Losing weight is never easy, but it gets a lot harder when you turn 50.
“When women go through menopause, our metabolism slows down and we have lower levels of estrogen. Estrogen promotes muscle mass and your ability to burn calories depends on the muscle mass, ”says Dr. med. Reshmi Srinath, director of the Weight and Metabolic Management Program at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in New York. “Men also see a drop in testosterone after their fourth decade, so hormonal changes occur for both sexes, and that’s the main reason it’s harder to lose weight as we get older.”
But it’s not impossible.
A mother on the street and Jenny Craig
Loralee Coulter, a pharmaceutical sales representative and mother of two from Omaha, NE, noticed she put on weight in her late 40s. “I didn’t eat enough fresh food,” says Coulter, who, at 5’10, “didn’t usually weigh more than about 170.” I would grab a sub sandwich and be hungry again soon. Or I would just not eat all day and then eat way too much at dinner. “
A foot injury in 2016 made it difficult for her to exercise. “When I turned 50 in 2017, I was up to 228 pounds,” says Coulter. “We were on a family trip to Disney World and when I saw the pictures I knew I had to do something. So I decided to join Jenny Craig. “
Coulter says what she needed from a weight loss plan was a better sense of portion control and how much she actually ate. “As soon as I started following her plan, I realized, ‘Oh my god, I ate a lot more than I thought,” she says. She also downloaded a calorie tracking app called My Net Diary and began, Keeping a record of her eating so she could gradually wean off the meals she bought from Jenny Craig and plan her own daily intake. “You can’t stay on a diet forever,” she says.
By the end of 2017, Coulter had lost over 50 pounds and had her goal weight of 176, which is where she has stayed since then. “The key is learning how to eat more balanced and nutritious food for your health in the long run,” she says.
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Lose 100 pounds despite disability
Lynn Burgess lived with rheumatoid arthritis for many years and always struggled with her weight. But when her RA became so severe that she was forced to become disabled in her mid-40s, she became less and less active. “Because I was at home all the time, I also ate a lot more and didn’t cook as healthy as I should,” says 60-year-old Burgess, who lives in the Chicago area. By 2017, Burgess realized she was well over 200 pounds and at only 4’11 ”had about 100 pounds to lose. “It was very daunting, but I had to try.”
She signed up again with Weight Watchers, which had helped her lose less weight in the past. “I’ve decided not to give up if I haven’t lost or even won because it’s inevitable,” she said. “Weight Watchers worked for me, but I don’t think it’s the plan you’re using, it’s a commitment to follow it.”
It took Burgess about a year and a half to lose 100 pounds and she has kept it off for the past 2 years. “After about 20 or 30 pounds, I felt great when I started feeling it in my clothes and seeing it when I looked in the mirror,” she says. “That helped me keep going.”
Abandon Dad Bod
Todd Bentsen, a Washington, DC-based communications professional and father of two, has never had much weight problems. He is only six feet tall and weighs around 175 pounds for most of his adult life.
Then came COVID. The now 60-year-old Bentsen was at home a lot. “I ate what my teenage son ate and drank what was in front of me. I was just under 200 pounds in three months, ”he says. “My clothes didn’t fit me anymore. And it’s no joke that your metabolism slows down as you get older. “
In July 2020, he signed up for the Noom app-based weight loss plan. Although he appreciated and accompanied Noom’s behavioral lessons, Bentsen said it was really helpful to keep track of his eating habits. “Based on your weight loss goals, they tell you how many calories you can eat per day. Mine was 1,400, ”he says.
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Soon he saw how much he had taken in without even realizing it. “I knew certain things were caloric, but I don’t know I realized how much,” he says. “I love baguette sandwiches from the French bakery in my neighborhood, but baguettes are low in calories. I am more conscious and aware of my food. “
In December 2020, he hit his target weight of 177. “I could probably have reached it a lot faster if I had been more strict with myself, but I wanted an approach that I could stick to,” he says.
Working with a Weight Loss Doctor
In her late 40s, Connecticut business owner Jamie Cohen was feeling extremely good about her health. “I went on an elimination diet in which I found a number of foods that I was sensitive to,” says the mother of two students. “If I’ve stayed away from these foods, I’ve done well. I had lost weight and slept well and felt great. “
Then, exactly when she turned 50, Cohen was hit by a number of stressors at the same time: family health problems, school difficulties for one of her children, and the onset of menopause. She soon found that her weight had increased to 225 pounds. “I had every single menopausal symptom and had a lot of digestive problems too,” says the 5’6 “Cohen.” I went to a gastroenterologist who sent me on a medical weight loss program. “
The program’s doctor recommended a specific number of calories per day or per week for Cohen’s weight and activity level. “I thought I wasn’t going to eat that much, but I quickly realized that I was slipping a lot more refined carbohydrates and sugars back into my diet,” she says. “There were a lot of little things like adding more milk and sugar to my tea. Then when I put on weight I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself. Feeling bad, I drank another cup of tea with lots of milk and sugar. “
Cohen started with Lose It! App to track your food and exercise. “I find that I no longer snack. I eat when I’m hungry. I listen to my body’s signals, ”she says. So far, with the help of virtual barre and Pilates classes, she has lost 47 pounds and at least three sizes. “I still weigh more than I would like, but my shape is so much different and I’m stronger because I’m working on turning everything into muscle,” she says.
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Tips from the doctor
How can you get results like these people did? Srinath has a few tips.
“Weight loss comes in calories, calories out,” she says. “To lose a pound a week, you have to create a daily deficit of 500 calories, which cannot be done with food or exercise alone. You need both. “
- Monitor your meals. One thing that all four of our weight loss success stories have in common is that they just didn’t realize how much they were eating. “I recommend checking your food intake with an app like Lose It! or MyFitnessPal to get started, ”says Srinath.
- Think long term, not fads. “You don’t want to be on a diet that restricts your food choices,” she advises. “Instead, make healthy food choices that you can sustain. Moderate your carbohydrates and moderate your intake of things like sugar and alcohol. “
- Focus on healthy sources of protein. “Protein keeps you full longer and helps you avoid blood sugar spikes caused by high-carb meals,” says Srinath. “For example, if you like oatmeal for breakfast, add some nuts or peanut butter for egg white.”
- Be careful when you eat. “Try to finish your meal by 8pm,” she says. “Ideally, there should be at least 3 hours between your last meal of the day and bedtime.”
- Move your body. “Do some physical activity that increases your heart rate every day, ideally for at least 30 minutes,” says Srinath. “It can be anything that appeals to you: walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or working on YouTube videos.”
- Build or at least keep muscles. We tend to lose muscle mass as we get older, and muscles burn more calories than fat at rest. “You should incorporate strengthening exercises into your routine at least two days a week,” says Srinath.
If you’ve been trying to lose weight for at least 6 months without success, it may be time to get help from a weight loss professional, says Srinath.
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SWELL:
Reshmi Srinath, MD, Assistant Professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Bone Diseases and Director of the Mount Sinai Weight and Metabolic Management Program at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in New York City.
Loralee Coulter, Omaha, NE.
Lynn Burgess, Chicago.
Todd Bentsen, Washington, DC.
Jamie Cohen, West Hartford, CT.
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