Shape after 40? Harder to stay slim!

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Most of my adult life I’ve been a size 8, briefly a 10-12 after my children but the last few years I’ve been a 6-8.
Im 5ft6 and have been 8st 4lbs for quite a while but since turning 40 I’ve put on a couple of pounds, round my middle, which I can’t get back off.
Periods are still regular but could this be the start of peri-menopause?
Im very strict with what I eat to maintain my weight, five days a week I have approx 900 calories and then two days I eat under 500. I’m not underestimating the calories I eat as I’m very careful.
How have people managed to stay slim as they enter middle age? Exercise? I don’t do much exercise as never seem to have time between the dc and working 37 hours a week but I think it might be the only way.
I feel like my shape is changing and I don’t like it much!

Yes it's definitely harder after 40 to stay slim. I'm 44 and managed to get a stone off since January this year - a combination of regular exercise (I run three times a week, walk the dog everyday and swim) and diet. Your calorie intake sounds very low tbh. I have 1500 a day 5 days a week with no alcohol and then eat what I want on the weekends and have a drink or two if I fancy it. I was always a size 10 up until about 3 years ago without trying but definitely have to make a conscious effort now to be sensible about diet and exercise.
I also got diagnosed with hypothyroidism around 3 years ago and have had a struggle to get that treated properly but having been on a higher dose of thyroxine since the end of last year have noticed that it is easier to keep my weight off.. those extra pounds had really piled on. Hypothyroidism is actually pretty common in women in their late 30's and 40's so if you have any other symptoms it may be worth asking for a blood test to rule it out as your food intake seems very low to not be losing any weight.

Thank you. That is helpful advice. I hadn’t thought about my thyroid.
Ive always eaten low calories, relatively speaking, so my body is pretty used to it.
i suspect my natural weight is more like 9st 7lbs so it’s always going to be a bit of a battle!
i will have to do some exercise I think, maybe starting with a walk every evening and then I’ll see if if can fit in swimming somewhere too.

I don't mean to be rude but are you getting a little obsessive about your weight? Just over 8 stone at 5 ft 6 isn't remotely overweight. Eating 900 or 500 calories a day is very low!
I know everyone carries weight differently but I'm just over 5 ft 7, weigh 10 stone something and have a healthy BMI. I don't feel fat.
Anyway, in answer to your question I personally haven't found it harder to maintain my weight in my 40s. I'm 48 and maintain easily by doing 16/8 and 10,000 steps a day. I do both these things for health as well as weight. I'm finding it easier to maintain my weight now than I did in my 20s. I certainly don't calorie count and I eat whatever I want (although I've always enjoyed good food, not junk).

OP your food intake is very low, so you might need to up the amount in order to have enough energy to effectively exercise.

Protein would be good in order to build some lean muscle, as by our 40's we are losing muscle mass, plus later on in life it can help protect against osteoporosis.

Firstly as a pp says you are plenty slim enough.

Secondly, doing weight bearing exercise a) is important for your health, especially for your bones and b) will increase your metabolism. If you have limited time, I would prioritise weights over walks or swimming tbh. Youtube has lots of weights based or bodyweight exercise videos.

That is very low calories
Eating healthily is important and it is unlikely that low a calorie diet is getting enough nutrients (esp healthy fats) to keep your body running well

If you need to eat that few calories then that is not a natural size for you.

Lift weights, eat more protein and increase muscle mass.

I don’t think this is necessarily true tbh , look at women in many other countries who are thinner as older or in previous centuries and decades where people got thinner as they aged. As we age we need less calories. I guess metabolism slows as we age though. I’m almost 40 and have always been a 6-8, got thinner after having babies due to breastfeeding for years with all 3 dcs and it made me leaner and it just stuck. I run a lot too which might keep the weight lower, at 40 you are still relatively young. My friends at 40 are all having babies still!
One thing that I find and what you said is energy wise I’m noticing a big difference, it’s hard to know whether it’s 3 dcs , job etc as I have my kids late 20’s , early 30’s and I was absolutely exhausted as they were all really bad sleepers for years but I find now I’m older we are busier with work etc I still feel really tired which doesn’t always get solved with exercise anymore tbh.. So I think it’s definitely age that causing tiredness which prob affects metabolism and can lead to sluggishness and weight gain. I’m still thin but definitely energy levels have been effected. All I’d say is try to up exercise and try and get more sleep if possible.

You're hardly putting on weight. Thats still underweight for your height.

You could be 10 stone and still be classed as slim for your height.

I think you're obsessing somewhat. Size 6 as an adult isn't really achievable for most women. I was a size 6 as a 15 year old (back in those days it was an 8/10 but they were tiny then) but as an adult a size 10 until about age 40. And I wasn't anywhere near 8 stone.

How have people managed to stay slim as they enter middle age?

Maybe because I get a lot of exercise & eat a lot of fruit & veg (as % of total food intake). I'm still about 3kg heavier in my mid 50s than I was at age 30. Which is fine. I'm content enough in my own skin.

How do people get 20+ years of adulthood as a size 6-8 ?
Sorry I have no answers for OP, but so many MN posts start with that statement. It surprises me.

Agreed with others your calorie intake is way too low for your height.

You need protein, good fats (avocado, olive oil, chicken etc) complex carbs etc.

I’d be concerned about calcium intake and osteoporosis if you don’t improve your diet.

I will never allow myself to be overweight. It's my own personal thing in life. I eat well and I eat what I want but in much small portion sizes than when I was a young woman. I also avoid eating late evening.

It may come as a surprise when you realise that you can reduce the volume of food you eat each day and that you don't need to eat that much to yo sustain good health and not feel hungry.

Having breakfast works for me as it can sustain my energy until tea time. It doesn't work for others so you have to find what works well for you.

Just for context my nana at a rough guess was size 6-8 probably a 6 at just under 5ft. But she had osteoarthritis/osteoporosis because calcium intake and muscle mass/weights weren’t really known about then.

My DM at 5ft6 is just under 9 stone which is good for her.

I’m early 30s and have no plans to become overweight, I just don’t want that for myself, like PP. I fully expect to have to reduce portion sizes as I get older, but I didn’t think it would need to be as low as 900 calories/day. I’m shorter than OP as well. Yikes. 😬

You need to exercise OP, no such thing as not enough time, 30 minutes a day is enough and you can do it from home if you need to. You just have to prioritise it. Your calories are very low and if you want to slim down down you need to build muscle which takes more calories but also burns more to maintain iyswim. Get some resistance bands and look up some home work outs, Pilates is great for toning especially your core. Weight tends to accumulate in the waistline after 40 so you do need to work harder if you want to stay slim

I have just hit 40 and wasn't feeling myself the Dr did a full set of blood tests and found I was prediabetic. I don't think that is likely for you but it would be worth getting hormone levels, thyroid etc tested. It sounds like you have been eating a very low calorie diet for some time and I've heard this can impact hormone levels.

Something I'm trying to do is more resistance/weight training, rather than long walks and runs (although if I can I like to do those too for mental wellbeing). After 40 we start to lose muscle mass and that can cause us lots of issues, so weight training is supposed to be very beneficial.

Im same height and my ideal recommend BMI weight was slightly under 9st which I found impossible to maintain at my body prefers more 9.5-10 so think you must be very slight build.

That's a very low daily calorie intake which maybe starting to cause your body issues and behaving in odd ways to avoid starvation. I was on 6-800 cal daily meal replacement diet so it contained all necessary vitamin, minerals and ratio of carb/protein body needed to avoid deficiencies and cannibalising itself going into starvation which would be very hard to do with real food and I also had huge fat larder to run on as basic fuel which you don't.

Im not able to burn off as many calories as most people do just moving about so I maintain about 1200 calories which is a pain as you can eat much freely more with exercise.

See the doctor for blood tests. There are private blood test companies that cover full range that NHS may not check. Remind GP to include incl b12 (as they sometimes assume if eat meat be ok when may not). Maybe thyroid if eating so little because feel gaining easily.

I’ve always been slim (around 9 stone, between five foot four and five, massive bust which I swear is half a stone right there).

Since being over 40, I’ve felt it’s been more about tone so needs exercise. If round your middle I’d maybe start sit ups or roll ups or something to build your core, which is also essential for good ageing. You actually don’t want to end up a too thin, frail old lady. Muscle weighs more than fat, some people might stay a similar weight but it’s muscle mass waning.

They are also starting to say now that diets and calorie restrictions aren’t good ways to lose or maintain weight. https://joinzoe.com/learn/why-calorie-counting-doesnt-work. I personally found WeightWatchers good when I went up to 10 stone in my early forties due to illness, it doesn’t seem to restrictive and you can eat all the eggs, popcorn, wholewheat pasta and fruit and veg you want.

I'm smaller than you, OP but was slim until my until early 40s. Then a stone piled on as I went into Perimenopause which I've fought hard to lose since then. Ive done fasting, calorie counting, slimfast and all kinds of other drastic diets. Now I'm just at a point where I realise my weight is not going back to my ideal (consistently anyway) and I'm working more on my strength and muscle tone instead. Bit of a mindset change really! Starting HRT has recently helped me plateau after gaining a lot of weight very quickly.

That calorie intake is incredibly low and likely to mean you are not able to take in enough micronutrients to sustain health. However you feel about weight / cosmetic appearance this should be your key consideration - being healthy and nourished.

I think weight is a very subjective thing but using any objective measure you are a healthy weight, or very possibly even underweight.

As other have mentioned two key factors to be aware of in this age bracket.

• depleting muscle mass ( a diet with enough protein combined with resistance training can help build muscle and endurance and offset sarcopenia.
• osteoporosis- a real risk for menopausal and post menopausal women.

I would’ve thought your body enters starvation mode on 500 cals?! Don’t you feel zapped…

I started putting on weight around 40- but I needed to as underweight, however I’ve now put on way too much. Can’t win!

Definitely harder to stay slim after 40 and much easier to put on weight especially around the middle.

mid-50s. I only eat one full meal a day but snacking is my downfall. Need to exercise more.

You'll be in starvation mode with that amount of calories. No idea how you cope on so little calories.

I am in my 40s too, and noticing how hard it is to stay slim. I have a few stone to lose though.

A lifestyle of eating under 500 or 900 calories is an eating disorder. Forget weight, your muscles and bones are in serious danger and that needs to be dealt with. A slight fall would be dangerous.

If you have been eating like that for a long time and do no exercise then you are probably skinny fat - you need to eat more and do weight bearing exercise or you will have worse problems than a few extra pounds of weight as you get older (osteoporosis plus lack of stability due to low muscle mass = more likely to fall and break bones). Focus on health and longevity rather than what you weigh.