Hi, I'm very happy to be here. Just a quick introduction. I'm a 53 year old woman, and I'm struggling a bit with all of the changes happening to my body . chiefly weight gain, and the struggle to lose it!! I feel so uncomfortable in this body, you see, I had always been fit and thin, well until about 4 years ago!! I have tried to lose weight with the paleo diet and also the keto diet, well I did lose 16 pounds, but gained it back over a few months. Now mind you, I wasn't pigging out, I was eating a regular, healthy diet, moderately exercising, and I would eat sweets on occasion. It seems that I can't even splurge, because If I do, it seems to snowball, and I start gaining weight. I just would love to get some insight from different woman on this issue, plus make a few friends along the way
Thanks ladies...Stevie

Hello and welcome!

It is completely normal for bodies to change through different age phases, medical phases, or life changes. As people age, they tend to lose lean muscle mass and gain fat mass, which results in the body burning fewer calories. Regular exercise as approved by a doctor can help with this, but some metabolism slowing is expected. Diet changes can be required for pregnancy, aging, health changes, activity changes, and any other number of things. It's just about realizing it and then taking action, which is exactly what you are doing, so congrats!

That being said, it is completely possible to lose weight at your age or older. I have a friend who recently went from 165 to 130 in a healthy, steady manner. She's your height and is 65 years old. She did it basically through portion control with some calorie counting (to get an idea of what an actual portion is), and no exercise at all. Even at 165, she wasn't 'pigging out,' but it was still too much for her body. So she adjusted. She tells me she feels great now.

There's a lot of information on this site that can help you figure out what you want to do to lose weight. I recommend looking at some of the active threads (there are a few floating around) to talk to some people, and also check out the archives of old threads. There's some good stuff there.

Welcome again!

Thank you Chanticleer for the encouragement. Being a nurse and also researching this topic extensively, I am all too aware of the natural changes, physiological that is, that happen as we get older. My frustration also is, that I do the portion control, I'm mindful of what I eat, etc. and my weight doesn't change. My plan is to go to a metabolic doc, a bariatric specialist, because I think at this point I need some help
I'm always open to any ideas, that is as long as it is healthy!!

I see! As a nurse, you definitely know a ton about that stuff! Well, in that case, good luck with your plan and I hope you figure out a routine that works for you and can help you lose weight in a healthy way!