43 and the

[Anonymous]

Weight literally will not come off. What do I do? I want to be somewhat skinny again. Please help!

[Anonymous]

What is your diet like?

[Anonymous]

Do you drink alcohol? How much? Your body does not process alcohol well at all at this age and alcohol is incredibly high in calories. A nightly beer or wine habit is going to be hard to combat with other lifestyle choices, and even liquor can be highly problematic depending on what its mixed with and its impact on your energy levels and sleep. Very few people can drink heavily in their 40s and not put on quite a bit of weight, even if they drank similarly in their 20s/30s while remaining thin.

How active is your life outside of your exercise regimen? How much do you walk versus drive, how sedentary is your work, etc.? Presumably you do exercise and there may be answers there, but if you are spending a significant portion of sitting down, this could be a big problem. A standing or treadmill desk, running errands by foot or bike, or other basic lifestyle changes can make a big difference when combined with other exercise and healthy eating.

What's the balance of your cardio to strength training? Cardio still matters (see note about being very sedentary above) but strength training is essential for maintaining a thinner body at this age. First off, it makes your cardio more efficient and effective, so you get more out of it, and second it changes the carriage of your body (especially core strength) in ways that will help you carry any additional weight better. Some weight gain at middle age is probably inevitable (and potentially even healthy, certainly as compared to being underweight), but there's a difference between some extra padding and adding a heavy gut that will make all physical activity more challenging.

[Anonymous]

Quit alcohol, track calories, lift heavy weights, incorporate HIIT workouts into routine, cut processed carbs and focus on high protein foods, veggies and fruit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quit alcohol, track calories, lift heavy weights, incorporate HIIT workouts into routine, cut processed carbs and focus on high protein foods, veggies and fruit.

Oh and drink a ridiculous amount of water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quit alcohol, track calories, lift heavy weights, incorporate HIIT workouts into routine, cut processed carbs and focus on high protein foods, veggies and fruit.

Oh and drink a ridiculous amount of water.

All of this! OP, there is no magic pill (well there is but…). At 43, you need to shift your food and exercise routine to what works in perimenopause and beyond. Before you think that sucks, check out the many, many women over 50 who are rockin strong bodies because they strength train. Your colon will thank you for changing your diet to include lots & lots of veggies.

[Anonymous]

Lift lift lift. weight training is your friend these days. you need to prepare your body for the long haul and the stronger you are now the better off you'll be as you age. it doesn't have to be super heavy but incorporate some form of weight training into your daily routine. at 45, i've noticed that i don't process carbs that well even though I still allow them i've had to cut way back and increase the veggies. and while i do like my wine, i reserve it for going out to dinner or just a glass or two on the weekends.

[Anonymous]

Get on myfitness pal and count calories

Goal weight x 12

Eat your goal weight in protein. For example, if goal weight is 125, eat 125 grams of protein

Weights and HIIT

Don't eat more just because you're exercising

There are many fit 60+ women. Look up Joan MacDonald and Susan Nierbergall on instagram

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quit alcohol, track calories, lift heavy weights, incorporate HIIT workouts into routine, cut processed carbs and focus on high protein foods, veggies and fruit.

Oh and drink a ridiculous amount of water.

The only thing I would add to this is if you’re not already doing any of this, incorporate these slowly so they are sustainable lifestyle changes and do not become so overwhelming that you quit.

I’m 45 and gained a ton of weight during the pandemic. Even though I did lift weights before, I was not consistent at all. Slowly working on incorporating these into my life since January have worked better than the super strict extreme measures I tried last year. If you can afford it, getting a trainer really helped.

[Anonymous]

All of the above suggestions are good for health - weight lifting, water, incorporating more movement…but for weight loss at this stage it’s going to involve limiting carbs. People will hate hearing this but try low carb or even keto, see if it helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the above suggestions are good for health - weight lifting, water, incorporating more movement…but for weight loss at this stage it’s going to involve limiting carbs. People will hate hearing this but try low carb or even keto, see if it helps.

Calories, not carbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quit alcohol, track calories, lift heavy weights, incorporate HIIT workouts into routine, cut processed carbs and focus on high protein foods, veggies and fruit.

Oh and drink a ridiculous amount of water.

The only thing I would add to this is if you’re not already doing any of this, incorporate these slowly so they are sustainable lifestyle changes and do not become so overwhelming that you quit.

I’m 45 and gained a ton of weight during the pandemic. Even though I did lift weights before, I was not consistent at all. Slowly working on incorporating these into my life since January have worked better than the super strict extreme measures I tried last year. If you can afford it, getting a trainer really helped.

I would agree with all this advice. I’m a middle aged man that totally overhauled my whole food and alcohol consuming life. I’ve been injured now for a little over two months and haven’t been able to do anywhere near the exercise volume I normally do (think hours of training). Weight has been stable because I was able to back off the eating. Eating quality real food also makes a big difference.

I don’t even enjoy eating high calorie dense stuff anymore. Two days of alcohol is usually enough for me because I feel terrible.

I have water all over the place. I carry a 24 pack of water in my truck and 6-8 bottles in the “nice” car I share with my wife.

[Anonymous]

Get used to being just a little bit hungry ALL the time. Its the only way for me at 42.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the above suggestions are good for health - weight lifting, water, incorporating more movement…but for weight loss at this stage it’s going to involve limiting carbs. People will hate hearing this but try low carb or even keto, see if it helps.

Not true. Carbs are not the enemy, calories are. But, you should be getting 30% of calories from protein. Carbs get such a bad rep but it's just not true they are all bad. Whole grains, potatoes, veggies, berries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get on myfitness pal and count calories

Goal weight x 12

Eat your goal weight in protein. For example, if goal weight is 125, eat 125 grams of protein

Weights and HIIT

Don't eat more just because you're exercising

There are many fit 60+ women. Look up Joan MacDonald and Susan Nierbergall on instagram

Did you mean goal weight x 10? Because your example is that.