Losing weight at 40 - help!

[BB8sm8]

Not sure where to post this...I hit 40 in a few months in the past, if I felt a bit bigger, I’d just pull back on the treats a bit & the weight would reliably drop off...but the last year I’ve found the weight stubbornly staying! Am I doomed to a life of no treats now, is this an age thing? Life feels a bit joyless to me without a bit of pasta & wine🥂 🍝🤣

It’s utterly miserable trying to lose weight after 40 (and disappointingly easy to put it on)! Just thinking about cheese makes me bigger! Good luck!

Im in my fifties and have lost weight recently, and i still eat pasta and drink wine, still a way to go but SW is working for me. Cheese however is a different matter, i have to avoid that 😃

Intermittent fasting is worth a go. I just eat between 12-6 or 12-8 depending on what works for me on that day. Mostly fresh veg/ salads/ pulses but also wholemeal bread and treats although not everyday. I'm 43 and have lost over 3 stone in the last year.

It's like you have read my mind. 40 last November and still can't shift the 7lb I gained over my birthday and Christmas and general eating treats during a miserable January. Previously a week of eating healthy I would drop 3lb. Now it seems impossible.

You need to do strength training to gain muscle. You lose muscle mass after 35ish. That’s why you think it’s difficult to lose weight.

Google Susan niebergall.

Glad it’s not just me! It’s not a vanity thing, I don’t feel healthy being probably a stone overweight. Why does loss of muscle affect weight loss? I’ve never heard that before? I’ve never attempted weight training.

Fast 800 was the only thing that worked for me. For ease I did protein shakes (Free Soul Vegan for Women) for breakfast and sometimes lunch. Lost 4lb the first week and 1-2lb each week after.

Messed it up after 4 weeks when I discovered I was pregnant but had 3/4 of the excess stone by then. I also did a 20 minute full body Joe Wicks workout a couple of times a week too and that was good for toning.

IF worked very well for me at 38 with thyroid issues and kept it off for a year (10kg) Now facing 40 too and have gained again - combination of thyroid and the last lock down stress. Going to go back to it!

Yes loss of muscle will be one reason because more muscle = burning more calories all the time, through the day.
But honestly, even without building muscle there is a very very simple trick to loosing weight, it’s just no one ever wants to hear it!

I could have written this post myself! I've given up chocolate for lent every year since my mid 20s in order to lose my extra winter weight and it always works. This year for the first time I haven't lost a single lb!

I hear you!