Please only reply if you're female and closer to 50 than 40

[IWillSurviveHeyHey]

Because how in the name of the holy cheeses does one loose weight at the age of 48, when nothing that used to work in the past, works anymore?

I am reasonably active and don't overeat although admittedly I do drink alcohol and have a weakness for sweets. This was never an issue before but clearly it is now. Simple I hear you say, stop drinking alcohol and eating sweets. But I have. And whist in the past I would have started noticing some change after a couple of weeks, nothing moves at the moment. In fact, I am just getting bigger and bigger.

I have extremely large thighs and I am only short so I feel really uncomfortable within myself. My only saving grace is that I don't have a fat belly.

I am a bit sick of being hungry pretty much all the time and still, it seems I need to accept that I've gone from a size 10 to a size 12 in the space of a year and I've been hungry for the most part. Well I don't want to accept that. I need to go back to a size 10 or by the end of 2018 I'll be a size 14.

Please help me.

[IrisAtwood]

Exercise and portion control. As we age our BMR drops - we need fewer calories which means that we either have to signifcantly restrict calorie intake or increase energy use.
I go to the gym everyday as I have the time and this means that I can eat what I like without gaining weight.
To lose weight at my weight and height I have to stick to 1200 calories a day. When I was younger I would lose steadily at 1500.

[pombal]

Am 47 with the same problem.
Am fit, can run 10k but not one kg can I shed.
No advice OP but watching with interest.

[Online]

I'll be 50 in a few weeks and I've put on at least 3 extra kilos this year. Just had blood tests back and the thyroid result might indicate an under active issue.

I spoke to my sister who has been on thyroxine for years and shen said even if I go on meds I'll still have to cut back on food quantity (I'm bloody hungry as it is😫) and walk my arse off. Literally.

Anacdotally women around my age have said losing weight is harder when properly middle aged. Oh joy.

My son has hidden the biscuits. Am working on the basis that if there’s is nothing nice and “ready to eat” available to me I'll nibble less and it'll slowly melt off me. We'll see.

[AJPTaylor]

Its bloody hard. I do SW. I stick to it 100 per cent. I have accepted that if i do this i may lose a pound a week. So it has taken me 13 weeks to lose a stone. But i have lost a stone.

[twostepsister]

I am 52 and keep my weight down by having carb free days, eating porridge for breakfast, a decent sized lunch drinking lots of water in between meals and try and eat my last meal before 6.00. I cycle regularly, weights and cardio exercises every morning and do sit ups, crunches, plank to tone up my core whilst watching TV in the evening. I buy a mini 25cl bottle of wine as a mid week treat and enjoy a nice bottle of red to drink over the weekend. I find if I am cold and hungry a big bowl of fresh soup keeps the hunger at bay.

[gottachangethename1]

Watching with interest. 45 and gone from a small size 12 to a definite 14. Got a paunch for the first time in my life too. Constantly hungry and crave carbs. Starting on SW now as I don’t want to get any bigger.

[justpoppngby]

I lost my 'middle age spread', 4.5kg and lowered my cholesterol in a few weeks by healthy fats and low carb. Started on 100 carbs a day reducing to 30-50 over couple weeks. Using my fitness pal to track carbs. I stopped during December for Xmas and only put on 1kg - but I think as overdoing it a bit 😬- which will drop easy again when I carry on. I'm early 50's and trying other eating patterns didn't help. I hate low fat as I like cream and cheesy things so lchf works for me. I used to run but after leg injury am not allowed to do it so I had no exercise at all either.

[FinallyHere]

being hungry pretty much all the time

We have all been fed the line that healthy eating involves low fat, high carb. While it might work for very, very active people, low carb high fat works much better for me, and lots of people i know, too. People I know in RL, as well as the lovely people I have 'met' online. It's so different to the current 'norm', that it takes a bit to ally get the hang of it which makes the MN threads particularly helpful.

Come over to the lowcarbbootcampp* threads, some very knowledgable, all very lovely people.

[goinground]

I'm 47 and have lost 10lbs since September .

I have been following the SW concept . I have completely cut out white bread . I limit alcohol.
I have increased my exercise , I do 2 spin classes a week and 2 body pump classes ( weight bearing classes .)

I am currently Size 10 / 12 and I am 5.2 in height .

[LunaTheCat]

I am 53 and same thing since mid 40’s. Diets don’t work but what works for me is
-regular exercise including weight bearing exercise ( yoga for me as uses your own weight to strengthen muscles).

• Don’t think about calories , think about nutrition
  

-. So I eat nuts and as much fruit and verges as I can - aim for at least 6 servings veges and 2 servings fruit daily.

• Cut down on carbs but don’t elimate them.
  

-If I am hungry eat - handful nuts or grainy bread with good quality peanut butter.
-don’t elimate fat - eat good quality fat with lots omega 3 so oily fish like tuna or salmon, avocado, Good olive oil
-Starving yourself doesn’t work - you just start craving

• if you want a treat have it as getting into eliminating whole food group s just makes you crave. I love chocolate so have a few pieces dark good quality chocolate.
  
• think about what your body can do rather than how it looks
  

I went to an amazing dietician and she told me all this stuff - changed my life it did.
Good luck

[DayKay]

the only thing that works for me is cutting right down on grains. So no bread, cereals, cakes, biscuits unless I’m out or it’s a treat.
Lots of soups and veg.

[IWillSurviveHeyHey]

Thank you everyone. It's so depressing. Goinground I seem to have similar stats to you but I bet your thighs are not as out of proportion as mine. It's really getting me down.

Could you give me your best soup recipes please, not containing onion or curry please? I sometimes prepare a large batch of soup but it's always blended celery, carrot, sweet potato and red pepper and it's become so bland and boring, I don't want to eat it even if I'm starving.

[Hippywannabe]

I think it is harder now, I am 53 and usually follow SW, before I have lost half a stone on the '1st' week, not any more.
this time around, I will low carb calorie count as this works better for me. I am trying for 2 stones off by the beginning of April.

[windygallows]

I'm 48 and it's been challenging too. Really have to be incredibly conscious of everything I put in my mouth - no grains/bread, rice, pasta, sweets of any kind. And still am fat! Following SW has helped but it's super slow - I stay on plan and watch people who are in their 20s lose about twice as fast. So they are losing 2lbs/week, me 0.5-1lb week. It's a slog!

[goinground]

I don't mind the shape of my legs , they are very toned and in good shape .
Exercising has made me feel even better about my body .

The first pic is last week for the work xmas party and the second about 6 months ago .

[BitOutOfPractice]

I'm 50 and I'm 58lbs lighter than 28 months ago.

I've done that by calorie counting (which has involved reducing processed carbs as they are so calorific) and upping exercise.

It is definitely much harder the older you get.

[BitOutOfPractice]

*18 months

[PostNotInHaste]

48 and 6 stone or so lighter than in Nov 16 though still have 21lbs to go which I'm anticipating being the hardest bit. Fitbit plus calorie counting for me, limit gluten as doesn't agree with me so much.

Now I'm nearer target I'm slowing down the loss and with current activity levels can eat around 2000 cals a day and lose so there's a fair amount of flexibility I can build in. Think it's much harder when you're shorter as makes quite a difference on TDEE.

Planning to do some weights at home from next year to start dealing with the loss of muscle mass that apparently happens.

[busyboysmum]

I'm 48 and agree with you its so much harder.

I've got to start in January as I've been terrible over the past month.

Wgat works for me is lots of fruit and veg. I have soup for lunch (often carrot leek and lentil) then a normal tea.

Back to my body balance classes in January as well.

[SubordinateThatClause]

Last few months my eating patterns have been shocking and I have piled on the pounds. This week I start again with 1200 cals on My Fitness Pal. I've done it before. I CAN do this!!

[FaFoutis]

I don't think you can make nice soup without onion. Steamed vegetables, salad, eggs, cottage cheese and yoghurt are my normal diet. I don't eat bread or pasta at all but I do drink. I'm near 50 and I haven't put on any weight.

[Nettletheelf]

Remorseless gym, including proper weights, and not eating too much delicious sweet stuff. God, it’s boring. But I fit into my clothes.

[RumPumPumPum]

I'm so sorry (am nearer to 40) but REALLY??

Can you honestly not let yourselves relax a little & just BE over a size 10 when you're in your bloody 50's??

Do you think men out there of a similar age are busy starving themselves??

Do you not by now realise that your worth is based on MORE than your dress size? Why the need to be so small?

Seriously depressing thread.

[goinground]

Maintaining my weight is about staying within the healthy limits and not putting myself at risk of future illness or disease .

My blood pressure , heart age , body fat etc improves when I am within the healthy limits . I exercise to keep my joints mobile and flexible , I weight train to reduce my risk of osteoporosis .

It makes me feel good mentally when my body is healthy .

I do all this for myself and not for others .

[PoshPenny]

OP I'm with you on this. I gained 2 stone in a month 8 years ago. Age 44. 3 months after I stopped smoking and finished using nicotine patches. Then a bit more weight on top of that. 8 years on its not shifted and I'm absolutely sick of it. My BMI is 30 despite doing (according to my Fitbit) about 12,500 steps a day and burning around 2,500 calories a day... I'm going to try slimming world and see if that helps but I honestly despair