40+ and wondering what happened to my metabolism?!?

Lee_Fitnesspla
Lee_Fitnesspla Posts: 29 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone. I'm 41 and since turning 40, I've had a difficult time keeping the weight off. I've been trying since last July to return to my 2013 weight. Initially had some good results up until the beginning of this year. Not a single pound has come off since. I'm starting to lose all hope.

Background: I've always been relatively fit (see 2013 photo) but never thin, per se. Never had a problem maintaining the weight until a few months before turning 40. My metabolism came to an abrupt halt. The pounds slowly started stacking on. Unfortunately, I suffered an orthopedic injury that kept me out of the gym for almost a year. I packed on over 40 pounds in just under 2 years. I made the decision to get back into shape July 2015. Since then, I've lost about half the extra weight but have hit a plateau. Nothing I am doing is working even though I work out relatively hard 3 to 4 days a week doing a combination weight lifting and HIIT/Cardio training.

Body stats: My %fat was recently measured at 37.5% with %muscle measured in the low 30s.

What I'm doing now: Based on the results of a December 2015 active metabolic assessment, I have determined my 'zones'. I use a scosche heart rate monitor to make sure I stay in the fat burning zones during my workouts. I have also gone back to tracking steps using my fitbit and calorie intake using MFP. Everything is synced to MFP throughout the day.

I'm hoping to get some ideas from others who have gone through the same thing.

Replies

  • theconnertys
    theconnertys Posts: 31 Member
    My two cents. Lift. Move some weight. I know you said you are...but....are you pushing or maintaining? What I mean is...are you adding weight? Are you working out to muscle failure (good failure, not permanent injury failure)? You HAVE to progress with weights to see gain. Otherwise the work is for naught.

    HITT cardio is good. Blending that with the weights is good. Make sure you are progressing on both...that means adding weight and adding intensity incrementally.

    And last, but first, is nutrition. Track EVERYTHING. Bottom line...if you are taking in less calories than you burn, you will lose the weight. The "trick" is accurately defining the calories that your body is burning vs the calories taken in. That is much, much easier said than done, and I'm betting you know that :). Double check your TDEE, and stay under. Work out progressively by adding difficulty. It will work.

    And add me if you would like. I have 50 to go....one step at a time.
  • Lee_Fitnesspla
    Lee_Fitnesspla Posts: 29 Member
    theconnertys wrote: »
    My two cents. Lift. Move some weight. I know you said you are...but....are you pushing or maintaining? What I mean is...are you adding weight? Are you working out to muscle failure (good failure, not permanent injury failure)? You HAVE to progress with weights to see gain. Otherwise the work is for naught.

    HITT cardio is good. Blending that with the weights is good. Make sure you are progressing on both...that means adding weight and adding intensity incrementally.

    And last, but first, is nutrition. Track EVERYTHING. Bottom line...if you are taking in less calories than you burn, you will lose the weight. The "trick" is accurately defining the calories that your body is burning vs the calories taken in. That is much, much easier said than done, and I'm betting you know that :). Double check your TDEE, and stay under. Work out progressively by adding difficulty. It will work.

    And add me if you would like. I have 50 to go....one step at a time.

    Thank you for taking the time to post on my intro.

    Your assumption was correct. I do work out with weights to just shy of failure. I don't do failure for one simple reason.....I have to be able to function after leaving the gym. However, I have gotten stronger faster. Having said that, I won't lie. My cardio sucks. Those HITT workouts take everything out of me. I'd rather lift weights for hours than do one 20 minute HITT workout but I understand it's a necessary evil.

    You mentioned defining the calories that the body is burning vs calories taken in. This is probably my biggest issue. I like all of my tracking gadgets but I wonder if my resting metabolic rate is not lower than that of other's my age. I hope to get a resting assessment done next month to get to the bottom of this.

    Anyways, I added you as a friend. The more the merrier :)

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