Looking for some fellow "40 something" support

If you have been loggin your data for the past 2 months. Post break down of %carbs, fat%, protein%.
Your answer may be in a type of foods you eat. 300 calories of pasta is not equal to 300 calories of chicken breasts when it comes to weight loss.

I'm there with you too. I lost 29 pounds last summer, and then one thing led to another and I have gained it all but 5 pounds back. Like you I am finding it very hard to stay motivated and disciplined this time, but I am wanting to be down 50 pounds by Sept 13th, - My 45th and my Grandson's 2nd! I started this week AGAIN determined to excercise for at least 45 minutes a day, so far I have made it one day. I don't have an answer for you, but I'll join you in the challenge!

I'm in this boat, as well. Over the last five years I have gone from 163 (lbs.) to 135, up to 140, then 147, back down to 140, then 137, back up to 142, and up again to 145--steady for a bit, then up to 150! I lost the original weight on WW using the old plan. The new plan does not work for me. Or, more truthfully, I just don't like the new plan. I still love WW, but it was time for a clean slate for me. So far I've been doing okay, I was 148 when I started using MFP last month. Last week, I was 146.6. It isn't much, but it is better than I was. Tomorrow is my weekly weigh in date, so we'll see.

Last week I started cutting carbs. I don't know if it will budge the scale (again, we'll see) but I am a carb junkie. The calories add up fast and I was always hungry. I have been staying away from my typical frozen pasta meals for lunch, pasta and potatoes at dinner, and empty carb snacks. I still eat my low calorie whole wheat toast for breakfast, but instead of eating 3-4 slices, I eat only 2 and have some kielbasa, too. (I know, weird.) It keeps me full until my mid-morning snack. I try to keep lunch to protein and maybe some vegetables if I had time to prepare them. Same with dinner. I added almonds in as a snack during the day, too. I have not been hungry in over a week. One disclaimer: I love craft beer which is high carb/calorie. If I can still lose .5 lbs a week and keep my beer, I'm in! If not, I guess my beer has to go. :sad:

It seems the older I get, the harder it is. It came off so easy 5 years ago. It took only 5 months to lose those 30 lbs. Now, it takes almost a month to lose 1-2. (Yep, beer, I'm sure!) Getting older has many benefits, but this isn't one of them.

I know I didn't offer any solutions or helpful tips, but I just wanted to say you're not alone. Hang in there. We'll get there. :flowerforyou:

I'm in! I'm 42 and down about 10 lbs since August. I have another 15 to go and no firm timeline, but want to get there sooner rather than later. Exercise only wasn't cutting it and I started really tracking my food last month with much success..

Last week's vacation added another 2 lbs I need to re-lose. (Sigh.)

I got down to this weight right before I hit 40, kept it up for a while, felt great, then got lazy again. I have an incredibly supportive group of women in my bootcamp class, but could use all the help I can get with the food. I've never been one for cooking (thank god I married a man that likes it), but with working full-time, kids and their school and sports, and, well, just life, it is hard to stay on track. I just logged lunch thinking I picked something on the healthy side from the menu... only to find it was 1000 calories. It's soooo easy to out-eat my workout.

I'm in for the support.

Hello, I am 43 and I have lost 15 pounds in 2 months, I have been gaining and losing weight for the last 13 years, and I have to say that I have been lighter but not thinner. I am 148 pounds now, 5´6´´ tall. I am close to my 139 pounds goal before I quit smoking again (I gain weight when I quit smoking as I am hungry all the time and need constant "reward" for being a good girl and not to smoke; but when I gain pounds all my weak will turns to dieting and I start to smoke again).
When I say I have been lighter but not thinner, I mean that it is not all about weight. Measure yourself! I tried this morning a really tight dress that I bought when I was 14 pounds lighter and it fits like a glove today.
I tried to check your diet but it is not open, befriend me if you feel like, but that piece of advice above about checking your macros is first step. Proteins will leave you saciated for hours, while carbs would do the same for minutes, and you will need to eat a lot more food along the day. I love my toast in the morning too, but it is the only bread I eat along the day. Drink lots of water, and green tea, snack on veggies (carrots with guacamole is my favourite lately) and protein. Forget about pasta and potato on a daily basis! Some almonds are great snacks too, plenty of goos fat. Dark chocolate for a bad craving for sweet will make the trick with not that many calories.
Starving yourself is not the wayº to go. Keep your calorie income over your BMR and under yout TDEE (-20% TDEE is a good choice, and sustainable in the long term). Otherwise your metabolism would interpret lack of intake and would save energy "just in case".
It gets more and more difficult to lose weight as we get older, that´s a fact, and it is due to our declining hormones. Nothing healthy you can do about your hormones, but workout would boost your metabolism. Combine cardio and lifting weights. I read here a lot of advice about lifting heavy weights, but I only use a pair of 5.5lbs dumbells making lots of reps for each muscle group and it works great for me. Add some resistance to your cardio, for instance walking with a moderately heavy backpack or increasing inclination on the treadmill. I exercise at home, I hate gyms, I do some belly dance with my dumbells on my hips, hanging from a belt, and this has been great for my abs, and funnier! Summarizing, challenge your body: it gets used to your routine and reduces the waste of calories.
Exercising daily is not better than taking some rest days, so you let your muscle release the water that it retains from exercise...
Take days one after the other. Allow yourself to a treat-meal once in a while, you deserve it after all the efforts you make, better if it fits your macros and calorie intake. But if it doesn´t: don´t surrender for a bad day. when day is over, thank your god if you have one for all the joy that the day brought to your life and wait for the new day and how awesome you are when you wake up and feel healthy.
Keep in the path!

Please add me as a contact. I just turned 47, and lost 6.5 pounds my first 2 weeks with MFP. Nothing since then but I have found that through the contact of others and knowing they are having the same struggles as me that it actually motivates me to keep logging and keep working out. It's all about support and being in it with people who understand the issues and struggles. I can say that even though I've only "lost" 6.5 pounds, that I feel better and my clothes are starting to be a little loose. Best of luck - those danged 40's are tough on us but I have faith that together we can all overcome the weight issues!!!!