I realize most of you out there are pretty experienced with the weight gain/loss issues. I am putting this thread out in hope that I can gather something I may have missed. I am usually such an advocate of ignoring media, that I have maybe cut off some good information. I know people themselves, real people, are usually very helpful and problem solvers. This is my story :
Most of my teens and twenties, I always felt overweight, but really wasn't... I just was a stockier athletic build when I wanted to be one of those frail beauties. (I blame media and watching tv , reading fashion mags) . Okay , so in my thirties I went on a huge diet, right, and lost 10 pounds, to my happy weight. Great. So then about 5 years later I gained 20, and eventually lost it. Turning 40, I was back to being 20 over, no sweat, I was beginning to accept myself. At 44 I found myself 50 pounds overweight, lost ten. Now at 45 , I'm 40 pounds overweight. Still, like, not a huge deal, but I don't feel good. My feet hurt and I sometimes feel like I'm in a straight jacket. The major concern now, is that aging with this weight can be hazardous. Menopause, cancer, weight related injuries, etc, etc. I am scared, uncomfortable, and want it OFF!!!
I call that more a gradual weight gain, but since turning 40, I've gained a lot of weight. I like to post in this "40's something" category because I narrow down the field of responses to people who I can more relate to.
I eat very healthfully, in my opinion 'beans and whole grain rice' is healthist food. I have always seemed to run most efficiently on carb , but also my biggest weaknesses are carb/fat combos --generously buttered toast, pasta lunches, and icecream are my weak binge foods. I am a real WholeGrains kind of person, but not entirely. I eat mostly veg food, and would be a vegetarian, but not entirely (my husband is a real meat eater). Funny how I think vegetarian means 'no meat' rather than 'more actual vegetables'.
I exercise more regularly , in theory 'daily' , in the last year and a half -- hiking in the ridges and canyons with our dog, on the mountain which I live. At first it was over an hour, but now it's becoming just shy of one, closer to 50 minutes some days. Everything is down, down, down, then up, up, up... as nothing around here is level. I have been in the last 10 years way less athletic (because of the weight gain), however between 10 -15 years ago was my most athletic 'race' shape cycling years. I know what it feels like to be really fit, as well as really fat. I just can't seem to keep the weight off with exercise regimen... I'm going to have to use drastic measures to lose at this point.
I don't really want to 'buy into ' any program which costs money... that is my only rule, because as soon as somebody out there is profitting from my weakness, I feel it's in bad principle.
I welcome your thoughts about how I might tackle this. Come on... what do *you* think I should do????