Mid forties weight gain

Ugh. My body seemed to go to pot once I hit 40. It sucks. Logging has helped. Sneaking in movement helps. Park @ the far end of the lot. Take the stairs. Do a deep knee bend when nobody is looking. And log, log, log. It's eye opening to say the least

You sound like me 5 years ago. I hit 45 and saw a picture of myself at my sister's birthday party the year before. I really, really didn't like what I was seeing and I realized I had become a lazy, nearly overweight lump on the sofa. I realized that if I wanted a long, healthy life I needed to make a change. That was all the motivation I needed to get started.

The thing is, motivation comes from within. No one can give you motivation you have to find it for yourself. Motivation also waxes and wanes as time goes along and when it wears down, commitment and dedication are needed to take over and get you through the tough times.

Many people here can tell you nearly the exact moment that the switch flipped for them and they really got committed to becoming more healthy. Seeing that picture of myself at age 45 was enough for me. I haven't looked back since. The thing you have to ask yourself is whether that's happened for you yet. It sounds like you're close but are you really ready to make the changes you know you need to make?

If it makes it easier, consider that you don't have to make a complete 180° turn with your life. There's no reason to completely change the way you eat, give up the things you love and hit the gym for 2 hours every day. Start by making small changes. Start logging your food. You don't even need to try to lose weight yet, just log everything you're eating while being brutally honest about it. After a week or two, look over your food diary and you're bound to see some things you can easily change to eat a bit less.

Exercise isn't needed for weight loss but the end goal of this isn't just to lose weight, right? You want to be able to get around without worrying about falling and breaking a hip at age 70. So start incorporating more movement into your daily routine. Park at the back of the parking lot. Take the "no elevator" challenge. Go for a walk on your breaks at work. Use the farthest restroom at work or at home. Every little bit of movement helps. If you don't have one yet, get an activity tracker or pedometer and set yourself a step goal each day.

I started out doing those small things and I just kept adding new habits as the current ones became engrained. 5.5 years after realizing I needed to make a change I now run every other day for at least 3 miles and run several half marathons during the year. I lift weights on the weekdays I don't run. I eat to maintain my weight at a place where I'm comfortable with how I look and what I can wear. I've lost the jiggly underarms and have some muscle definition in my legs and arms. I don't feel embarrassed to wear a bikini to the resort pool. I feel and look much better at 50 than I did at 35.

Maybe timing your afternoon snack for after lunch but before dinner.