can you loose weight at 65?

Petunia, I am ahead of you in years, about 4 weeks ago I took myself in hand and joined Slimming World. Doing well, what I do is plan my meals a week in advance, make sure my store cupboard/freezer is full of necessary ingredients, and then I forget about it. I try to have a walk at least one hour a day (my thinking time), so far so good. ten pounds down and many more to go! Good luck.

Yes I lost weight with slimming world and have kept it off for over 5 years. I was 65 when I started. Only problem with leaving it so late is skin doesn’t ‘spring back’ as it would have done pre menopause, however I am a dress size down and feel all the better for it. I still weigh myself regularly and record it in my old SW book. Yes it does take over a bit but to me it’s important I don’t put that 1.5 Stones back on.
It’s never too late. Good luck.

I lost 2 stone at 70 and at 75 it has not come back, all the extra weight was put on just before and around the menopause and was intractable until I was 70, when the 5:2 diet came on the scene and worked for me.

I think, and I would not claim to be an expert, that successful weight loss is to do with your attitude to food. Your description of how the constant focus on what can be eaten and exactly how much exercise to take gets you down is probably the clue to unsuccessful weight loss.

What I found helped me was developing an eating and activity pattern that suited me and I enjoyed. I always claim that I have not done a seconds Exercise (the capital letter, government and doctor recommended misery activity) since I left school. However I have always been active. I like walking and go out for a long walk every day and I am generally always up and down and doing stuff in house and garden, I used to do a lot of swimming, things I really enjoyed doing. Do that and forget about Exercise. Find what you like doing and enjoy doing it. Do not measure it or make it a chore.

The same with food. Imagine and plan what you would eat to maintain your weight, without gaining and then find ways of eating and, more importantly, enjoying eating like that. Research recipes, adjust recipes for food you already enjoy so that they are lower in fat and sugar. Get pleasure from the food you eat.

For me, the 5:2 worked, I think because when I started it, I began to research recipes for the 500 calorie days, looking for ideas, picking recipes that included foods I liked, trying new ingredients. I made eating on the '2' days, I cut back as enjoyable as the sensible balanced diet I ate on the other 5 days. I also ate on those two days in a pattern that suited me, which was 2 meals, lunch and supper both the same size, other people cut lunch or only eat once a day.

To sum up. Forget about diets, cutting back, doing Exercise. Instead take pleasure in food and being active, develop a way of eating that suits you and that you really enjoy (the key point) and keeps your weight stable and then, think how to adjust this to lose weight and ENJOY.

Brilliant MOnica.
I think attitude is so important. Don’t think of yourself as being denied anything, start to think positively about eating good food and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.
I would much rather eat one lovely chocolate than 4 nondescript ones.

I'm almost 65 I've lost almost two and a half stone since May.I've been doing the 16-8 although its more 17-7 for me and I've cut calories to around 1000 a day .It hasn't been difficult as I dont mind fasting .I'm doing it to help my hernaited disc problem .If I can lose a few more pounds before my hospital appointment in October I hope to avoid surgery .Thats just the incentive I needed as surgery is the last thing I want .

I’m 70 and I found that my way to lose weight is eating my meals on a smaller plate. Sounds too easy but it worked for me . I lost 2 stone over 6 months and so far only a couple of pounds has crept back.

I'm nearly 69 and when I retired nearly 7 years ago I weighed 69kg.
Now I weigh 59kg.

I get more exercise, but that's because I'm not sitting down at work all day. I only do forms of exercise that I enjoy - walking, pilates, tennis, dancing, gardening and cycling.

I've never been on a 'diet' in my life. I eat smaller portions that I used to, but I think the game-changer is not snacking. Apart from 3 meals a day, I have one other item of food - a banana, or a small scone or a piece of toast. Once that's gone, that's it. I don't have bags of crisps in the house and I don't go near the biscuits I have to buy for MrA. I've also tried to reduce my sugar intake as much as possible, but that's more for health reasons than to lose weight.

It was an effort to change bad habits but when I think of the effect of carrying an extra 10 kg around all the time, I'm glad I persevered.

Petunia you've done really well to lose 5 lbs in one week, but don't expect to keep that up. Rapid weight loss isn't easy to sustain. If you think about it, 3 stone = 42lbs.
So if you just lose 1 lb a week, in a year you'll lose more than 3 stone.
Be kind to yourself, try to enjoy your food and don't worry about temporary setbacks.

Petunia I started a thread earlier this year called ‘I am a Pear’ which is for anyone who wants to lose weight. We all use our own methods of weight loss. I am on the NHS Healthy Eating Plan and have lost a stone and I will be 72 later this month.

Initially I counted calories 1400 a day and tried to keep some calories over for some wine or a pud etc. The first two weeks were hard and then my stomach must have shrunk because I can’t eat the quantity I used to eat. I keep sugar free sweets in the house for when I want a sweet taste (M and S do some nice butterscotch). I water down all my drinks. I occasionally take a day off. Slowly but surely The weight has come off and my clothes now fit me.

Why don’t you come and join us. We encourage each other and realise we are all human and sometimes we will slip backwards but on the whole we move forwards. Our slogan is ‘Onward and Downward ‘.

Well done to anyone who has lost weight. I'm almost 67 and have probably lost the best part of a stone this year, and kept it off. I don't like joining things, it just doesn't motivate me, in fact it can do the opposite if I feel pressure on me.

I am old enough (and daft enough) to know what I should and shouldn't eat but find that circumstances don't help. E.g. we do eat out a lot, meet with friends for coffee, lunch etc. and, of course, drink a few glasses of wine along with meals out. Hey, ho! I'm slimmer than many of the young people I see around town, I fit easily into a 14/16 and I think that's all I want to achieve if it means carrying on enjoying my life as it is. I know the charts etc. tell me I should weigh a good bit less but as long as I feel healthy and I keep under 2000 calories a day, I just muddle along.

I lost a stone and a half with slimming world two years ago and put it all back on again

lots of good points here ladies. i too know what i should do and i could proably write a great diet book. but,sigh, its acting on it all. might just take a look at im a pear for some motivation

The only person who can motivate you Petunia is you.

1,400 calories NanKate? I wish. I put on weight with that!

I’m 70 and nearly two stone overweight. I struggle to loose a few pounds, and then Best Beloved wot does the cooking produces toad in the hole or similar for dinner. I only have one sausage and it’s three pounds straight back on and it takes a week to shift it again.

And then there’s all this surplus skin. How do I get rid of it?

NfkDumpling sorry, but I think you are talking rubbish. I got into constant weighing and found I could be 4lbs heavier in the evening than in the morning but after a morning walk I was back to my earlier weight. Stop counting calories and get some exercise. I started walking about 3 miles at a briskish pace; now feel sluggish if I don't do 5-6 miles and I stay 20lbs lighter than I was 15 months ago without worrying about having the odd cream bun or Yorkshire pudding

That’s rather harsh tidy.
What do you suggest people do, if they can’t take brisk 6 mile walks every day for whatever reason?

Tidy your response is one of the most harsh I’ve ever read on Gransnet

I spent three hours digging and raking a rough bit of ground in DS ‘garden’ yesterday. Yoghurt and seeds for breakfast, two rounds of bread in a cheese sandwich for lunch (that being what he had to hand) and one sausage, a desert spoon of beans, several tomatoes and a very few supposedly healthy oven chips for dinner. I did have a glass of ginger wine (which needs drinking) and a Roses chocolate from DiL (one chocolate). Two pounds heavier this morning. We’re walking a lot today - although not briskly, I’m still trying to get fit after my second knee replacement.

I’m always heavier at night. I thought everyone was. Hopefully the sausage will have been walked off today! I’ll let you know.

JaneA wrote
I eat smaller portions that I used to, but I think the game-changer is not snacking. Apart from 3 meals a day, I have one other item of food - a banana, or a small scone or a piece of toast. Once that's gone, that's it

I posted very similar good advice on another thread.

And move if you can. I allocate ‘sitting down time’ about 30-45 mins in the morning to read or go online and ditto in the afternoon. Apart from that I’m moving about, pottering, doing housework, shopping, school run, gardening. Then I do settle down at night to watch TV.

I’ve just had six weeks of grandchild and granddog care. Plenty of pottering and b****r all sitting around. I can also now walk/swim/garden etc - and have been. I’ve come to the conclusion that having had a hysterectomy, like neutered dogs, I’m very economical to run! Getting fat comes easy to me.

I am 62 and have dieted most of my adult life, now, as they say ‘ I wish as was as fat as when I first thought I was fat’!
After years of poo pooing low carb diets, I watched The Truth About Carbs which really opened my eyes. I did the cracker test where you chew on a dry cream cracker and note how long before the taste goes from savoury to sweet. Mine never turned to sweet which showed I had low levels of amylase which meant I should really watch my carbs. I’ve since started the Low Carb Program where the emphasis is on low carb/high healthy fat and it is the best, easiest way of eating I’ve tried in all those years.
I think it’s still available on iPlayer but well worth a watch. If not, the transcript is on Diabetes.co.uk

Nfk you are what in known in the horse world as a ‘good doer’. There are horses like thoroughbreds that need lots of food to keep the weight on and then there are the Welsh Cobs who can thrive on next to nothing and indeed need to be underfed.

All the Welsh Cobs I’ve ever known have been the most hardworking, sweet natured animals I ever worked with, but I’ve been nipped too often by thoroughbreds.

Just saying. Hope you don’t take offence at this comparison x

Not in the least Meg! I’m definitely a cob - and very sweet natured! I nearly got laminitis last winter with all the lack of excercise!

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Nfk the NHS Diet said I should be on 1200 Cals a day but I find that too little so I opted for 1400 and the weight loss is very slow about half a pound a week which suits me fine. So I don’t feel too deprived food wise and I am going down. The folk who are managing to lose a couple of a pounds a week are obviously eating far less than me.