To ask about middle age spread?

[MelinderMagpie]

I’m in my late 40’s and am struggling with my weight. I eat one meal a day mon-fri and relax a bit on the weekend but don’t go overboard.

I’m reasonably active and average 10k steps a day.

I really don’t understand why I can no longer lose weight when restricting my calories has always worked in the past.

Can your age really effect your ability to lose weight or is that a myth? Just wondered if anyone else was struggling at middle age with weight loss?

I've never counted calories, nor needed to lose weight or watch what I eat until I got to about mid forties.
Now in mid 50s I am about 2 to 2.5 stone more than I'd like to be / have been for most of my adult life.
Everything I eat, sticks nowadays.

Still struggling now and eat much less
Think it’s a curse.

I've gained about 2 stone in the last 5 years (45-50) with no change in lifestyle. TBH, I could accept it if it is "just" that and stabilizes, but I suspect it's an upwards spiral.

It's definitely harder. I'm 53 and like to (need to for my sport) maintain a very low body fat. In my 30s, I could eat what I wanted with no thought. In my early 40s it got harder (and I got larger). In my 50s, I've just had to religiously track what I eat.

It can be done. And it's not soul destroying or miserable as many people would have you believe. I feel really well

Never worried about my weight until my 50s. Now I have to take some form o
f aerobic exercise every day and seriously restrict my intake of food just go maintain a steady weight.

I'm 59 and have managed to loose 2 1/2 stone this year,have a little way to go but it is doable without starving yourself.
The last time I dieted I was in my 30s and it fell off.

You need to eat more!! Little and often.
At least 3-5 small meals per day.

After about 4 hours of not eating your body goes into "starvation mode" and can't predict when the next meal is coming... so it stores everything for dear life... Knowing its not getting fed enough throughout the day.

You eat 1 meal in 24 hours?? There is your problem, right there. You're telling your body to store as much of that meal as it can because there will be no more food in 24 hours.

Eating 3-5 regular meals a day would help to start with.

I don't really think middle aged spread is about gaining weight.

It's more about weight distribution and also the fact your skin gets looser and your body 'goes south'.

I think it's that 'drop' that makes you look as though most of your weight is around your middle if that makes sense?

I'm 50 and I'm still roughly the same weight that I've been since my mid 20s (approx 8st 3 to 8st 7), yet my middle definitely looks thicker and my waist is nowhere near as 'defined'.

It sounds backwards but it's true. Ive studied sports nutrition.
Also my mum could not exercise due to arthritis in her back and knees....she joined slimming World a couple years ago, just to get into the habit of eating more.
She never ate breakfast, had a tiny lunch and a normal dinner.

Now she eats a full breakfast, proper lunch and dinner, with two snacks per day. Shes lost 3 stone.

I’m mid 40s and one of those who never had to worry about fitting into my clothes.

Since 42ish, it’s definitely got easier to put on weight and harder to lose it and I think it’s because I’m more sedate in daily life.

I don’t scream with laughter; dance in the kitchen when a good song comes on the radio or chase DH/DCs round the house so often now.
My youngest are 7 and the eldest is 18. I would chase him around the park pretty hard 11 yrs ago. Nowadays, I’m much more sedate.

Restricting and cutting out meals only slows your metabolism down further.

The more often you're putting good food into your body, regularly, the quicker it burns it off because its sure the next meal is coming and doesn't need to hold on to anything as 'reserves'

Are you doing intermittent fasting, OP? I’m finding The Obesity Code by Jason Fung really eye-opening. Michael Moseley also agrees that eat 5-6 times/day is not good advice.

It's true intermittent fasting works too.

It's more that you're sticking to it religiously that helps.
So your body quickly learns how to adapt and knows the next meal will come for sure and when.

It's when we eat somtimes and not others that the body and brain get confused.

Eating a few small meals at the same time every day - or fasting at the same times/days let's our body get into a rhythm and can comfortably predict when food is coming.

And so the metabolism keeps itself up and running.

It's when we eat somtimes and not others that the body and brain get confused.

This really isn’t true, Notimeforaname.

Also, more research has been done on fasting and apparently it doesn’t cause muscle loss. Very different to yoyo dieting which is unhealthy. For anyone interested google Jason Fung’s videos. He’s a diabetes/kidney specialist. Or Michael Moseley (Trust me I’m a Doctor). Totally different from what we’ve been told for years.

Yes I’m doing IF, but it seems much harder than in my 30’s! Guess I’ll keep to it though and try and reduce calories further.

If you scroll down to just past halfway below there’s a suggested protocol for OMAD. If you restrict calories too much you might be getting into the trap of lowering your metabolic weight...

www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting/omad

Also see quick video:

• metabolic rate

I have taken up spinning (3 times a week) - it has changed my metabolic rate and kept off the 20lb weight loss from last year (Michael Moseley plan). I'm 52 and now weigh almost the same as I did 20 years ago but I definitely don't look the same unfortunately!

You lose muscle mass as you get older. You need more calories to maintain muscle. So it’s is more important to increase weights and strength into your exercise routine as you get older, not just do cardio.

I agree that the way to go is upping exercise. Weights will help with muscle and bone health.

Every woman I know, who isn't the naturally thin type has had to cut processed carbs and rethink their eating to maintain or not put on more than a stone, past 45. That includes drinking.

How many calories are you having?

What is a "naturally thin type" ?

Also giving up high fat and dairy foods can help with menopause symptoms, so it's something else to consider.

@lljkk
"What is a "naturally thin type" ?"

Women who have naturally low body fat and arw more willowy. Think Audrey Roberts, Emily Bishop (coronation Street). Or Faith, Debbie (Emmerdale). Denise, Chantelle (Eastenders). I've been medically underweight and not been that small. Women have a natural distribution of body fat, that varies from body type to type.

When are you having this single meal? If evening time may be working against you.