Looking for the 40 + group

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kaitoula
kaitoula Posts: 16
in Introduce Yourself
Hi,

I am about 3 months away from turning 47. I am a few lbs within my desired weight and work out regularly but I find I am struggling to maintain and regain the muscle tone I had just 2 years ago. It seems that once I passed that mid 40 mark, I have to work twice as hard. Is anyone else experiencing the same thing?

Thanks!
Kaitoula

Replies

  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
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    Yes, that is exactly what I've experienced.
  • hamiltonba
    hamiltonba Posts: 474 Member
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    Yes, I too have/am experiencing the same thing!
  • elsa11170
    elsa11170 Posts: 82 Member
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    Yes!!!! Me too. Before 40 I ate what I wanted to eat, never exercised and never gained anything. After I turned 40 I have to exercise and watching what I eat or I start gaining the lbs like crazy!! :s
  • pope369
    pope369 Posts: 159 Member
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    Same here. It's like someone flipped the switch on my metabolism to "low" the day I turned 45. <sigh>
  • sinclare
    sinclare Posts: 369 Member
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    I thought it was due to time I spent recovering from an accident. But watching my diet no longer works...if I don't excercise and become manic about my diet, I don't lose.:sad:
  • JThomas61
    JThomas61 Posts: 892
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    Oh yes, when I hit 40 it was like my metabolism shut down and I packed on the weight but now, I have changed my lifestyle and its coming off.
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    They say it takes 4-8 weeks for the body to learn a new behavior...I think you can double that number if you are over 40. The bad thing is that when it does learn a new behavior, it tend to forget it in less than half the time. It is known as Alzheimer of the Metabolism...lol.
  • kaitoula
    kaitoula Posts: 16
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    Wow!! I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one. I really kept thinking that something was wrong with me..lol. While I'm not a fanatic, I do try to eat well and I avoid sweets and other empty calorie type of foods. That doesn't mean I don't give in to the occasional ice cream cone, especially on really hot days, but I try to make that the exception.

    Not that long ago, I could sit down and have a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, whatever I wanted for lunch and then a whole lot of pasta with grated cheese for dinner. It seems like one of my internal fuses has short circuited and now even though I eat so much less, I have to work really hard at keeping it off.

    So, how do you all deal with the slower metabolism? Do you eat less, exercise more? Are there any type of exercises that you would recommend? I know we're all different but I'd love some suggestions on how you're all dealing with this :-).
  • nannyx6
    nannyx6 Posts: 72 Member
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    I used to eat everything I wanted but by the time I hit 40 my thyroid wasn`t working and my metabolism is shot.Now I can`t eat one third of what I used to eat.I am hoping to loose 25-30 pounds and get a waistline back!
  • elsa11170
    elsa11170 Posts: 82 Member
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    Exercise and counting calories does the trick for me.....when I turned 40 and realized I was gaining weight I panicked. I started exercising for 30 min and eating no more than 1200 calories a day. I quickly lost the weight I gained but didn't want to lose any more so I stopped counting calories and exercising for the entire summer. Gained back the 15lbs and today was my first day back to exercising and watching what i eat.
  • n2mystical1
    n2mystical1 Posts: 3
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    I'm 42 and recently went off some medication that caused me to gain 15 lbs in one month. Good thing about quitting my meds...I have my motivation back! Hoping this website can help keep me on track. It looks VERY promising. Looking to lose 15-20 lbs. Any suggestions are welcomed
  • yanina6
    yanina6 Posts: 12
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    Same here....that's why I decided to join this group. It just getting harder and harder even when I exercise like crazy. But now I'm more serious about watching what I eat. I'm also more diligent about taking my multivitamins. I just started MFP so if I anyone on this post is interested, I would love to add a few friends as I have none now :( lol anyways not to pressure anyone
  • Millie00
    Millie00 Posts: 53 Member
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    Hi...I am in the same boat....just turned 47 and finding it hard to lose the last 5kg [10lbs]! I hate that my metabolism is so much slower than when I was in my 20s or 30s.

    I try to exercise 5 times a week, mixing it up a bit...swapping between walking, belly dancing and Pilates. Try to eat well and stay around 1300 calories. Its so frustrating when the scales wont move in the right direction.

    I would love to join a group with people in the same situation. Please feel free to add me as a friend.
  • hewhoiscd
    hewhoiscd Posts: 1,029 Member
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    Turning 40 last year got me going, figured it wasn't going to get any easier. Lost 40lbs in 8 months, have maintained the past few months, and now I am trying to get more muscle mass and lose a little more of the body fat around the middle. If I had put this much effort into my fitness even just 10 years ago, I would be *ripped* by now, lol. Oh well, that's life.

    Feel free to friend me :)
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    Same here.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Same here. It's like someone flipped the switch on my metabolism to "low" the day I turned 45. <sigh>

    Oh this is depressing - I'll be 45 in two months time!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    RE: Exercise
    What I do is exercise a bunch of different ways and always make time for exercise. Even if I am really busy, I just shorten the time.

    RE: Food
    I try and eat very healthy, relatively small amounts on weekdays and most weekends. This way, when the food matters, like holidays, vacations, family get togethers, I can share real meals with the people that matter.
  • kaitoula
    kaitoula Posts: 16
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    I find the exercise part a lot easier than the eating part. I'm very committed to working out as it makes me feel invigorated and ultimately, I like the way it makes me look. The food part is harder to manage because I'm always on the go. I guess I should consider myself lucky that for the first 40ish years of my life, I could eat anything I wanted, as often as I wanted.

    I think adding variety to the workouts is important, as someone suggested above. I go to a gym and was taking the same classes every day. When I first joined, I saw great results but now I've leveled off and hit the plateau. I need to try some new routines. ..... Think I'll go for a run now and try to work off some of that delicious dinner my husband cooked tonight :-).
  • olso123
    olso123 Posts: 192 Member
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    Same here....never had a problem until my late 40's......amazing the nasty little trick age does on the body, however it has kicked me in the butt to pay more attention to what I am eating and to make healthier choices.
  • kaitoula
    kaitoula Posts: 16
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    Isn't it funny how when we were kids, we loved the taste of anything with sugar in it? I recently accidentally used my son's bubblegum flavored toothpaste and I almost gagged at the taste. I guess everything changes as you get a little older, even your taste buds!:tongue:

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