Why is it sooo hard now?

LMStockholm

When I was in my early 30s I could drop weight with out trying. At almost 40, I feel doomed to be "over weight" for the rest of my life. Goodness! I do not know how to care for this older me. I think I'm doing everything right...not dieting, eating right but not depriving myself of goodies (wine, dark chocolate). Maybe that's the problem.

I have set limits for myself; but they are obviously not strict enough. I guess I have to work on that. :yawn: I just want to be healthy (and thinner).

sammys1girly

I hear ya! Always ate whatever I wanted and stayed thin. I just turned 40 and suddenly it's not like that anymore :mad: I had been working out at the gym for months, with no results, but after joining MFP, have lost 3.5 lbs in a month. I think I was just eating too much. Now that I am tracking what I eat, I tend to work out more, so I can eat more!

jamebo2

I need some ideas to lose more weight

LMStockholm

Jamebo2,

Do physical activities that you enjoy. I love Zumba; but, sometimes I just do not feel like doing a workout so I put the music on and just dance. My daughter loves to dance with me...she likes me to pick her and and swing her around...drag her across the floor. I get in a good workout with out feeling stressed about working out.

Sometimes I even strap weights on ankles and wrists and clean my house while dancing to music.

SHBoss1673

LM, it's definitely harder as we age (don't I know it!), but it's doable, it just takes a change in thinking. I don't believe you have to cut out everything you enjoy, you just have to be reasonable about when you enjoy them. White chocolate and wine is fine, but (for instance) having it twice a week might be a problem. It's just a trial and error game in the end. Be diligent in your trials, and be patient with the errors, you'll figure out your sweet spot eventually.

-Banks

BerryH

Oh tell me about it. I last lost weight when I was 29 as I didn't want to be fat and 30. The weight just fell off, expecially from taking up exercise having been sedentary.

After I ended up even fatter and 40, it's sooo much harder.

I kept up exercising in the meantime, which although kept me healthy for my size meant I didn't have that initial yeehaa weight loss.

capricorn144

Hello...you should find good support here and if you plan your meals and stick to your plan you will do well.
A couple of things that helped me...watching SODIUM intake...try to keep it to around 2000mg (or a 2 Gram sodium diet ) a day.

Drink enough water to flush out your system and that also helps with the sodium thing.

Try to eat whole foods and not rely on take out or eat out prepared meals.

Portion sizes...for me that is the crucial thing...I eat good food but have had too much of it in the past. Keep your eye on that.

And you are so right...your metabolism slows down as you approach mid life. Stay as active as you can. Every decade seems to add 10+ pounds where in the past it used to be easy to drop.

If you need a friend just add me on ... good luck.:flowerforyou:

BerryH

Anyone else find they're a different shape since they hit 40? I used to be a classic pear shape and could she any belly flab in a couple of days before a party. Now I have old-fashioned middle-aged spread and my belly stretches from my ribs to the top of my legs! And it's taking an age to move.

dbendelow

Im also finding it really hard,

when i was 18 i ate what i wanted and now it seems i live on salad and healthy food and fruit yet im still not reaching my goal weight. I also started walking more and invested in a Wii Fit which has been a big help, but sometimes i think excercising makes you heavier (muscle weight more than fat)

I think you have to have some treats in life otherwise dieting becomes your nemesis. I need to stop weighing myself daily also as that can be disheartening.

Good luck everyone, nice to know you're not alone in this struggle

teresaq1

The best thing I did was start measuring and weighing my food. I would log 1 Cup of cereal with 1/2 Cup of milk but really didn't know what that looked like. I was probably eating 2 Cups of cereal nd 1Cup of milk. Twice as much as I was logging. I bought a food scale for under $5.00, and now can log my food accurately and honestly. It amazes me how little we truley need to be satisfied. I think we are just a culture of over eaters and need to constantly ask ourselves if we are being honest with ourselves. The weight is coming off agonizingly slow, but it is coming off. I am 50+ years old and don't want to have the hard little body I had in my twenty's, but do want to be healthier in my old age. Hang in there.