No cheese. No bread. No alcohol.

Drink water before meals.

Make a point of taking the stairs.

OP here - thanks, all for the advice. This all sounds pretty doable, long-term.

I'll pick up one of those veggie slicer thingies that was recommended above - seems like a good way to increase the amount of veggies while having something that is like pasta. Anyway, worth a shot!

OP, sadly it is the cheese and bread. My weakness as well!

Add in a couple of weight training sessions per week too.

Im the PP who posted about eliminating wheat. I am just under 5'4 and it feels alot better to weigh 123 than almost 130.

My personal ideal is 118. I'll take 120, though. So only a few pounds to go. Not obsessing either. But I second the absence of mid morning hunger since I started eating oatmeal and fruit every morning!

I'm almost the same age and weight and felt bloated and gross. I gained 3-5 lbs and wanted to get rid of it. It's almost gone now. I stopped eating cereal and bread. I eat plain oatmeal in the morning with blueberries or strawberries. I don't get hungry mid morning anymore b/c of the oatmeal. For lunch, I have a salad and some tuna (no bread) or a piece of chicken. Sometimes I'll have a plain Greek yogurt. I ate nuts (almonds and walnuts) for a snack. For dinner, I'll have soup, another salad, lean meat. I've ditched sugar for the most part and the bloat went away within a week. I drink lots of water and 1-2 cups of plain tea (no sugar). My skin has cleared up too! Read The Hormone Cure. It's very interesting and it can help even out your hormones.

OP IM 45 and my mystery weight went away when I removed ALL WHEAT.

Signs were there for years that I dont tolerate pasta (legs poof up) or beer (get bloaedt and legs poof up) so I removed those years ago. But I suddenly put on like 5 poiunds I could not account for. I was eating very very little bread. As in, one slice a day, maybe 2. No cheese habit, low fat vegetarian low sodium diet.

AND I started working out like a fiend. ZIP.

Once I took out that little last trace of bread, BAM. I lost those mystery five pounds. Oh, and I stopped working out (just a timing thing, not because I thought it was a good idea)

So my carb sources are: Brown rice. Quinoa. Oatmeal (for breakfast). I dont eat alot of it, but since I dont eat any wheat I AM LESS HUNGRY FOR CARBS.

Dont miss the bread because my ass is smaller. YAY. I fit back into my clothes. Now I will resume working out.

I am 43, and have really cut down on the bread. Instead, I will cook a small portion of brown rice, or buy brown rice pasta. I also purchased one of those spiralizers, so I can use vegetables to make pasta or combine with a small amount of pasta. I have been able to maintain my 115 pound range by doing this. Good luck!

It's the cheese and bread! Good luck OP!

Anonymous wrote:I'm over 40, short and approx the same weight issue as you. More soup and celery, less cheese and bread. This is usually enough to kick me back down a few pounds after a week or two. I don't obsess over it, but I replace snacks with celery (which I love so it's no big deal) and for lunch I eat soups with a clear base like pho, udon, minestrone, etc.

that's a good idea - and sounds very doable. thanks!

I'm over 40, short and approx the same weight issue as you. More soup and celery, less cheese and bread. This is usually enough to kick me back down a few pounds after a week or two. I don't obsess over it, but I replace snacks with celery (which I love so it's no big deal) and for lunch I eat soups with a clear base like pho, udon, minestrone, etc.

Do you drink wine or alcohol on the regular? As much as I hate to cut these things out, they are kind if wasted calories. It's an easy fix anyway.

Re-read your post OP. The answer is right there.

Change all of your bread to whole grains (make sure it's not multi-grain, but actual whole grain). They make you feel fuller and metabolize slower. White breads convert to blood sugar faster and cause you to feel hungry just like white rice.

It's the cheese and the bread. My weaknesses too. There's your 5 pounds right there.

I don't want to start one of these insane threads where everyone competes to show how much they exercise and how little they eat. Please - no pro-ana here!

Since turning 40, my metabolism seems to have slowed down - yay, joy, fun. Anyway, I've gone from maintaining, easily, a weight of 115 to - I stepped on the scale this morning - now weighing 121. I'm very short, and these five pounds really make me feel different - I just don't like it. But my usual way of taking off weight (mostly ignoring the fact that I need to, but just cutting out sweets and alcohol for a bit) doesn't seem to be working.

I walk a ton, don't eat meat and don't drink soda already. My diet is reasonably healthy, but I do eat a lot of cheese and bread.

What should I try next? I'd really like to get back to fitting into my old clothes/feeling like my body is my body again.