Anyone else have to be very restrictive to stay thin?
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Anonymous
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I turned 40 last year and my weight seems to regularly creep up unless I remain extremely restrictive - no carbs other than limited fruit/dairy and no sugar. If I eat them in moderation (a couple times per week) my weight goes up seemingly. It feels like I am on a constant battle to stay slim - I am 5’6” and want to stay under 140. I get there, let a little loose (while still being extremely healthy overall) and then my weight creeps up 5-10lbs and I have to go hard core to lose it.
In my 20s I was lucky that I could eat whatever I wanted without gaining. I had to be more careful in my 30s and learned to eat healthy 75% of the time and just indulge 25%... not it seems all other nothing. Anyone else in this boat? I know how to lose the weight, but don’t know how to have a more balanced/less restrictive every day diet that doesn’t deprive me of anything good. How to others maintain? Any tips? |
Anonymous
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At 40, my weight reset 10 pounds heavier, but once I just let that happen, I'm back to being the same as I was in my 20s -- I can eat whatever I want, and I'll stay at the same weight.
Why do you want to stay at 140? |
Anonymous
| At some point you decide that life is too short to only care about being very slim. You are not overweight when you gain those 5-10 pounds. Do you want to spend the rest of your life on an extremely restricted diet in order to be MORE thin but not necessarily more healthy? It's just whatever you decide to prioritize. You clearly know exactly how much effort it takes to stay at your current weight. |
Anonymous
| You will be a happier person if you let yourself have the 5-10 lbs. Your face will probably look better too. |
Anonymous
| Lift weights 15-20 minutes a day. Increase your muscle mass and see if it helps your metabolism. |
Anonymous
| Im 37. 5'5" and 125. I do have to be very restrictive. at 135, I can eat whatever I want. The body definitely has its comfortable spot. I think I will enjoy being thin another 10 yrs, then hang it up and give it to 135. |
Anonymous
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Lol, yes obviously.
But I'm 5'6" and feel I look best around 120-125 so I set the bar pretty high for myself. That's a very muscular 120, I use my Peloton daily, yoga several times a week, Tonal several times a week and I'm getting a stripper pole installed in my home gym for pole work. |
Anonymous
| I'm 52. For me, it just started getting hard in the last 6 months. |
Anonymous
| I’m early 50’s and found that I couldn’t eat whatever I wanted anymore. I generally have a very healthy varied diet anyway. I tried restricting calories but it was miserable and unsustainable. So I got into an exercise routine—5 days of running (45-100 min/day), 3 days weights, core or body weight most days. I feel so much more healthy and happy now and can eat satisfying quantities of food. |
Anonymous
+1. I figure if I can once again eat whatever I want, but stay at the same weight, it must be because my body wants to be at this new weight. Of course I also exercise and make healthy choices generally -- it's how I'm able to stay at the same weight while eating whatever I want. |
Anonymous
| I'm 5'6" late 40s and have a small frame. I think my ideal weight is in the upper 120s, but am hovering right now around 130-135. If I get into the 138 range, I can lose 5 lbs pretty quickly, but dropping below 130 is hard for me. I do a mild form of IF -no eating between 8pm and 10am, but I do have coffee first thing in the AM with oat milk. I also don't drink alcohol. This keeps me around 133. If I want to drop another 5, I need to cut out my carbs and sweets, and reduce portion sizes. I'm not sure I'm willing to do that. Exercise doesn't really help me to shed pounds, but it does make me look more toned. |
Anonymous
| Experiment with IF a bit. I found a schedule that worked for me and let me eat more at my twice daily meals but every body is different. |
Anonymous
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I just managed to lose 25 to 30 pounds by cutting sugar, snack food and adding a brisk uphill 4 or 5 mile walk daily. I don't feel like it's been overly restrictive and I'm hoping to add the occasional cookie or scoop of ice cream when I hit my goal (5 more pounds). If my eating and activity remains the same otherwise, I don't think an extra 100 to 200 calories on some days will make a huge difference. Who knows, maybe it will.
I am aiming for 125 but feel like I'll probably end up trying to maintain at up to 130. I am not willing to exercise 3 hours a day, live on cabbage, eat one small meal per day or avoid all carbs forever. I gave up on being thin a long time ago and am fine with a healthy normal weight. |
Anonymous
What if in 10 years the comfortable spot is more like 150-160? |
Anonymous
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No. I am naturally very thin (5'4", fluctuate naturally between 110 and 115). I don't diet or restrict. I am active in that I walk most places and go running a couple times a week, but otherwise I don't work out. This is just what my body is like. I also have small boobs and a flat butt. I think it is best to accept your body for what it is and aim for balanced good health. I think most women who work really hard to get down to my weight, when it is clear that their bodies would be more comfortable at a higher weight, don't look better than they would be at a higher weight. Some clothes fit better, but others don't (this is true for everyone -- I look good in some clothes and terrible in others and always have and always will).
I am tired of spending time with female friends who are always dieting and restricting, who act like weighing less is some great accomplishment or gift, who complain about their weight constantly even though they are not overweight or unhealthy, or who assume I am judging them for their weight (I'm not). Being thin is not the same as being pretty, or sexy. It's just thin. Why is this such a goal of so many women? I have been thin my entire life and it's not that great! Yes, some people admire my body (but often in unkind ways -- it's not fun to be told "I hate you for being so thin" especially when it's not even something you picked for yourself), but many people still criticize it, both men and women. I have been told I'm "too" thin, that I look like I don't eat enough, been made fun of for being flat chested, told I'm not a "real woman" because I don't have curves. I've had women in my life who told me they could not be friends with me because my weight was triggering for them. Do what you want with your body but I really cannot emphasize this enough: however much you think you look better at a weight that you have to seriously restrict your food to reach, no one else cares. Obviously if it's worth it to you, that's your choice. But if you are doing it for other people, you are wasting your energy. Your husband doesn't even care. Your friends definitely don't. Even those mean ladies you think judge you for not being thin? They'll just judge you for losing weight because they are mean, vindictive people who are looking for reasons to hate. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled programming. |