Does being "almost 40" really have anything to do with it???

exer_cited

Cathlete
Okay, maybe I’m just having a pity-party for myself today, but I’m so tired of spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.

I've been trying to lose about 10 lbs for what seems like forever and it's just not happening. Maybe I should just resolve myself to the fact that all of this working out and eating right is only to maintain this body. Wow, that’s depressing. Makes me wonder what I would look like if I didn’t workout and eat right…:eek:

But what is really bothering me is that I have to go for my yearly check-up this afternoon and I already know what she’s going to say when I talk to her about it because she told me the same thing last year (when I was 37, mind you): “well, you are almost 40 you know. It’s much harder to lose weight once you hit that age”...:confused:

Being “almost 40” doesn’t bother me in the least, but is that really a valid reason for not being able to lose weight??? :mad:

Maybe she's just not as concerned about my weight as I am...:p
 
Sounds to me like you're trying too hard. I think all you need to do is eat primarily vegetables and fruit with some lean protein and a bit of complex carbs thrown in, and try not to be too sedentary. Walk places instead of driving. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Have a few cardio sweat fests each week. Set it and forget it. Maybe it's just me, but every time I set out to "lose weight" in my life, I just gained. But when I'm not paying much attention, the weight just slips right off. Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but essentially true. Of course, everyone's different, and I may very well be atypical, but age doesn't seem to be a factor for me. And you are a mere baby!
 
Thanks Nancy, and I think you may be right.

I just read Afreet's post about her Low Intensity Experiment and thought the same thing...maybe I'm just trying to hard.

Maybe if I just relax a little and don't pay attention to the weight it will "slip right off"...that would be FABULOUS!!!

Thanks again!!! Now if I only had the metabolism of a baby, I'd be all set!!!
 
I have to agree with you

You sound like me, word for word. I bust my AS$ doing Cathe workouts 6 days a week, I eat pretty darn good and I still have all this F.A.T.!!!! So at this point in my life (I'll be 42 in a couple weeks) I say:

(1) I don't look that bad, I'm strong as heck, I'm running my 3rd 1/2 marathon in December, I have enough energy for 3 people, I'm healthy, and I say at my age and after 2 kids aren't I entitled to, say 10 extra pounds?

or

(2) I hate the fat, my belly is flabby, I have great muscles but you can't see them real well because of the fat, I don't look real great in a swim suit, I can't figure out my diet to save my life even though I eat pretty darn good. WTH!

Some days I choose option 1, some days I'm option 2. Either way, anyone who works out to Cathe is awesome in my eyes because they are NOT easy whatsoever.
 
Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with "almost being 40" since I just turned 43.

I (used to ) love high intensity exercise, but due to some crap in my personal life, I fell of the exercise bandwagon 3 years ago. I recently lost about 10 lbs when I really started counting calories (weighing everything, not measuring, eyeballing), but did very little exercise. Heavy lifting 2-3X per week, almost no cardio.

I was shocked that I was able to lose without working out for an hour 6 days per week. And, I was also stunned at how many calories I was actually consuming.

I will never go back to exercising like that again.

I hope you find what works for you. Good luck!
 
Well, I had wondered the same thing! Come to find out, I wasn't working out HARD ENOUGH! I think our metabolism slows, but from what I've experienced and what I've seen here, it isn't the end of the world! My metabolism is up now and I work out 5-6 days a week, but only 1 hour a day, mostly running right now, but with weights occasionally. I really need to up that!

Even when my weight was over 150 (5'4"; age: 47), my doctors didn't care even when I expressed concerns. They just ignored it and told me I was find at that weight! I looked and felt horrible!

Just goes to show, different things work for different people and doctors are worthless!
 
Why do people, especially medical professionals, think that once you turn 40 you have to look like a bag of sh!t? Since you are almost 40 Melissa perhaps you should consider sitting on the couch, eating bon bons, and planning your colonoscopy. Oy vey!!! I say relax, change it up, and you will be back on track once you stop looking at the scale....and come out from behind that fence so we can see how svelte you look Wilson (an old roadtrip joke).
 
Honestly I don't believe that age has a lot to do with it unless you are one that has been sedentary all your life and had bad eating habits as well. "Bad" behavior will catch up to you over time. That doesn't appear to be the case for you. I find what works the best for me at 50+ is to mix up my training, be careful but not fanatical about my diet, and to frequently pet my cats and husband (not necessarily in that order) for stress relief.

Can't say I agree with your doctor's comment, however. It's not helpful to you to dismiss your concern or to make you feel that YOU ARE DOOMED TO BE FAT AND UNFIT SINCE YOU ARE 40!!!! Mine doesn't cut me any slack just because I'm not 25 any more.

You've gotten some good suggestions from other folks here---try something different, ease up a bit etc. Good luck!!!
 

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