49, female, tried everything

Also, don't get all hung up over the numbers on the scale once you commit to exercising regularly. Muscle takes up less room than fat so you could weigh a certain amount, but look as if you weigh less. I prefer using a tape measure to track my progress and only occasionally get on a scale to weigh myself. (I am in training to enter my first NPC Bikini competition so I do weight myself more now than I did before since I need to get to a certain BFP. Otherwise, I could care less about the number on the scale. I currently weight 151.4 but I can wear a size 4 clothing.)

So, I am not 49, but 39 and I have always been on a diet in some way or other. I've read and skimmed through all the posts before and many say the same thing. I won't, I hope, repeat it. Most of it holds true. And, likely, it's things you already know: 1) Losing weight takes time 2) Calories in vs Calories out 3) Exercise 4) Drink water, etc... It's the constitution of weight loss. LOL.

When I was in high school, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Basically, my hormones are out of whack and I have too much testosterone in me. In theory, it should actually HELP with weight loss, but it doesn't. I spent one summer in a pool swimming and GAINED weight. No, not muscle. I had swim class in the morning, spent the afternoons in the pool for fun, and had swim team in the evenings. I was a fish that summer and I ate hardly anything. My mom's always had me on diets. She was shocked that I could be fast in the pool, strong even, but be fat. The diagnosis gave us a 'thing' to blame.

Really, what it does is make weight loss, something that's difficult under the best conditions, more difficult. And it sucks. I've tried everything. Nutrisystem (In 6 months, I lost 20 pounds while my husband dropped 60 lbs), Weight Watchers (never lost a single pound), special doctor-recommended/nutritionist-approved diets. I am diabetic. Tried diabetic only diets. Removed carbs. Removed sodas. You name it, I've done it.

But I found something that worked for me. At least, it's the thing that got me started... This last August, I tried the Body Reset Diet by Harley Pasternak. 15 days. That's it. For the first 5 days, you drink 3 smoothies, eat 2 snacks, drink at least 8 glasses of water during the day, and get as close to 10,000 steps as you can. Days 6-10, you drink 2 smoothies, eat 2 snacks, eat 1 meal, drink 8 glasses of water, walk 10,000 steps (or as close to it as you can), and add in these exercises to work your anterior (backside) muscles. The exercises take 2 minutes, maybe 3. Also, you do them on days 6, 8, and 10. I also never hit 10,000 steps. Then, Days 11-15, you drink 1 smoothie, eat 2 snacks, eat 2 meals, 8 glasses of water, walk 10,000 steps, the anterior exercises on days 11, 13, and 15. Plus, you add exercises for the front muscles on days 12 and 14. My husband lost 10 pounds on this, I lost 9. It was a GREAT jump start. There was also no calorie counting. Just focuses on eating the -right- foods.

After that, we just kept up with the meals, reading labels, making better choices.

But, like you, I still have these horrible plateaus. Right now, I've lost 20 pounds in 4 months (including the initial 9), and I am training to run a 5K. I walk every day, train every other day. I'm slimming down visibly, but not by weight. The scale is my enemy and refuses to show me progress. But, I am diabetic, and I am looking at my bloodsugars. They're SOOO much better.

That is my motivation. What you need to get is some motivation. Something that goes BEYOND the scale and calories. For me, the walking started as a way to get time to myself. Now, it's time to myself and I really want my sister to run with me in a 5K. I'm still fat. But I am doing it.

I'd be happy to be your friend, too. I've been on MFP for only a few days. I'm a great cheerleader and, often, I need one too. Family is great, but sometimes I just roll my eyes at them. Y'know?

You are eating too much.

Someone will always say this, and it is often a man Whatever the question, the answer is "eat less". Obviously, if you are not losing weight, there is a calories in/calories out problem. But the answer isn't simply to eat less.

When you hit (peri-)menopause, your metabolism slows down. Some studies ascribe this to the loss of lean body mass (LBM). The NIH says, "Menopause is associated with a gain in fat mass and a loss of lean body mass." I have seen suggestions that women who start menopause may lose LBM at double the rate they did before (haven't seen this proven).

So you can follow Mr Knight's advice and simply eat less, and eat even less next year as you lose more LBM, and eat still less the following year, until you eat like a bird. Or you can do something to reduce the loss of LBM, so you can eat more normally. Hence the advice from women who have been there - try strength training.

Umm...how would you lose weight then?

I am 46 years old...and a women. To lose weight, you need to create a deficit. You should resistance train also, but if you are not losing weight over the long term, you will either need to eat less, move more, or do both.

I am the same age as you, 49, have struggled with my weight all my life as well, ballooning up to 275 pounds. Not too good for a 5'4" frame. I felt like a I had tried everything , it worked for a while , and then I fell off the wagon and put more weight on.
In desperation, I switched physicians and finally found one that was able to help me. It turned out that I had been given the wrong/and no medications for some medical conditions I have, Besides all this, I had a thyroidectomy about one and a half year ago, so my thyroid is completely gone. Interestingly the thyroid was removed because it was extremely overactive which was hard for me to believe because I had such weight problems; but looking at the TSH levels and the huge goiter, I knew that this was correct. It took over a year to get the thyroid hormones to the correct levels.
Once the medications had been selected correctly, the weight started coming off. The new antidepressant that actually regulated both neurotransmitters, the correct ADD med and some meds to get my weight loss started , and I could finally get a grip on my weight problem.
I am telling you this story to let you know that not all is black and white, it is not always "oh you eat too much" or " a calorie is a calorie: just log and exercise." Especialy from guys who do not face some of these hormonal issues and really have not walked in our shoes. (Sorry guys.) I am not trying to use this as an exuse for being overweight but I certainly think it can make it much harder to lose weight than for people who are younger or men. Yes, it is important to log and exercise honestly, but it is also equally important to realize that every body is a little different. And perimenopause is definitely not easy. The metabolism does slow down, and your best bet is to build muscle to keep your body from losing too much muscle and increase your BMR. But I think a trip to the dr. may help you too just to make sure that everything is ok and maybe even a trip to a nutritionist may be beneficial.
Don't give up. It is a long process of falling and getting up. But don't see your falls as failures, try to see them as feedback. You are learning about what your body needs and that takes time. I guarantee you that many here have had these stumbling blocks along the way and if you just keep getting up and trying again you will make progress . It may be first two steps forward one step back, but eventually as you learn more, you will gain momentum and move faster.
Also, remember that the scale doesn't tell everything, The number on it makes you neither a good or bad person. It is just a number that relates to gravity, Look at other factors as well, take pictures and measurements, pay attention how your clothes fit. In the beginning ( my first 50 pounds) I didn't see or feel much of a difference, but now as I near nearly 60 lbs ( I had lost some weight before joining WW and returning to MFP) all the sudden, I can see the difference. I still have a long way to go but I now know that it can be done. Attack the weight problem, with every trick and tool that you have available, visit the forums as much as you can and read success stories when you feel you can't do this. Get support, set your environment up to where you have healthy food available and where you have a convenient way to exercise, and you will succeed. You will be amazed what you all learn to make this all happen. The struggle is well worth it and you will reap some very unexpected rewards along the way.
Feel free to send me a friend request. I would love to have more friends .

I too am feeling like I am spinning my wheels. I like the weight training advice, it may just be the bump we need:)
Mixing it up helps with boredom too.

I'm age 59 and have lost over 50 pounds this past year (43 on MFP). Yes, it is harder to lose when you get older, but don't allow yourself to fall into that mindset. People can lose weight at any age.

I tell myself I can choose to be positive. New food and exercise add quality to my life.

Choose an exercise you enjoy and that doesn't hurt your body, otherwise you aren't likely to stick with it. It could be anything. You might enjoy swimming.

99 percent of my exercise is walking -- mostly at a regular pace. I love walking outside, which is why I chose it. I live in a historic area with good sidewalks, so I decided to leave my car at home and walk 1/2 mile to work. I also walk to stores and local errands and hike on the weekend in the nearby national park. If I suddenly want something from the grocery store (a 15 minute walk away), I walk to get it instead of jumping in the car. The hardest thing about this is mental. We live in a car culture and most people don't walk for daily errands. If this type of thing doesn't work for you, maybe you could walk on a treadmill. Walking is low impact and easy on the body. But choose something you really like.

Exercising in a social way (enjoying the company of other people, shooting the breeze, while doing it) will make a massive difference - as opposed to punishing oneself with regimes. You can make it a regular part of life. eg walking, running, cycling with other people, lunch-time walks with co-workers... If it's something you look forward to doing on the weekend, it will happen.

Have you checked your thyroid? If you are basically healthy and no issues prevent you from losing weight, I can recommend a diet or the healthy way of eating with some restrictions for fat and carbs. It has always helped me to lose 2 lbs a week and everybody of my real friends who really tried it lost no less that 1 lbs per week. It's in my blog if you want to look at it.

Hi there! Don't be discouraged, you can do this!
I am 58, post-menopausal and have hypothyroidism. I have spent about twelve years losing 10lb and putting on twelve. I was convinced that a combination of age and hypothyroidism made it impossible for me to lose weight. :sad:
Then I joined this site, I saw how so many people had lost HUGE amounts of weight and I decided that I would take everyone's advice. Don't set your weight loss goals too high, try 1/2 or 1lb a week, this is a long term process.
1. Weigh your solid food with a scale that weighs in grams. You'll get some surprises in portion size if you're used to using spoons and cups!
2. Log everything, really everything. Stay inside your calorie limits.
3 Add some exercise into every day. Leave the car at home or park further away, take a walk at lunchtime, use the stairs. Wear a pedometer and set yourself challenges. Exercise was the magic bullet for me, I joined a gym and did light cardio, ate back half the calories, didn't feel as though I was "on a diet" and still lost a pound a week. I then did the C25K programme and found that I like running - who'd have known??
You can do this, it's not easy but it can be done! (But I'd probably start after the holidays!)
Good luck.

You are eating too much.

Someone will always say this, and it is often a man Whatever the question, the answer is "eat less". Obviously, if you are not losing weight, there is a calories in/calories out problem. But the answer isn't simply to eat less.

When you hit (peri-)menopause, your metabolism slows down. Some studies ascribe this to the loss of lean body mass (LBM). The NIH says, "Menopause is associated with a gain in fat mass and a loss of lean body mass." I have seen suggestions that women who start menopause may lose LBM at double the rate they did before (haven't seen this proven).

So you can follow Mr Knight's advice and simply eat less, and eat even less next year as you lose more LBM, and eat still less the following year, until you eat like a bird. Or you can do something to reduce the loss of LBM, so you can eat more normally. Hence the advice from women who have been there - try strength training.

Well I will say Mr Knight was correct, and Menopausal. If you do not accurately log your intake you have no idea what you are consuming. Log everything, do resistance or strength training, and sorry but quit using it as a crutch.

In one year I've lost 93 lbs, and thanks to some serious medical conditions I went through menopause very early.