I'm Becky's long lost twin (also 46).
Last day of book fair. I can make it.... Yesterday was my long day as we were open at night too.
Today we are only open 7:30-12:30 and then we start packing up and counting money, etc. Always so glad when it's over. Then I can see my house, my pets, etc. again and get other things done that need doing.

I am 41. Today I feel much more stiff and sore than 41. As I am apparently also now having the occasional hot flash maybe I'm psyiologically older than I am chronologically. I was born three months early, though I don't guess that would do it.

Bill, everyone needs cake sometimes. And Krampus, I totally get the cookie resentment. Even knowing how large they are, I still don't always want to share.

Birchie - I read 'foreswear butter' and it started playing in my head sounding like a bit from a movie that I can almost remember. It will come to me today sometime.

I very seldom use butter - I have the same box in my fridge that has been there for close to a year. It is much easier now that I stopped eating much bread. Though I would cut off my foot for a toasted bagel with some of that butter/olive oil spread that Becky mentioned.

JayZee & Andrea - I'm trying to get back into the habit of caring all the time. I'm working on it. I also find myself so overwhelmed that when I finally surface all I want it to stare at the computer with a bowl of cereal or to go out to dinner. I'm trying to get away from that, substitute in other things, get back into preparing food I love at home in a healthy manner.

I have steadily gone up in weight every day this week, from my low last Saturday. I had some popcorn on Sunday, but that should be cleared out by now. Plus, I didn't swing up until Wednesday. I'm resentful that an entire week of good has resulted in more and more water weight every day this week. At least that is what I'm hoping it is. Logically I know that it is. But geez.

I've been reading a lot lately about calorie restriction and excessive exercise and how it relates to thyroid function, started with Leigh Peele and have branched out from there. A friend sent me this article yesterday and I find it interesting.

http://www.thegreatfitnessexperiment...hyroidism.html

I just had a physical, and my told me my weight was 'solid as a rock'. I asked her about the weight gain in the last two years, and she said that I was still in a healthy range, she wished she weighed what I did and basically said not to worry about it. My TSH is either at the low end of the range or under range, depending on which scale you use. I'm wondering if my stress and over exercise and diet have hurt me - all of a sudden back about a year ago everything stopped working, without me making much change in my diet or exercise habits. I gained weight, past what I considered muscle gain. Was it because I turned 40? Was it because of the beginning of the hot flashes I'm just now admitting? Was it too much stress and cortisol, not enough sleep,bad diet? Had I depressed my thyroid? Was it all of the above in one smushed up package? I'm trying to figure this out.

Michele - saw your FB pic with Clifford. You look hot, woman!

Next to Clifford the Big Red Dog, anyone would look hot!!

I will remember this in 3 1/2 years. I too will stomp on it!

Dagmar

I'm 51.

And about five pounds higher than I was this time last year. A fraction of that is muscle, from weight training three days each week. I can see that my arms, shoulders and back have changed shape, and I have some ab definition. But I also am wearing a decent amount of loose skin.

I struggle with my exercise addiction. It's nowhere near as bad as it was. Today since it was my day off, I did indeed get up at 4:15 AM to go to the gym as usual. But I got there a little later from lingering over the morning paper. And though I thought of doing another half-hour of cardio, I decided not to. Nor to suit up & run again later in the day. Or take the 9:30 AM yoga class. A few years back, I would've done at least one or two of those things in addition to the usual routine.

Shannon, I've read that article before and will read it again, and I keep wondering about fitness professionals who teach a lot of classes, and whether thyroid issues are also an occupational hazard.

I am 38. Feeling 50-something a lot of days lately.

Shannon - When I am in the mood to prepare the food I love, as you said, I definitely feel better both eating it and remembering it later. But, how do you get "in the mood" when you come home exhausted and often grumpy? Too often I just say "to heck with it".

Andrea - one very important difference between you and me is that you are also raising children... that is a substantial increase in the number of balls in the air for you. In fact, I wanted this to be THE year for starting a family for us. I don't really care if I show up to my own wedding very pregnant. It could be quite humorous - we could have a whole shotgun theme. But lately I am terrified at the thought. How in God's name would I handle motherhood on top of everything else? What is your secret?

I'm 46 for another 2 weeks (B-day is Halloween). Guess the average age is about where I thought - you're right Becky, I was fooled by your silver hair and flawlessly youthful appearance.

Shannon, I read that blog faithfully every day ("The Great Fitness Experiment") and since reading the thyroid post, have thought about it a lot, even feeling a little sorry that I can't blame hidden hypothyroidism for my own weight gain, since I take a thyroid hormone supplement every day. I have to say, I am skeptical that exercise-induced endocrine dysfunction is that common - I think it takes a LOT of exercise to produce it. Like Saef points out, if it were that easy to get, there'd be an awful lot of exercise instructors and half-marathoners who were overweight, losing their hair and unable to stay awake (symptoms of hypothyroidism).

JayZee, it IS hard, but it isn't always equally hard. The stress ebbs and flows, some of it is self-inflicted, and much of it has a limited life-span (e.g., nursing while working, which lasts 6-12 months depending on how long before you wean). You also make choices, e.g., I am not in a tenure-stream position because I knew I would never be able to produce the 3-4 papers a year it would take to get tenure (and as an M.D., I don't really need -or even want- it). It is vital that you have good, reliable child care that takes the kid even if s/he's sick. For us, that meant a babysitter who came to our home, and a weekly housecleaner, which we could afford because we both worked full-time. And when we had DS #3, it meant that DH moved into an easier job that allowed him to work from home most of the time because it wasn't reasonable to ask the babysitter to throw the baby in the car every time she had to go pick up/drop off one of the older kids from their activities.

Happy weekend everyone.

Hey, don't you know that 60 is the new 40?!?! Actually, I feel better at almost 61 than I did in my 40s when I weighed 100 lbs. more and walking around the block made me breathless. Don't fear 60!

Sheila, how nice to see you. No, I don't fear it - that's why I added the bit about being in the moment of whatever age you are. It's the derogatory way people talk about any age that gets me. And the way people try to pigeonhole people according to age.

Are you still RV-ing and eating hobo-style out of cans? (That may only have been once but the picture has stuck in my mind!)

OMG people. This: http://eatmore2weighless.com/why-eat...-can-backfire/ And this: http://eatmore2weighless.com/metabol...w-much-longer/

Both of these I got from being referred by a well-meaning friend to this site:
http://gokaleo.com/stop-dieting/

Has anyone on this thread read through or even done this? I've been not losing weight on 1200-1400 cal/day for over 2 years and thinking it was permanent. DO you think it's possible to "reset" your metabolism like this?

Andrea~this is exactly what my DD did. She decided that her year on Nutrisystem had done possibly irreparable damage to her metabolism. Sure she lost weight but she felt that the extremely low calories of the diet had harmed her. So she upped her calories but also upped her weight training--not so much cardio as she had been doing, but more weights. I think she was doing lower body one day followed by upper body the next and doing abs about every day and resting once a week (although on rest days she often jogged a couple of miles). Instead of eating 1200 calories a day, she was around 3000. Seriously, I don't know how she ate that much. Anyway, she was still careful about what she ate. Very high protein and low carbs. What happened was she continued to lose (albeit much more slowly) and lost a lot of inches. I can't remember who it was she was following that made her decide to do this. Now that she's back in school, she doesn't have as much time to devote to the weight training and really hasn't cut back on the calories much so she has regained some weight, although she still looks good IMO.

See if you can access this from her Wellness Facebook--I don't think it is set as private. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...ize=1024%2C768

neurodoc, I am one who agrees with what those articles say. I realized one day that eating low calorie and exercising 5 days a week was just not going to be sustainable in the long run. Not for me.

I am convinced that dieting did not help my situation except temporarily. The last time I lost, it took a couple of years for my weight to go back up, and I fought it all the way--but I couldn't sustain what seemed to be required. That is the big lie of the usual diet-and-exercise regimen--that you won't regain as long as you keep on going and stay with it. You don't hear a lot about diet fatigue, and if you do, it's usually tips for keeping going--rather than asking whether that's a good idea.

As time went on, it seemed like a really bad way to treat my body!

I am going at it differently now. It starts with how I want to live, not with how much I want to weigh or what clothing size I want to wear.

My weight has been stable for months now. I'm overweight, yes, but I am following no program, have no calorie target, no exercise target, don't weigh every day. I need to get back into being more physically active, but I have a lot of work right now and not enough hours in the day. Maybe in awhile that can change.

I wish for all of us that we can live our lives more joyfully, and with less stress, anxiety, frustration, shame, guilt...

Jay

Gorgeous !