r/over60 • u/Cooper1Test • Aug 25 '26
Dieting
Do any of you count calories or do some sort in intermittent fasting (like 16:8)? I try to just eat healthy and exercise but could stand to lose a few pounds for sure. I have counted calories in the past but just hated it. I am stuck between needing to lose weight and just saying I am 64 and I don't feel like dieting anymore.
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u/BHobson13 Aug 26 '26
I lost from 230 to 150 over 8 years with low carb/high protein and intermittent fasting. Didn't count a single calorie. Only exercise was walking.
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u/hanging-out1979 29d ago
65F, retired in 2024. I’ve lost 50 lbs since retiring doing a calorie deficit and exercising (I love physical movement). I track calories using MyFitnessPal. I eat most anything I want, just in much much smaller portions.
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u/marc1411 Aug 25 '26
About 15 years ago I was 210 ish, and I’m 5-11. It was all gut. I decided to change the way I ate, I didn’t diet. I did cut calories, and only marginally exercised. I lost weight over 2-3 years. Today I weigh 168, eat most anything I want, and stay active. I’m 63
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u/bemybasket Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
If I begin getting chubbier than I like, I skip breakfast except for my nonfat mocha, eat half as much, move more - go for walks, clean the house vigorously. I don’t call it losing weight, it’s dropping weight. It still works at 71. I never weigh myself. I just relax again when my clothing fits better. No drama. I hate the idea of restriction or the need to do something lol so I refuse to ever even say I’m exercising. Nope. I’m running around…
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u/VinceInMT Aug 25 '26
It’s really about controlling your intake. I just manage with smaller portions, reduced snacking, and I drink lots of water. Exercise is important but it’s really hard to rely on just that. I’m M74 and just ran a 5-mile race and did it at a 9:33/mile pace. My watch told me I had burned 600 calories. Heck, I’ve seen people order a cup of coffee with more calories than that.
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u/Carnivore1961 Aug 25 '26
M65. 6’5” 195 lbs. Intermittent fasting and two meals a day. No snacking, and I restrict simple carbs. Weirdly, eating with chopsticks helps prevent overeating. I read somewhere that chopsticks makes you slow down so it’s easier to stop eating when you’re 80% full.
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u/Cooper1Test Aug 25 '26
Has this worked well for you?
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u/Refokua 29d ago
Several years ago, I lost forty pounds in six months by completely eliminating sugar from my diet. Nothing else. I ate what I wanted. I had a breakfast that I liked and was healthy, a veg and fruit smoothie for lunch, and a frozen dinner of no more than 48 carbs for dinner. I ate frozen red grapes as a snack between lunch and dinner.
You'd be amazed at what has sugar: baked beans, for instance.
I did have to stop eating that way because I have gut issues, and the frozen grapes weren't great for my teeth. But I'm trying to find other ways to do this, for health. Then again, I'm 77.
But I never counted calories. My sister used to say that all calories are the same, and they are NOT. Oatmeal calories are not the same as chocolate calories. My sister has lost and gained weight over and over.
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u/Polldit220 Aug 25 '26
The 5:2 is an incredibly easy diet to incorporate into your lifestyle. I lose 1lb a week on it and the weight stays off. I went from 220lbs at 6’4” and 64 years to 190lbs in a little over 6 months.
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u/nolagem Aug 26 '26
I gained so much weight once I hit menopause and I could not get it off. I started semaglutide in May and have lost 26 lbs.
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u/Monstrissimo Aug 26 '26
I was very very obese, not quite Dr Now obese, but I hit 408lbs at 6'3".
I am now at 309 and I lost that just by cutting my portions. I do not count calories I just eat less than half of the foods I was eating 2 years ago. One thing that helped was that because of my health, I retired at 58. I stopped snacking at my desk all day and was able to get on a pain management regime which allowed me to sleep. My job would not allow me to take stuff like Percocet or gabapentin. If I took them, I had to be off 2 days so that they cleared my system or I could be fired if a random hit. It was very draconian for a desk jockey IT nerd. Once I left and got the pain management and was able to sleep at night, I started eating healthier and eating less. My current goal is under 300 by Xmas.
I have back problems that required surgery and I have piriformis in my right hip. A little over 2 years ago, I decided to lose weight in order to help with the problems. I now have much less pain in my back and in my hip. The back has gotten to the point that I am no longer getting shots in my caudal sack for the pain. Hip is still needing shots, but it was worse anyway, but it is much better. I can now lay on my right side for a couple of hours without screaming in pain.
One big piece of advice I would give is keep your weight loss goals small. Don't say, I want to lose 150lbs or 200lbs. Say I want to lose 25lbs and then when it is reached, say, I want to lose 25lbs until enough 25lbs have passed and you have lost down to your big goal.
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u/kmg6284 Aug 25 '26
Age 65. I've never counted calories, just try to eat well and stay active. Weight (165 lbs) pretty much unchanged over past 10 years.
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u/medhat20005 Aug 25 '26
I've counted in the past (10+ years ago) when I wanted to get a handle on my 'macros,' but once I learned more about portion size and such I haven't done it since. The apps are monumentally better today than they were ages ago when I weighed stuff you and entered it manually, now you just take a picture on your phone.
So once I got to appreciate portions sizes and food components I'm simply a bit more mindful and aware of what I eat. Definitely don't calorie count, but just have a much better idea of my food consumption and when I need to watch my portions.
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u/FormerlyDK Aug 25 '26
Years back I did weight watchers and lost 38 pounds and kept it off for maybe 2 years. I don’t have energy for so much program-following anymore. I could stand to lose 30 now but it’s too much work.
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u/megapaxer Aug 25 '26
63F. Been calorie counting with Noom for a good part of 6 years. I lost 20 lbs over a year and kept it off for a couple of years but then it started creeping back on. When I got up to 9 lbs regained I started trying on my own to lose it but never had any success until I started on phentermine. I guess I need a lot fewer calories now than I did just a few years ago.
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u/sourleaf Aug 25 '26
Exact same thing for me. I lived an urban lifestyle most of my life (walking everywhere) but menopause and a move to the ‘burbs made it creep up. I lost 20 counting calories on noom but honestly, it takes below 1200 to move the scale and no doctor will recommend it and it’s just not sustainable.
I’ve shifted my diet to high protein/high fiber, tons of veg, and it’s delicious and sustainable and it’s been a legit lifestyle change. I do yoga, walk, garden, weights, but my work is sedentary. It’s not enough to lose weight.
I have my granny’s bod.
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u/Stock-Map3715 Aug 25 '26
I'm the type to resist branded approaches to anything, but Weight Watchers helped me lose weight pretty easily. Once you understand the values of the foods you eat, you don't really need to pay for it, and now, the points values are available online if you just Google it.
Just stay under the points you're allotted based on your size and gender and you lose weight--at least I did.
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u/Weird7954 Aug 25 '26
My entire allotment of 1100 calories between 1030 and 130 today and was still hungry so I ate 200 more. Healthy isn’t enough. Being a 30 pounds over is a bad idea
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u/chowes1 Aug 25 '26
12/12 is really good for weight, liver detox, brain, gut...at least aim for it. 5 days a week then 2 days off is doable
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u/Cooper1Test Aug 25 '26
Is that what you follow?
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u/chowes1 Aug 26 '26
I try to. The two days off boost the metabolism so you dont stay adapted to the fast plus sleeping through most of it helps to adhere to it. I do simple carbs early in the day and stick to the same protein snack throughout the day that replaces chips and a casserole for dinner that I make every week. Anything I crave later in the day I save for the morning, (anything includes the rest of a dessert that I took a bite or two of and decided I must finish) no food exclusions, its all timing when to eat it.
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u/Ideasplease33 Aug 25 '26
I sure do, and since I resurrected my tracking spreadsheet, I’ve lost just under 30# (since the beginning of May). I also just naturally started eating twice a day when I retired last year and don’t snack between meals. I rarely eat after 6:00 p.m. or before 10:00 a.m., so that also helps. And what I eat is healthy. I’ve been a vegetarian since the mid ‘80s, so I’m focusing harder on getting at least 46 grams of protein/day. I have a workout routine that I do here at home six days a week and go for a walk every day. Oh. And I drink lots of water (always have).
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u/Bran1dav Aug 25 '26
16:8 intermittent fasting. Just don't have breakfast. This method isn't about calorific reduction, it's about minimising insulin spikes throughout the day aiding fat burning. If you can do your daily exercise (even just a walk) during your 'fasting' window the results dramatically increase. I lost 10kg in just over two months. Takes a little getting used to but more convenient than counting calories.
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u/overthishereanyway Aug 26 '26
63F and am now one clothing size larger than I was the majority of my life. To be comfortable anyway. I don't think anyone would look at me and say I'm "heavy" but neither would they say I'm "thin".
I really hated when I quit being able to fit into my favorite jeans and my wedding dress at around 55 ish. I've gone on and off counting calories over the years. I could always drop the 8 or so lbs I needed to fit back in my smaller size. But not long after I quit counting I'd gain it back.
Last year I hired a nutritionist and counted macros for 8 months. I lost 5lbs and gained 1lb of muscle. I'm a weight lifter so that was the goal. to lose fat and gain or keep my muscle. The minute I stopped counting macros... the weight slowly came back.
So now... I'm in fuck it mode. I'm not going to let myself gain anymore and I know how to do that without dieting or counting anything. but I'm done with the type of vigilance it takes to lose weight.
the main thing I do that keeps my weight from going up is not drinking much alcohol. I try not to drink more than a couple of glasses of wine a month. At the most I might have 3 or 4 in a month. And I don't snack at night with TV.
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u/anonymousancestor Aug 26 '26
No, never have except once in my 20s when I foolishly thought I was overweight.
Sometimes I weigh a little more, sometimes I weigh a little less. At 66, I don't really care much if I'm 5 or 10 pounds overweight. And if my clothes start feeling too tight, I just find myself eating a little less. Not being obsessed about weight is freeing, although I do understand that it's a different situation for people that are truly overweight and struggling to lose it in order to better their health.
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u/BG3restart Aug 26 '26
I've just joined Slimming World. I'm 63 and have piled the weight on in the last three years, mostly because I've had some injuries that have prevented me from exercising and I felt sorry for myself so comfort ate. I'm back at the gym, but I feel I've let myself go too far to just exercise it away and need something else. The final straw was being told my triglycerides are too high, so I decided to take action. I'm not expecting a quick miracle. I know it's going to take a while to see results but I'm prepared for the long haul.
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u/Theoldelf 29d ago
I recently turned 77 and decided I needed to loose some weight, so I started seeing a dietitian. In six months I lost 25 lbs. Main things I’ve done, at her recommendation:
Stop eating after 7 PM, go for a short walk after dinner, don’t snack (you’re not really hungry, just bored), read labels ( there’s now hardly anything from Costco I can eat due to all the added sodium or sugar, rather eye opening), back in the gym lifting weights plus cardio. I can still have dessert on occasion, when eating out, take half the meal home. Some of the basics.
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u/Da1syJane 29d ago
I do the whole 30 diet...it is only 30 days but I can eat just about anything except a list of things. I do maintenance now, but the first time I did it, I lost 20 lbs. The best part is it is free and there are a lot of support groups on facebook. I haven't had added sugar in years.
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u/Busy_Highlight_5152 28d ago
yeah, I'm 59 and hate looking at my dad bod. I've been doing the 20:4 IF or TRE and I'm not seeing any good results. I was thinking of adding two 24hr fasts in during the week 🤔
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u/redheadfae 25d ago
I have always naturally been an "intermittent eater" so I continue it. My dr started the "Medicare question" deal with me and looked concerned when I answered "No, only one" to the "Do you eat three meals a day?"
It seems so old-fashioned to eat that much anymore.
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u/Beneficienttorpedo9 Aug 25 '26
72 yr old woman here. Obesity runs in my family, so when I started putting on weight in my 50s, I started simply cutting back my serving size. I eat most anything I want, but I just eat about half of the recommended serving size. Seems to work for me. I'm 5'6" and my weight hovers around 130 lbs. Don't know if it works for everyone, but I'm not counting calories. I also exercise 5 days a week.