just starting out

kimmy27848

Hi everyone! I've been toying with this site for a while, and have decided to commit and try it out. I am 47 years old, and after a lifetime of being fit and at a healthy weight, I have found my weight creeping up over the last several years. I need to lose 50 pounds now, and have found that all the usual ways are not working for me. I did Weight Watchers after each of my three pregnancies and it worked well each time. Now I can't seem to make anything budge for long (I'm gaining and losing the same 5 pounds). I've been exercising regularly for the last 6 months but haven't managed to lose. I try to keep my eating under wraps, but feel like I have to eat almost nothing in order to lose. So I cut everything out. lose a few pounds and then start eating everything (bread). and gain it back.

Anyone else feel like this? I haven't given up but I'm feeling frustrated.

GiddieGrl

I do believe that you just typed my life story out right before my very eyes. I just turned 40 - I have two kiddos (11YO DD 7YO DS) and always successfully lost weight after each pregnancy. There were some life changes over the past few years that made me lazy and depressed so to speak.... (husband laid off, him tarting new company from the home, selling house, moving, remodeling, new job) anyway.................with the hectic schedule the clean eating and gym went by the waist side (literally) and I've successfully managed to pack on 10 pounds each year over the past three years. Now I weight more than I did when I was actually pregnant - which is so incredibly depressing, but I know how I got here and I know how to be successful with this way of life....I just need to buck up and do it.

editorgrrl

Open your diary for personalized advice.

Set your goal to 1 lb. per week, and log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Get a digital scale, and weigh everything you eat—even packaged foods.

Eat "healthy" (whatever that means to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

jwat90

I'm 42 and had the same problem. I lost 50lbs with Weight Watchers when I had my daughter 16 yrs ago, and put it all back on with the last few years. I tried it again twice with not much luck. So I tried it on my own. I thought I was really cutting back on how much I was eating and never lost any weight. But since I started MFP and keep track of my calorie intake, I am actually seeing the scale slowly starting to go down. I guess I just thought I wasn't eating that much, but I was just fooling myself. I think that if you hold yourself accountable for everything you eat and log it in your food diary (yes, even on days when we eat too much), you will really see the scale start to move in the direction you want it to. Keeping track of the calories really makes you aware of exactly what you are eating, and for me it makes me much more selective about what I choose. Friend request sent!

frangrann

We are all in the same boat. I have 3 kids and had gained and lost over and over again. Last Sept at my highest weight I finally said enough. I was using all the excuses about menopause and slow metabolism. I joined a gym, cut carbs to less than 50g/day and ate 1000-1200 cal/day.

Fast forward to now. I lost 33 lbs! I love the gym (cardio and weights) and go every day. My kids think I'm a gym rat. I think I'm in better shape than ever. I turned 50 in April. For me it was working out and low carbs (i love carbs). I eat more carbs now that I am closer to where I need to be.

Life gets in the way sometimes but if I can do it, you can do it. Feel free to friend me if you want. I log everyday.

Good luck!

fitfancyfree3

Hi to everyone. I am starting out today for the God knows how many times. I am over 40, a mother of 2, and determined to get these 50 pounds off. I stay frustrated on a daily basis with the same weight struggles. Discipline and determination is the combo for sucess on this weight journey! It takes discipline to have constant commitment to lifestyle modifications. I speak from experience of course. I lost weight before with the same combination and was at my happiest. I ate right, exercised all the time, and felt and looked great. It was only when I stopped all this when the weight came back on. I could not get motivated for nothing, losing all that weight and having to start all over again. But I am back again giving it all. Stay within your calories, stay working out, STAY MOTIVATED!!!

I plan to log everyday. Friend me if you care to.

kimmy27848

Thanks everyone for the advice and support. It's nice to hear from people who are already doing this, and others who are just starting out.

kimmy27848

Sorry to reply so late, but I've been away on and off for the last while and I'm just catching up. It's so hard to lose weight after 40! And I know it will get even harder after menopause, so i'm trying to get moving now! How is your journey going so far? Any success with the plan!

kimmy27848

When you say you cut carbs, how much did you cut? Did you ever cut them out completely? I've been toying with this for a while, and although I do lose when I cut them out, I can't seem to maintain it. How did you do it?

dionnedoylestrachan

Decided to get a grip and start my diet diary today. I have around 60lbs to lose and I don't think it will be easy, but it will be more difficult to keep on going the way I am. I want to have energy and feel more motivated. I've turned into a couch potato over the last decade. I'm small (5ft 2 in) so every extra pound is very obvious. I have a wardrobe full of clothes that I can't get into so I resort to the same baggy clothes every day. Having my picture taken is horrendous. I just look so swollen up and bloated all the time. I've gone to the gym on and off for years now but find it very uncomfortable to exercise in front of people. I've tried Slimming World and it worked great but kept cheating so only have myself to blame. My biggest downfalls are bread, crisps and definitely wine. Its a vicious cycle. You feel fat, so you comfort yourself with the very things that make you fat in the first place. I'm committed to getting this sorted as I have a 9 year old that I want to feel confident with her own body so I want to set a good example of eating healthy for her too. Day 1 of many

kimmy27848

Welcome aboard! Many of us are in the same situation of being stuck in that familiar cycle. And we're all here because we want to do something about it. Remember that it takes time to change years of bad habits, and you'll likely stumble along the way. It's not about being perfect, it's about putting yourself back on the path when you fall off!

I know i sound so wise, but I'm only practicing this myself; I haven't mastered it yet!

editorgrrl

It's so hard to lose weight after 40! And I know it will get even harder after menopause, so i'm trying to get moving now!

I'm 46, plus I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). But I lost weight just like everybody else—by logging everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly. Logging is simple, but it ain't easy. Logging works.