Age catching up with me - please help!

BFit40

I've joined the site because (I suspect like most people) my weight has crept over slowly over the years to the point now where I feel uncomfortable and very self conscious.

The truth is that I need encouragement to achieve the goal. My husband is great, but I can’t help thinking that he’s biased with rose coloured glasses. Normally this is a good thing, but when I’m trying to lose weight I need honest feedback.

My mother tells me it’s a sign of my age – she’s right to some extent as I turn 40 in January and I have already been through the menopause so my female physiology has slowed down. However I know it’s my fault. I have taken responsibility for eating when I’m not really hungry and going for convenient high fat options instead of tasty healthier home cooked food.

So now I’ve taken responsibility, it’s time to do something about it and I hope you will help me....please.

BerryH

Hello and welcome!

There's no doubt you change shape when you hit 40, and shifting excess weight seems far harder than in previous decades. But it can be done, and MFP's an excellent way to do it! Don't forget to incorporate resistance training with heavy weights as building muscle is the real key to weight loss for us 40-somethings. Good luck!

Pebble321

Welcome to MFP
There's lots of great support here, you can do it!!

missmeg1970

I think you have taken the first step.. which can be the hardest, I have a long way to go but have decided that I am taking this one day at a time. My first goal is 5kg /10lb and I am nearly there already. In the past i would look at the total i need to lose and give up but today when I saw it I realised that when I reach this goal I will have lost 10% already .

Husbands are great with the rose coloured glasses, thats why I came here and I really think its made such a difference for me as people have no agenda they are honest here (hubby is now on board).

You can do this ... one step at a time one meal at a time and one day at a time.

Megxxx

beckusjane

You may have already seen this message. I put it as a blog on my page. I truly think this helps when people feel like they are stuck and not sure what to do to continue. I KNOW you can do this:) I also know there is strength in numbers so feel free to message me anytime if you are having issues throughout the day. I can check in daily with you if you would like:)

Just so you know, this may turn into a novel:) And dont go strictly by any of this. What works for one person may not work for someone else. We did a "Get Fit, Get Healthy" challenge at my work for 8 weeks. I lost about 22 lbs. and 5% of my body fat. We had to do certain things to get points for the challenge. These are the things we needed to do:

*64 oz. of water each day. This does not include coffee, juices or kool-aid. Now you can have 64 oz. + juices but you must drink 64 oz. When you do drink juices, they have to be 100% juice. Easy enough right? Grape juice, apple juice, orange juice. Tomato juice too but the sodium is ridiculous in it. I'm sure if you want some of that it would be ok for a change. Just dont make it your only juice.

*7 hours or more of sleep. This can be hard if you have small children or just a hectic schedule. If you are able to lie down for a nap during the day, you can count that, but it is much better if you can get 7 hrs straight.

*Eat breakfast within 2 hrs of waking up. This is a hard one. Some people just cant stand eating first thing in the morning. I usually grab something quick like an apple or a banana.

*5 servings of fruits/veggies a day. Pretty straight forward. Again this is where your juices come in. You can use 4 oz. of fruit juice as a serving of fruit. For the record, jelly beans are not a fruit even if they are fruit flavored.

* 210 minutes of cardio a week. Now you can get this walking, biking, swimming, yardwork (raking and push mowing count) snow shoveling is a BIG one but obviously it will be a few months til we can do that again and I dont mind a bit!! Now it doesnt matter how you break this down as long as you do a minimum of 10 minutes for any time you are counting it. You can do more than 210 minutes of course if your schedule allows.

*Toning with free weights or stretch bands 3 times a week for 10 minutes a piece. You can definitely do more than 3 times. That is only the minimum. Sometimes I will use my free weight and incorporate them into my aerobic routines.

That's it. Those are the simple rules I am following and the weight is coming off. You dont want it to fall off all at once. If it does, then you're doing something drastic and the chances of sticking with it are slim. Working it off slowly is the best ticket. Making small changes makes it easier to become lifestyle changes not temporary fixes.

Also, I tend to stay away from white flour. You can eat breads, potatoes and pasta in moderate amounts but it is much better for you if you eat whole wheat breads and pastas or sweet potatoes. Dont get worried about the fact that there are about as many carbs in whole wheat pasta as there is in the regular. It's better for you~trust me!!

Another trick that helps? If you have time, measure out a serving of your snacks. Use ziplock baggies and have them ready to grab and go. I usually have pretzels, animal crackers stuff like that ready so that I dont have to think about it. If I just try to sit with a bag of pretzels, pretty soon Ive eaten half the bag but if I have a true serving size packaged, I know when to stop.

If the idea of this process is overwhelming, dont try to change everything at once. Maybe work on 5 fruits/veggies and once you have that figured out, then try 64 oz of water. Keep adding a step to it til you are on your way to healthier choices.

Good luck. Hope this helps:)

Becca

melcowenfitness

Last summer, at the age of 41, I had had it with my weight and lack of ability to lose it. As a last ditch effort, I agreed to try P90X with my son and was shocked when I lost 18 pounds! I've since moved on to other workouts and have lost (and kept off!) 28 pounds for almost a year.

Age does not have to hold us back from achieving our goals. It will take hard work, discipline, and a change in habits - but it is doable! Glad to have you on MFP!

I am here as part of your support network - don't hesitate to contact me any time!

BFit40

Thank you for your support and advice. I'm going to need you going forward.

Fit4Vet

Good advice Becca. I hope you don't mind if I share with a co-worker that is just starting out.

To the OP: age sometimes is an issue as metabolism slows, but you can do things to speed it up. Building muscle is the one of those things. Just because you are 40 doesn't mean you have to live with it. Good on you for doing something about it now!

soarinup

As far as your husband goes, I think you are looking from the wrong perspective. You don't need the "correct" feedback from him. He loves you, and you shouldn't put pressure on him to tell you the "truth as you see it" . You need to be your own woman. You have to live your life as you want it to be. Putting it off on him is giving him and you the wrong message.

beckusjane

@fit4vet: Print it out. Pass it around. I am happy to share it. I struggled for years and just didnt have it in me to do anything about it. Now that I have, things are moving in the right direction and I want everyone to feel like it is manageable.

good luck to you,
Becca

UltraRunnerGale

I feel your pain!! I am 52 and an ultra marathoner (meaning I run distances longer than the marathon distance of 26.2). That being said, after I went through menopause, I could NOT lose weight. I put on an extra 20 pounds (slowly) and could NOT get rid of it even though I ran crazy mileage and worked out regularly. I figured this was going to be the way it was and that I couldn't lose weight. I found this site about 5 or so weeks ago. In that time, I have lost 10.5 pounds and seeing numbers on the scale that I haven't seen in years!! It has helped me see exactly how many calories I need to offset the exercise I do. This site is a miracle and it's FREE!!! Hang in there sister. If you are brutally honest about your intake and outgo, you WILL lose weight!! :drinker:

dls06

I am 55 and have put on weight. I decided I didn't like the way I looked and decided to change my lifestyle. I eat healthier and watch portions and have lost 30 lbs without exercise. I'm not saying don't exercise but you can do it if I did.

katkins3

I'm 61 and my husband is 15 years younger. At first I was jealous of his easy success. Now I only look at my own triumphs. He is very good at recognizing my efforts.
I started with MFP on Memorial Day because I am retiring in January and want to enjoy the time and travel. When I vacationed recently I realized how easily I tire and get out of breath. I've already seen real improvement. The first time I used the elliptical I made it 8 minutes, now I do 30 min. (at a low setting though, I have lots of room to improve more).
I love MFP, where we can cheer for each other!

vic72

Well done for joining & most of all posting! Friend request sent. Feel free to add me for support & encouragement.

k9fan4life

Hi there, well it sounds like you got step one out of the way, that is the hard part, really! Now it is time to make a plan, then work the plan. Seems simple right? Well if you do it right, it is. The key is to set realistic goals, don't get discouraged, and keep going no matter what. Everyone has set backs, everyone, just get right back on track and keep going!

As far as your husbands rose colored glasses, us fellas have been trained, almost since birth to always say the right things to women. He loves you, no doubt and doesn't want to hurt your feelings. He is thingking the same thing you are, she could stand to lose a few pounds, but will never actually tell you that.

Congrats and good luck, feel free to ad me as a friend and lean on anyone in here for support!

apeydawn

Sounds like you are well on your way. I understand about support. My husband never comments either way. So I have to look outside.

hillview2

You can do it! I just turned 40 and went from a couch potato to working out 6 times a week and and eating better. It works! You can do it! Hope on board!