The Turning Point That Helped Me Lose 60 Pounds After Age 50

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and wondered how you got here, you are not alone.

My weight loss journey didn’t start with a dramatic before-and-after photo. It started quietly, in my 40s, with creeping weight gain, exhaustion, and a never-empty wine glass that had become a nightly ritual. But what came next changed everything.

Read on to learn how I lost 60 pounds after the age of 50. It was possible for me, and you can do it, too.

When the Weight Started to Creep On

For most of my life, I was always thin and pretty fit. I didn’t start gaining weight until I turned 40. In my early 40s, I went on my first “diet” to lose 10 or 12 pounds and kept that off until my late 40s when the pounds felt like they were coming on three at a time.

I had always eaten pretty healthy, but I had slacked off on limiting ‘sometimes’ foods and was drinking more wine than I should each evening. I joined WW, determined not to be 50 & fat. I lost 25 pounds and looked and felt better in my clothing.

Stress, Wine, and the Wake-Up Call I Couldn’t Ignore

Looks were deceiving. Beneath the surface, I was a mess. My job stress was unimaginable. I was back to mostly healthy eating, but I was drinking even more wine every night, and getting zero exercise.

The pounds started coming back. My mental health was suffering, and soon I would find out my physical health was suffering, too.

I ended up on medical disability due to sky-high blood pressure. After 6 months of treatment and self-care, I was feeling better, but I knew I couldn’t go back to that job. I quit and never looked back.

The Turning Point That Changed Everything

Now, having time and energy, I got active again and immersed myself in Pilates, hiking, making new friends, and living it up. That still included a lot of wine, but with a healthy diet and lots of exercise, I looked and felt good.

Until I shattered my ankle. That injury derailed my activity and threw me for a loop. It started a downward health spiral.

I gained more weight, drank more wine, and moved less. I still ate pretty healthy, though.

At 5’4” and 180+ pounds, I was officially obese according to the BMI scale. But I did nothing about it. I tried half-heartedly here and there, but I knew what it would take to lose the weight, and I wasn’t ready to commit.

Until it was a matter of life and death.

Battling Health Scares and Finding My Strength

One night in May 2022, I had the worst pain in my chest that I had ever experienced. It went on for hours. I promised myself that if I survived the night, I would make every lifestyle change necessary to reclaim my health. I never wanted to feel this way again.

I ended up hospitalized with Acute Pancreatitis. According to the scans, it wasn’t my first bout. Just the first one I couldn’t suffer through at home. I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation at the same time.

Both of those diagnoses required the lifestyle changes I promised myself that I would make. I made good on those promises. I gave up my beloved wine immediately. A few months later, I restarted WW. My health started improving and I was able to get off my blood pressure and cholesterol meds.

In May of 2023, I was down 50 pounds and feeling good. My celebration didn’t last long. The same day that I hit that 50-pound goal, I ended up in the hospital again.

This time, I had Chronic Pancreatitis. I lost more weight and was sicker than I had ever been. The specialists feared Pancreatic Cancer, and I underwent a Whipple procedure in June 2023. It wasn’t cancer, and I started the long road to reclaiming my health. Again.

Where I Am Now – Health, Hope, and Healing

Two years later, I am mostly recovered. My reconstructed digestive system gives me problems daily, but they are manageable. I haven’t had pancreatitis since the surgery. My Atrial Fibrillation is in remission after a cardiac ablation in 2025. I am still maintaining that weight loss and have not had a single glass of wine.

I didn’t expect to lose 60 pounds after 50. I didn’t expect to give up wine, survive a Whipple surgery, or spend nights wondering if I would see the morning light. But I did.

And if I can do it – imperfectly, painfully, but with purpose, you can too.

No matter your age, your weight, or what’s staring back at you in the mirror, you are not stuck. You have options. You have support. And your story isn’t over.

If you’re looking for a place to start, or restart, I invite you to join me and hundreds of other women inside The Holy Mess Weight Loss Membership.

You don’t have to be perfect. Follow the path we give you, and you’ll make progress. We’ll walk with you every step of the way.

Three Things I Want You to Know

1. Weight gain after 40 is common, but with the right mindset, it’s absolutely possible to turn things around.
2. Lasting weight loss often starts with a health scare, but it doesn’t have to. Your moment can be today.
3. You don’t need to be perfect, you need to be willing. Progress, not perfection, leads to true transformation.

Terry is the Product and Events Manager at The Holy Mess. Can you relate to her weight loss story? Share about it in the comments below.