I am only 30 and suddenly can't lose weight?

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CrossTeach
CrossTeach Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
It is SOOO irritating! I know people say, "when you get past 30 its harder to lose weight." Well I am at it, not past it and still having a hard time! I have been on a never ending diet for the last year. For about 8 months of that I went to the gym every day or every other day, at least 4 days a week and only lost 7 lbs -- from 147 down to 140. And that was in addition to working a full time very physical job with non-stop walking and lots of lifting! My diet consisted of between 500- 1500 cals. In the past I would have lost 10 lbs in like 6 months or less with all that activity and that few calories. (And no, it is not that I was "not eating enough calories" and the whole starvation mode thing. I have done it before like I said with good results, so please don't say it was starvation mode.)

Anyway, now I'm at 138 on a good day but more often with lovely water retention us females are blessed with, it has been 139-140 and the last 2 days I have gone up to 1st 141 and today 143! I really, really want to be 130 again and can not figure out why it is so much harder and taking so much longer. For the last month, my work situation changed so I've been home a lot but I still exercise every day even though I'm not at the gym anymore. I walk, run, lift weights and do resistance training, aerobics, dance--whatever I can think of. Still not helping. In fact like I said I have gained what amounts to 5 whole lbs in the last 2-3 days after only having lost a total of 10 in an entire year. Whether it is "real" or water weight is really of no consequence to me. At the heaviest, water weight included, I want to be 135. That means on those rare good days before it shoots back up again I would be 130. I don't really know what I am trying to say or solicit here. I guess I'm just hoping some other women out there have found solutions to these horrible and frustrating problems and that those women will give me some suggestions. I am really starting to get disgusted with myself but except when I'm depressed or very, very anxious and stressed, I have a really good appetite. I guess that's supposed to be a good thing but not when you start to gain 5 lbs every time you even think about eating! Thanks for reading and responding.
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Replies

  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    You can lose weight. You may need about 50-70 cals less than in your twenties but that's it. And unless today is your birthday, guess what, you are over 30. Celebrate it. These are the best years of our lives. Its not as if there's a one year grace period from the time you turn thirty and then your metabolism shuts down on your 31st birthday. Your metabolism actually starts to change in your late twenties very gradually. That being said, the difference is not that much.
    Now, down to business:
    Are you weighing your food?
    How much exercise are you getting? Is it as much as before? Are you being a bit more sedentary than you realized with your current work situation?
    Are you being honest with yourself about how much you're eating ?
    Have you been checked by a Dr?
    Keep in mind that the less weight you have to lose, the slower it is to get off.
    I'm losing weight more than when I was 18 (I'm 36 now) and that's because I pay attention to what I eat and I workout alot--i run marathons. No excuses. Youve got this.:drinker:
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    I'm 32 and losing weight just fine.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    You are eating too much food, simple as that. Water weight from too much salt or from your macro breakdown can contribute to overall weight, but to lose fat you need to be at a deficit. Either calculate a deficit based off of daily non-exercise activity (eat 20% less than your maintenance needs) and then log your exercise and eat 50-75% of the calories; or calculate your total daily expenditure which includes exercise and then subtract 20% from that and don't eat back exercise cals because they are already accounted for. I've done both, so far I prefer the former method now as it allows me much more flexibility with my exercise habits and I no longer feel forced to work out for x hours per week.
  • RenaTX
    RenaTX Posts: 345 Member
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    I'm 37 and I'm losing as expected. About 1 pound a week.
  • tony56pr
    tony56pr Posts: 141 Member
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    Started losing when I was 36 and I'm 37 now... age is just a number stop using that as an excuse. Sorry but it takes work no matter how old you are. Reduce calories a little more and give yourself time. Everyone loses at different pace stop trying to be like someone else and get healthier for you.

    If I can anyone can.
  • performfully
    performfully Posts: 126 Member
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    I'm not going to jump to the 'you're eating to much card', but I am going to use the 'have you seen a doctor?' one.
    I'm not 30 yet, but I can tell you I ate and exercised like a crazy perfectionist for 4 months without losing 3 lbs. I have PCOS (which I already knew) but I had never gained significant weight before to try to lose it. And I didn't lose more than that 2 some pounds until I got on BCP (and found out I do much better low carb, but ehhh).
    Moral of the story: If you're really as consistent as you think you are, doctor. There are a lot of things that can be out of whack to make weight loss difficult.
  • Spreyton22K
    Spreyton22K Posts: 323 Member
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    To those saying she has got this....and the problem is she is eating too much cut more may have missed the bit where OP has said she consumes 500-1500 calories a day!!!!!

    Are you serious about only eating between 500-1500 calories......and this method is something you have regularly employed???

    Your lack of loss may be for the reasons others have stated ie eating too much etc etc, but I would be more concerned about the not fuelling your body adequately to perform all the things you are expecting of it.

    Perhaps acquainting yourself with some of the tried and true threads on MFP ie Guide to Sexypants, the Eat and Train thread.

    There is so much to learn about, please don't deprive yourself like this. Just because you have turned 30 it isn't the end of being able to lose weight as others have pointed out but it may well be your body has just had enough of you starving it and has gone into revolt......

    I wish you well.
  • CheeeekyChap
    CheeeekyChap Posts: 36 Member
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    Wondering if your a bit stressed and working it too hard?

    Stress hormones are a MAJOR factor in weight loss.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    Everyone here who said she is eating too much needs to check themselves.

    OP says she eats between 500-1500 calories per day, which is not nearly enough for the level of activity. That being said, OP, are you weighing your food?
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    OP, also, read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Can you open your food diary? Do you use a food scale and do you have any medical conditions? Lets start simple before we make any suggestions.
  • Healthy_Hunnie
    Healthy_Hunnie Posts: 60 Member
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    Girl, you need to be eating way more than 500 cals/day. There is no way you are getting all the nutrients and fuel a body needs at that low of a number(even if its only 1 day/week). Anyone saying she is eating too much is out of their mind. 1200 cals is the absolute minimum anyone should be at, and that is still extremely low and not recommended for most.

    I would recommend tracking WHAT you are eating and evaluating how your weight fluctuates from day to day based off the food you have consumed. WEIGH YOUR FOOD << My personal downfall before I bought a scale. Sodium isnt necessarily bad, you need it, but you also need potassium and water in balance with your sodium intake. You should try to drink a cup of water for every hour you are awake. It will help with flushing toxins out of your system and bringing fresh nutrients throughout your body. Also - hope you are weighing yourself at the same time each day for some consistency (preferably morning when you first wake up :) )

    As for exercise - try switching things up, your body gets used to routines and once its a habit your body wont need to work as hard performing the exercise. You need to always be changing things up and shocking your body with new moves/exercises. Im sure you have heard this but High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great fat burner/heart healthy routine. You can do body weight exercises, jumping rope, cardio machines, plyos, etc. There are plenty of HIIT routines online that you could test out.

    Please please, do not restrict your calories anymore, that may be why you are not losing weight. Good luck with your journey and I hope you find something that works out for you.
  • defauIt
    defauIt Posts: 118 Member
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    Everyone here who said she is eating too much needs to check themselves.

    OP says she eats between 500-1500 calories per day, which is not nearly enough for the level of activity. That being said, OP, are you weighing your food?

    Nobody needs to check themselves. Weight loss is not magic, it's simple math. If you aren't losing weight, you're either eating at or wbove maintenance. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat less than maintenance. End of story. OP is probably undercounting calories. I can claim I gain weight on 500 calories a day, that doesn't make it true.

    Weigh everything you eat and keep a detailed diary for a few months and try to consistently hit your calorie goal and see what happens.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Are you serious about only eating between 500-1500 calories......and this method is something you have regularly employed???

    If the OP is not losing weight, then the intake is not lower than maintenance.

    Beyond that, "500-1500 calories" is a meaningless statement without (a) knowing the distribution of the 500 and 1500 and (b) seeing the diary.

    Bottom line - OP is eating too much for activity level, if the goal is to lose weight.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    It's not harder to lose weight over 30. The older people are, the less they move. Move more, eat less. :smile:
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    It's not harder to lose weight over 30. The older people are, the less they move. Move more, eat less. :smile:
    Generalizations. There is something to the idea that it's harder for older people. Not impossible, just more difficult. That's why so many people who were skinny in high school are fat at reunions. I used to snack on entire cheesecakes as a 21 year old and never weighed more than 165. By age 30, I started getting acquainted with being overweight.
  • marlyu
    marlyu Posts: 24 Member
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    I'm 33, will be 34 next month. I started 3 months ago at 146. MFP's first goal for me was 1250 calories per day. I workout 4-5 times per week, but only about 150-300 calories burned, so not super intensive. I log everything judiciously, including water. My initial goal was 135. I did that in the 2 months and then changed my final goal to 130 and now MFP has me at 1200 calories/day, but everything else is the same. My current weight is 131.2. I recently re-started birth control and went up by a pound or more in a week. Reading up on water retention, I've made sure to up my water and it looks like the scale is slowly heading back in the right direction. Sit down and re-evaluate your food diary. Are you truly recording the most accurate info? Are you doing too much strength/muscle training over toning/conditioning? That could add to a slower or stopped loss or even gain. Are you close to your period? Period-related weight gain for me starts at least a week before my period through 2 days into my period. Lastly, if everything else is in check, perhaps getting a good old physical at the doc can help.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    To relate, when I turned 30 it was like a switch was flipped and my body completely changed. I gained weight like crazy and really had to watch what I ate.
    I am now 38 and lost 30 lbs over the past year and a half. Unfortunately, you have to keep track of every single thing you eat and make sure you maintain quite a deficit in order to lose. You can do it!!!
    Try working out 15 minutes longer than you are now (cardio-wise) each day and see if that helps.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    Everyone here who said she is eating too much needs to check themselves.

    OP says she eats between 500-1500 calories per day, which is not nearly enough for the level of activity. That being said, OP, are you weighing your food?

    Nobody needs to check themselves. Weight loss is not magic, it's simple math. If you aren't losing weight, you're either eating at or wbove maintenance. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat less than maintenance. End of story. OP is probably undercounting calories. I can claim I gain weight on 500 calories a day, that doesn't make it true.

    Weigh everything you eat and keep a detailed diary for a few months and try to consistently hit your calorie goal and see what happens.

    That's why I asked her is she was weighing her food.

    But to blindly say, when she thinks she is eating between 500 - 1500 calories a day, that she needs to eat less isn't helpful. Actually, it's validating unhealthy thinking. OP is eating more than she thinks, but if she is intending to eat 500 calories, then that IS a problem that needs to be addressed with some thoughtfullness.
  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
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    How tall are you, OP?

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