The middle-aged weight loss thread

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Poser
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PostThe middle-aged weight loss thread
by Poser » Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:28 am

I was going to just post this in the chat thread, but then I remembered how many people on here are of a similar age to me, with families, etc, and I thought maybe a thread about gentle, non-mental weight loss would be useful, especially as sharing/chronicling this stuff can often help people make progress.

Bit of a boring diary-type OP, but I really needed somewhere to write all this down.


I've always (historically) been a slim/athletic guy, but gave up competitive sprinting in 2008 and have only really dabbled in stuff since then. I turned 40 this year and it's like my metabolism went off a cliff. I have never really watched what I ate - never needed to - and I've found less time to do the occasional runs that tended to keep me ticking over.

I weighed myself last Sunday, the 8th, and realised I'd hit 73kg. That might not seem like a lot, but I'm a short man, and it's easily the heaviest I've ever been. I have slim fit shirts that no longer fit. I was 65kg when I was sprinting four times a week.

NHS website said I was technically overweight (I know BMI is problematic, but it's fine for now) and it recommended I get down to 69.3kg.

Things I've done:

1. Stopped all sugar intake and snacks. Completely cold turkey. I used to take sugar in teas, and eat a lot of sugary snacks, cakes, sweets, pastries, etc. I would put sugar on cereal, even. I would eat a full packet of biscuits in a sitting. I have a compulsive personality and find it easier to eat none at all than to just eat one.

2. I've been for two short runs - just two miles each, and aim to do two runs a week until I can run the distance at good pace, at which point I'll increase it.

3. I've also started doing more exercise in the house - light weights, press-ups, sit-ups, planks, etc. Mainly core stuff to strengthen that area and try to get more definition.

4. I'm eating less meat, but I'd been phasing that in over the last year or so anyway.

Things I haven't done:

Changed anything else. My meals/portions are the same. I don't eat many takeaways anyway.

Results so far:

In the first seven days, I lost 2.2kg. Can't believe how fast it's dropped off. Underlines how much shite I was shoving in my mouth. I had a massive sugar withdrawal headache after four days, but I was working from home so managed to get through it. I feel better, lighter, trimmer.

Aims:

I want to hit that 69.3kg by the end of December, and be able to run five miles comfortably. If I can do that, I'm going to enter the Great North Run next year.


tl;dr - I stopped eating junk and lost two bags of sugar in weight in a week.

So... have you tried to lose weight? Succeeded? Failed? Do you have any tips for people? The biggest thing that would help me would be overcoming boredom-related at-desk snacking, so any tips there would be appreciated.

Go.

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Preezy
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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Preezy » Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:46 am

Decent thread idea, even if I'm a youngling of just 33 compared to some of the coffin-dodgers on the forum :slol:

I've recently booked our family holiday for July next year, so I've got something to target for getting back into shape. Like you, I always used to be able to eat whatever I wanted with no obvious consequence, how times change :(

I'm a shade under 6 foot and at last weigh-in I was 12st 3lbs, so that's almost 78kg. I don't actually think I look fat, but I can feel in myself that I'm unhealthy and a bit flabby round the middle and that I'm not in the shape I could or should be in.

I'm massively cutting down on the amount of gooseberry fool I eat (and drink!) and am trying to just be more active in general. I'm extremely unfit but I do manage a 20km bike ride once a week, which I know isn't enough but it's better than nothing.

What am I aiming for? I guess to be 11st/69kg would be good, but mainly I just want to look and feel a bit better and maybe get some definition/toning.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by abcd » Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:48 am

Well done Poser.

Keeping on top of these things can be very difficult but making it part of your life routines makes all the difference

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Garth
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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Garth » Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:05 pm

I'm 35 now and lost 20kg in a year and a bit mostly through healthier eating. The last month hasn't been great though as I was eating too much on holiday and continued snacking after the holiday, but maybe this thread will help motivate me to improve again.

My aim will be to get down to 73kg by the end of the year and to stick to a proper fitness routine.

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Mini E
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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Mini E » Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:09 pm

Great work!

I'm 6"1 and at my heaviest was 103.2kg whilst an undergraduate until 2014ish. Took up running and got down to 76.3ish in the space of a couple of years. Currently back up to 88ish due to injuries stopping me from exercising but back on the way down. A healthy middle ground for me is 80ish. When I got down to 76, I looked a bit too thin.

Keep going!

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Johnny Jalfrezi » Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:30 pm

I'm 44 in a couple of months and you're right about the ol' metabolism dropping off a cliff at 40. I was a wee bit podgy before then and, like you, had never really watched what I ate, however, I didn't exercise at all and started to pile the weight on. Two years ago though I started playing squash in a bit of a club of mates which subsequently lead on to also playing football. This ultimately ended up with me playing squash three times a week, football once a week, and kickboxing (I did taekwondo for 5-6 years in my early twenties and fancied another crack at martial arts) once a week. Despite not really changing my diet (though the exercise actually suppressed my appetite, weirdly) the weight just fell off me, to the point where I could comfortably fit into medium-sized slim-fit shirts (even Next ones...). What I hadn't considered was the fact that I was doing a lot of high-impact exercise with little recovery time, and I was doing this in my forties. In fact, the first time this occurred to me was while I was playing squash and suddenly heard a 'pung!' noise, like the sound of a racket string snapping, followed by a loud screaming. By the time I hit the floor I realised that the screaming noise was coming from me and the previous sound had been my achilles tendon saying it'd had enough. It was six months before I did any exercise again (back to playing squash and football once a week now) and in that time I had put on two stone, near as damn it.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Photek » Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:46 pm

I’m 42 and I don’t eat at all on Mondays... I was running but knees hurting a bit I’ll get back to it, I’ve lost weight, we don’t have a scale but I can wear stuff I couldn’t before and tummy is less.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Jenuall » Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:22 pm

I'm 35 next month and whilst I'm still in okay shape I've definitely put on some weight over the last few years. I had been pretty much 10st for most of my adult life, probably dipping down to around 9 at uni when more than anything I just didn't have the cash to buy enough food to be any bigger! I don't tend to weigh myself (and don't actually own any scales) but I imagine I'm up at the top end of 11st these days.

My metabolism is beginning to slow somewhat which is a factor but the main change is simply that I don't get the same level of exercise as I used to, for a variety of reasons. I used to cycle to work every day, and had basically done that all my life - this was a great way of keeping in decent shape as regardless of any other fitness activity I knew I was getting a good hour of cycling in 5 days a week. Now I don't have that option as my commute just doesn't allow for it, and since having kids their just isn't as much time to fit in exercise outside of work time. Combine that with the fact that I still shovel a hell of a lot of food into my system (not necessarily bad stuff, although there is some of that, but I just tend to go for big portions!) and you've got a recipe for imminent weight gain!

I've fallen in and out of regular running over the last few years, managing to get into a rhythm of going for a couple of 5k and a 10k run a week for about a month or so, and then dropping back to nothing for a few months before trying to pick it up again. I tend to find running just a bit dull and having a busy work and family life means there just aren't that many chances to do it during a week so when I'm feeling tired or the weather is shite it's hard to keep the enthusiasm and commitment for getting out there!

Current plan is to try and stabilise on a running routine - maybe going for more shorter runs but committing to getting at least two in each week, and combining that with some exercises in the house each day - even if it's just a 15 minute burst of the usual planks, sit-up, press-ups etc.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Monkey Man » Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:54 pm

Lost 4 stone since the start of the year to get to my goal weight of 11 stone (70kg) a few weeks back. Just your basic calorie counting and daily dog walking. Now just trying to get the balance right to stay the same weight.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Rex Kramer » Tue Sep 17, 2019 2:02 pm

Oh you guys, you made a thread all about me. :wub:

Seriously though, looking at photos about 3 years ago I realised I'd put on some serious weight. I've always hovered around 90kg and being 6ft and pretty broad I was probably too heavy even at that but around 41 I'd hit over 100kg. Started a couch to 5km training routine and stopped snacking almost completely. Also pretty much removed cheese from my diet and was reading saturated fat content on pretty much everything I ate. Over the space of a year or so, I dropped back down under 90kg and was pretty happy with myself. Since then I've gone back to my more regular diet but carried on running. I've noticed the weight is starting to creep back up again in the last year and I'd say I'm around 93kg at the moment. At 45, I probably have to accept that I can't just eat whatever and then run it off and I need to get a handle on the crisps/chocolate/whatever side of my diet. So that's my aim from now until Christmas, get back to where I was.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Drumstick » Tue Sep 17, 2019 2:24 pm

In January I decided to lose some weight and jumped on the keto train. At that point I was 5'11'' and 87kg, by April I was still 5'11'' (amazing, I know) but I'd dropped down to 74kg. So I was pretty happy with that and abandoned the diet. Come August I was back to 81kg, so I hopped back onto the diet and as of the time of writing I'm 78kg.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Preezy » Tue Sep 17, 2019 2:33 pm

Christmas is the killer, I probably consume my body weight three times over in cheese, crisps, chocolate, cakes, drinks, nuts, more cheese, different cheese, more drink, even more cheese, it's just relentless. I guess the aim for my in the short-term should be to lose enough weight to be able to indulge over Christmas and not come into January looking like a blimp. That'd be something to celebrate (with cheese).

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Gemini73 » Tue Sep 17, 2019 3:22 pm

I'm 46 and currently 92.02kg. For my height ideally I need to be around 79-82kg. Got a bit of a belly

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by satriales » Tue Sep 17, 2019 4:57 pm

I'm 34 and 82kg. I do lots of long distance running but also eat lots of donuts. I do want to get down to 75kg or less to help make the ultramarathons a bit easier.
Short term aim is to reduce bread intake and take lunch into work instead of buying a sandwich. Also need to increase the weekly running mileage and be more consistent with it.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Gemini73 » Tue Sep 17, 2019 8:55 pm

I've been cutting back on bread quite a bit, but probably need to avoid it altogether. I do eat pasta at work but being as I walk several miles a day in my job (and carry lots of weights IE beds, heavy bagfulls of notes etc), I burn it off. My biggest problem, even more so than the occasional few pints, is I snack a lot. Something I really need to cut out.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Lime » Tue Sep 17, 2019 10:58 pm

This is good timing for a thread like this!

I'm 48, and just got put on statins by my Doctor due to high cholesterol.

I'm 70kg, 5"8, but thanks to inheriting my Dad's body shape all the excel goes on round the front of my belly, and it leads to stuff like acid reflux when bending down etc, as it all gets pushed upwards. My arms and legs are slim, my partner wishes she had legs like mine :slol:

Losing weight and changing diet is the key for me to get my health back on track.

My target weight is 63.5, i.e. 10 stone, as that's the right weight for me to appear in proportion!

Cutting out snacks is the biggie, but I'm pretty good with willpower once I've made up my mind.
I also do nordic walking (with the poles), which is great as it gets me out of the house, and seems more of an aerobic exercise than normal walking. I'm just not a sporty person and it's been difficult to find something I really want to be doing. I have a proper running machine in the shed but it's covered in stuff that's just been dumped out there :(

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Bunni » Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:14 pm

30, 5ft 6 and I think around 10/11st? I don't know, I really don't weight myself. I used to fit a Topshop size 8 but now I'm a comfortable 12. I've never dieted but am trying to eat more fruit veg and whole foods which I'm doing fairly well at. Today I had a green tea and a smoothie for breakfast. Then worked a 12 hr shift on my feet the whole day walking miles on several stops at the tin of quality street and a couple of potato croquettes pulled off the food trolley before it went back to kitchen. So probably not lose weight, just eat right and regular.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Abacus » Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:40 pm

Well, I've decided to go on a massive crash diet, and try to lose a stone and a half by mid October.

I am doing this through a combination of fewer carbs, intermittent fasting, and getting on the treadmill until my chest hurts, i.e. doing it in the least healthy way. Still, half a stone so far since the start of September and haven't collapsed once yet.

That will get me down to my favourite trouser size, I calculate, by 10th October.

Essentially, it's because there's a woman I quite fancy, and most of my best clothes are at that trouser size.

Well, everyone needs a motivation. Oh yeah, and it's good for you, etc, live longer blah-de-blah who cares.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Dowbocop » Wed Sep 18, 2019 12:08 am

Earlier this year I was in training for a Ju-Jitsu grading, so I gave up chocolate for February and then booze for all of March and half of April. I really need to do it again because the weight fell off me. I'm 5'8" and was about 76kg when I was in my early twenties but I'd crept up to the early eighties. I don't think I actually weighed myself at the end of my training (that wasn't really the point) but I felt so much better and leaner.

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PostRe: The middle-aged weight loss thread
by Poser » Wed Sep 18, 2019 8:17 am

Gemini73 wrote:I've been cutting back on bread quite a bit, but probably need to avoid it altogether. I do eat pasta at work but being as I walk several miles a day in my job (and carry lots of weights IE beds, heavy bagfulls of notes etc), I burn it off. My biggest problem, even more so than the occasional few pints, is I snack a lot. Something I really need to cut out.


I've found snacking weirdly easy to cut out, but bread and pasta would be very difficult for me. I'm worried that's what I'll need to do to get to my target.

Abacus wrote:getting on the treadmill until my chest hurts


There is a certain amount of chest pain that comes with running, especially when you've not done it for a bit - I think you're safe-ish as long as it feels like it's in your lungs/trachea. Apologies if this is obvious, but if it starts to feel like anything worse, or like significant tightness that you'd struggle to recover from after stopping for a few minutes, then definitely stop. :lol:


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