Losing Weight After 60: My 5 Rules for When the Scale Refuses to Cooperate

I weighed in at 260 pounds this week. I started my weight loss journey on July 20 at 283.1 pounds, which means I've lost 23.1 pounds so far. Now, if one of my girlfriends told me she'd lost 23 pounds in a few months, I'd be the first person cheering her on, telling her how fabulous she looked, and suggesting it might be time to buy some new clothes. But when it's my own weight loss journey, apparently 23 pounds isn't quite enough to satisfy me. Instead of celebrating how far I've come, I find myself calculating how much further I have to go and wondering why in the world it's taking so long.

At 62, you'd think I would have developed a little more patience by now, but apparently that's still a work in progress! I look at the calendar, start doing the math, and wonder how long it's going to take me to lose 100 pounds. Am I eating too much? Not moving enough? Has my metabolism decided to take an extended vacation without inviting me? And then I have to remind myself that my body has absolutely no interest in following the elaborate weight loss schedule I've created in my head. Frankly, I find that a little rude, especially considering I have places to go, things to do, and a fabulous mother-of-the-bride dress to buy next year!

The funny thing is, I've been down this road more times than I care to admit. I've started diets, lost weight, hit frustrating stretches, and eventually convinced myself that whatever I was doing wasn't working. Then I'd quit, gain the weight back, and start the whole ridiculous process over again. If starting diets were an Olympic sport, I'd have enough gold medals to decorate the entire house.

But this time, I'm determined to do something differently. I'm beginning to understand that losing 100 pounds isn't simply going to require changing what I eat. It's going to require changing the way I think, how I respond when things don't go according to plan, and most importantly, what I do when I get frustrated.

So I've come up with five rules I'm trying to follow during this comeback. They're not magic rules, and I'm certainly not suggesting I've suddenly become some kind of weight loss expert. They're simply things I'm learning about myself as I work toward becoming a healthier, stronger woman after 60. And the more I think about them, the more I realize they apply to a whole lot more than weight loss.

Rule #1: Stop Expecting the Scale to Reward Every Good Decision

Can we talk about the absolute nerve of the bathroom scale? I can spend an entire week making thoughtful choices about what I'm eating, tracking my food, focusing on protein, drinking enough water to float a small boat, and getting more movement into my day. By Sunday night, I'm practically preparing my acceptance speech because surely all that effort deserves some recognition. Then Monday morning arrives, I step on the scale, and apparently my body has decided to ignore the entire week's accomplishments. Excuse me? Did you not see what I did this week?

Now, I know perfectly well that our weight fluctuates for all kinds of reasons. Water retention, sodium, digestion, hormones, and changes in physical activity can all affect what we see on the scale. I understand that intellectually, but apparently my emotions didn't receive the memo. My first instinct is to question everything. Should I cut my calories? Change my macros? Exercise more? Maybe stand on the scale with one foot? I'm kidding about that last one, although I can't promise the thought hasn't crossed my mind!

One of the smartest things I've done during this journey is start taking measurements and progress pictures. If you've followed my earlier updates, you know how eye-opening that experience was for me. There were changes happening in my body that I hadn't fully appreciated because I was so focused on the number on the scale. My clothes were fitting differently, I could see changes in my pictures, and I was beginning to recognize that progress comes in more forms than pounds lost.

And let's face it, ladies, at our age, we need to celebrate every victory we can get! If my jeans fit better, I'm celebrating. If I can walk farther without getting winded, I'm celebrating. And if I can get up off the floor without needing a rescue team, you better believe I'm celebrating that too!

I'm still going to weigh myself because I want to track my progress toward that 100-pound goal. But I'm working on not letting a three-digit number determine whether I have a good Monday. The scale is one way to measure progress, not a weekly performance review of my worth as a human being. She can have her opinion, but I'm learning that I don't have to agree with everything she says.

Rule #2: Eat in a Way I Can Actually Sustain

If you've been following my journey, you know I've been eating a lower-carb, keto-style diet, tracking my macros, and focusing on protein first. For the most part, I genuinely enjoy what I'm eating, and I'm finding that keeping meals simple makes my life a whole lot easier. Give me a good steak, some salmon, eggs, chicken, or a bowl of cottage cheese, and I'm a happy girl.

But I've also learned something about myself over the years, and that is that I am absolutely fabulous at starting diets. Seriously, give me a new eating plan, a grocery list, and a fresh Monday morning, and I am a woman on a mission. I'll clean out the refrigerator, organize the pantry, buy enough vegetables to feed a village, and announce to the world that THIS IS IT, the plan that's finally going to change everything.

And for a while, it usually is. Then life happens, as it has a rather annoying habit of doing. There's a dinner out with friends, a holiday celebration, or one of those evenings when the last thing I feel like doing is cooking. Suddenly, my perfectly organized eating plan starts looking a little less perfect, and the old Trish begins negotiating with herself. Well, I've already gone off-plan today, so I might as well enjoy the weekend and start fresh Monday. Because apparently, in my former way of thinking, one unplanned meal required turning the next three days into a farewell tour of every carbohydrate in the kitchen!

But something is changing for me this time, and it goes beyond tracking macros. I'm beginning to look at food for what it really is: nourishment for my body. For years, I've labeled foods as good or bad, and somehow those labels became a reflection of whether I was being good or bad myself. But food isn't good or bad. There are simply choices and decisions, and some choices nourish my body and support my goals better than others. I'm also realizing how much of life's pleasure I've attached to food. We celebrate with it, comfort ourselves with it, reward ourselves with it, and sometimes eat simply because we're bored. Don't get me wrong, I love a great meal, but food was never intended to be my only source of happiness. I've got places to go, people to see, and a whole lot of living left to do, and I want food to fuel those experiences rather than be the main event.

And here's something that's really surprised me. I'm beginning to rediscover how wonderful simple, real food actually tastes. For years, I think I got so accustomed to that Taco Bell sauce appeal, where everything is loaded with bold flavors and sauces, that I forgot how delicious a perfectly cooked piece of meat and fresh vegetables can be. There's something wonderful about getting back to basics and appreciating the natural flavors of food without needing to drown everything in sauce. The funny thing is, the more I eat this way, the more I actually crave those simple meals instead of the fast-food drive-through. Who knew a good steak and roasted asparagus could start sounding better than a burrito supreme?

I'm not saying I'll never eat Taco Bell again, because we all know how those grand declarations have worked out for me in the past! I'm still tracking my food, focusing on protein, and learning what works best for my body, but I'm no longer interested in treating every meal like a test of willpower. I want to enjoy what I eat, make thoughtful choices, and stop attaching guilt to food. And for someone who's spent a lifetime starting diets, learning to genuinely enjoy a different way of eating feels like a pretty wonderful change.

Rule #3: Build Muscle, Not Just Lose Weight

This week, I headed to the gym, and I have to tell you that walking into a gym at 62 years old and 260 pounds requires a certain amount of attitude. There are machines that look like medieval torture devices, people lifting weights that I wouldn't attempt to move with a forklift, and enough mirrors to make a woman question every clothing decision she's ever made. But I went anyway, because I'm beginning to realize that I need to stop thinking about exercise solely as a way to burn calories and start thinking about what I want my body to be able to do for me in the years ahead.

For most of my adult life, exercise was primarily about losing weight. If I spent an hour on the treadmill, I wanted to know exactly how many calories I'd burned, and I expected to see some kind of payoff on the scale. I'd watch that little calorie counter climb and feel like the treadmill and I had entered into some sort of business agreement. I put in the work, and in return, I expected a smaller number on Monday morning. And if the scale didn't cooperate, I was pretty sure the treadmill had violated the terms of our contract!

But at 62, I'm thinking about exercise very differently. I want to travel, hike, explore new places, and enjoy life without constantly worrying about what my body can handle. I want to climb stairs, carry groceries, and get up off the floor without wondering whether someone is going to have to call the fire department to get me back up. And someday, if I'm lucky enough to have grandchildren, I want to be the grandmother who's down on the floor playing with them. Maintaining muscle and strength becomes increasingly important as we age, and I'm realizing that building a stronger body deserves just as much attention as losing weight.

I'm starting where I am, learning how to use the equipment, and figuring out what feels manageable for my body. I'm not interested in competing with the younger women at the gym or comparing myself with someone who's been working out consistently for twenty years. If the woman next to me is lifting three times as much weight, good for her! I'll cheer her on while I work on my own progress.

The biggest shift is realizing that I don't have to wait until I've lost more weight to start doing the things that will make me healthier and stronger. I've spent too many years telling myself I'll do something when I'm thinner, when I'm fitter, or when I feel more confident. Well, I'm 260 pounds today, and I can still walk into a gym and work on building strength. I don't have to wait until I've lost 100 pounds to start living like the woman I want to become. And if I happen to develop some fabulous arms along the way, I certainly won't complain about that either!

Rule #4: Stop Making Everything All or Nothing

Oh, ladies, if overthinking and overcommitting were competitive sports, I would be a world champion. I've always been someone who gets excited about a new project, whether it's something in my career, around the house, or a new health goal. I love making plans, setting goals, organizing everything, and jumping in with both feet. Give me a challenge, and I'll probably have a spreadsheet, a strategy, and a color-coded calendar ready before lunch.

The problem is that I've sometimes expected myself to follow those beautiful plans perfectly. I'd decide I was going to the gym five days a week, miss Tuesday because life got busy, and suddenly the entire week felt like a failure. Instead of recognizing that I could simply go on Wednesday, I'd convince myself I'd already messed up the plan and might as well start fresh the following Monday. I've done the same thing with food more times than I care to count.

What I'm learning now is that consistency doesn't mean doing everything perfectly. It means finding a way to keep going even when things don't go according to plan. If I miss a workout, I can go the next day. If I eat something that wasn't part of my plan, I can make a different choice at my next meal. If I have a stressful week and don't accomplish everything I intended, I can figure out what needs to change without turning it into a personal crisis.

I'm also beginning to understand that consistency isn't going to look exactly the same every day, and that's perfectly fine. Some days I'll have more energy and time than others, and some weeks life is going to demand more of my attention. The important thing is learning how to keep taking care of myself even when circumstances aren't ideal. Frankly, at 62 years old, I'm getting a little tired of starting over every Monday. I've got better things to do with my time, and I'd much rather spend those years enjoying my life than constantly apologizing to myself for not following some impossible plan.

Rule #5: Change My Pattern of Giving Up

Now, ladies, this is the big one, and I have a feeling it's going to be the hardest rule for me to follow. Because if I'm being completely truthful, I don't think my biggest problem over the years has been figuring out how to lose weight. I've lost weight before. I've followed eating plans, exercised, counted calories, tracked macros, and done all sorts of things that helped me make progress. My problem has been what happens when that progress slows down, when the excitement wears off, and when the results stop matching the expectations I've created in my head.

That's when I get frustrated and start questioning whether what I'm doing is working. I begin looking for something new, something better, something that might give me faster results, and eventually, if I'm not careful, I start slipping back into the very habits I was trying to change. It's almost like I have a little voice in my head that says, "Well, this isn't working as quickly as you wanted, so why bother?" And for far too many years, I've listened to her. Well, I've decided that little voice needs to find herself a new hobby, because I'm not particularly interested in taking her advice anymore.

And here's what I've been wondering lately: What would happen if I just didn't quit this time?

What if I stopped looking for the perfect plan and focused on following a reasonable one consistently? What if I accepted that there will be frustrating weeks, unexpected setbacks, and times when I need to rethink what I'm doing? What if I stopped treating those moments as evidence that I've failed and started recognizing them as a normal part of making lasting changes?

Because the truth is, I'm not just trying to lose 100 pounds. I'm trying to create a different life for myself. I've worked hard, raised a family, built a career, and taken care of all the things that needed to be done. Like so many women, there have been times when I was so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that taking care of myself became something I'd get around to eventually. Well, eventually has arrived, ladies, and I'm 62 years old with absolutely no intention of spending the next twenty or thirty years sitting on the sidelines of my own life.

My daughter's wedding is coming up next year, and yes, I would absolutely love to be lighter, stronger, and feeling fabulous when I walk into that celebration. I want to put on a beautiful dress, look in the mirror, and feel proud of how far I've come. But I don't want that wedding to be the finish line for taking care of myself. I want it to be one of many wonderful experiences I get to enjoy because I finally made the decision to put my health and well-being higher on my priority list.

And that's why this fifth rule means so much to me. I can change my eating plan if I need to, adjust my exercise routine, ask for professional guidance, or rethink my approach when something isn't working. There's nothing wrong with making thoughtful changes along the way. But what I don't want to do anymore is give up on myself simply because the journey is taking longer than I'd hoped.

I'm allowed to change the plan without abandoning the bigger goal.

And that's exactly what I'm determined to learn how to do.

Maybe the Biggest Weight I Need to Lose Isn't on the Scale

When I started this 100-pound weight loss journey, I thought I knew exactly what I needed to do. Lose the weight, get healthier, feel better, and enjoy life with more energy and confidence. And I still want every bit of that. But what I didn't fully appreciate was how much of this journey would happen between my ears. I'm discovering that changing years of habits, expectations, and thinking is every bit as important to my comeback as changing what's on my dinner plate.

I've lost 23.1 pounds since July 20, and that's something to be proud of, even if my impatient little brain occasionally needs reminding. Do I wish I'd lost more by now? Absolutely! But I'm going to keep going to the gym, paying attention to what I eat, celebrating progress beyond the scale, and making thoughtful adjustments when I need to. Because this time, I'm not interested in another temporary success followed by another disappointing restart. I want to build a healthier, stronger life that I can enjoy for years to come.

I started this journey thinking I needed to lose 100 pounds, but I'm beginning to realize that maybe the biggest thing I need to lose is the habit of giving up on myself. And if I can accomplish that, I think I'll have achieved something even more important than reaching a number on the scale.

This time, I'm not just changing my diet. I'm changing my pattern of giving up.

And ladies, that might just be the biggest comeback of all.

And if you'd like to hear me talk more about these five rules and how they're helping me through my own weight loss journey, be sure to watch the video here.

Love,

Trish

Comeback Over 50™

This is your comeback. Stronger. Fitter. Braver.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, registered dietitian, nutritionist, personal trainer, or health coach. I'm sharing my personal experiences with weight loss, food, exercise, and healthy aging, not individualized medical, nutritional, or fitness advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, exercise routine, or health care.