To be sick of the mid life weight battle

[Mangetoutrodney]

Urgh- I am 46 and feel like I am fighting a weight battle with my hormones.

I eat a dairy free veggie diet thats healthy (I eat eggs so not vegan), exercise 4-5 times a week and barely drink. I calorie track to about 1500 a day & also do 5:2.

One weekend of drinking 2 nights & eating a bit more than normal and I have put on 4lbs. I know some of it will be water etc but I feel like I could literally PILE on the weight if I wasn’t all over what I eat.

It’s like constantly treading water but watching virtually everything I eat & drink & exercising like mad to not put weight on. I am not naturally skinny either so have always had to work at it but it’s feeling really hard to stay a normal weight/ healthy.

Aibu to be fed up- I am perimenipausal & it’s wreakng havoc. Anyone else had similar?

[LeilaDarling]

Following as in exactly the same boat!!!!

[NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace]

I know the feeling. I have to track absolutely everything in order to stay in shape. I think it's a price worth paying

[RussellSprout]

Yep. I put on a stone last year and I was already a stone overweight. My usual strategy of dieting it off every now and then to keep in normal range us no longer working.

It doesn't help that fatty, carby junk food is literally everywhere you go. It's like they want you to get fat.

[SolitudeAtAltitude]

Are you generally a stable wright?

It's about finding your new balance.

For me, I hate restricting food, so have upped my exercise instead. Others swear by calorie counting but that's not for me

Find what suits you

It is def harder now, at 47

[RubyRoseViolet]

I low carb as does my wife. Note we don’t do no carbs we are just very easy on the bread, pasta, rice and sugary stuff. I’ve lost a stone since Oct and my wife (who found all other diets impossible) has lost 2 with very little effort. We both feel so much better. My SIL got us into it, she has also lost 2 stone. It is such a relief to not have to worry about it and to have curbed my lifelong sugar addiction!!

[RubyRoseViolet]

I’m 49 and wife is 56.

[Nnnnnineteen]

Exactly the same. I went out this weekend for pizza and a couple of wines and woke up 8LB heavier!! Water weight is a killer for me. Also veggie and fairly good diet wise though my pizza on Saturday will take me all week of being a saint to get off. If I don't maintain 1000 ish I gain. Bloody lying TDEE - I'm a chubber, so according to that I need 1650 ish which would chub me up even more.

[InternetArgument]

Stop eating sugar.

[justgivemewine]

I could’ve written your post myself.

I’m 47 and definately entering the pre-menopause stage. I’ve also just started the 5:2 diet, but with the version of only restricting calories to 800 on the fast days rather than complete fasting. It’s my desperate attempt to finally lose the baby weight I put on with ds3 six years ago😳

I think the biggest thing for me ( and overweight dh) isnt just the counting calories but making sure the calories we did eat weren’t coming from eating too many carbs.

I’ve lost 3 kg so far but I suspect a lot of that is due to having a nasty cold and not eating much, and the stomach bug last week probably helped too. 🤢😆

I do feel like I might be fighting a losing battle.

[humblesims]

Cutting down sugar is good advice. And also when you get to 'our' age you need to cut down your portion size by about half. Maybe a third.

[Mari50]

It’s awful isn’t it? I’ve never had to be that restrictive with what I eat, I gained a bit of weight after dd was born 10 years ago but was still relatively slim but the weight just seems to be creeping on slowly but surely the last few years. I lost about a stone a couple of years ago due to a patch of emotional trauma (silver lining) and starting to exercise but I’ve since been diagnosed with hypermobility syndrome and have terrible joint pain and fatigue and find exercising exhausting not invigorating. It’s all a bit shit. Although I should lighten up cause it’s not going to get better..... definitely perimenopausal.

[Asta19]

I'm 49. Today I've eaten a 600 cal fish pie thing and however much the calories would be for the splash of milk in about 6 coffees. That's it. That's a typical day for me and I am still 2 stone overweight and it won't go. I honestly don't see how I can cut anything further from my diet! It's really depressing.

[Springiscomingsoon]

Yes I am starting to get like this. Last few weeks I can see I'm putting on a few pounds and it's not coming off as easy as normal. Trouble is I just don't have the energy to do exercise or watch what I eat. Although I'm too tight to buy new clothes so I'll have to do something soon.

[thenightsky]

Yep, me too. 5lb on over a weekend easily done. I stick to 1,000 calories on weekdays and I'm trying to reduce to 800, but it's bloody hard. Can't do much exercise wise either due to severe arthritis in one hip. 2 stone has crept on over about 4 years. Depressing.

[Chottie]

I think it also changing your mindset and thinking of being on a maintenance diet and not a growth diet. Also accepting these diet changes are for life.....

I also move more, walking briskly, getting off the bus earlier, up stairs two at a time. Walking around the house whilst chatting on the phone, taking stuff upstairs in several journeys.....

[Chottie]

@thenightsky sorry you posted while I was composing a reply, I hope my exercise comments don't appear insensitive to you.

[Alwaysthesun]

I can so relate to this also...

[malificent7]

The body coack aka Joe Wickes calls the scales the sad step and advises against them.
I agree op but tbh i like a few treats. As long as im not obese i dont care. Low bar...i know.

[malificent7]

Body coach!

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

I'm 37. You mean it gets worse? Fuckinell.

[justgivemewine]

Sorry Cabbagevan. Once you hit 40 it’s a slippery slope all the way downhill.

[Mangetoutrodney]

I do Joe Wicks Hiit stuff & love it! But I find it intense (obvs) and find it a bit too full on more than 3 times a week. Another mid life delight seems to be feeling fucking knackered all the time 🙄

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

[Siameasy]

Early 40s but yes it’s very tough especially as junk food is everywhere and so tempting. I have to have a ruthless mindset because frankly I do not want to be fat.

I’m another low carb person. So far that and lifting heavy weights are keeping the wolf from the door. But I won’t pretend it’s easy all the time especially with Easter eggs everywhere but for me it is the most doable and keeps me within BMI.

I hated 5:2 but 16:8 I like.

I have given up the following for good: cereal grains, soft drinks, flour and gluten free flour substitutes, fruit juices as they make me look pregnant. Do you suffer with stomach fat?

(I only have dairy in moderation too.)

I’ve not eaten potatoes or root veg this year apart from the odd carrot (rock n roll) but may do on a special occasion

I refuse to give up chocolate forever so DH hides it and rations out two squares which I factor into my carb count. 🙈

No junk food in the house whatsoever and I only drink about 4x a year and I bet when I do the same thing will happen to me as you!!


Extreme life!!!

[maddening]

I have pcos and this has been my whole life - I barely eat and exercise yet put weight on in a blink, it is thoroughly depressing.