need help...active, count calories and still...no loss.

yes body fat % means a lot. you may be 158 but how much of that is muscle. has your clothing size really increased and if so where? tops or bottoms? and also have you had a hormone test done in recient years. no offense but you are about to hit a new stage inyour life in the next few years you may be an early bloomer. again none of this is ment to discourage. understanding how your body is work is a huge key to over comming weight issues.

As you approach menopause, your estrogen levels decrease and testosterone levels increase. This promotes more fat storage in the waist rather than the hips.

Really at 5'7 I think your weight sounds healthy, but it could be your body comp that needs changing. I'm 5'0 and 130. :laugh: I have a lot of muscle mass though. I still have fat to lose but I don't think I'd even call myself chunky. So it really is about body composition, not weight. :flowerforyou:

ok...just did a tape measure and fat percentage calculator thing... although not perfectly accurate I am over 30% body fat. (navy estimates about 31%...YMCA...not even going to type their estimate). this was off of http://www.healthstatus.com but I backed it up with another site and it was really close to the same.

Oh I wouldn't use the circumference measurements. You will get the same values from different sites, but that doesn't mean they're accurate. You need to go to a trainer and get a skin fold test done.

Try lifting weights...use low weights & do lots of reps. But still do your cardio on the days that you don't lift. I lost 3 dress sizes doing this.

Hi, jstbeachy. I just turned 40 a couple weeks ago. I have had the same positive experience as others with the weight lifting. I've been doing it for over two years, and it has changed my body (and the clothes I can wear) completely. I am 5'2".

Two years ago, I was:
125
Size 12, and that was getting tight :grumble:
I saw my mother's body when I looked in the mirror :noway:

Today I am:
119
Size 6-8 because of strength training
I feel better than I did at 20, and I see a youthful, strong body in the mirror :happy:

I've lost body fat and gained muscle. No more bulges of fat on my back. No fat hanging over the sides of my pants. My hips are narrower and my shoulders are wider. Clothes are comfortable, and exercise is fun because I've seen what it's done for me. You don't need to kill yourself or burn yourself out, either (I've been there). I lift weights 3-4 times per week, and I do cardio 3-4 times per week, mostly on alternating days. For cardio, I like running, step, and elliptical, but the main focus of my exercise is now strength.

My other thought is that you are not eating enough. You are taller than me, and you are active, and I found that the 1200 calories a day that MFP suggests for me were not enough. Believe it or not, I was flabbier when I ate less because my body was hanging onto the fat for dear life. I'm now eating at a fat-loss level of 1550 and a maintenance level of 1900. (I zig-zag my calories so as not to go into starvation mode and lose muscle.)

If I can do it, you certainly can! I began at a worse place than you are. I got sore going for a walk because I was so sedentary. :frown: Being 40 doesn't mean you have to look or feel old, or that your metabolism has to hit a brick wall. Strength training is the way to keep the clock turned back. But you also have to feed those muscles you create.

Hey Ladies! I'm 41 and in the same boat. The darn scale won't move, but I'm definely looking better and fitting smaller clothes than before. I also have an altered body image problem, but that's me. My dumb scale says I have 30% body fat. It just won't lower. So, I plug along, knowing I'm doing my best, and have changed so much with eating habits, supplements, fitness variety and knowledge. Growing older sucks in more ways than 1!:flowerforyou:

:-) Totally inspiring Cherapple! Thank you.

I sucked it up and joined a gym this weekend....Lifestyle Family Fitness. They offer a month to month membership so I am not stuck if I still find that this isn't for me. This will also be enough (hopefully) to give me a jumpstart to use my home gym.

Crossing fingers!

Good luck with the new gym membership. Have someone there show you how to use all the machines. I belong to Planet Fitness, where help is minimal, but they will briefly show you how to use everything. It's nice to be able to get out of the house two or three times a week, and just change my routine a little. You have both options -- home and gym -- to help keep everything interesting! (I have free weights and videos at home.) Challenges for me are always motivating and fun, so I love starting something new. :happy:

I really like this gym so far. Two days in a row....yesterday was abs and arms just to get my feet wet again...today was everything else. Of course I had to sit in the sauna and use the hydro massage machine before I left. :happy: That alone might motivate me to go on a consistent basis.

I get 3 personal training sessions with the membership and my 1st appointment is Wednesday. I pretty much have it planned out...I run Tues, Thurs and Sat so those are no gym days...Friday is rest from it all day which leaves the other three for the gym.

If you are getting your bodyfat taken, try to stick to these guidelines if possible.

Do it early in the morning.
Do it before eating/drinking.
DEFINITELY do it before working out (this is almost non-optional because it'll throw your measurements way off).
Wear shorts and a t-shirt.

The next time you have your bodyfat taken, follow the same procedure.