Hi

I have been 2.5 stonne over weight for 3 years now. I have lost 14 lbs since start of the year.

No matter what I do now, I cannot lose weight now.

I am in me 40s, I do have sedentary job. I am trying to up my exercise.

had blood tests for low thyroid etc. Did have elevated liver enzymes, ALT.

hospital said weight loss was way forward.

I dont drink or smoke, and was extremely fit in my 20s, 30s .

My mum ballooned with weight when she turned 40 something, I do believe that could be factor, genetic inheritance

my food intake is lowish carb, no bread, wheat. I believe I am consuming around 1500 cals per day

I have tried :

CLA
B12
Kelp
Vitamin D, calcium

all to aid weight loss. Jury still out on some of any potential benefits. Mum did have thyroid problems, and was diabetic toward end of her life.

just at wits end, I do not know which way to turn,

all positive advice welcome,

Welcome, dave11282! Like you, I was fit in my younger years, but my weight ballooned out of control after age 35. I tried to lose weight many times, either by exercise alone or by starving myself. Neither method worked. Like you, I began to think that my metabolism and body makeup had just changed for the worse due to age or genetics and I was destined to be fat for the rest of my life. I really convinced myself that I was a hopeless case and even got rid of all the smaller sized clothing in my closet to make way for my larger wardrobe sizes. That was one of the worst days of my life!

I really thought that I ate a moderate low calorie diet, and that I must be medical marvel who couldn't lose weight on what was probably around 1500 calories per day. At some point I read about free calorie trackers like fitday, myfitnesspal, livestrong, and calorieking. I started tracking the calories I was actually eating, and was shocked to find that I could eat and drink anywhere from 2,000-5,000 calories per day. Once I had the real information about how many calories I was consuming, I started making low calorie substitutions and cut down on portion sizes. The only way I found to lose weight was through my food and drink intake - how much and what kind. Exercise makes me fitter and firmer, but it doesn't seem to help me drop pounds. My husband is a firm believer that he only loses weight through exercise and not diet - but that theory could account for the fact that he is over 300lbs. If you don't modify your diet, you won't lose - that's my theory anyway.

Good luck on your journey!

Hi and welcome. I'm still convinced that the only way to know for sure is to count your calories. If you're not eating the right number of calories, you won't lose. Almost everyone estimates their intake inaccurately, so I would recommend actually counting it for a while.
Good luck!

hi dave! *waves* i didnt think i ate much during the day either to find out tween 2500-5000 mostly liquid calories coffees, sweet teas n more coffees n sweet teas lol n then binge days of cakes chips pastas n such. like the other ladies i agree actually start to track everything thru ur day n u may n in for a big surprise! good luck though n keep trying til u figure it out!

i could not agree more. I remember the intensity of working out i did when i was 31, lost 3 stonne, talking 2x day workouts, circuits , weights the whole lot.

I now know at 40 + i personally cannot sustain that level to lose weight through exercise. It has to be from the other angle , nutrition, food intake. I was not working in those days, I had whole day to focus on weight loss. If my hunger pain was unbearable i went to sleep it off, regardless of time of day.

my 'metabolism' seems to have committed suicide at 40 + ,

seems general consensus is i am under estimating cals,

i have calorie counted before, i will go back to it, and see if i get results,

thanks

DAVE ~ I agree also -- the best way to know if you are eating too much or even too little, is to journal what you eat each day and add up the calories. That will likely tell the tale. Then you can see what changes you need to make ... let us know how it goes.

Hi Dave, When you figure out your TRUE calorie level, make sure it's not too low, too -- 1500 sounds pretty low for a guy. I'm female, but I've found that the more I eat (of the right things) the more I lose. Once I get on a roll with losing, I sometimes lose interest and don't eat enough... my brain tells me that's the BEST thing to do, but it doesn't work for me -- my body just hangs on to everything because it thinks I'm starving! Darn those German peasant genes! Sometimes I'll double up on healthy veggies, even though I would've stopped eating before then. Best of luck to you!