[DietUsername]

In my 20s I had an easy time staying thin, but after 40, it's been harder to keep the pounds off and once they are on me, I diet and exercise and they still leave sloooowly.
The doctor did blood tests and said it's just the natural muscle loss of aging that slows calories burned.
I shouldn't complain cuz I know plenty of gals have had weight gain issues all their lives, but it's a big change and depressing.
Any suggestions or encouragement are what I need!

[fatmad]

I assume since you are in this group of 40 somethings, that is your age, and you are not in your 60s or older.
So I have to say, there is no reason for you to have muscle loss. There are all kinds of reasons that weight loss is more difficult at our age, but loss of muscle mass is not one of them.
You may have lost muscle, but thru lack for fitness, not aging.
SO you can work to get more fit and rebuild your muscle mass to help yourself lose weight. I don't know how out of shape you are, and I am sure there are lots of people who can give better fitness advice than me. (I have a long way to go, but for now am walking daily, doing yoga some days and have been doing pilates once a week. No weight training at this point)
As for going to the doc, I have to say, we all want to be diagnosed with a thyroid disorder so we can have an excuse for our weight problems, and can get a magic pill to help us lose. Its called denial.
I think its hard to accept, just like its hard to accept what we have to do to lose weight and get healthy.
I wasn't sure when I started coming here whether I was ready for the commitment to weight loss. I have been taking it one day at a time, and getting farther than ever before.
So be encouraged,
fatmad

[Thighs Be Gone]

Dog gone! I would love to be your weight.

[DietUsername]

Thanks for saying you'dl ike to be my weight. The extra 15 pounds I have to lose, I carry most of it in the waist. My arms and legs don't look much different than when I was thinner, but I have this big belly.
And yes, I'm in my 40s and although I have an active lifestyle, I'm not very physically fit, which I know contributes to my weight gain. I wasn't all that fit in my 20's either and it wasn't a factor that caused weight gain, so now I'm whining about it.

[JulieJ08]

You can do it! You'd better be able to - I'm 39 and losing those same pounds as you!

Sure, we have to be better about how we eat and exercise as we get older. But I don't think I'd ever choose to be 20 again. 30 maybe

Anyway, there's so much more information available now about nutrition, exercise, health, and so on, than when I was 20.

[urockmom]

Dietusername,

I was also always the skinny chick and never had a weight problem. In my 20s I weighed less than my 14 year old daughter (who is in no way fat & really fit) does now! I think that the difference in metabolism is there but it is a matter of proportion. Now that I have been tracking my food, I realize that in my 20s-without working out regularly-I could and did easily burn 3000+ (sometimes a lot of ++++ ) per day. Now at 42, that is just not possible. I feel like it is not so much that my metabolism has slowed down that dramatically, it is just that I was burying myself in food! Even after just a few months I find that I just can't eat like I used to and I really don't feel good afterward.

I also agree with fatmad that at our age exercise can really make a big difference in making your body work more efficiently at burning the calories that you do eat.

I totally understand your frustration since it used to be so easy but I hope that you can stick with it and increase your fitness and then I am sure you'll find that the pounds come off more easily! Here is some to assist you!

[Crabbykate]

I cant seem to get motivated. I think I'll NEVER lose this 20 pounds I need to lose :-(

[JulieJ08]

Hi EmmaD, many find that when the scale is stubborn, focusing on the weight lifting is often the most helpful. And adding intervals to your cardio. The weight lifting has the benefit of really being self-motivating - the changes to your body are addictive

[elfinsnow]

Julie-
Great tips! Thanks!
Terry

[horsey]

I was so skinny in my 20s, I remember girls at the college dorm going on "diet wars" and I thought they were so silly, if they wouldn't eat something they could pass it on to me! I could eat anything in site and not gain an ounce. Now at 40 and after a baby later in life, NOT SO. It seems harder to lose it and EASIER to gain it, so easy to gain it even with a bit of time "off" pigging out. I too gain in my belly and chest, my legs and arms stay thin even at this weight. So I can't gain weight and have my clothes fit right - other then blazers and stretch shirts... bellies are hard to hide. I've read that at 40 instead of maybe 30 min of cardio to lose weight you'll need to rev it up to more like 45-60 per day. And weight training, you'll appreciate that more as you get older, to be able to tone up even if you can't get down to the pounds you want to get. With ab fat, do lots of cardio, and also weight train. Oh dear 40...

[marathon8]

I finally joined 3fatchicks today so I might hold myself more accountable. I am 46 and have watched my weight inch up over the last 2 years. I am doing everything I did in my 20s and 30s but it no longer works in my 40s. I work out frequently and try to watch what I eat. I passed up so many treats at holiday parties only to see the scale go up a pound again last week. Very frustrating....but I'll keep trying...!!

[stacyleighann]

I just bought a scale, it doesn't show my weight, so I don't have that demotivating feeling anymore, just the lbs I'm losing.
Didn't cost much and I love it. Its awesome seeing at the end of the week I'm down another -5lbs.

I ordered it from quantumscale . com


I recommend it.

[Lynnemarie]

I started adding moderate activity last week, just walking more and trying to use the stairs, etc., I'm hoping that will give my metabolism a boost! Good luck & hang in there!:carrot