Early 40's Mom getting frustrated
 

Any other formerly-fit moms in their early 40's out there who are trying to get back to their former selves? My goal is to lose 25 lbs by July 10th (my 25th high school reunion)! Not a lofty goal..should be doable but I'm really struggling. I am hovering around 150lbs and cannot seem to get lower.

The techniques I used in my early 30's don't seem to be working for me now! I'm doing 1200-1500 calories per day, and working out 4 - 6 times per week. I'm using the FIRM DVDs and also walking briskly for about 2 miles. With 2 preschoolers at home, I don't have much time for working out.

Have any other women in their 40's found a plan that is working for them? I've been at this for about a month and have lost almost nothing. Well at least I haven't gained. I'm getting so frustrated and feeling hopeless about getting a fit, toned body back at this "advanced" age! ;)

Well, I'm sorta the same, except in my late 40's. And what used to work to trim down no longer works. I found it to be a matter of calories in - calories out. There was a time when I could easily lose weight on 1500 a day with just walking for an hour a day. Now it takes an hour to an hour and a half of pretty substantial workouts at least 5 days a week, up to 7 miles walking also on weekends, and 1200 calories a day to get the scale to budge downward.

Sedentary job is a lot of it for me - last three years, for the first time in my life, I have a job that keeps me seated all day. I'm actually looking for another job and not just because the job itself is boring as all get out, but because I know all this sitting is not good for my health or weight, and I honestly love to be active and move around more. Money's good, but it if destroys your health...

So it's not just you. Age will get us all. :)

I am also in my late 40s and I have to work hard to drop weight, where before it was pretty darned easy!! After a month I have managed to lose 7 crappy pounds!! And most of that came off the first week!! My calorie intake is averaging 1200 calories. I am sure it is hormone related. I suspect we need to seriously cut carbs and sugar in order to lose weight, but I personally will only cut carbs so far. I don't believe in eliminating grain products from my diet, as they are what feeds my brain, but I eat no white carbs..no white flour, white rice, white breads, potatoes, etc.

I recently started exercising, so we will see if that makes all the difference, I am sure hoping so.

Sounds like we are in the same boat. I've just added exercise too. I'm hoping for some results. I'm eating about 55% carbs and I don't know how much lower I can go without becoming miserable. This is a real struggle. At least we are not alone.

cmeag, I keep my carbs down below 50%. I try for 40% but rarely can pull that off!! I usually end up being somewhere in the 40s% though. I don't feel miserable at this. I TRY and get 30% fat and 30% protein, again I usually don't quite manage it with fat being a little too high and protein being a little low..but at least I have a goal to strive for.

It isn't easy at ALL!!!!! Grrrrrr!!!!

I'm 43
 

I can't honestly say that I've given weight loss or exercise a serious shot since I was in my 30s. I can say it's harder now, but I need to give it a chance.

What I do know is that I can't do it with diet alone. Or cardio alone. I have to eat smarter AND get my heart rate up & sweat with cardio AND do strength training with weights on a regular basis - all three - and keep it up for more than a month before I'll see measurable results. Otherwise, I'm wasting my time.

KT, that's great progress! I'd be thrilled to lose 7 lbs in one month! I'm doing good to lose .5 to 1 lb a week. Oh, well, as long as i'm losing, even slowly, downward is the goal. My knees and back are tired of carrying around this extra 20-30 lbs. I'd give a lot to be able to run again, but I'm just too heavy for that kind of impact workout and I know it. Sigh.

My carbs are averaging about 45-50% over time. I don't eat red meat, and I don't really like chicken very much, so I'm a little limited. I haven't eaten white bread for a long time, nor rice, nor potatoes, although there are a few refined grains hanging around - have not found a decent substitute for water crackers, for example. But I don't think I can go a lot lower either, unless I give up coffee with nonfat milk and SUGAR. ARGGGHHH!!!! I don't like artificial anything, and I don't like black coffee!!!!!:eek:

I am in my early 40s and have struggled with gaining and losing the same 10-20 pounds ever since my high school days (so I don't really want to get back to the shape I am in high school!).

I think as an adult it's easier to identify emotional eating...that's worked for me, to recognize that and cut it out.

Upping the cardio (I try to do an hour 6 days a week) has also helped me make some progress. Find something you love to do and you will want to instead of feeling like you have to. I NEVER thought I would look forward to exercise, but I do.

I am hoping to incorporate more strength training in once I lose my last 7 pounds and then can increase my calories to maintenance. Supposedly that boosts a middle-age metabolism, too.

Keep at it and you will be rockin' your reunion!

Me, too!
 

I'm 44 and was fat my whole life until I lost 90 lbs about 5 years ago. I cut my carbs back drastically and then started doing some exercise after I'd lost the majority of the weight. Well, I've gained about 10 lbs back over the past few months since starting nursing school. When I'm sitting for hours for lectures, I swear I can feel my metabolism coming to a screeching halt!

So I decided to get really strict with my carbs again yesterday and expect it to take a few weeks to get rid of my excess. With school and a crazy schedule, I don't have much exercise time these days so I've got to make it happen primarily through diet and I HATE going hungry so low-carbing is my preferred method.

Hi,

I am also in my early forties and have decided to make a change. I work out with the wii and every chance i get, I march in place. I march folding laundry, peeling potatoes etc...I have seen 5 pounds come off in the last couple of weeks but I need to control my diet more, which I am hoping Fitday can help me with. I wish all of you luck.

Tina

Hi all! I'm new to Fitday. I'm so glad I found this thread! If there wasn't already one started for women 40 and over I was going to start one myself! :) I am 46 and have two kids ages 14 & 11. I'm currently 161 lbs and would love to lose 15 lbs. I have never gone back to my pre-pregnant weight which was around 135-140. I'm 5'7" tall and have always been active whether it was bike riding, dancing or rec. sports. After the kids came it became so hard to lose the weight. I carry all my weight in my upper body (read big boobs and belly) and recently set my mind to losing the weight for good! I'm tired of looking like I still have a pregnant belly and I would love for my boobs to go down a bit! I am tracking what I eat and shooting for 1500 -1600 cal. a day. I either walk/run, bike ride, do elipitical or take a class at the gym every day. I get so discouraged because I feel like I'm putting forth a good effort and not seeing the results I want. In four weeks all I lost was 3 measly pounds! *sigh*. I feel like the hormones have to be playing a big part in the weight being harder to lose now.

I'm 41 and have recently found a really good recipe that works for me, I've lost 63 pounds since October, 57 of that since Christmas. Here is the basic recipe:

Daily
1 hour of hard cardio, or 1 1/2 hours of a lower burning workout (my target is 800 cal/workout)
2 servings of whole grain, low-cal, low-fat carbs (usually 150-250 calories total)
3 servings of fresh or fresh frozen fruit
4 servings of low-fat, low cal protein (at least one of them dairy)
5-8 servings of vegetables, either fresh or prepared from fresh
9 glasses of water minimum
10,000 steps on my pedometer

I try and keep my calorie pie chart at 45-35-20 (carbs, proteins, fats), but it varies. If my carbs are too high I eat either tuna, fat free Greek yogurt or a low fat protein shake to balance it out. I used to keep my calories around 1200-1400, but decided that might be low enough to put me in conservation mode, so I've upped it to 1400-1600 which seems to have helped. I also try and get 15-20 minutes/day in strengthening exercises. I've noticed that I always drop weight when my proteins are in line for more than a couple of days, but if the carbs get out of hand, I stall for days on end.

Almeeker, That's interesting about what you said about if your carbs get too high. I'd be curious to see if that happens to me as well. I try to watch the carbs as it is and don't think I'm taking in that much to begin with though. It used to be that I'd just have to cut out the cookies cakes etc and I'd lose. Not anymore:(

The tricky part about carbs is they are in almost everything. I only eat a tiny bit of whole grain daily, but still have to contend with all the carbs in the veggies I eat. I always laugh at people that say they are cutting out carbs, and they they turn around and eat spaghetti pasta, um excuse me squash has carbs in it too. It's a really good way to fix a craving for regular pasta, don't get me wrong, it's just that it's not "carb-free" by any means.

Actually 3 pounds in 4 weeks is pretty good. Keep up that pace and you should be down to your goal weight in another 3-4 months.