Iwill be 41 next month and I feel my body changing and it does seem to be responding to anything. I feel the only time I can lose wt is when I cut my calories to 1200 or so and then I feel hungry all day. I get so depressed because there are people around me losing wt like crazy and Mine has climbed about 8 lbs. How do you find what will work for you? there are so many different things and I have tried many but none have really produced good results. Are there test you can have done that will help you know what you need to do for you particular body to respond? i workout 4-5 days a week, with a mixture of wts and cardio. I try to eat realively healthy but not always but with the calories I burn working out I should see something.any body out there that tried everything and nothing worked and then finally got results with something?
getting older and feeling fatter
- Thread starter runfree
- Start date
isuretri
Cathlete
Not sure if I can help but.....I am turning 40 in a few weeks and have recently lost over 45 pounds. My main concentration is on eating clean. If it is in a box and processed, then don't eat it. I eat every 2-3 hours of smaller meals but I am never starving. If I am extra hungry then I always keep some carrots and hummus at work to snack on. I work out 6 days per week with a mix of cardio and weights.
I think if you concentrate on portion sizes, eating clean and eating every 2-3 hours you will see a difference.
Hope that helps!! Keep up the great work and DON"T get frustrated. Keep pluggin' away, day by day!
I think if you concentrate on portion sizes, eating clean and eating every 2-3 hours you will see a difference.
Hope that helps!! Keep up the great work and DON"T get frustrated. Keep pluggin' away, day by day!
caseysmomgo
Cathlete
Runfree, I'm sorry you're going through this. I've been battling the same thing. (I'm 54). I was exercising my brains out, but found that it's really the eating that's the key. I sometimes get the idea that since I work out, I can eat a little more, but I'm not burning it off faster than I can eat!
I have to watch my portions, only eat when I'm hungry, and eat as clean as possible. It's an ongoing struggle and I recently stuck my nose to the grindstone to get rid of 10 stubborn, and I do mean stubborn, pounds by Labor Day. A lofty ambition, but I've already lost a couple just by tightening my eating up a bit. When I was younger I could eat anything I wanted, but when I hit my 40's, I really had to start reining it in...
Good luck to you and don't get discouraged! We're all here for you!
I have to watch my portions, only eat when I'm hungry, and eat as clean as possible. It's an ongoing struggle and I recently stuck my nose to the grindstone to get rid of 10 stubborn, and I do mean stubborn, pounds by Labor Day. A lofty ambition, but I've already lost a couple just by tightening my eating up a bit. When I was younger I could eat anything I wanted, but when I hit my 40's, I really had to start reining it in...
Good luck to you and don't get discouraged! We're all here for you!
nspire
Cathlete
Runfree,
I battling the same thing. I recently turned 44, for some reason once I hit around 40 I found it hard to lose weight. I've been trying to lose the same 10lbs for the past four years. I took workout 4-6x a week with a mixture of cardio and weights and have become frustrated.
I've asked myself the same questions as far as what will work for me. I registered in a nutrition course this fall hoping it would shed some light on what I need to do. I'm tired and confused with all the diet rules, protein, no carbs, low carbs, blah! blah! blah!
I tried doing the calorie counting thing, but get tired of having to log everyday. It can be a bit depressing, but I too thinks it comes down to not eating as much.
Stay encouraged though and don't give up the fight. Something will prevail soon enough.
I battling the same thing. I recently turned 44, for some reason once I hit around 40 I found it hard to lose weight. I've been trying to lose the same 10lbs for the past four years. I took workout 4-6x a week with a mixture of cardio and weights and have become frustrated.
I've asked myself the same questions as far as what will work for me. I registered in a nutrition course this fall hoping it would shed some light on what I need to do. I'm tired and confused with all the diet rules, protein, no carbs, low carbs, blah! blah! blah!
I tried doing the calorie counting thing, but get tired of having to log everyday. It can be a bit depressing, but I too thinks it comes down to not eating as much.
Stay encouraged though and don't give up the fight. Something will prevail soon enough.
I think the key phrase in your post is that you "try to eat relatively healthy but not always". Once I stopped making excuses about my diet and really kept an honest food journal for awhile did I realize that I was in denial about not only what I was eating but in my "effort". I really wasn't trying as hard as I thought I was. I'm not saying you arent trying, I'm just relating my experience. I've lost 3 lbs in one week with a clean diet, last week I started gravitating towards my old "relatively healthy" eating ways and I gained a little over half a pound! For me, it's said but true, but as I age I cannot snack like I used to. This is a general plan that has worked for me....
Breakfast.....carb + protein
Lunch....protein + veggie
Dinner.....protein + veggie
Snacks...usually fruit with a few almonds
I really watch mindless snacking, and anything processed. I allow myself one cheat meal a week! Good luck!
Breakfast.....carb + protein
Lunch....protein + veggie
Dinner.....protein + veggie
Snacks...usually fruit with a few almonds
I really watch mindless snacking, and anything processed. I allow myself one cheat meal a week! Good luck!
RapidBreath
Cathlete
I'm not the same age but due to an endocrine disorder my body thinks its older and what has worked for me (I was obese all of my teens/twenties) is cutting soy (estrogens), most grains and adding a lot of healthy fats. I also cycle my calories and carbs so on one day I have 600-800 calories more than the next day. Adding yoga has helped dramatically. I run intervals 2-3 days a week, that has thinned out the leg/butt area. Eating too little fat will make you hungry all the time and make it harder to lose weight. Coconut oil helps turn up your internal thermostat and helps me lose weight. I take fish oil and evening primrose oil. I'm not yet at my goal weight but I'm a lot better off than I used to be by about 80 pounds.
Hello RunFree,
A couple of years, I started noticing the same thing. First of all,myself, it's impossible to eat clean and whole always. Second, I started my MBA and now doing Six Sigma. I have maintained and even lost inches in places but NOT lost weight. In my case, I am pre-meno which I get hot flashesbut Aunt Flo still visits then ADD stress. Very few people I know of my age, now 48, is slim and trim. Class reunion pics prove it.
Portion sizes are important. My Mom dropped 15 from just that.
Keep us posted.
JT
A couple of years, I started noticing the same thing. First of all,myself, it's impossible to eat clean and whole always. Second, I started my MBA and now doing Six Sigma. I have maintained and even lost inches in places but NOT lost weight. In my case, I am pre-meno which I get hot flashesbut Aunt Flo still visits then ADD stress. Very few people I know of my age, now 48, is slim and trim. Class reunion pics prove it.
Portion sizes are important. My Mom dropped 15 from just that.
Keep us posted.
JT
syzygy314
Cathlete
I had the same issues when I hit my early 40s. I'm 48 now and will be turning another year in October. It became very difficult to lose weight the way I always had before. I had to really kick my intensity up a notch and I turned to clean eating. I, too, eat 5 meals a day every 2-3 hours. I also took up running which was completely new to me.
I hope this helps!
I hope this helps!
rapidbreath, what intervals do you do? I have been doing cardio coach at lest 1x week, teach a bootcamp 1x week and run 2 other days just regular pace and started lifting p90x shldrs and arms 1x week for upper body and squeeze for lower body. I eat 2 eggs for breakfast with nickels low calorie multigrain bread with a dab of butter, lunch varies from a weight watcher meal and fruit or sugar free pudding, dinner is the one meal that is probably the worst, varies from chicken to any kind of red meat, veggie, and maybe baked potato , then sometimes snack at night. but even when I cut most junk out in 6t weeks I barely lost 2 lbs. how frustrating is that? I really dont do low intensity workouts, I dont consider running low intensity so maybe I need to incorporate a lower intensity workout. bootcamp is high intensity and cardio coach is too since I up my pace when he tells you to On the one extra day I do wts and the squeeze workout, I usually run 2 miles as my warmup before doing the wts. I have really tried to eat strict and still no lose and then I give up. the only time I lost is when I cut way back and counted calories but now when i do that I feel hungry all day long and think about food constantly and then end up give in an eating probably more than I should. I too thoughtabout trying to find some kind of nutrition class but none are around here. I thought about getting a personal trainer but none really around here that truly know what to do. I dont know what to do, I feel as though I am doomed and will never lose wt again. the last time I lost is when I got the flu and then it sorta set me off on a losing spree, I kept the wt off for over a yr and now I slowly have crept back up to 133-135lbs. I feel best at 125lbs. I am only 5 2 1/2 thanks for all your advice.
KadetKim
Cathlete
Hello RunFree
I'm 51 and up until I was 50 I'd always REALLY watched what I ate/drank. "Not For Me Thanks - I Don't Eat That" was my middle name. But when I reached the big 50 I decided to treat myself to a mid-life crisis and I just thought "to heck with all this - time to chow-on-down big time - bring it on - I'm gonna have what I like from now on in". Which I did for a whole year and put on about 15 pounds when I was probably about 10 heavier than I'd have liked to start with. I covered up with baggy clothes and just kept on tucking in.
At 51 I decided that NO this wasn't the path for me and reverted to my previous habits to try and reverse the situation.
I hit the step, cut the munching and to my amazement: absolutely nothing happened. I was on fire, powering through workouts like a 15 year old but that flubber just stuck tight.
To quote isuretri "if it is in a box and processed, then I don't eat it". Well "Amen" to that - I've never never eaten processed food. I always buy 'ingredients' and make everything from scratch and eat mostly salad + protein day in day out - anyways I got to thinking: well realistically what more can I do???? I'm on track with my workouts now and my diet is clean and lean again, but that lard was stubborn.
You gotta count the calories. It doesn't always work and some weeks you stick a'while, but if you persist, eventually you will see the results. I've lost almost 20 pounds, and its been a real real slog. But I think it's always gonna be when you've only got 20 or so pounds to lose.
Good luck and keep focussed.
I'm 51 and up until I was 50 I'd always REALLY watched what I ate/drank. "Not For Me Thanks - I Don't Eat That" was my middle name. But when I reached the big 50 I decided to treat myself to a mid-life crisis and I just thought "to heck with all this - time to chow-on-down big time - bring it on - I'm gonna have what I like from now on in". Which I did for a whole year and put on about 15 pounds when I was probably about 10 heavier than I'd have liked to start with. I covered up with baggy clothes and just kept on tucking in.
At 51 I decided that NO this wasn't the path for me and reverted to my previous habits to try and reverse the situation.
I hit the step, cut the munching and to my amazement: absolutely nothing happened. I was on fire, powering through workouts like a 15 year old but that flubber just stuck tight.
To quote isuretri "if it is in a box and processed, then I don't eat it". Well "Amen" to that - I've never never eaten processed food. I always buy 'ingredients' and make everything from scratch and eat mostly salad + protein day in day out - anyways I got to thinking: well realistically what more can I do???? I'm on track with my workouts now and my diet is clean and lean again, but that lard was stubborn.
You gotta count the calories. It doesn't always work and some weeks you stick a'while, but if you persist, eventually you will see the results. I've lost almost 20 pounds, and its been a real real slog. But I think it's always gonna be when you've only got 20 or so pounds to lose.
Good luck and keep focussed.
Age doesn't not mean you're doomed to be fat
6 years ago when I was 54, I finally lost the 10+ lbs. I'd long wanted to lose but nearly gave up on. I'd quit smoking in 1992, gained about 15 lbs., and couldn't get rid of it despite exercising every way you could think of.
Eating IS 80% of the equation, and you don't have to kill yourself with exercise. I exercise 5 days a week, cardio no more then 40 minutes at a pop, but it's intense. Resistance training is all bodyweight, and I'm darned proud of how I look. For me, the Weight Watchers template worked the best, 'cause you have to work to keep it off after you lose it. I'm very strict 6 days a week & have a weekly cheat day, which I enjoy to no end! I weigh now (125) what I had not weighed in 30+ years when I briefly hit the 120's. I weigh less than I did in high school.
It CAN be done, even when you get older.
6 years ago when I was 54, I finally lost the 10+ lbs. I'd long wanted to lose but nearly gave up on. I'd quit smoking in 1992, gained about 15 lbs., and couldn't get rid of it despite exercising every way you could think of.
Eating IS 80% of the equation, and you don't have to kill yourself with exercise. I exercise 5 days a week, cardio no more then 40 minutes at a pop, but it's intense. Resistance training is all bodyweight, and I'm darned proud of how I look. For me, the Weight Watchers template worked the best, 'cause you have to work to keep it off after you lose it. I'm very strict 6 days a week & have a weekly cheat day, which I enjoy to no end! I weigh now (125) what I had not weighed in 30+ years when I briefly hit the 120's. I weigh less than I did in high school.
It CAN be done, even when you get older.
Sunshine1528
Cathlete
You seem to be working out pretty regularly but seems like it is mostly cardio with 1 weight day if I am reading correctly?
Could you incorporate more weight work to increase your muscle (which burns more calories)?
Also agree you should try to count calories for a while but for me as I am aging (52 now) when I go down to 1200 for too long it is too few and my metabolism seems to readjust. Then when I feed my hunger pangs I gain for a bit before I stabilize. Try shooting for about 1500 cals and adjust your exercise regimen if you can.
Once you have gauged a 1500 or so calorie day you will learn what a typical day is like and you can slack off a bit on the day to day. I always go back to counting when I am finding the lbs go up but not back down.
I am no longer sticking to 1500 cal days but staggering a bit as others have mentioned. The weekdays are easier for me to be consistent as when you work you don't typically have the option of running to the fridge whenever you want - so you plan ahead. That is the name of the game there. During the weekends I eat when I am hungry. When I am busy with chores or outdoor activities I tend to eat less, or when I get hungry I run in and eat a quickie snack like some veggies/fruit with a string cheese or a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese. Then out the door I go.
Hope some of this helps . . . I still struggle constantly as the age goes up but just focus a bit more if the scale goes up more than a couple pounds without going down. Actually, the pants fit test is the best for me !
Could you incorporate more weight work to increase your muscle (which burns more calories)?
Also agree you should try to count calories for a while but for me as I am aging (52 now) when I go down to 1200 for too long it is too few and my metabolism seems to readjust. Then when I feed my hunger pangs I gain for a bit before I stabilize. Try shooting for about 1500 cals and adjust your exercise regimen if you can.
Once you have gauged a 1500 or so calorie day you will learn what a typical day is like and you can slack off a bit on the day to day. I always go back to counting when I am finding the lbs go up but not back down.
I am no longer sticking to 1500 cal days but staggering a bit as others have mentioned. The weekdays are easier for me to be consistent as when you work you don't typically have the option of running to the fridge whenever you want - so you plan ahead. That is the name of the game there. During the weekends I eat when I am hungry. When I am busy with chores or outdoor activities I tend to eat less, or when I get hungry I run in and eat a quickie snack like some veggies/fruit with a string cheese or a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese. Then out the door I go.
Hope some of this helps . . . I still struggle constantly as the age goes up but just focus a bit more if the scale goes up more than a couple pounds without going down. Actually, the pants fit test is the best for me !
in my bootcamp class I do wts as well but only 2-3 sets of 1 exercise per muscle group ,for instance hammer curls 2-3 sets for biceps, tricep dips for tris 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps then I do another day for upper body , usually p90x shldrs and arms or firm upper body workout. the only extra lower body toning i do is squeeze along with what we do in bootcamp, usually lunges,squats, leg press , something to hit the lower body as well. I dont do any extra wts for legs since my legs tend to be muscular already so I thought I would try squeeze to see what kind of results I get. should Ido even more wts for upper body? I figure I am doing 2 days already or should I not count bootcamp class since I only do one exercise per muscle group? In shldrs and arms he does I think 5 different exercises per muscle group and then repeats it twice 10 -15 reps is what I do as heavy as I can with good form. I want to get more lean and cut not build. I am so hungry on the days I do wts, I feel that I cant get full. anyway so should I still add more wts?
TopCat
Member
My aging story
I'm 55 and have struggled for years with sweets and carb cravings and stubborn weight gain as well as a closet full of clothes that didn't fit. In November I joined an exercise challenge online and actually gained a pound exercising every day because I half-heartedly changed my eating. In December, I almost gave it up and decided weight gain as I age is inevitable. Then I read Dana Carpender's book "How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds" and it changed my life. I started researching low-carb/moderate fat diets and once I started, I never looked back. I limited my carbs to about 50 a day, but other than that, I ate what I wanted. I can pass up the dessert areas of a cafeteria with ease - no cravings, no struggle. That was the most important part - the internal struggle was gone, the temptation of "should I eat that? No...but just maybe today? No! But maybe just a little?" - you know, the conversation you have in your head when you're tempted? Gone. (FYI, I have the sweetest tooth on the planet.) After I lost the 17 pounds I wanted to lose, I am slowly adding in carbs (mostly in the form of fruit this summer) to see how much my body can tolerate before weight gain and/or craving kicks in. Now I'm adding back exercise.
Typical day's eating during the work week:
Breakfast: 2 TB natural peanut butter with a smidgen of jam (spreads easily so you use less) on low-carb tortilla. (On weekends, bacon and eggs.) Morning snack of 1 oz almonds. Big salad at lunch with mixed greens, egg, turkey, ham, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, and full-fat olive oil/vinegar dressing, maybe some guacamole too, diet soda or tea, and usually sugar-free Jello for dessert. Afternoon snack is 1 oz of cheese or a (prewrapped) square of good quality very dark chocolate with a few peanuts. Dinner is a very good portion of fish (mmm...salmon) or chicken or pork (rarely red meat) with a couple of non-starchy veggies, then some full-fat Greek yogurt mixed with some kind of berries (blueberries this week, they are in season in Maine) with a little Stevia mixed in for a touch of sweetness. On a really hot summer day I may have a treat of a Breyer's low-carb ice cream bar. I make sure I take a complete multivitamin and calcium, potassium and magnesium supplements. I don't count carbs now; I pretty much know how I'm doing. And it's something I can easily live with the rest of my life.
Deprivation? I don't think so! Yum! But I have the same problem - a closet full of clothes that don't fit. They're too big! LOL I just wanted to throw this out here, might not work for everyone, but it's worth a try if you are at your wits' end.
I'm 55 and have struggled for years with sweets and carb cravings and stubborn weight gain as well as a closet full of clothes that didn't fit. In November I joined an exercise challenge online and actually gained a pound exercising every day because I half-heartedly changed my eating. In December, I almost gave it up and decided weight gain as I age is inevitable. Then I read Dana Carpender's book "How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds" and it changed my life. I started researching low-carb/moderate fat diets and once I started, I never looked back. I limited my carbs to about 50 a day, but other than that, I ate what I wanted. I can pass up the dessert areas of a cafeteria with ease - no cravings, no struggle. That was the most important part - the internal struggle was gone, the temptation of "should I eat that? No...but just maybe today? No! But maybe just a little?" - you know, the conversation you have in your head when you're tempted? Gone. (FYI, I have the sweetest tooth on the planet.) After I lost the 17 pounds I wanted to lose, I am slowly adding in carbs (mostly in the form of fruit this summer) to see how much my body can tolerate before weight gain and/or craving kicks in. Now I'm adding back exercise.
Typical day's eating during the work week:
Breakfast: 2 TB natural peanut butter with a smidgen of jam (spreads easily so you use less) on low-carb tortilla. (On weekends, bacon and eggs.) Morning snack of 1 oz almonds. Big salad at lunch with mixed greens, egg, turkey, ham, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, and full-fat olive oil/vinegar dressing, maybe some guacamole too, diet soda or tea, and usually sugar-free Jello for dessert. Afternoon snack is 1 oz of cheese or a (prewrapped) square of good quality very dark chocolate with a few peanuts. Dinner is a very good portion of fish (mmm...salmon) or chicken or pork (rarely red meat) with a couple of non-starchy veggies, then some full-fat Greek yogurt mixed with some kind of berries (blueberries this week, they are in season in Maine) with a little Stevia mixed in for a touch of sweetness. On a really hot summer day I may have a treat of a Breyer's low-carb ice cream bar. I make sure I take a complete multivitamin and calcium, potassium and magnesium supplements. I don't count carbs now; I pretty much know how I'm doing. And it's something I can easily live with the rest of my life.
Deprivation? I don't think so! Yum! But I have the same problem - a closet full of clothes that don't fit. They're too big! LOL I just wanted to throw this out here, might not work for everyone, but it's worth a try if you are at your wits' end.
thanks for all the advice and suggestions. There are so many idifferent things , I dont know which to try that will work for me. I was reading another post about the diet for people with allergies and asthma, I have both. i wish I could get a blood test done and the doctor coul tell me which diet would work for me. My family has trouble losing wt , almost everyone in my family has tried and has had a hard time losing. it gets very frustrating.