In my 20's & 30's I could just think about running and opt for Baked Lays over Ruffles and shed 20 pounds overnight (it seemed). Now that I'm 42 I'm seeing those days are over for me. I used to be an avid runner and maintained a weight of 170-180 pounds (I'm 6'2" male) fairly easily. For a few years there I gave up running and opted for tennis (fun, but doubles tennis isn't the same as a long run) but the pounds came on. I blamed COVID and chilling at home but it was really just laziness and mucho stress at work.

Now I've been running consistently again for the last 6 months or so. Trying to hit it pretty hard (but much slower pace) 5-6 days per week. Not eating fast food as much and also eating less. However...the weight seems to be VERY slowly dropping. I'm currently at 214 pounds and 26% body fat (not proud of that) and my Vo2 Max (according to Garmin is 44).

Any tips to keep me from getting disgruntled and lose motivation? I know many of you are now over 40 and are facing the same struggles as me. Any supplements you recommend or suggestions you have?

Whether or not the weight comes off...running again has been great for my mental health. For a while there I was starting to get panic attacks and the stress was getting to me. I'm in a much better place now.

TIA

I'm 48 (turning 49 in November). For the record, I'm 6'01" and currently weigh in the low 190's (been trying to gain weight slowly for a bit now). I was an avid weightlifter for years, first started when I was 13 and did competitive powerlifting for awhile when I was young. Around 2014, I got into yoga and weightlifting went on the backburner. Due to various injuries and issues, I had almost stopped weightlifting regularly. Then about 2 years ago, my son (who was 13 at the time) wanted to start lifting weights. So, that became a priority for me again. We started with starting strength and then things like 531 and greyskull. Now he is a competitive powerlifter himself, and we lift 4 days a week. We do the same workouts, although I don't compete. It varies from moderate weights and more volume to heavy weights at low reps. And yes, I even still max out on occasion. I'm very careful about form, but still push myself. I also include accessories to help address problem areas and things I didn't do at my sons age (for lack of knowing better) that I hope will help him avoid issues I've had over the years.

When it comes to diet, I eat high protein, multiple times a day. I'm not against carbs, and I feel they are necessary for my workouts, but I also recognize that I don't need as much as I use to and also vary them based on activity levels from day to day. I eat a lot of the same stuff, which simplifies things for me, as I know how my body responds. I'm not super strict with my diet all of the time and still have meals / food regularly that are maybe less than ideal, but it seems to balance out for me. I've probably gained about 15 lbs since we started back lifting, and at some point I'll probably scale back and drop a few lbs of fat.

In addition to lifting, I mainly just try to walk regularly on the days we don't lift. I also swim periodically, hiking from time to time, and generally just try to keep moving and staying active.

My biggest thought when it comes to fitness is finding something that motivates you. For me, it's continuing to be able to lift with my son and get stronger while my body will still cooperate.

ATM9000 said:

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You are most definitely eating more than you think. One little thing I started doing is weighing my snack portions. Most snacks, your perception of one 'serving' per the nutrition facts vs. reality are vastly different.

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Yep, a food scale is your best friend. I have one that I use all of the time, and I weigh a lot of my food to know exactly what I am getting.

General suggestions:

Sleep - how much sleep are you getting, and are your bedtimes and wake times consistent?

Sugar - cut out dessert/stick to fruit after meals. Maybe enjoy 1 treat on the weekend.

Speedwork - are you incorporating speedwork into your running workouts?

Strength/cross training - add in weights, rucking, biking, yoga, etc.

Liquid calories - don't drink calories, stick to water

Veggies- add in more veg, especially non-starchy/carby like leafy greens

I'm mid-40s and female. I'm not really focused on losing weight right now but it comes off slower than it used to with increased activity. Body shape changes a lot more than the scale, in my experience!

These are things that have helped me:

Understand how many calories your body needs (BMR) and shoot for that target + maybe 200-300 cal extra (depending on if you want to maintain or lose) if you are moderately to highly active re exercise. An Inbody scan is a decent estimate.

Eat more protein - roughly 1 g per lb of desired body weight. Distribute your remaining calories (see first point) between carbs and fat, depending on preference.

Weigh your food and track calories, at least for a few months, to be sure you are consuming the calories you are targeting. Most people are terrible at estimating portion size and eat way more than they think. Weighing is critical for things like nuts, peanut butter, and other high calorie snacks. Weigh your protein to be sure you are hitting your target.

Eat the same things most days and limit eating out. This keeps you focused, and once you know you're hitting your calorie target, means you don't necessarily have to track calories every single day.

Eliminate alcohol - if not completely, make it a rare indulgence, if you are serious about shedding body weight.

Lift heavy - this is my preference, because, as I lose weight, I'm just not getting "skinny". I find muscle definition to be very attractive and motivating.

You're already running, but if not running, try to get 10k steps on most days. It's this extra activity that helps maintain weight loss in the long term.

I'm a woman in my mid-40s also struggling with perimenopause. Those symptoms are no joke, so I opted for testosterone supplementation. I don't think it directly helps with weight loss, but it helps with extreme fatigue and depression/lack of motivation, and if I'm feeling good, it's easier to get to the gym and put in my best effort.

How do you find out how many calories you should eat per day for your height, weight, age?

TXTransplant said:

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These are things that have helped me:

Understand how many calories your body needs (BMR) and shoot for that target + maybe 200-300 cal extra (depending on if you want to maintain or lose) if you are moderately to highly active re exercise. An Inbody scan is a decent estimate.

Eat more protein - roughly 1 g per lb of desired body weight. Distribute your remaining calories (see first point) between carbs and fat, depending on preference.

Weigh your food and track calories, at least for a few months, to be sure you are consuming the calories you are targeting. Most people are terrible at estimating portion size and eat way more than they think. Weighing is critical for things like nuts, peanut butter, and other high calorie snacks. Weigh your protein to be sure you are hitting your target.

Eat the same things most days and limit eating out. This keeps you focused, and once you know you're hitting your calorie target, means you don't necessarily have to track calories every single day.

Eliminate alcohol - if not completely, make it a rare indulgence, if you are serious about shedding body weight.

Lift heavy - this is my preference, because, as I lose weight, I'm just not getting "skinny". I find muscle definition to be very attractive and motivating.

You're already running, but if not running, try to get 10k steps on most days. It's this extra activity that helps maintain weight loss in the long term.

I'm a woman in my mid-40s also struggling with perimenopause. Those symptoms are no joke, so I opted for testosterone supplementation. I don't think it directly helps with weight loss, but it helps with extreme fatigue and depression/lack of motivation, and if I'm feeling good, it's easier to get to the gym and put in my best effort.

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1g or protein per pound of desired body mass is a LOT in my opinion. That per pound of lean mass is probably more apt.

My hottest take is if you are beyond 40, low carb is silly. Mostly because little misses add up with diet and little misses on fat are so much more calorie costly than carbs.

You are somewhat correct in that, the more you weigh, each incremental g of protein is less meaningful.

I weigh 140, and 140-150 is a good target for a woman. But a man who weighs 220 prob doesn't need 220 g of protein a day.

But, if eating lean protein keeps you full and prevents you from snacking/over-eating, then it's a good choice.

I would still shoot for 150 g a day, min. One g of protein is only 4 calories, so that's only 600 cal of protein per day. Not a whole lot if you're eating 1500-2000 cal total.

Totally agree on fat - 1 g of fat is 9 cal, so much easier to exceed your calorie needs eating fat.

One g of carbs is also 4 cal. If you're eating carbs like fruits and sweet potatoes, it's easy to keep it in check. Carbs from pasta, certain baked goods, sugary treats etc, can get out of control fast, in part because those foods just aren't very satiating.

Edited to add, there are a lot of good protein sources out there that aren't meat - Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, Mootopia milk, certain cheeses (Parmesan), and even some decent protein bars and chips. I like Fulfill bars and Natural Endurance and Legendary Foods chips, but I do try to limit my consumption of processed foods. Watch out on the high protein snack foods, as many are also high fat and/or contain a lot of sugar (or are labeled as high protein and really aren't).

easttexasaggie04 said:

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How do you find out how many calories you should eat per day for your height, weight, age?

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It's not based on age. It's your BMR - basal metabolic rate. That's the minimum calories your body needs to simply keep you alive, no physical activity.

I eat around my BMR, maybe a little more when I am really trying to shred/lose fat. To maintain and even lose slowly, I can add back 200-300 cal, based on my activity level (which is on the high side).

An Inbody scan will give you a decent estimate. I find it to be helpful because it also estimates muscle mass and body fat. As I lose fat/gain muscle, I find those numbers to be helpful (as trends over time, not single data points).

ATM9000 said:

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TXTransplant said:

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These are things that have helped me:

Understand how many calories your body needs (BMR) and shoot for that target + maybe 200-300 cal extra (depending on if you want to maintain or lose) if you are moderately to highly active re exercise. An Inbody scan is a decent estimate.

Eat more protein - roughly 1 g per lb of desired body weight. Distribute your remaining calories (see first point) between carbs and fat, depending on preference.

Weigh your food and track calories, at least for a few months, to be sure you are consuming the calories you are targeting. Most people are terrible at estimating portion size and eat way more than they think. Weighing is critical for things like nuts, peanut butter, and other high calorie snacks. Weigh your protein to be sure you are hitting your target.

Eat the same things most days and limit eating out. This keeps you focused, and once you know you're hitting your calorie target, means you don't necessarily have to track calories every single day.

Eliminate alcohol - if not completely, make it a rare indulgence, if you are serious about shedding body weight.

Lift heavy - this is my preference, because, as I lose weight, I'm just not getting "skinny". I find muscle definition to be very attractive and motivating.

You're already running, but if not running, try to get 10k steps on most days. It's this extra activity that helps maintain weight loss in the long term.

I'm a woman in my mid-40s also struggling with perimenopause. Those symptoms are no joke, so I opted for testosterone supplementation. I don't think it directly helps with weight loss, but it helps with extreme fatigue and depression/lack of motivation, and if I'm feeling good, it's easier to get to the gym and put in my best effort.

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1g or protein per pound of desired body mass is a LOT in my opinion. That per pound of lean mass is probably more apt.

My hottest take is if you are beyond 40, low carb is silly. Mostly because little misses add up with diet and little misses on fat are so much more calorie costly than carbs.

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I agree on the low carb to trigger ketosis. I did low carb in my 30s and shed 10 pounds very quickly. Smelled the ketones in my pee, etc... I tried it when I turned 50 and it did nothing. Now I just eat what I want but only a small amount. My splurge is a no sugar ice cream I make myself for the NInja Creami. Low carb is good just for calorie reduction. For ex. my sugar free ice cream.

I also have had basically no alcoholic drinks since November 2024. (Had a couple of drinks recently in social settings). I'd rather eat my calories. I'm down 37 pounds from mid-November.

Basically stating what others here have said:

Diet matters most when trying to lean out. Being in a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. How it looks is up to you, but KNOW what you are eating now and adjust. Eat mostly whole foods. Less of the processed sugary and fatty stuff. Like, eliminating it is the best but a SMALL amount likely is fine. But can you eat "just one"?

Build muscle first vs cardio. Muscle burns fat better than cardio. Running is fantastic. Don't stop. But don't rely on it alone. Body build or strength train. or combine the 2 and power build. All 3 have slightly different implications regarding programing, but they will all build muscle at varying levels. Pick what is most fun and get a good coach or app. I recommend the RP Hypertrophy app as I use that, but there are many out there that are great and designed for your specific goal.

Sleep. Get as much as you can! One of the best ways to stay lean and build muscle! Helps your hormones and honestly is vital to your overall health. 6-10 hours. Whatever it takes to feel good all day.

Try to lessen stress. Can be hard. But it goes a LOOOONG way. That said, getting sleep helps reduce stress, and reducing stress helps you sleep. They can go hand in hand....

I do not see much benefit in cold immersion. But I do think sauna really helps release extra water weight. Something to try.

easttexasaggie04 said:

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How do you find out how many calories you should eat per day for your height, weight, age?

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You'd need to know your BMR which you can get through an inbody scan for $25-$75.

Without that, just doing some back of the napkin math and tracking calories will get you most of the way there.

- Lean body weight ~ 180 lbs at 6'2"
- Protein: 1 g per lb = 180 g x 4 = 720 calories
- Carbs: 0.75 g per lb = 135 g x 4 = 540 calories
- Fat: 0.5 g per lb = 90 g x 9 = 810 calories
- Total = 2070 calories

The protein portion is a non-negotiable target. You have some leeway with your energy levers (carbs and fat) based on preference as long as you stay in a calorie deficit. As a runner, you may find you need to be a little higher than this on carbs, but would need to go down on fat. Once you lose the weight and transition to maintenance phase, you can add 1 g of carbs per minute of running/mod-intense exercise.

jtraggie99 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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You are most definitely eating more than you think. One little thing I started doing is weighing my snack portions. Most snacks, your perception of one 'serving' per the nutrition facts vs. reality are vastly different.

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Yep, a food scale is your best friend. I have one that I use all of the time, and I weigh a lot of my food to know exactly what I am getting.

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I dont weigh everything all the time but just doing it with common snacks for a bit, you get a hunch by vision of what a serving is. And… other than fruits and vegetables, an actual serving relative to what the vast majority of people think a serving is… so much smaller.

Somebody mentioned nuts above. It's a great example. Do what you think a serving of nuts is and then weigh at an ounce (what is considered a serving). Lay them out visually and you'll be shocked at the difference.

50 here. Get a good app and count calories. Stick with water as your drink. Keep getting your exercise. You'll eventually be able to stop counting because you'll have eaten the same foods enough to know how much you've had and when to stop. When you hit your max for the day, water is your friend to offset hunger.

I have used this BMR calculator. I found the numbers to be fairly accurate with closely tracking my calories against weight lost.

I would use the baseline value for "sedentary" as your baseline rather than true BMR. (BMR is how many calories it costs to maintain basic metabolic functions if you are totally sedentary (lying in a bed 24 hours/day) and not eating (digestion burns some calories).

For exercise, it is important to "credit" your calorie account for net, not gross, calories burned. (Most treadmills, apps, etc. calculate the latter, which also includes the basal metabolic expenditure required to sit on the couch.) For running, the formula 0.63 times miles run times weight in pounds is a pretty good estimate of net calories burned, which in theory equals the "extra" calories above a target you can consume while staying on track with your goal.

From there's it's just calories consumed < calories burned. For example, if your sedentary metabolic rate is 2,250 calories and you run 3 miles per day on average for exercise (net 410 at your weight), consuming 2,650 calories per day should result in a steady weight over time. Consuming 2150 calories per day would result in a net calorie deficit of 500 per day, and equal about 1 pound of weight loss per week.

Track your eating on my fitness pal. Come back here in a month.

To be honest it's not complicated. Track calories in. Workout. Be in a caloric deficit.

easttexasaggie04 said:

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How do you find out how many calories you should eat per day for your height, weight, age?

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My Fitness Pal app is a decent starting place

I've been using Foodvisor and really like it. The pay version allows you to take a picture of a meal and it figures out what's on your plate.

fc2112 said:

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I've been using Foodvisor and really like it. The pay version allows you to take a picture of a meal and it figures out what's on your plate.

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There's simply no way for an app to figure out things like how much butter or oil is in a sauce for example. I find apps like this kind of dangerous particularly if you eat away from the house a lot. Restaurant sauces and such are usually tastier because they load them with way more fat than you think of conventionally.

Matsui said:

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Track your eating on my fitness pal. Come back here in a month.

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Agreed. I always kept a mental journal in my head but it's too easy to underestimate serving size and calories, or just forgetting one snack in the day.

Used MFP for a month and easily lost 1-1.5 lbs per week. A little annoying sometimes to build out recipes but it's made a huge difference. I'm a visual data guy so "seeing" the macro breakdown was pretty eye opening. Not 40 yet but getting close.

wow, that's great. Congrats!

Why does 40 matter? Nothing magical about this age and body composition.

I suppose its just usually when people start to realize that they've had a decade of bad eating, over drinking, no exercise, and wonder why their sleep/energy/sex life sucks.

This study made the rounds on a lot of media outlets:

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/08/massive-biomolecular-shifts-occur-in-our-40s-and-60s--stanford-m.html

Basically says aging isn't gradual, but occurs in two big shifts - mid 40s and 60s.

Anecdotally, I absolutely believe this is true. The changes in my body since passing 40 (I'm now 46) have been dramatic and not at all gradual.

And for women, they are typically experiencing symptoms of perimenopause during this time, which is a huge contributing factor to the changes/symptoms we experience. Declining hormone levels are a direct result of aging.

Thanks for the link. I'll be interested to see if they study included a group of trained individuals and how much mid 40s aging impact was seen in that group vs untrained.

TikkaShooter said:

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Why does 40 matter? Nothing magical about this age and body composition.

I suppose its just usually when people start to realize that they've had a decade of bad eating, over drinking, no exercise, and wonder why their sleep/energy/sex life sucks.

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The answer's probably somewhere in between long-term neglect and dramatic biological shifts. I'm 54 (male) and haven't noticed much but I still train pretty hard.

Notably absent in that longitudinal study was physical activity, fitness levels, and diet.

Quote:

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Notably absent in that longitudinal study was physical activity, fitness levels, and diet.

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Guess that answers my question.

TikkaShooter said:

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Guess that answers my question.

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Rest assured, there have been plenty of studies performed on the impact of regular physical exercise on the molecular pathways related to aging and the results are always positive.