To wonder where, at 43, my metabolism has gone..,

[Kiddiewinks2008]

Just turned 43, got 2 DCs and feel like I am suddenly waging a bloody war against my weight!
I've never been skinny, size 12-14 and 5'8 but have maintained this size my whole adult life....until a year ago and now its become a massive issue!
I am a lifelong veggie, eat healthy food, exercise 3-5 times a week and also do the 5:2 fasting. I allow myself saturday as eat/drink what I like day!
But I am finding nothing is working and my weight is rising- its doing my head in!
Aibu to think it is middle age spread & what can I do- I refuse to give in to it!!

Same here. Started around 42/43. I've never been really slim but a happy curvy size 12 with a small waist. I eat well and walk a lot which has been enough to maintain my weight. Now my waist is thickening and I'm losing my shape I've put on a couple pounds but I look like I've put on more. Something has happened to my upper arms too, I put a cami on today and they look horrible. I guess I need to start going to the gym

Might be worth going to the GP +getting your thyroid checked.

I'm 42. Size 8 all my life. Literally in the last 6 months I've started to put weight on at a scary rate. I'm bulging out of my size 10's now. I've only ever been this big whilst pregnant.

I have an underactive thyroid. I was diagnosed at 39 so not my thyroid.

I've managed to have 6 dc, give up smoking & have an underactive thyroid but never gain weight. I've got a horrible feeling its going to catch up on me!

Have you any perimenopausal symptoms? 43 is early, but not out of the question. I found that I started putting on weight, craving crappy sugary food, struggling with finding the will-power to do anything (resist eating crap, work, do stuff with DS...) I went on HRT (because I was having utterly debilitating night sweats and not getting more than 2 hours sleep at any one stretch) and it was like a switch went on and I went back to normal.

Metabolism slows a few percentage points every year after 35/40ish

So we have to ear a little bit less every year

I always wondered about "pensioners portions" at fish and chip places, but it's just that our metabolism slows with age

Wish appetite slowed equally!

we all seem to accumulate belly fat much more easily these days....I wonder why

This has happened to nearly everyone I know. From age 45 to 52 I went from a 10 in everything to an uncomfortable 12 in skirts and a whopping 14 in dresses and trousers, and gained a stone in weight. The distribution is not everywhere - basically boobs - an extra bra size to an E - which sort of makes me look larger all over, and a tummy that I can't seem to shift and that I hate. I rarely drink anymore and I can't eat less - or more healthily - than I now do. I take moderate exercise - about an hour a day, cycling and walking (my commute!). No thyroid etc explanations - had my over-50s health check to be told everything is perfect. I think the only answer is to learn to dress for the parts of you that you still like - in my case my hair, smile etc and my legs, and to stay away from changing rooms. I know this probably sounds a bit pathetically image conscious, but you did ask!

Yes happened here - have battled it by upping exercise significantly as can't be arsed to watch what I eat although keep thinking about the 5:2

I think its gone on holiday with mine

Would echo the thyroid check

When my medicine is right i can maintain my (fat) weight, when its wring i gain weight at a rate of knots

I am 43 this year. Was just feeling like I might get on top of this weight thing.

its less likely to be thyroid than menopause. just one of the wonderful little surprises this holds for women! before menopause I could diet and lose a couple of pounds a week. after it, it takes a lot of will power to shift half a pound. I echo the point raised about portion size. have a look at your portion in relation to say your kids. exercise alone wont fix it, you will need to have a change of eating habits because once the weight goes on it is a bugger to shift it. sorry. I feel like the bringer of doom and gloom.

After menopause all the fat molecules in your body decide they want to be belly fat 😤😥

Actually thats another thing- have always had small boobs but now they are suddenly mahoosive too and make me look bigger. I feel like I am going to have to totally change the way I eat - its reassuring to know its not just me though- it makes me feel old though

... and all the things that didn't creak or leak before start creaking and leaking!!

Don't worry. You have just made me determined to shift the 10 lbs I always think is not too much of a problem before it gets really difficult.

Am going to try harder too- I still want to inappropriately wear bikinis on holiday!! I refuse to give in to the tankini despite probably putting the locals off their food

There's been lots of past threads on this.

This is why a lot of people, especially women, decide to give up drinking, go Vege/Vegan and take up excercise.

I went Vegan, started weights, it isn't for everyone, but if your changing body shape really bothers you, you don't have to settle for that.

It's a sign of physically aging, which spurred me onto think about staying mobile etc. I've had ill health since November, but my body's coped with it, because, ironically it hit me, when I was very physically fit.

Re drinking, make the most of it, after 46, alcohol isn't your friend.

I've found similarly with weight gradually creeping up but would really recommend a calorie counting ap to help you realise where it's coming from. Your metabolism may have slowed a bit but essentially you're eating more calories that you're using up. I used My Fitness Pal, which is free and you just put in what you eat and what exercise you do and how much weight you want to lose and it works it out for you each day. At my size (I'm shorter than you) to lose weight even quite slowly I realised I needed a net 1200 calories a day which is very little indeed. I also realised that if you have a few days of not caring, eating out and drinking alcohol it's easy to go WAY over the right number of calories, so making myself count all the days helped keep the bad days not too bad. Anyway, I lost 10 pounds in the end which I'm happy with.

Eat drink what you like one day a week sounds like the problem.

All food is healthy in the right portions.