Gained 15lbs big butt and stomach

[Anonymous]

Hi I’m 42 years old female. I currently weigh 180 and a year ago I was 165. In 2023 I have not been under 170 no matter what I tried.

This week I have started eating healthier and started going on 45 min walks and doing Pilates reformer classes. Trying to not focus on the scale but I feel gross right now.

Please help give me some advice. I hate how my body looks and feels right now.

[Anonymous]

No alcohol.

[Anonymous]

Can I take a gummy instead?

[Anonymous]

If weighing yourself will bring any feeling other than feeling informed, don’t do it. Focus your attention and rewards on healthy choices and actions. These are all you can control.

If your choices and actions got you to where you don’t want to be, then they can take you to where you want to be. Trust cause and effect. Ditch the scale.

[Anonymous]

You need to eat less.

[Anonymous]

Just sympathy. I’m 50 and was always thin but gained about 20 pounds in the last couple of years despite improvements to my diet, walking 3 miles a day, and basically eliminating alcohol. If you’re already doing all that, my conclusion is the three options are:
Radically change diet to eliminate almost all carbs;
Start running 8-10 miles a day
Make peace with it.

[Anonymous]

What are you eating? At our age (I am 45) it’s going to likely be more about food and calories in than exercise, but walking is great and likely to make you feel better.

Try myfitness pal or even Noom to track calories (Noom isn’t life changing but it has some education/motivation that you may like).

And running isn’t a bad option but at this age weight/resistance is also key.

[Anonymous]

Calorie deficit.

[Anonymous]

When was your last physical with blood work? It might be worth checking in with an endocrinologist. Take your food/ exercise logs and they can make sure your thyroid etc is ok.

[Anonymous]

I put on 10lbs over 2 years once I hit perimenopause at 48. No change to diet or to exercise. It may be that?

FWIW, I am now on HRT, have stopped eating breakfast and no doing 2 extra days of exercise (weight training and HIIT) and weight still isn’t going down. I guess good news is that it isn’t going up 😱

[Anonymous]

I am 45 and in a similar boat, though heavier than you! I was a size 6 from age 15-35 with no dieting and average exercise. Now I’m a size 12/14 and it’s incredibly depressing.

Here’s what I’m trying: eating a small breakfast late morning, drinking only water all day after my morning coffee so I’m not drinking my calories, having fruit as my afternoon sweet snack, walking and lifting weights more. So far the scale has barely moved but I’m just getting started. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

depending on how much you drink, even cutting back on alcohol will help

[Anonymous]

Eat very low carb
Skip breakfast
Get in lean protein at every meal
Eliminate all added sugar

It is so hard at this age OP, but you are off to a good start!! Tell us how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No alcohol.

This. Middle aged bodies cannot handle the extra calories in alcohol. It makes a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

OP how tall are you