40+ and discouraged by my slowing metabolism!

sdmunsch

Hi there! I am 41 years old, had my 2nd (and final) child last July. Once I was cleared to work out, I started my weight loss journey. My goal was to lose all my baby weight (including the 7 pounds that I never lost with my 1st child.) I cut my calorie intake to 1,200 calories and hit the gym hard. SInce that journey began, I am happy to say that I have lost all my baby weight (from both pregnancies), plus an additional 15 pounds. So about a month or two ago, I increased my calories to 1,500. I hit the gym 4-5 days/week and do extremely challenging workouts... bootcamps, HIIT, tabata, strength training, etc. But my problem is that I am BARELY maintaining my weight. I have to be completely honest and say that I cheat from time to time and don't always log my calories. But over all, I eat extremely healthy... salads with grilled chicken 3x/week, fish and fresh veggies, etc. Anyway, my issue is that I am beginning to become a little depressed by the startling realization that my metabolism sucks at this age!! I don't WANT to have to go to the gym 5x days a week AND eat 1,200-1,500 calories the rest of my life. I want to LIVE my life!! It's so upsetting to think that this is how I have to live to maintain my weight. And I am not by any stretch super skinny! I am 5'8" and weigh 145 pounds. I can go an entire weekend eating relatively healthy, and maybe have a burger at a friend's house, maybe a few glasses of wine, etc... and BOOM! I gained 3 pounds! How is this possible? I can't cheat at all?

Any suggestions on speeding up my metabolism are appreciated. Or diet suggestions? This feels like an uphill battle and I am just ready to give up. Feel free to also tell me to suck it up and deal with it...lol. I just really needed to vent to an understanding group of individuals. When I vent to random friends, they always respond by sayg something like, "what are you complaining about? You ARE skinny!!" Ugh! And yes, I am happy with how I look but deep down I am really drepressed on what it takes to look this way.

Sorry for the long post.

Mr_Knight

Sounds like your logging is broken. Open up your diary...

WalkingAlong

I just really needed to vent to an understanding group of individuals.

An understanding group? Here?!? :huh:

I'm kidding. Mostly.

To be honest, you don't burn that much less as you age unless you move less, which we usually do. I mean, a growing person burns more but aging isn't exactly a sentence for 1200 calorie diets for life.

You're probably eating more than you think and when you gain X lbs. from one meal it's probably water weight. If you're that active, you could possibly eat more than you do and still maintain.

Good luck!

Camo_xxx

Youth is wasted on the young !

The good news is your 3 pound weight gain is most likely water weight since 3 pounds of fat would require a 10,500 calorie surplus which seems unlikely in a weekend.

In summary, YES I confirm your sentiments. Getting old sucks. Not much choice other then to deal with it the best we can and enjoy the ride.

_Zardoz_

Your metabolism really doesn't slow that much with age it's around 100 calories for every 10 years. Have a look at the links they will help. My guess is your not logging accurately from what you are saying. Good luck

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

mike_ny

Your metabolism will slow down some just by getting older, but people tend to get more sedentary as they age, so I still feel that's the biggest factor.

Get and stay active and you can slow down and reverse a lot of what most people think of as slowing down as part of the normal aging process. Quit watching so much TV. Read standing up at a counter. Go for lots off walks. Work out, etc...

jofjltncb6

I just really needed to vent to an understanding group of individuals.

An understanding group? Here?!? :huh:

I'm kidding. Mostly.

To be honest, you don't burn that much less as you age unless you move less, which we usually do. I mean, a growing person burns more but aging isn't exactly a sentence for 1200 calorie diets for life.

You're probably eating more than you think and when you gain X lbs. from one meal it's probably water weight. If you're that active, you could possibly eat more than you do and still maintain.

Good luck!

^this...all of this^.


No, seriously, I completely agree with this post.

Kalikel

Hi there! I am 41 years old, had my 2nd (and final) child last July.

Once I was cleared to work out, I started my weight loss journey. My goal was to lose all my baby weight (including the 7 pounds that I never lost with my 1st child.) I cut my calorie intake to 1,200 calories and hit the gym hard. SInce that journey began, I am happy to say that I have lost all my baby weight (from both pregnancies), plus an additional 15 pounds.

So about a month or two ago, I increased my calories to 1,500. I hit the gym 4-5 days/week and do extremely challenging workouts... bootcamps, HIIT, tabata, strength training, etc.

But my problem is that I am BARELY maintaining my weight.

I have to be completely honest and say that I cheat from time to time and don't always log my calories. But over all, I eat extremely healthy... salads with grilled chicken 3x/week, fish and fresh veggies, etc.

Anyway, my issue is that I am beginning to become a little depressed by the startling realization that my metabolism sucks at this age!! I don't WANT to have to go to the gym 5x days a week AND eat 1,200-1,500 calories the rest of my life. I want to LIVE my life!! It's so upsetting to think that this is how I have to live to maintain my weight.

And I am not by any stretch super skinny! I am 5'8" and weigh 145 pounds. I can go an entire weekend eating relatively healthy, and maybe have a burger at a friend's house, maybe a few glasses of wine, etc... and BOOM! I gained 3 pounds! How is this possible? I can't cheat at all?

Any suggestions on speeding up my metabolism are appreciated. Or diet suggestions?

This feels like an uphill battle and I am just ready to give up.

Feel free to also tell me to suck it up and deal with it...lol.

I just really needed to vent to an understanding group of individuals. When I vent to random friends, they always respond by sayg something like, "what are you complaining about? You ARE skinny!!" Ugh! And yes, I am happy with how I look but deep down I am really drepressed on what it takes to look this way.

Sorry for the long post.

Wah, wah, wah. I want to eat! I don't wanna work out! I don't want a slow metabolism! Yeesh. You're a grown up now. Deal with the aging process. Believe me, in 30 years, you'll wish you could go back to where you are now.

People have it worse. A lot worse.

When people say "cheat", they mean "overeat." I've heard other euphemisms for "overeat" ("mindful indulgence" may be my favorite,lol), but they all mean the same thing: You ate too much food.

No,you can't do that. Not if you want to lose and not if you want to stay where you are.

I know it sucks getting older. I have age and a host of medical issues to deal with, one of which makes it tougher to lose weight than most people. I get that sometimes life hands you things you don't want.

You really do have to suck it up and deal...and especially try not to complain about your little problem to people who might have bigger ones. Always a good idea.

I'm sure you look great now. 145 isn't terrible for your weight. But I hope you get to your goal and that it isn't too rough.

Eat less, burn more.

Snapshotgirl

Unfortunately, it'll only get slower and your fat cells become incredibly stubborn. You are going to have to become extremely good about exercising and NOT cheating. After 40, you gotta be absolutely dedicated or the weight comes zooming back and never leaves. It's sad but it's true. Put down the fork and pick up the jump rope.

jofjltncb6

Unfortunately, it'll only get slower and your fat cells become incredibly stubborn. You are going to have to become extremely good about exercising and NOT cheating. After 40, you gotta be absolutely dedicated or the weight comes zooming back and never leaves. It's sad but it's true. Put down the fork and pick up the jump rope.

Shhhh!

My >40 year old body is nothing like this, so please don't say things like this too loudly or it might hear you.

eweadock

I think everyone's body and metabolism are slightly different. I agree you need to be diligent in logging if you really want to know what's going on. For me, apparently any excess sugar of any kind is metabolized directly to fat. I wish someone had told me that years ago... I was eating healthy, following the American Heart Association, or the Mayo Clinic recommended diets, which are seriously full of sugar. Once I started to focus on counting my sugars, I realized that a cup of carrot sticks could put me over my goal for the day. I am now simply limiting my sugar, and at age 50+ have dropped 35 lbs this year without feeling deprived.

Exercise is the bonus activity, which makes me feel good, and allows me that extra glass of wine if I want it. I don't think of it as "cheating" any more, and I don't crave sweets and I don't crave fatty, salty foods any more, either. I think of it as feeding my body what it needs. Apparently it needs a low-fat, high-protein, low-sugar diet. Too bad I spent the last 2 decades working so hard with such limited results.

Good luck. Youth is a state of mind.

MKEgal

I am 5'8" and weigh 145 pounds

You're in the middle of a healthy weight range for your height.
Healthy is 125 - 160. http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf

I cut my calorie intake to 1,200 calories and hit the gym hard

Yikes!!! That's waaay too low for someone your height.
My doctor & dietician told me to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories in order to lose weight to get there.
(And don't eat back exercise calories.)

a month or two ago, I increased my calories to 1,500. I hit the gym 4-5 days/week and do extremely challenging workouts... bootcamps, HIIT, tabata, strength training, etc. But my problem is that I am BARELY maintaining my weight.

According to Harvard Medical School, people need about 15 cal per lb to maintain weight when moderately active.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm

Sounds like you're very active, and you're eating to maintain a 100-lb body, so the only answer to why you're having trouble maintaining at 145 is that you're not really eating only 1500 cal per day.

have a burger at a friend's house, maybe a few glasses of wine, etc... and BOOM!
I gained 3 pounds! How is this possible?

Unless the burger weighed 3 lb, it's not possible.


Some helpful posts:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

MKEgal

BTW, I'm 45 and have been steadily melting off pounds since January, when I started paying attention to how much I eat, plus exercising more. I'd gained weight because I didn't pay attention to calories, and was almost completely sedentary.

Oh, and the most important part to losing weight is controlling what you take in.

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

cjames010

I'm 40+
I gain 2-3 pounds overnight regularly. --usually happens after pizza night
Then it goes away.
Are you sure it is weight gain or maybe just bloat?

Liftng4Lis

Okay, not to be pessimistic but if you look at my profile it says its as if someone took bubble wrap and wrapped it around my waist for the last 5 years. That would have been right about the time I turned 40. This is what happens and it IS harder to get off now than say 10 years ago. That being said, you're probably retaining water and as you're in a healthy weight range for your height I wouldn't worry over it.

EvgeniZyntx

Over the years you've lost muscle mass. The only real way to "speed up your metabolism" is a) active lifestyle outside of exercise. b) increase lean body mass c) exercise.

In that order.
However, many people just stack on exercise and do not address a or b.

Changing lifestyle means walking more as part of your daily activity - walk to market, work, etc. make it part of your daily dynamic. Every day.

Adding LBM is using an exercise program that work on muscle stability, balance, strength and hypertrophy.

"Slowed down" metabolism is completely reversible.