Slower weight loss after 35
 

OK. I may be looking for excuses (well, I am), but it really seems like there has to be some truth to the old wive's tale that your metabolism slows down as you age. I used to be able to give up fried foods or sugar or something else and lose 10 -15 lbs in a month or so. It would motivate me to start exercising more & incorporating better foods into my diet. I tried cutting out the fried stuff this year starting in Jan thru mid-Feb and NOTHING! I didn't see a difference at all. The depression I felt is what led me to 3FC, actually.

Please tell me that I'm not crazy and that I can wallow in self-pity for a little while because it's just not as easy as it used to be. Then, you can kick me in the butt if that seems appropriate! Thanks for listening to my pity party!;)

Nope. It isn't as easy as it used to be. When I was a teenager, I could lose 4 pounds a week easily when I was on WW. I couldn't do that now, can't even do 1/2 of that now.

Our metabolisms slow as we age.

But don't wallow in self-pity. There's really no need for it. I used to believe that my PCOS stopped me from losing weight- and in its own way, yes it did, but only because I used it as an excuse to not eat properly. Once I realised that I needed to eat healthier and look at the number of calories I was eating a day, the weight started coming off. The PCOS was merely an excuse. I wasn't in the right place mentally to do it. Now that I am in the right place, the excuses have stopped; if I don't eat right, it's my fault, not DH's, not the PCOS, not TOM and not my age/metabolism... mine and mine alone.

Eat right, look at what you're eating and exercise; it'll come off. Maybe slower than you anticipated, but it will come off. As someone said in another thread- if you're not moving forwards, you're going backwards. Do you really want to be going backwards? Every pound lost is a pound you don't have to worry about anymore, it's a pound closer to the goal. It all adds up.

:drill: Now get off your butt and go exercise. :drill: (is that okay for a butt kicking?)

As you age your muscle mass decreases, and consequently so does your metabolism. Also your hormones change. But through building muscle you can increase your metabolism. Good Luck!

Idk, I just turned 20, and I started this when I was 19...I never saw big/fast losses. I only lost 6 pounds in my first 2 wks. And I can never ever remember losing more than 4LBs in one week.

You're not crazy. It's so much harder now!!! (I am 35 yrs old)

~CGH~

Thanks to all for your responses!!!

Moliz-thanks for the butt kicking - it was needed! I walked 3 miles today! Woo Hoo!

Tigger175 - so it's not my imagination then...I did some leg lifts and push ups, too!

Mescelestus- Hey! 4 lbs in one week is doing pretty darn good, but I hear you. Maybe sensible weight loss just takes longer.

Choirgirlhotel- ok, i feel better i'm not alone!

Well, I'm 32 and I am still losing at a slower rate than I did in my teens and twenties. My first time around on South Beach I lost approx. 3-5 lbs on a good week and usually at least 2 on a week with a treat or two in it. This time, after my phase I where I did lose rapidly, I am averaging 1.5 lbs per week.

I'm OK with it. Somehow, having to work harder for it makes me less likely to veer off plan. I know this is going to be something I have to deal with the rest of my life. I look at it like this: a diabetic has to manage their disease. They have to check their sugars, take their meds and cannot take a break or vacation from self-care. My overeating/weight management issues are like a "disease"...I will have to be conscious of my eating and my activity for the rest of my life. It is truly a lifestyle. I guess now that I am thinking that way, it really does not bother me that it is coming off slower (as long as it comes off eventually, LOL!)

Hello Nurse - That's a great way to look at it. It IS a disease for me for sure! Sigh, I guess I have to go through the adjustment that diabetics probably go through after they're first diagnosed and realize they have a lifetime of maintenance ahead of them. Yikes! Of course, if I don't do something, I might GET diabetes and then I'll have 2 things to maintain. Now, that's motivation to get moving & stop eating so much!

Yep, it is much harder after 30...more so after 35...I'm 37 btw...

I had DS#1 at 27...it took me just over 6 months to lose the weight. I had DS#2 at 29 and it took 18 months to lose the same amount (approx 65 pounds each!).

I agree this is a life-long process. If we constantly work on adding muscle mass and exercising, the metabolism shouldn't slow as much, right...