Accept my weight at 60? I can’t eat less than I do?

[SolarDream]

Just this really. Anyone have a similar experience? Did you manage to make headway? Or just accept?

I’m 5 ft 6, large frame and weigh 12 st 12. I would love to lose a stone. I managed to lose a stone on Noom last year which was 🤩 to me - and I have kept it off too.

I’d love to lose another stone to get to 12 stone - I’d be very content with that. All my clothes would fit easily and look a bit better. However, I am not losing weight and don’t really see how I can lose any more without “starving” myself basically.

( I am also a bit limited exercise wise because of a chronic health issue and this probably does affect metabolism)

As an example, yesterday I ate:-

Late breakfast - slice of peanuts butter on toast

Dinner - bean burger, no bread, a very large salad and about 14 chips. A small strawberry yoghurt.

Also two glasses of wine and 3 teas with sugar.

Would you just accept things as they are?

I could get on board with meticulous calorie counting 🥱 to try and figure out what the issue is, I guess? But I’m pretty sure I’m generally under 1400 calories a day. Surely anything less is unrealistic?

Answers on a postcard …

It she's drinking 600 calories it only leaves 800 calories for everything else and I think what she's eating is way more than 800 cals
Sorry it sucks but alcohol is really fattening as is sweet drinks

Who said it was 2 sugars. And it's one glass of wine not half a bottle. So it is more likely around 400 cal but your point is still a good one

I think the easiest things you can do are cutting out the sugar in your tea and reducing wine. I cut out sugar in my tea by reducing gradually until I wasn't having any. Your tastebuds will adapt, and now I can't stand sugary tea. I don't know how much wine you drink, but if you have a glass each night, try reducing to a glass every other night or just on weekend evenings.

Basically you are consuming too much sugar and not enough protein, and you don't exercise.

Can you cut out the flavoured yoghurts plus wine and sugary teas? Instead ensure that you get a portion of protein and vegetables at every meal.

The Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman is an excellent explanation, with lots of useful advice.

Dr Becky Gillaspy's short talks on YouTube are also very useful.

Lucy Wyndham Read has lots of short exercise videos, many of them suitable for those who are unfit or restricted in what they can do.

But who cares really?

didn't mean that in a bad way, but really it's not 4000 calories a day here. It's a few. drinking 600 and eating 800, Jesus Christ I hope never to be that miserable at 60 to be considering these ratios.

I'm 60 and how I look is certainly not irrelevant! Not to me, anyway.

It does not sound like you are very overweight, but if you want to lose a bit, I'd suggest cutting the wine to one day a week, eating more fruit and veg and ditching sugar in tea. I promise you won't miss it after a fortnight.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/02/ozempic-weight-loss-older-americans-boomers/677371/

i would leave it, try to do some gentle weight baring exercise and eat a bit more protein instead.

Cut out the wine, cut out the sugar in tea.
Could you go swimming.

Lose the sugar in the tea and fit in a smaller meal in the middle of that food

Drink lots of water

I'm almost 56 and have lost 22lbs since last July with Slimming World online. I just walk the dog, rarely any other exercise. Some people lose more quickly but I'm on my own journey and I've gone from 10st 9 to 9st 1 which is at least a dress size on my small frame (I get more pear shape as I gain weight).

You don't have to restrict and you don't have to exercise, but you do need a deficit.

You most definitely do need to exercise!

The older we get, the more vital exercise is, especially resistance and weight bearing exercise.

You are consuming too much sugar and Carbs.

Try a low carb diet.

At 60 I am wondering why you are bothering if you are otherwise fit and healthy?

At what point do you think you will feel more accepting of your body? 70? 80? 90? In the grave?

Other cultures are far more embracing of the natural stages of body and life.

Id try calorie tracking for a week doing what you normally do, to make a more informed decision. Maybe a few tweaks would make a decent difference!
Nutracheck usually do a trial I think, less than £30 for a year anyway and makes the tracking a doddle.
I'd also suggest if you decide to go with calorie counting, set your aim as 1lb or even 0.5lb a week loss. Slow and sustainable is better than gaining!

Anecdotally, I lost nothing last week despite being my lowest calorie week so far (not intentionally, just plans changed!) - whatever you decide, it needs a few weeks before you have a real idea of how it's working!

If you are serious about wanting to lose weight you need to ditch the empty calories - wine and sugar in your tea.

I have not drunk any alcohol (wine) for a month and I have lost 5 pounds and that is all I have done. I am 59. I wasn't dieting, just abstaining, but it shows you the empty calories. I was having the equivalent of 6 glasses a week.

Can't believe some people are suggesting 'giving up' because you're 60! I'm still young approaching my 70s and want to feel good about my appearance as well as my health.

Op, last March my cholesterol was really high so I immediately cut out foods with high saturated fat content and now I'm nearly 2 stone lighter. From 12st5 to 10st7. It was hard at first as I love fry-ups, burgers and crisps but a typical day for me is
Granola or porridge for breakfast
Lunch is a one and a half wholemeal bread sandwich (benecol spread) - prawns, chicken or peanut butter
Spiced up fish or chicken based evening meal with roasted or grilled vegetables plus some carbs eg new potatoes or a wrap
Normally one alcoholic drink every other day, a beer or a spritzer, and sweetener in my hot drinks.

Hope you find something that works for you.

You are not young approaching your 70s. That’s just deceiving yourself.

Its not about ‘giving up’ it’s about self acceptance.

You can’t keep bashing yourself endlessly for a life time that you should be x, y and z. We need to enjoy life, look after our bodies well and be grateful for our health.

I am also 5ft 6 with a large frame (boobs and hips!) and in my 50s.
I have been going to slimming world since September (I know it isn't v popular on here!)

I have lost just over 2 1/2 stone (started at 14.1 do now just under 11 1/2) and am aiming for 10 / 10 1/2
My BMI is still overweight and will not turn healthy until 11 stone

A typical day:
2 bananas
Mid morning fruit and natural (fat free yogurt)
Lunch:
Leftovers / chicken and salad / Turkey sausages
Snack
Apple / carrot
2 baby bells
1 packet of dried fruit
1 or 2 low calorie choc bars
Copious amounts of tea and Diet Coke

Dinner:
Chicken / fish and salad / vegetables

I have cut out carbs - bread would have been the most difficult but I have found that it was giving me stomach ache / wind / bloating !

I have also started swimming again and have signed up to start Pilates next week (although I haven't enjoyed Yiga in the past so not sure !)

I agree we should all be happy in our own skin, but why does getting older mean you should give up looking (and feeling) how you want?
I'm just about to go to PiYo because I enjoy it, and it helps manage my weight and keeps me fit.
Appreciate OP possibly can't do that type of activity, but she should still be allowed to make the choices that make her happy

You know that some 70 year olds are still working professionals don't you? Wait until you are of a certain age and tell me you don't want to be the best you can be. No one's beating themselves up about their looks, the body naturally gets softer and more lined etc but with a possible 20 years ahead of you why wouldn't you want to live and eat healthily?

Well the OP is kind of in a round about way asking permission to accept her weight at 60. It’s in the title so not inappropriate for some to say, yes, you are allowed to accept it if you want to.

What, pack it in at 60? That's when I started couch to 5k after being diagnosed with osteopenia in one hip and the beginnings of arthritis. At this age it's use it or lose it.
One day I may find myself parked in a chair and left in front of Loose Women, but I will do all I can to put that day off.
It's up to the OP what she chooses to do, and she can give up if she likes, but getting decrepit at her age isn't inevitable unless that's the choice she makes. And cutting down on sugar and alcohol and changing her diet will actually make her feel better, not worse.
Sorry OP, not having a go at you, but at all the casually ageist patronising "just accept you're past it" comments.

Casual ageism is rampant on this forum. Older women are NOT invisible, irrelevant or past caring. It's an attitude I find deeply offensive and should be called out, every time.

I'm 64 and it's much harder to lose weight and keep it off as one ages. That's without medical issues which may make it even more difficult.

I don't think I'm particularly strict, but I'm very mindful of calorie intake. However I pick my battles. I also take sugar (one) in tea, and have alcohol regularly. I skip breakfast, eat two small meals a day and walk a lot (at least an hour a day). I'm 5'4", a (large) 10 with a muffin top (which I hate as it spoils the line of clothing).

I don't really lose anything much - I put on a couple of pounds, lose them with great difficulty, then come each Christmas put them back on.

It's hard.