Any tips on weight loss for an old?

[JW_in_Boston]

So, I've always battled with my weight from being the "fat" nerdy kid that was female kryptonite until something finally clicked before my senior year of high school. As an aside I say "fat" because yes I was overweight, but I was never really much past chubby. So anyway, summer before senior year HS I lost 35 lb going from 195 to 160 (I'm 5'9), stayed that size +/-5 lb through most of my 20s, but thru work/ family stress I've bounced back and forth from 165-190 and currently I sit around 180. I want to be 160-165 but probably need 5-10 lb of muscle added too so I need to drop 20-30 lb.

In the past when I was higher than I wanted to be I watched what I ate, got more active and I lost the weight. Wasn't always easy but it happened and wasn't overly painful or dramatic (.5-1 lb/ week). I'm doing everything I used to do but I'm not losing this time!

We rarely eat out, I don't eat junk food much tho I have a sweet tooth. I drink daily but our usual is a beer each before dinner, then a half glass of wine after dinner. We usually only have beef or pork once or twice a week, chicken breast or tofu/ veggie otherwise, we eat lots of fresh veggies, organics etc. We usually go for a walk daily but regardless I always get my 10000 steps daily and usually average 80000+/ week. I lift 3-4 days/ week at home on the bowflex (don't judge) for 30-45 mins and focus on big lifts, bench, shoulder press, curls, squat, deadlifts etc. If I have time I mix in a dumbbell set or 2. I've got powerblocks that go to 90 lb each and a chin up/dip setup over the door that I need to get back on, but I had a random pinched nerve in my neck 6 mo ago so I've only been getting back at lifting since February.

So what am I missing/ doing wrong, or is this just an age thing (I'm 44)? Do I need to start jogging (we got a pandemic treadmill for the Mrs) or drop alcohol altogether (for a bit, not doing that permanently), or eat more protein (but not calories)? I really don't overeat, so I'm not sure how much more I can cut and all the low hanging fruit like no soda(I drink plain seltzer/ sodastream), don't eat much canned/prepackaged food etc already.

Anyone got good tips for getting fit after 40?

[UAEebs86]

The only thing that works for me is going low carb for periods of time, and very little alcohol/low carb options during that time. Exercising during that time helps of course. Right now mine is walking and PT for a jacked up back.

Lost about 10 pounds the last 3 weeks, doc says I'm fat LOL and need to drop 20 to control my blood pressure.

[Merkin]

I did the no carb for 6 months. Lost 40 pounds.

Gained it all back.

[Alieberman]

What worked for me was running/ swimming and going low carb.

I dropped 20+ pounds in a couple months

[84Cat]

80% of weight loss is what you put in your mouth. I am in the within my weight range for my health. Here are my tips:

1. Get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night. I got an oura ring and it really showed I needed more sleep.
2. Eat 3 meals a day and eat most of it before 1 pm. Make sure your last meal is 4 hours before bed
3. Experiment with interment fasting. I try to fast 14 hours/day
4. Eat only whole, unprocessed food.
5. Limit the amount of liquid calories to zero if possible
6. Watch out for oils. 1 tbsp of oil is 150 calories. To me, oil is a processed food
7. Find an enjoyable way to get exercise. I walk, ride my bike and do weight bearing exercises. It must be enjoyable or you won't stick with it
8. Focus more on health than losing weight. I have 2 relatives who went keto for health reasons and they lost weight but their bio markers didn't change and got worse in some cases. Now they are heavier than before and their bio markers are not good.
9. Do something fun every day. I know you have a busy schedule but health takes time & effort. I'm 59 now and my health is very valuable at my age. I see others who don't have the energy I have and it's hard to watch.

A great book that isn't too dogmatic is The Blue Zones. The author studied all the healthiest cultures around the world and figured out what were the most common habits they practiced.

[Chicat]

8. Focus more on health than losing weight. I have 2 relatives who went keto for health reasons and they lost weight but their bio markers didn't change and got worse in some cases. Now they are heavier than before and their bio markers are not good.

I don’t understand keto. There are people out there wrapping pork rind crusted bacon around a stick of butter and talking about how they’re doing it for their health.

[wyo-cat]

I’m currently losing weight right now. I eat Keto/NSNG (no sugar, no grains). I eat until full, then fast. I do OMAD and Alternate Day Fasting.

I do Dr. Benbo’s workout. Bought the book on Amazon for $10. 15 Minutes to Fitness. I’m kicking ass in the gym and it’s about 20 minutes total.

I decided my main metric isn’t weight, but waist circumference around the belly button area. My goal is 36”. That will put me at less than 1/2 of my height in inches. When you hit that metric, you’re healthy. Weight doesn’t matter.

Also, my 17 year old daughter is in week 3 of the workout and her shoulders are really staring to show some definition.

This is really working for me all my blood pressure meds are gone (at the recco of my cardio) and I’m feeling great. Hit me up if you have any questions.

[ASUHATER!]

Between late 2019 and late 2020 I lost upwards of 25 lbs. And literally all I did was cut my alcohol intake by 90% (I was one of the few people that drank far less during quarantine) and cook from home more and not get fast food or takeout as much. I didn't exercise at all really or count calories or do any diets...just those two things and I went from nearly 210 to like 185.

[JW_in_Boston]

80% of weight loss is what you put in your mouth. I am in the within my weight range for my health. Here are my tips:

1. Get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night. I got an oura ring and it really showed I needed more sleep.
2. Eat 3 meals a day and eat most of it before 1 pm. Make sure your last meal is 4 hours before bed.

Those 2 are nearly impossible for me and #1 + my advanced age is probably the biggest problem. Both my boys are night owls and not asleep before 10 (even the 3 yr old who has been that way for a long while). My 12 year old is on sleep meds that get him to go down easier than usual (usually by 11) when in the past he'd be partying in his room until 3am. But he's often up at 4am, and if I don't get up by 6am I'll miss my workout window. Lots of whining sure, so if I can get to sleep by 1030-11 it might happen (minus 1-2 wakeups thru the night from said boys).

I'll have to tighten up the eating and drinking more exactly than usual, and probably jog on the treadmill but that means getting up at 530!

[DrWildcat]

Every time I want to lose weight I just count calories. Burn more than you eat and you will lose weight. Basically, I eat/drink whatever the hell I want as long as I stay under a calorie goal for the day. This works for me over say changing what I eat because I know I can't/won't stay with something that forces me to eat things I don't like. Don't get me wrong, this can still be hard to do as...can't have more than 1 beer, no dessert or a limited amount (that serving size for ice cream/candy/cookies is tiny for the amount of calories!), less beef (ton of calories for the amount). Anyway, even if you don't want to do it this way I would still suggest adding up all your calories for each day for at least a week. You might be surprised with what it comes out to.

[Spaceman Spiff]

80% of weight loss is what you put in your mouth. I am in the within my weight range for my health.

This is the truth, although I'd peg it more like 90-95%. Diet is easily the most important thing in weight control. I got fat during law school and had to learn that the hard way.

My advice to OP, first, take 2 weeks and log everything you eat, calculate the calories and meal timing. I always think this is essential.

Why? One common aspect is just going to be calorie reduction, but different people get their excess in different ways. Some people have a sweet tooth, some (like ASUhater) alcohol calories matter. This will help you figure out what your overall calorie intake is from and how much is fat/carb/protein.

As a first note, I think a lot of people underrate some of the excess calories they add through snacking. An extra 200-300 calories over maintenance a day can easily lead to the weight gain you describe because you're just slightly over maintenance for a long period.

This strategy worked for me. Step 1, keep total calories the same, increase protein. This, combined with working out, should help muscle building, which will also help metabolism. 0.75 g of protein per pound of bodyweight is a good goal. Only caveat, be careful if you have kidney issues.

Step 2, when you find what # of calories will maintain weight, alternate days. Day 1, eat maintenance calories. Day 2, eat maintenance minus 500 calories.

Alternating normal/low will keep your metabolism from downregulating. This is also gradual and doesn't make you do drastic stuff like zeroing carbs, which a lot of people don't like to do. You don't starve yourself bc you're either eating fairly normally or just a little under normal.

Good luck.

[azgreg]

Has anybody here tried or know someone who has tried teh carnivore diet? It seems pretty extreme.

[dovecanyoncat]

Is that where you only eat predators? Does a Venus Flytrap salad qualify?

[Longhorned]

I mean the traditional NASA astronaut day-of-blast-off breakfast is steak and eggs precisely so they won't have to poop until they're beyond gravity. Why would anyone want to invite that complication here on earth?

I cheated and ate a salad a couple days before my colonoscopy. Restrictions are hell.

[wyo-cat]

Has anybody here tried or know someone who has tried teh carnivore diet? It seems pretty extreme.

It’s very extreme. I know many people who do it for 30 days as an elimination diet. Then they start adding in veggies and tracking their reaction to the food.

I follow an epileptic on Twitter. She’s seizure free from the carnie diet. She can’t eat veggies because it could kick off seizures again.

She’s Seizure Salad on Twitter. Also, check out Amber O’Hearn she’s been carnie for years.

[Chicat]

I’d be afraid of scurvy.

[Longhorned]

I’d be afraid of scurvy.

That's just because you'd be such a 17th century sailor about the whole thing.

[dovecanyoncat]

I’d be afraid of scurvy.

That's just because you'd be such a 17th century sailor about the whole thing.

Limeycat

[Chicat]

I’d be afraid of scurvy.

That's just because you'd be such a 17th century sailor about the whole thing.

I guess I could squeeze some lime into my grog.

[azgreg]

My wife is on Atkins. Maybe I'll give that a try. Gotta do something.

[dovecanyoncat]

I am able to lose weight only if I include resistance training with my on-slope cardio. Something about building muscle in addition to burning calories makes a big difference. And it's not just for the weight reduction, retaining muscle mass keeps the skeletal frame in order and makes gravity less of a bitch. So I carry two 10 lb. free weights. Extra weight on the uphill elevates cardio load, and various lifting moves keep the heart rate up on the down hill.

Another observation: if I take 2 weeks off, it takes 6 weeks to make up the difference. That ain't fucking fair.

[Longhorned]

My wife is on Atkins. Maybe I'll give that a try. Gotta do something.

Our natural trajectory is to just get fatter and fatter. Any sudden change stops that.

[dovecanyoncat]

My wife is on Atkins. Maybe I'll give that a try. Gotta do something.

Our natural trajectory is to just get fatter and fatter.

And to lose muscle mass.