Over 40 and can't lose the weight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The don't weigh yourself everyday thing doesn't work for everyone. I like the feedback and I put it in an excel chart that shows the general movement down. I don't get bummed if it goes up on a day or two. It keeps me motivated.

4 lbs is not possible over a weekend. Some of that is water weight and some is maybe constipation. Think about it - 4 lbs is a 2 lb steak, 1 lb baked potato, and 4 glasses of wine. No way all of that goes to weight gain. Most of the wine is peed out.

Yes. I know that some of it has to be water weight/constipation. But 4 pounds was a shocker - and more than I expected (I expected it to be maybe 2 pounds up).

It's just one of those eye opening things that makes you realize what a tight margin your body runs on. Every day counts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Im 44 and have the same issue. My thoughts are:
- After 40 you have to change the way you eat. Your food requirements drop a lot and you cant eat the amount you did
- Exercising is good but do it for things like flexibility and mood enhancement. You are unlikely to be able to do the amount of exercise it takes to see meaningful weight loss
- Those days when you could eat for a couple of days and then be good for a couple of days are gone. I now find that if i overeat on day it takes TWO WEEKS for it to go.
- Accept that there will be some weight creep. Life is simply too miserable if you try and maintain your 30s weight
- Control portion sizes, cut back processed carbs, dont drink calories
- It is all worth it because putting on weight in your forties has a material impact on your quality of life.

Op - this is good advice. Very true.

[Anonymous]

44 here and no the weight doesn't come off anymore. But I've made a conscious effort to exercise 5x/week. 2 days of HIIT and 3 days of strength. The scale might not be moving but my body is changing.

[Anonymous]

I think you have to change the way you eat AND the way you exercise. Exercise more than you do now, like daily, and be sure to spend time on strength training to build muscle. That will keep you strong and your metabolism higher than without the increased muscle mass.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, I've got the same problem. I'm sort of giving up because there's too much other stress in my life to also stress about what I'm eating.

My husband, on the other hand, decided he wanted to lose some weight. He cut out carbs, soda and junk food and has lost more than 20 pounds in 2 months. You know what I would have to cut out to lose 20 pounds? An arm plus all my internal organs. Yet another way that those damn female hormones make our lives more difficult.

[Anonymous]

You can very easily lose weight in your 40's. Figure out how many calories you need to consume to lose a pound a week and then stick to it. My Fitness Pal can help with this. Another option is Weight Watchers. If you aren't losing weight, then you are eating too much.

[Anonymous]

I did a quick but fairly strict diet at the beginning of this year to get off the last of the baby/nursing weight (10 extra lbs unfortunately!) I'm 41. There are so many types of diets, and fad eating routines, and people swearing that you have to eliminate this food group or that food group but I really think it absolutely boils down to one thing: portion control. I really had to reset *how much* I was eating (as well as making healthier choices). And everything I read about the obesity epidemic underscores that it is not just the corn syrup etc. but the slow creep up of portions and sheer amount of what we are eating. It was a little painful for the first month - i.e. I was hungry all the time. But now it's 2-3 months past hitting goal weight (140 & 5' 9") and I'm back to eating whatever I want, just less of it, and I pay attention to the amount... and no hunger or weight gain.

The other thing I read is important - and try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to do is to lead an active life instead of just "getting to the gym." I do have almost 2 mile walk for my commute. And then I often try to take a walk at lunch - and a walk/playground trip with my kids almost every evening as well.

[Anonymous]

Don't weigh yourself daily.

As others have pointed out, try to sneak in exercise--walk places, take the stairs at work, find a buddy to walk every day at lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a quick but fairly strict diet at the beginning of this year to get off the last of the baby/nursing weight (10 extra lbs unfortunately!) I'm 41. There are so many types of diets, and fad eating routines, and people swearing that you have to eliminate this food group or that food group but I really think it absolutely boils down to one thing: portion control. I really had to reset *how much* I was eating (as well as making healthier choices). And everything I read about the obesity epidemic underscores that it is not just the corn syrup etc. but the slow creep up of portions and sheer amount of what we are eating. It was a little painful for the first month - i.e. I was hungry all the time. But now it's 2-3 months past hitting goal weight (140 & 5' 9") and I'm back to eating whatever I want, just less of it, and I pay attention to the amount... and no hunger or weight gain.

The other thing I read is important - and try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to do is to lead an active life instead of just "getting to the gym." I do have almost 2 mile walk for my commute. And then I often try to take a walk at lunch - and a walk/playground trip with my kids almost every evening as well.

It used to be about portion control. But insulin resistance changed that for me. Low carb is not a fad. Gluten free when/if I feel like it = fad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a quick but fairly strict diet at the beginning of this year to get off the last of the baby/nursing weight (10 extra lbs unfortunately!) I'm 41. There are so many types of diets, and fad eating routines, and people swearing that you have to eliminate this food group or that food group but I really think it absolutely boils down to one thing: portion control. I really had to reset *how much* I was eating (as well as making healthier choices). And everything I read about the obesity epidemic underscores that it is not just the corn syrup etc. but the slow creep up of portions and sheer amount of what we are eating. It was a little painful for the first month - i.e. I was hungry all the time. But now it's 2-3 months past hitting goal weight (140 & 5' 9") and I'm back to eating whatever I want, just less of it, and I pay attention to the amount... and no hunger or weight gain.

The other thing I read is important - and try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to do is to lead an active life instead of just "getting to the gym." I do have almost 2 mile walk for my commute. And then I often try to take a walk at lunch - and a walk/playground trip with my kids almost every evening as well.

Not OP, but do you have any tips for portion control, short of weighing everything you eat? Any shortcuts? I think portion control is actually my biggest challenge,

[Anonymous]

I lost weight (30 lbs) at 50. It required eating less and cutting out processed carbs/white carbs. I didn't start exercising until after I lost the weight. It's definitely possible.

[Anonymous]

Learn what a serving size is. If you tend to eat the whole bag, get the individual snack sized bag. Look on the box of pasta to see what a portion size is and how many calories it is. Sometimes you'll want to cut the portion size in half.

If you make a big batch of something - portion and freeze individual portions. That way you won't be tempted to have just a little more...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost weight (30 lbs) at 50. It required eating less and cutting out processed carbs/white carbs. I didn't start exercising until after I lost the weight. It's definitely possible.

This is what I'm trying. I am doing some light exercise now (mainly walking) but relatively short distances - maybe 15/20 minutes at a time. Exercise makes me feel better and improves my mood plus it reduces my appetite IF I don't go too gung ho with it.

I'm down over 10 now. In another 10 I might add in some strength training. At this point I just want some weight off me and a low carb diet seems to be doing the trick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did a quick but fairly strict diet at the beginning of this year to get off the last of the baby/nursing weight (10 extra lbs unfortunately!) I'm 41. There are so many types of diets, and fad eating routines, and people swearing that you have to eliminate this food group or that food group but I really think it absolutely boils down to one thing: portion control. I really had to reset *how much* I was eating (as well as making healthier choices). And everything I read about the obesity epidemic underscores that it is not just the corn syrup etc. but the slow creep up of portions and sheer amount of what we are eating. It was a little painful for the first month - i.e. I was hungry all the time. But now it's 2-3 months past hitting goal weight (140 & 5' 9") and I'm back to eating whatever I want, just less of it, and I pay attention to the amount... and no hunger or weight gain.

The other thing I read is important - and try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to do is to lead an active life instead of just "getting to the gym." I do have almost 2 mile walk for my commute. And then I often try to take a walk at lunch - and a walk/playground trip with my kids almost every evening as well.

Not OP, but do you have any tips for portion control, short of weighing everything you eat? Any shortcuts? I think portion control is actually my biggest challenge,

Weight Watchers can help you figure out portion control.

[Anonymous]

I think it can be a real (sad) eye opener for some of us as we enter our fourties how few calories we need to operate. My body needs about 1500 calories to maintain its 5'10, 177lb self. That is plenty of good healthy food, but not much margin for junk. To stick to that I have to both track my calories (I use Lose It! app) and I weigh my food often, usually things I tend to overeat, like chocolate. To lose weight I've been doing intermittent fasting, which has helped me lose 15 lbs over 15 weeks or so. Twice a week I skip breakfast and lunch, and just eat a 500 calorie dinner with my family. You get used to it.