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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

If you are over 50 and have lost weight - how???

72 replies

violetina · 11/05/2014 15:16

My metabolism seems to have gone through the floor!

I used to be able to eat sensibly and lose a few lbs easily - but that doesn't seem to work any more.

I want to lose about 7lb and get my body fat down to about 25% from 30%.

If you're over 50 and have done this, tell me how please!

I work ft, so don't have Ioads of time to exercise, but can fit in cardio two or 3x a week for an hour a session maximum, and have a dog who needs walking.

OP posts:
Laska42 · 13/05/2014 22:53

Thats utterly brilliant 50shades well done.. yes I think it is down to BMR and TDEE .. wish id known it instead of enduring all those silly weightwatcher points years.

Laska42 · 13/05/2014 22:59

oh and shosha 7 stone in a year that is also amazing ( its taken me about 5 years to lose 4 stone overall)

Original poster
violetina · 13/05/2014 23:05

Yes, I am on the 5:2 thread.

Reading all your stories, I think I'm coming to the conclusion that I probably need to do a combination of things – Cut portions/calories, try to fit in more exercise (although that's difficult with such a busy but sedentary job), cut carbs and most of all probably give up alcohol altogether – I don't drink much now, but it may need to be even less.

OP posts:
storynanny2 · 13/05/2014 23:29

Violetina, thats the only way I seem to be able to lose weight. I am 57 and have been trying to lose a stone and a half for ever.
10 weeks ago I decided enough is enough, no more faddy diets and I went back to calorie counting. I have kept a daily food diary and it is a real eye opener. 1000 calories is hardly anything, I must have been eating far too many calories without realising.
I am eating lots of fat free yoghurt with berries, soup and eating my main meal on a small plate as portion control seems to be a problem.
Sadly I have had to cut back seriously on carbs such as bread, rice, pasta, cake, chocolate. I dont drink so that helps. I really miss crisps, cake and biscuits but have gone cold turkey on things that I can not just have a bit of.
I have lost a stone in ten weeks, half a stone to go and this time I am determined to keep it off by experimenting with optimum calorie intake.
I dont do any formal exercise but walk a bit every day, ride my bike locally and dance occasionally.
Good luck.

IrianofWay · 14/05/2014 11:09

Good question! I am reading with interest.

I'm 49 and I have put on 2.5 stone in the last 3 years. I do have a tendency to comfort eat but I have honestly been keeping that in check. I run 3 times a week (injuries permitting) but the weight just seems to creep on.

About 10 years ago after my youngest was born I was 12 stone and horrified at myself - I started lcing and lost 1 stone in a month and never really lost much more in the following year or so but I maintained and was happy with a BMI of around 22. I stopped lcing and started running seriously and lost another stone. I kept it off for about 2 years and then started suffering from anxiety and depression at around the time I entered the menopause. I have been on ADs on and off since then and am on HRT to combat the crappy symptoms. About that time I also seemed to just deflate energy wise - I simply cannot run as far or as fast so I manage approx 3 miles three times a week.

So I am fat, lazy and pissed off Sad

IrianofWay · 14/05/2014 11:11

BTW I have just started cutting out carbs again as my downfall is sugar and starchy foods. I feel no urgeto binge when all I can binge on is meat and salad.

storynanny2 · 14/05/2014 12:50

If it helps at all I will just say that having come out on the other side of the menopause, I am beginning to get back in control of my body. Maybe it is a bit like having to get through adolescence with spots, moodiness etc, and then reverting to feeling more "normal" when the hormones settle down. Just a thought, nothing scientifically proved!

storynanny2 · 14/05/2014 12:51

Cutting down on carbs seems to help most people lose weight whatever variety of diet they do so I am planning to make that a lifestyle change for good.

Original poster
violetina · 14/05/2014 13:04

Interesting observations here.

I am having occasional periods but hot flushes seem to have stopped thankfully, and I have regained energy after a dip which coincided with the flushes. So, definitely hormones to blame and maybe it is like adolescent changes.

It's a shock after being so in control the rest of my life - I have always either been slim or able to get back to slim easily until now.

OP posts:
Original poster
violetina · 14/05/2014 13:05

Interesting observations here.

I am having occasional periods but hot flushes seem to have stopped thankfully, and I have regained energy after a dip which coincided with the flushes. So, definitely hormones to blame and maybe it is like adolescent changes.

It's a shock after being so in control the rest of my life - I have always either been slim or able to get back to slim easily until now.

OP posts:
Original poster
violetina · 14/05/2014 13:08

I don't think I will ever eat bread or pasta regularly again - but don't think I will miss them. A big challenge is my social circle which revolves around food and drink, although with some sporting activities mixed in.

OP posts:
Original poster
violetina · 14/05/2014 13:11

Irian - I am trying to avoid HRT if possible. I wonder if juicing might help you? I did that for a while. It didn't make me lose weight, but it have me loads more energy and helped cut cravings.

Have.a look at Jason Vale's juice plan.

OP posts:
Cooroo · 14/05/2014 13:19

I'm 54 and have been doing 5:2 for nearly 2 years. I wasn't too overweight before so have gone from 10stone 4ish to 9stone 9ish. More importantly I hope I am getting the other health benefits - reduced risk of cancer/Alzheimer's/heart disease.

Well I'm still here so it must be working!

I use MFP on fast days and am beginning to use it on normal days to monitor overall nutrition.

IrianofWay · 14/05/2014 14:00

I will look into juicing, thanks violetina.

I didn't want to use HRT really but my symptoms were so savage and went on for ages. I also remember my mum just physically and emotionally collapsing as she went through it - everything seemed to go wrong healthwise and she changed from being a vibrant energetic woman to a miserable shell. I was terrified when I felt the energy begin to ebb away ...

"It's a shock after being so in control the rest of my life - I have always either been slim or able to get back to slim easily until now." Ditto - I spent all my adult life at a healthy weight - even at my heaviest I was still in the normal range and all I had to do lose enough weight was cut down a bit. And I never ran out of energy - I could walk and run for ever. A few weekend ago I did a 10 mile walk - something I did without a thought before - I was so tired when I got home I went for a sleep! I hate this!

IrianofWay · 14/05/2014 14:01

Sorry to be thick but what is 5:2?

Original poster
violetina · 14/05/2014 17:27

Intermittent fasting. 2 days a week at 500 calories, 5 at the amount you need to maintain weight - your total daily energy expenditure, which seems to plummet as you get older.

Have a look at the other thread, which explains it all (on phone so cannot link).

I was prepared to use HRT if desperate - the insomnia almost prompted me, but have so far battled on without it. I know what you mean though Irinia - my moods can be horrendous and I wonder if it would be the thing to do.

It wouldn't tackle the weight problem though.

Cleaning up my diet has helped a lot with better sleep and more energy, as has juicing. I wonder if I may be coming out the other side of the menopause which is why the symptoms are lessening a bit, but I may be speaking too soon.

OP posts:
Original poster
violetina · 14/05/2014 17:30

Cooroo - I am busybusybee on MFP if you would like to add me.

I am trying to keep my diet fairly low carb all the time as well as limiting calories.

OP posts:
Cooroo · 14/05/2014 18:57

Busybusybee - am I being thick? MFP will only let me add friends by Facebook or email.

Bindibach · 15/05/2014 09:16

Im going through the menopause at the moment. Hot flushes come and go. Im very emotional these days but apart from that, its not too bad. Not taking anything other than St. Johns Wort tincture form which helps keep me very upbeat. Fasting wise, I have suffered from migraines since I was about 5 so going for long periods without food can induce them. Have you tried the 8 hour diet 8/14 fast. Marks Daily Apple and other paleos recommend 10/14 for women though as there have been many studies done on fasting and its impact on womans hormones. I can happily do 10/14 as it seems more natural to my body.

IrianofWay · 15/05/2014 10:06

Couldn't find a thread on it on here but had a look at the fastdiet site. Looks interesting and doable. I know LC works for me although not as well as it once did but I do worry about the non-balance of the diet long-term. Not to mention it's quite expensive buying all that fresh meat and fish and bags of salad. Also running on LC can be a killer!

Anyone run on their fast days? How is it?

Bindibach · 15/05/2014 10:27

By the way, I don't do 10/14 intentionally, it just seems that my body likes to eat later in the day rather than have breakfast so it often ends up being 12 to 14 hours since my last meal when I eat.

BIWI · 15/05/2014 11:19

"LC works for me although not as well as it once did but I do worry about the non-balance of the diet long-term. Not to mention it's quite expensive buying all that fresh meat and fish and bags of salad. Also running on LC can be a killer!

Anyone run on their fast days? How is it?

Sorry - I know this isn't a low carb thread, but I need to answer you IrianofWay!

Why would think that LC is 'non-balanced'? All that you do on a low carb diet is to switch the ratio of nutrients that you're eating. So instead of it being 'carbs:protein:fat', it's 'fat:protein:carbs'. You're still eating carbs, just fewer of them, and better quality carbs.

And no reason why it should be any more expensive eating the LC way - it's usually the case that fattier cuts of meat, that are better on a LC diet, are cheaper anyway. It doesn't have to be fillet steak all the way! (Although that would be very lovely Grin).

When I cook for the family I cook exactly the same food, but whereas they might have potatoes (actually they may not have these days, as I don't always do a carb element for them now), I'll have extra veg or salad.

And if you're properly keto-adapted, running on LC is not an issue at all. In fact there is some evidence to suggest that you can perform better. I always exercise (personal trainer) or go for my run before I've eaten and it never affects my performance. There's a brilliant book about it called "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" written for serious athletes about how it works.

IrianofWay · 15/05/2014 11:53

Hi Biwi - I did LC for many years so I am quite familiar with it. I read all the books and was quite evangelical for a while It's just that I found after a while that I stopped losing weight and got bored TBH, my blood sugar never reduced while I was dieting and I found that, no matter how far into ketosis I was, I lacked energy when running. I didn't get seriously into long-distance running until after I stopped LCing and then I lost a significant amount of weight by eating low GI and running more. I think that simple cruel fact is that not everyone reacts the same way to the same diet and my success on LC is probably over Sad.

Re balance, my issue is probably just mine, but I used to eat plenty of dairy and perhaps overdid it. Hence the lack of balance. I am not fond of meat so I probably tended to overuse dairy. I agree that a good LC diet is not as unhealthy as it portrayed by it's detractors.

Re the cost - I am feeding five people on a limited budget so meat doesn't factor massively. We as a family tend to eat lots of pasta. pulses, rice etc. If we do eat meat it tends to be mince or smaller amounts of meat in the slow cooker with lots of pulses and veg. Protein is from dairy and pulses mostly. I rarely buy joints of meat or chicken breast etc. So buying much more meat cuts into our budget painfully. When i did it before my kids often ate at differnt times to DH and I do it wasn't so obvious that I was eating different food to them - now they are older and always eat with us. I simply could not afford to serve all of us LC friendly meat meals on a daily basis.

IrianofWay · 15/05/2014 11:57

BTW I used to be Ormirian and I think we met on LC threads in the past!

Bindibach · 15/05/2014 12:05

I just don't diet in any way shape or form anymore as it will only end up in me bingeing. I have had disordered eating in the past so I have been eating without dieting for 10 years now. I love food and don't want to be deprived of any of it. The way I keep my weight steady is to only eat when Im truly hungry and stop when Im satisfied and eat any type of food I want. Im eating like a naturally slim person. I will not ever diet again.