Please only reply if you're female and closer to 50 than 40

[IWillSurviveHeyHey]

Because how in the name of the holy cheeses does one loose weight at the age of 48, when nothing that used to work in the past, works anymore?

I am reasonably active and don't overeat although admittedly I do drink alcohol and have a weakness for sweets. This was never an issue before but clearly it is now. Simple I hear you say, stop drinking alcohol and eating sweets. But I have. And whist in the past I would have started noticing some change after a couple of weeks, nothing moves at the moment. In fact, I am just getting bigger and bigger.

I have extremely large thighs and I am only short so I feel really uncomfortable within myself. My only saving grace is that I don't have a fat belly.

I am a bit sick of being hungry pretty much all the time and still, it seems I need to accept that I've gone from a size 10 to a size 12 in the space of a year and I've been hungry for the most part. Well I don't want to accept that. I need to go back to a size 10 or by the end of 2018 I'll be a size 14.

Please help me.

I agree with Ernest. I knew I was going to enjoy Christmas then start trying to exercise more and eat better. Ironically because I gave myself carte Blanche to get stuck in I didn't. I had two alcoholic drinking all holiday and not very much chocolate. I've lost 2.8lbs in five days. I've walked twice a day for at least two hours in total and have used the exercise bike several times. I'm having to walk further so I know I'm getting fitter.

I turned 49 just before Christmas, I'm 5 ft 3 and usually weigh around 8st 4 - 8 st 7 which I'm happy enough with (8 st is my ideal!). I do a combo of 16:8 and the No S diet and find it easy enough to maintain my weight. I also exercise for 30 mins each morning (5/6 times p/w) and walk for 25/30 mins at lunchtimes during the week. I'm definitely heavier than I was 10/20 years ago (by 10lbs or so) but I have reduced my portions over the last few years and don't mind being a bit hungry at times as I really enjoy my meals when I have an appetite.

I’m 6lb down from Tuesday. Hurrah.

Ok Hattie... and what did you do to achieve that miracle?

Spill the beans, please.

That's superb Hattie.

I love this thread. It's very interesting. Thank you all

It’s Cambridge packs during the week and low carb food at weekends. I’m expecting a hike up tomorrow as I have drank wine yesterday ; I just can’t get on with gin and slimline or vod and sod.
I realise it’s the sweetness in wine I crave so I just need to suck it up and ditch the booze completely. Plus it makes my heart rate rocket the day after, which doesn’t happen with spirits. So yeah, it’s bad news.

Also it’s a big loss because I’m heavy so my BMR is going to be higher. I expect things to slow down pretty soon.....

Argh I have DRUNK wine. My grammar is still intact even if my wine resolve isn’t

I've cut out all sugar and carbs since last Monday, had potatoes twice. I've not weighed but don't feel nearly as bloated and flabby as I did. I can see that my stomach is flatter too. I might weigh tomorrow and go from there.

Excess food is not laid down as fat for several weeks.
Strict intake control for two weeks in January and Christmas bulges are gone.

This is very useful to know. Now I won't feel so hopeless after a holiday or when I have over eaten for a few days. It can be tackled.

That's it!
Just been on scales and gained 7lb since early December
9st 4 from 8 11
My trousers too tight and I am not going to buy new - I'm not that interested in shopping and don't want the spend. I've got 11 pairs of black skinny trousers that I wear for work and leisure. I demote them to leisure when they lose their blackness.
So if I go from today no breakfast (easy for me) the soup mentioned at beginning of thread (chicken courgette fennel etc) that I've made and frozen some portions and low carb dinner and have Xmas gin instead of wine/ beer will it shift?
I do 10000 steps a day and have a skipping rope to pick up from work tomorrow from amazon
Does this sound like a plan everyone?

47 here, with a under active thyroid on 100mcg of thyroxine a day. I love a beer and like my food.

i Exercise 6 days a week, combining HIIT and weights. I. Actually fitter and slimmer than I’ve ever been, but I have to work damn hard at it. Luckily I love exercise as my gym crew are a great bunch and we all spur each other on. If I didn’t exercise I know I’d be like I used to be, fat and depressed ( depression a side effect of thyroid disease along with a host of others).Plus I have a strong familial tendency to osteoporosis and exercise helps witn bone density.

I don’t diet, but eat healthily. No ready meals, little fried food.

I'm 46 and really wanted to lose half a stone before my holiday at Christmas. I'd tried everything. 5:2. Slimming World. Low carb. I stuck to 800 calories a day plus 3L of water and lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks. I wemt on holiday for nearly 3 weeks and only put on 3 pounds. Went back to 800 when I got back and lost it in 3 days. Doesn't work for everyone but I've found it easy enough...

abitoflight sounds good to me though I personally wouldn't skip breakfast. Can you squeeze in an egg-based breakfast

I’m 50 in Feb and 18 months ago I lost 3 .5 stone one slimming world and hit target of 10.5 stone. I’m 5ft 11 so this was a good weight for me. I then lost my mum and the stress of that caused me to loose an extra half a stone ...10 stone was toooo thin so I relaxed a bit and have got back to 10st 10. This seems to be my happy weight I don’t fluctuate too much from this. I’m not as toned as I was and I need to get back to my Dancing but I still follow slimming world and am happy with where I am ish. I’d like to loose those few extra pounds and get back into target again. But i agree it feels like hard work

MsGame
A few years back I went to New York for Christmas.
I came home 12 lb heavier.
Ultra strict 5:2 and I was back to the start point before the end of January.
But I was only 48 then

That's very useful to know for someone with my mindset. It always seems so insurmountable once I have piled it on. Almost as if it's pointless to try now it's there. I put all my weight on over holidays and a few pounds has crept on and stayed for every holiday I have been on. So depressing. Knowing that it's not actually laid down for two weeks means that I feel motivated to not let it rather than feeling well it's there now

Talkin I went on an 11 day cruise weighing 9 stone 6, I came back at ten stone and have never lost it and that was two years ago! Then the last couple of Christmases have added another couple of pounds.

No idea. Only thing that enables weight loss for me is thyroxine. Blood tests always show level is ok but if it is genuinely the situation where I could eat 20 cream buns a day with no exercise or 20 lettuce leaves with long distance walking and be the same weight I’m given an increase in thyroxine. Again, test after new dose will always show level okay (just like it was on lower dose) so .......... but weight loss will then occur with diet and exercise.

Khamiak No we do not want to sign up for your paid course. I have reported your advert.

Bitoutofpractice I was sort of going for a mix up of 16:8 and low carb
Janice turner wrote in Times a couple of weeks ago how she lost her last 5lbs that wouldn't shift by dropping breakfast
I'm half and half about it (dropping breakfast) and could easily scramble an egg or have Greek yog but the fasting phase diets seem convincing although we've always been told to eat breakfast

Well I've lost 58lbs by eating (protein-based) breakfast! I never ate breakfast before!

For lunch just had feta and spinach omelette with mushrooms on the side
Microwave mushrooms were a revelation to me and so tasty
In bowl, sliced mushrooms, cover with cling film and microwave for 2-3 mins. No added fat or water needed and they are perfect
May make feta and spring onion and spinach egg 'muffins' for breakfast - can just microwave in the morning and it would use up the feta

I made a roast chicken lunch. Everyone else had chicken, Yorkshire's, roast potatoes, stuffing, gravy and three veg. I had chicken, sweet potato roasted, six or seven veg and didn't miss the gravy, Yorkshire's or stuffing. I did miss the mash a little that I normally do but was full and enjoyed my colourful plate.

Dinner will be cracker and pate that dh bought me from John Lewis and a couple of chocolates from Hotel Chocolate.

Still confused as to whether I should eat exercise calories as I earn a lot but I've decided to try not too and not beat myself up if I eat a little over the 1350 calories given.

I am 49 and finding it harder to lose weight as I have got older.
I think it is important to me for health reasons but want to look my best as it makes me feel good.
I will be taking tips from this thread.