscle mass starts to decrease hence the dreaded bingo wings. Everything can go south and get looser and floppier especially as you head towards the menopause and beyond. Weights turns all that around with regular use and tones you up. Face exercises can do the same for your face.

Good luck - you can do it! I have been married 40 years this year and still weigh the same as I did on my wedding day 9 stone.

I am 48 and was 12.10 st at the beginning of the month, now 12.3 st , am low carbine and loving it , can't believe how many years I've been messing about , but I am definitely going to be fabulous at 50

Just turned 48.
Joined a gym but freaked out there, left in tears and haven't gone back.
Started jogging after Christmas and got up to 30 mins slow jogging then went down with the flu...been really ill and not done anything for a month.

I intend to get back to jogging once I'm better, then may e try braving the gym.

I will never be able to wear slim dresses or a bikini as I have a huge saggy belly, and cellulite, but I have an eye on my heath and hope to keep in reasonably good shape as I get older. I have no reason to do so beyond this as very long time single and not dated for almost a decade. But health seems the best reason to me.

Good luck all

Shinyblackshoes bless you for sharing hope you feel inspired enough to get back to jogging soon.
I am definitely going to try weights this week - got a ww weigh in on Tuesday and hoping I have lost another 2 lb taking me to my first stone! Realistically I realise that it is unlikely that I will lose another 12lb before my vegas trip in 4 weeks time

I'm 52, started at 50 - weight 14.10, 5'6". Bought a bike, hugely reduced anything with sugar and eating between meals. I also don't do low fat or anything diet food related. Now 13.2, not thin, but much better and maintaining this and the change to diet. You can do it. Better weather means back on the bike, which I've learnt to enjoy - Go for it, as it is never too late!

Shiney, try Callenetics, its very very effective:) I do it as well as run, and its been instrumental in getting rid of my cs tummy. After my first cs it went completely, plus walking.

You can download it onto an iPad. Everyone is wearing bright blue eyeshadow and a leotard with a belt:) but you can ignore that and have a try.

I have been wondering the same thing as the OP, I am 45. I have been thin but now I am... not thin. You are all inspirational and I really need to get my bad eating habits sorted, as much for feeling good as for the weight.

Interesting point about being in a good state when you go into the menopause.