You know what I hate more than anything in the world (except liars & thieves & murderers)? WHINERS. Yup. Hate'm. And yet today, I am one.

MAYBE I'M JUST TIRED. I am so tired of being fat. Tired of dieting. Tired of exercising (even tho I very much enjoy some of it). Tired of stepping on the scale. Tired of squeezing into a size 14. Tired of storing my size 12's, 10's & 8's in a space bag in the bonus room. Tired of thinking about it, tired of working it, tired of trying to understand it. Yup. Color me tired.

I've been a happy weight a few times in my life. It felt great. I felt energetic (exercise was a breeze!) and my clothes fit nicely and I didn't have "bad body image". But now I'm push'n 50 (will be 47 this August) and my mojo seems to have run completely out. I have been at 172 lbs for a little over a year. Been told that I don't EAT ENOUGH. So THAT'S why I'm not losing! Been exercising, but it hasn't made a difference (in my weight). So I thought "yeah, maybe I should INCREASE my caloric intake. I did the math ...I should eat around 1450-1500 calories in order to lose the coveted 1-2 lbs per week. So I increase my caloric intake from aprx 1200-1300 up to 1500. BAD MOVE. I have gained eight pounds.

Most of my food intake is very healthy.

Breakfast is Kashi GoLean Crunch! w/skim milk or an egg & cheese sandwich on whole grain bread, sometimes I have oatmeal and a glass of V-8 juice, or a grapefruit with a slice of toast (always whole grain) and skim milk.

Lunch is easy salads (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, & peppers) with light Italian or no dressing - or a turkey sandwich w/cheese on whole grain bread. Every now & then I'll have a Healthy Choice Steamer.

Dinner is lean pork chops or skinless chicken breast with black eye peas or a sweet potato or green peas. Sometimes I have just veggies, I'll pile up a plate full of non-starchy veggies. And then there's "concoction" ...which has brown rice, kidney beans, corn, ground turkey, salsa & a sprinkle of 2% grated cheese. Also for dinner, sometimes, I will eat salad or a bowl of the Kashi cereal.

I gave up soda for diet soda and usually only have one of those per day, while I drink water 80% of the time (sometimes I have tea with my dinner, and I usually have a coffee at breakfast.)

Snacks are a handful of roasted almonds, a saucer full of carrots and an apple or a banana with half slice of whole grain bread w/peanut butter.

Yes - from time to time I indulge or splurge with a bite-size candy bar or a Coke Float consisting of a half cup vanilla ice cream (made w/Splenda) and Coke Zero. Sometimes my husband gets antsy for Pizza Hut, and I'll have my thin-crust veggie while he enjoys thick crust pepperoni w/extra cheese. But I DO stick to plan most of the time and am happy with it.

I walk most days, but now that summer is here, I'm swimming more often (I LOVE TO SWIM!!!!) - I swam 1.5 hours last Sunday. TIRED! - but GREAT!

I have succeeded in lowering my cholesterol, my triglycerides, and my blood pressure. Doc says I'm doing good.

And yet STILL. ...I've gained 8 pounds ... Sometimes I think it's the perimenopause - my hormones are really whack! - and I can't take any kind of hormone ever (due to blood clots in my lungs a few years ago). SO I just kinda have to suffer thru that.

I'm just about completely fed up and I really just want to drown my sorrows in a bathtub of frozen margaritas at this point. (with lime, of course, because who wants scurvy?....ah, my poor attempt at humor at my expense)

Sometimes I just want to give up and NOT CARE that I am FAT. And yet, I don't think I could ever "not care". After all, I've been dieting/losing/gaining/losing/gaining weight nearly my entire life. I've done just about every diet in the world... some healthy, some not-so-healthy, some were down-right completely UNhealthy... oh dang it. Now I'm stressing.

I'm sorry that I don't have any advice for you, but I just have to tell you that I laughed out loud (at work!) when I read, "with lime, of course, because who wants scurvy?...." And I have to say that you look *good* for "push'n 50".

It sounds like it's time for some real change in your routine. Have you tried serious strength-training? You've already got the fundamentals of clean eating down, and strength training could really change your body, even if it doesn't lead to rapid fat loss.

reji: thank you for the compliment


WarMaiden: I used to be a big (no pun intended) advocate of weight lifting. I started when I was in college... at a measley 103 pounds... I gained up to 115 of MUSCLE. I felt great, I looked great. One of the happier weight times of my life.

I've lifted weights on & off thru-out my adulthood. I think one of the reasons I'm "so big" now is because of it. Yes, I am fat, but I also have big muscles. A lot of people say women can't "get big like a man" - but I'm here as proof - I was able to leg press over 300 pounds and I just weighed 115 - that's almost triple my weight. My thighs got huge - of course, I was a lifeguard so I was swimming a lot... but still - I had awesome arms and a completely non-jiggly butt.

As I have aged, it almost seems like my body just has to have MORE of a workout. About 5 years ago, I got down to 138 pounds. Clean eating (much like I do now) and 1.5 hours of gym time at least 4x a week. 40 minutes cardio and the rest spent on weights. It seems like any exercise time less than that just doesn't do me a bit of good.

Yeah, I know..... "wahhhhh". Sorry! I'm just whiney today.

Hey Beach Patrol! I feel ya! And don't believe what my stats on the left say--I've gained some weight back.

I think there is a weight that your body wants to be at this time, based on your food intake and your exercise level. It may not be a weight that your mind likes at all.

I'm there myself, and I'm at a loss as to how to get out because the things I can do and that worked before aren't working and aren't getting me there. It's like my body is super efficient now, happy to keep its fat reserves.

I wish I could give you the magic answer--I wish I had it for myself! Right now I'm focusing on not regaining any more, and I'm not doing that by tracking every calorie or every morsel. I won't just give up and overeat, and I won't just give up and stop my regular exercise. And I'm trying not to whine over it, but to look at it objectively, almost like an experiment.

Tomorrow is another day... and things change...

Jay

I think that really might be more your perception than anything else. I have lifted for 20 years and can press more than 300 pounds with my legs, too. I'm also your height, and at 115, yes, my thighs were larger than the thighs of many women who don't lift, but they were far from huge. There just isn't any way yours could be at 115 pounds—at least in my experience.

I've yet to meet the woman who can bulk up without performance-enhancing drugs. I lift heavier than any woman I know and I am not bulky—though I felt that way before I dropped my BF%. Now my muscle is far more defined, but I also am thin. If there's "bulk" and one is not using drugs, it's typically a BF% issue. It's that or your mind was playing tricks on you, making you feel bulky when you were not. And that would have been all-the-more possible when you were in college, since I doubt there were many women at that time with muscle. I know there weren't any women lifting with me when I was in school. If you were comparing yourself to others....

BTW, is that you currently in your picture? If so, I would have guessed you were decades younger than you are. You look amazing.

Beach Patrol -

Sorry you are feeling down.

As someone who just turned 48, I have to agree that being this age changes things a LOT. What worked well and relatively easily in the past no longer works for me. I got a GowearFit and saw exactly how low my calorie burn is, and it's pretty consistent with my weight loss rate, which is fairly slow. I've tried to just relax and enjoy the journey and try not to worry about when I'll get to my destination. I won't deny that smaller numbers on the scale are big motivator, but I'm working hard at making the good choices just because it's what I do, how I live my life. Sounds like you've got the lifestyle down, now try to just relax and let yourself enjoy it.

Also, I'm assuming you moved your calorie target back down to 1200-1300? It's not fun and it's definitely not fun when well-meaning people suggest you eat more just because they can. But you know your own body best, so do what works for you.

LOL.... I went to an all-girl college, so yeah, there were plenty of us in the weight lifting classes

That IS me... about 3 years & 20 pounds ago - thank you for the compliment, tho.

HEY JAYELL!!!!!!!!!

I wonder about that as well - it's like my body is just NOT going to respond RIGHT NOW, no matter what I do. I suspect hormones are to blame - but other than trying to "eat clean" and exercise, I really don't know what else I can do. So I reckon I'm just stuck, dadgumit!

maybe that is what I need to do. Just focus on NOT gaining anymore...

Thanks Jay.... you're always so helpful! I do feel a little better.

I'm just happy to know someone else understands! - I swear, I hit 45 & then WAMMO! I was just STANDING THERE & the pounds just JUMPED on me.

Thank you for reminding me of that! I do know my body. And right now, my body is fighting me every step of the way on this weight loss journey. Bleh.

I have not yet moved my calorie target back to 1200-1300, but I am thinking that is exactly what I SHOULD do. ~sigh!~ Thanks for your response!

Hi BeachPatrol! Good to see you!

I plateaued for a couple of months over the winter. What helped me start losing again was:

1) measuring my snack of nuts -- my handful was 200 calories or more -- I've now got it down to 100

2) reducing my carbs. I'm down to one or two servings at breakfast, zero or one at lunch, and one or two at supper. I can't seem to have a snack with grains and keep my weight loss going. By the way, I hate this, except at that one moment in the morning when I get on the scale and the number is down again.

Keep experimenting! You'll find something that works for you.

hey gardenerjoy! it's good to see ya!!!

I am still using Beck techniques... but I swear, I just couldn't get under 172. And now I'm back at 180. I started eating whole grain bread as a health thing, and found out I love it! - and the bread I eat is only 50 calories per slice. And I feel very confident to say that my whole grain consumption is what has led to my lower numbers in cholesterol and tri'glids.

Thanks for your cheering-me-on words!

The good news is everything you are doing are the healthy behaviours you need to be doing anyway at the age you are now. But looking around, except for one friend the only folks I know who are eating healthy and exercising an hour a day are the ones that are either working on taking off weight or in maintenance from a previous weight loss.

Can you imagine how much worse off you would be if you hadn't been dieting and exercising? Sorry, I'll try to get off my soapbox now but I'm really finding the process of having to lose 100 lbs. is turning out to be a bit of a blessing for health reasons.

Hey Beach Patrol, I just wanted to add that in my case, hormones are a non-issue. Was past that before I lost weight. So...

Jay

Beach Patrol, I'm 47 so I get how challenging it is to make such substantial changes at this stage in our lives. Caryesings brought up a good point--look around! Others our age are starting to deal with health issues, something you are doing well with. You do look great regardless of your age. I thought that you were in your 30s by your avatar.

Most of my co-workers are trying to lose weight and most are about my age or older. But they are such a bunch of whiners! They whine about having to exercise, watch what they eat (while they're shoving down cookie after cookie) and watching the scale either move too slowly down or up. They all want to join me in the weight room but whine about it before and when they get there. I just would like to go alone thank you. Ok, vent over, let's move along here--sorry folks.