Anonymous wrote:I’m 50, in peri menopause. Always been athletic.

All was fine until injuries caught up with me during the pandemic shut down, I started eating more, staying home more, exercising less, etc.

I’m almost back in good physical condition, but the 15lbs came in the past 3+ years? They’re tough. Really, really tough and stubborn to get off at this age. I’m semi fit but soft.

45 and THIS EXACTLY.

No more going out on a 6 mile run on a whim.

No more staying out late and partying and hitting the gym the next morning.

My body needs time to recover. Needs ample rest and sleep. Proper food and hydration.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

Oh, honey.

Start fathoming it.

+1000

Yup. Because when your weight starts creeping up, as it does for most of us, here’s the thing: whatever you did in the past to keep it down will no longer work. Eating a little less for a week? Won’t work. Skipping that extra dessert or drink? Won’t work. Throwing in an extra workout? Won’t work. What most women find is that in order to stay the exact size they were previously, the lengths to which they must go are extreme and unsustainable (unless you want your entire life to revolve around staying thin).

Like you, I had three kids by 40 and lost the weight within a year of each of them. Was strong and fit (still am), worked out daily (still do). And then, almost overnight, it was as if some evil spirit injected jello under my belly button, where I had never gained weight before. Could I get it off? Probably, but that would mean a level of attention to diet - including, frankly, deprivation - that is not healthy for me, having BTDT.

So, yeah. Start fathoming it.

I think there is a middle ground here. It is natural and biologically healthier to become softer and rounder as you age, and you actually look better and younger. If you eat a natural and balanced healthy diet, the way you look, even if 10-20 lbs heavier, that’s the way you’re supposed to be. But it’s a different thing to just wake up one day at 50 and become an absolute blob. Some people just start the downhill slide and let themselves go completely.
For me, the best thing to keep the inevitable weight gain in check is I gave up drinking. Sure, I loved me a glass of rose after a hard day, but becoming a non-drinker, teetotaler has helped my waistline and my wallet. It’s worth it. Something to think about.

This is true. I have 4 sisters, all drinkers and our age range is 48-59. I stopped drinking 20+ years ago. Guess who still has a waist and is a healthy weight? I'm 53 and weigh ~5 lbs more than I did when I was 30.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

So I used to say exactly all of this when I was 40. ALL OF IT. Couldn't understand how anyone could ever let themselves gain weight like that, always thin, easily lost all weight after my pregnancies within a matter of just weeks, could literally eat whatever I wanted, etc, etc.

I'm now 46, and I am shocked at how much this has changed for me in just the past year or so as I enter the perimenopausal stage of life. The body changes in this stage of life are very real. For the record, I'm very athletic and have been all through adulthood: competitive runner, workout 5-6 days a week, very toned. And I'm still very much in shape. However, my metabolism is nothing like what it was; it has completely tanked. In my 20s I used to eat an entire pound of pasta for dinner most nights, no joke. No way would that fly now. Just over the past year or so, I gain weight way way more easily, and it's much MUCH harder to lose, even just a few pounds. My weight management strategies of years past just don't work anymore. I read some interview recently that Heidi Klum only eats like 800 calories a day to stay thin at her age. Just a few years ago I would have thought this was nuts, but now that I'm "here", I completely believe it.

I still wear the same size, and I'm still the same healthy weight I've had all through adulthood. However, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to keep it that way. I'm definitely eating crow from the way I viewed this earlier in life, even just a few years ago. More power to you and your 40 year old self, PP, but it's not nearly as easy as you think it is now.

100 percent agree. I was 15 lbs lighter at 40 not watching what I ate and working out infrequently with 3 kids. Now at 45 the kids are older and I work out 7+ hours a week, eat zero processed food, limit carbs, extremely healthy, no sugar, one glass of wine a week, count calories and the fifteen lbs are impossible to lose.

Why didn’t you do that when you were up 5 lbs instead of 15?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

Oh, honey.

Start fathoming it.

+1000

Yup. Because when your weight starts creeping up, as it does for most of us, here’s the thing: whatever you did in the past to keep it down will no longer work. Eating a little less for a week? Won’t work. Skipping that extra dessert or drink? Won’t work. Throwing in an extra workout? Won’t work. What most women find is that in order to stay the exact size they were previously, the lengths to which they must go are extreme and unsustainable (unless you want your entire life to revolve around staying thin).

Like you, I had three kids by 40 and lost the weight within a year of each of them. Was strong and fit (still am), worked out daily (still do). And then, almost overnight, it was as if some evil spirit injected jello under my belly button, where I had never gained weight before. Could I get it off? Probably, but that would mean a level of attention to diet - including, frankly, deprivation - that is not healthy for me, having BTDT.

So, yeah. Start fathoming it.

I think there is a middle ground here. It is natural and biologically healthier to become softer and rounder as you age, and you actually look better and younger. If you eat a natural and balanced healthy diet, the way you look, even if 10-20 lbs heavier, that’s the way you’re supposed to be. But it’s a different thing to just wake up one day at 50 and become an absolute blob. Some people just start the downhill slide and let themselves go completely.
For me, the best thing to keep the inevitable weight gain in check is I gave up drinking. Sure, I loved me a glass of rose after a hard day, but becoming a non-drinker, teetotaler has helped my waistline and my wallet. It’s worth it. Something to think about.

Oh, I know there’s a middle ground - that’s where I live. I interpreted the PP as suggesting that she won’t gain noticeable weight because she weighs herself regularly; my point is it’s usually not that easy as you get older. I mean, I used to eat dessert way more than I do now; cutting that out has probably helped, but it’s not a panacea. Giving up alcohol has many health benefits, absolutely - but if someone was truly only drinking one standard drink/day or less, it’s also not a cure-all for weight loss.

Put another way, I think someone who “can’t fathom” gaining weight due to aging isn’t going to buy that a little weight gain isn’t harmful. But yeah, I agree that it’s important to consider how rigid you’re going to be about maintaining a certain size, and the lengths you’ll go to maintain it. Then again, I was never naturally skinny and I wouldn’t say I’ve fallen apart, so maybe I should just exit stage left.

I am still 42 and haven’t seen an difference. However, when I read people’s experience with weight gain in their late 40s, makes me want to eat everything now, since I know I won’t be able to do that in a couple of years.

I'm mid-40s and I've changed my diet and exercise plans some, but my body has not fallen apart. It's entirely possible it will, but so far so good.

I have always been naturally thin but I used to eat horribly and never exercise, and it wasn't until my 30s that I discovered a healthier lifestyle. My mom got very fat in middle age and it has caused a lot of health issues for her and I really didn't want to follow in those footsteps. I could feel some unhealthy patterns setting in during postpartum years and then as I went into peri-menopause a couple years ago, and I wanted to head off problems before they started.

I think the biggest changes I've made that have paid off are:

(1) Focus as much on incidental exercise as intentional exercise. I've set my lifestyle up so that I walk most places and am very active even if I don't get my workouts in. No, walking to the store and gardening on the weekends will not keep you fit on their own. But they are good habits that help keep you healthy, and also motivate me to stay fit. I notice I'm more sluggish when I'm not taking care of myself, and it motivates me to get that Monday morning workout in.

(2) Shift to more sustainable workouts. I used to run in my 30s and did some athletic stuff that was tough on my body (flying trapeze, Cross Fit) because they were trendy. There's nothing wrong with that stuff, but as I get older, I've learned to avoid stuff that makes injury more likely, because recovering from injuries in your 40s is so much harder than when you are younger, and that's when you are most likely to start adding weight. So no more trapeze or Cross Fit. I do HITT workouts and barre, and then flow yoga once a week, plus hiking and pickle ball on the weekends (I know, I know, I'm so middle aged). But I workout every day. I never deal with injuries anymore, but sometimes I have small issues and I deal with them by adjusting my workout to accommodate. This is way better than when I used to deal with significant injuries due to my workouts. In the end it's counterproductive. Don't choose sports or workouts with high risk of injury at this age.

(3) Cut back on alcohol. The less you drink, the better you feel. Sorry. It's also a weight thing, but I personally have found the biggest benefit is that I sleep better and have more energy, which makes it easier for me to stay active and eat well.

(4) If you meal plan, it's easier to balance your diet so you don't have to totally cut stuff out but can reduce your consumption. Like I don't think I could totally cut out past or red meat. But if I meal plan, I can design my meals for the week so it's mostly plant-based and whole grains and lean proteins, and then I'll make a bolognese on Sunday and feel zero guilt because I know it's balanced out. I would not do well with a diet that was just about self-denial. I'll give up.

I actually think I'm healthier at 47 than I was at 35. Older, but healthier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

So I used to say exactly all of this when I was 40. ALL OF IT. Couldn't understand how anyone could ever let themselves gain weight like that, always thin, easily lost all weight after my pregnancies within a matter of just weeks, could literally eat whatever I wanted, etc, etc.

I'm now 46, and I am shocked at how much this has changed for me in just the past year or so as I enter the perimenopausal stage of life. The body changes in this stage of life are very real. For the record, I'm very athletic and have been all through adulthood: competitive runner, workout 5-6 days a week, very toned. And I'm still very much in shape. However, my metabolism is nothing like what it was; it has completely tanked. In my 20s I used to eat an entire pound of pasta for dinner most nights, no joke. No way would that fly now. Just over the past year or so, I gain weight way way more easily, and it's much MUCH harder to lose, even just a few pounds. My weight management strategies of years past just don't work anymore. I read some interview recently that Heidi Klum only eats like 800 calories a day to stay thin at her age. Just a few years ago I would have thought this was nuts, but now that I'm "here", I completely believe it.

I still wear the same size, and I'm still the same healthy weight I've had all through adulthood. However, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to keep it that way. I'm definitely eating crow from the way I viewed this earlier in life, even just a few years ago. More power to you and your 40 year old self, PP, but it's not nearly as easy as you think it is now.

100 percent agree. I was 15 lbs lighter at 40 not watching what I ate and working out infrequently with 3 kids. Now at 45 the kids are older and I work out 7+ hours a week, eat zero processed food, limit carbs, extremely healthy, no sugar, one glass of wine a week, count calories and the fifteen lbs are impossible to lose.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

Oh, honey.

Start fathoming it.

+1000

Yup. Because when your weight starts creeping up, as it does for most of us, here’s the thing: whatever you did in the past to keep it down will no longer work. Eating a little less for a week? Won’t work. Skipping that extra dessert or drink? Won’t work. Throwing in an extra workout? Won’t work. What most women find is that in order to stay the exact size they were previously, the lengths to which they must go are extreme and unsustainable (unless you want your entire life to revolve around staying thin).

Like you, I had three kids by 40 and lost the weight within a year of each of them. Was strong and fit (still am), worked out daily (still do). And then, almost overnight, it was as if some evil spirit injected jello under my belly button, where I had never gained weight before. Could I get it off? Probably, but that would mean a level of attention to diet - including, frankly, deprivation - that is not healthy for me, having BTDT.

So, yeah. Start fathoming it.

I think there is a middle ground here. It is natural and biologically healthier to become softer and rounder as you age, and you actually look better and younger. If you eat a natural and balanced healthy diet, the way you look, even if 10-20 lbs heavier, that’s the way you’re supposed to be. But it’s a different thing to just wake up one day at 50 and become an absolute blob. Some people just start the downhill slide and let themselves go completely.
For me, the best thing to keep the inevitable weight gain in check is I gave up drinking. Sure, I loved me a glass of rose after a hard day, but becoming a non-drinker, teetotaler has helped my waistline and my wallet. It’s worth it. Something to think about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

Oh, honey.

Start fathoming it.

+1000

Yup. Because when your weight starts creeping up, as it does for most of us, here’s the thing: whatever you did in the past to keep it down will no longer work. Eating a little less for a week? Won’t work. Skipping that extra dessert or drink? Won’t work. Throwing in an extra workout? Won’t work. What most women find is that in order to stay the exact size they were previously, the lengths to which they must go are extreme and unsustainable (unless you want your entire life to revolve around staying thin).

Like you, I had three kids by 40 and lost the weight within a year of each of them. Was strong and fit (still am), worked out daily (still do). And then, almost overnight, it was as if some evil spirit injected jello under my belly button, where I had never gained weight before. Could I get it off? Probably, but that would mean a level of attention to diet - including, frankly, deprivation - that is not healthy for me, having BTDT.

So, yeah. Start fathoming it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

So I used to say exactly all of this when I was 40. ALL OF IT. Couldn't understand how anyone could ever let themselves gain weight like that, always thin, easily lost all weight after my pregnancies within a matter of just weeks, could literally eat whatever I wanted, etc, etc.

I'm now 46, and I am shocked at how much this has changed for me in just the past year or so as I enter the perimenopausal stage of life. The body changes in this stage of life are very real. For the record, I'm very athletic and have been all through adulthood: competitive runner, workout 5-6 days a week, very toned. And I'm still very much in shape. However, my metabolism is nothing like what it was; it has completely tanked. In my 20s I used to eat an entire pound of pasta for dinner most nights, no joke. No way would that fly now. Just over the past year or so, I gain weight way way more easily, and it's much MUCH harder to lose, even just a few pounds. My weight management strategies of years past just don't work anymore. I read some interview recently that Heidi Klum only eats like 800 calories a day to stay thin at her age. Just a few years ago I would have thought this was nuts, but now that I'm "here", I completely believe it.

I still wear the same size, and I'm still the same healthy weight I've had all through adulthood. However, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to keep it that way. I'm definitely eating crow from the way I viewed this earlier in life, even just a few years ago. More power to you and your 40 year old self, PP, but it's not nearly as easy as you think it is now.

I definitely recognize it is harder to maintain weight as you age and your body requires less. But as long as your actively are in tube with what your weigh and adjust your eating, there is no reason you need to gain 20+ lbs with age

DP Sure what happens when you get arthritis in your knee or your ankle goes out? Think that will not happen to you? You are dreaming,

Then you eat a lot less

Anonymous wrote:I’m 50, in peri menopause. Always been athletic.

All was fine until injuries caught up with me during the pandemic shut down, I started eating more, staying home more, exercising less, etc.

I’m almost back in good physical condition, but the 15lbs came in the past 3+ years? They’re tough. Really, really tough and stubborn to get off at this age. I’m semi fit but soft.

Meant to add: don’t stop moving. Don’t give in to mood indulgences (not working out, eating for excess “comfort”, etc.). If you get injured from physical activity? Control diet and find alternate ways to move your body; don’t sit on the sofa. Hormones make it hard, but our mindset can make it harder than it needs to be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

So I used to say exactly all of this when I was 40. ALL OF IT. Couldn't understand how anyone could ever let themselves gain weight like that, always thin, easily lost all weight after my pregnancies within a matter of just weeks, could literally eat whatever I wanted, etc, etc.

I'm now 46, and I am shocked at how much this has changed for me in just the past year or so as I enter the perimenopausal stage of life. The body changes in this stage of life are very real. For the record, I'm very athletic and have been all through adulthood: competitive runner, workout 5-6 days a week, very toned. And I'm still very much in shape. However, my metabolism is nothing like what it was; it has completely tanked. In my 20s I used to eat an entire pound of pasta for dinner most nights, no joke. No way would that fly now. Just over the past year or so, I gain weight way way more easily, and it's much MUCH harder to lose, even just a few pounds. My weight management strategies of years past just don't work anymore. I read some interview recently that Heidi Klum only eats like 800 calories a day to stay thin at her age. Just a few years ago I would have thought this was nuts, but now that I'm "here", I completely believe it.

I still wear the same size, and I'm still the same healthy weight I've had all through adulthood. However, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to keep it that way. I'm definitely eating crow from the way I viewed this earlier in life, even just a few years ago. More power to you and your 40 year old self, PP, but it's not nearly as easy as you think it is now.

I definitely recognize it is harder to maintain weight as you age and your body requires less. But as long as your actively are in tube with what your weigh and adjust your eating, there is no reason you need to gain 20+ lbs with age

DP Sure what happens when you get arthritis in your knee or your ankle goes out? Think that will not happen to you? You are dreaming,

I’m 50, in peri menopause. Always been athletic.

All was fine until injuries caught up with me during the pandemic shut down, I started eating more, staying home more, exercising less, etc.

I’m almost back in good physical condition, but the 15lbs came in the past 3+ years? They’re tough. Really, really tough and stubborn to get off at this age. I’m semi fit but soft.

Anonymous wrote:You need to keep up with it, any minor weight gain you lose it, that's how you can look like Christy Brinkley at 60

She's actually 69, has a ton of money and a lot of help

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m premature in saying this as I’m “only” 40, but so far it hasn’t been an issue and I cannot fathom it will ever be. I’ve managed to have three kids with normal weight gains and able to lose it without drastic measures within a year of each baby.

I work out regularly, but more importantly, I weigh myself regularly. At least a couple times per week. Weight cannot creep on if you don’t let it. 5-10 lbs can be easily gained in you live on athleisure and don’t weigh yourself ever. Then another 10 if you don’t make changes and so on. But if you are happy with your weight and monitor it, you can adjust what you eat and your exercise as the needs of your body change with age. While a few pounds may be acceptable to gain with age, there is no reason anyone has to become overweight or obese as they age if they actively take steps to maintain a heathy weight

Oh, honey.

Start fathoming it.

+1000