Is it normal/inevitable to gain weight in your 40's

[hpymomof3]

I was always very thin in my childhood and through my mid 30's. Now that I've reached the 40's (I'll be 42 in May) I seem to be gaining weight.

My diet is ok (not horrible though) and I exercise about 3-4 times a week on the treadmill. I know that I could do more but for now that is all that I have time for.

Lately my dh and a few other people (mil for example) have made little comments about my weight gain. My whole adulthood I've been a size 8 and recently I've had to buy size 10. I would like to lose 10 pounds (I'm currently 5-6 and weight 140, which is the most I have ever weighed.) I stayed in the 120's most of my adult life.

My problem is that no matter what I do I can't seem to lose the weight. I also resent the fact that people make these comments. I think it is because I was always super thin and now I'm average but it still hurts.

[Jodi-FL]

yes it's normal (your metabolism slows as you age) but no, it may not be too. I'm a month younger than you, and have a non-functioning thyroid that has caused me to gain 10lbs/year for the past 7 years.....yes, I was always very, very thin, but exercised regularly and ate well. Nothing changed for me, except back and feet problems (which will always be, unfortunately, arthritis and bone problem related) so I totally understand. It's worth kicking your exercise routine up a notch (add strength training if you don't do it already) and try cutting a few calories. as for me, I only lose weight if I eat 900 calories or less, I maintain at 1000, and gain at 1200. It's like 3 steps forward, 2 steps back, but it might not have to be that hard for you. very frustrating none the less!

it would be worth a trip to the doctor for a physical if you haven't had one in a while, and a complete blood workup, but make sure the doc. is up on the latest thryoid range numbers for your age.

hth,
jodi

[Rhondabee]

who at 65+ is still a size 10 and exercises 3-5 times a week. (She doesn't exercise vigorously, but didn't even start until the weight suddenly came on.)

She felt it very keenly, as well. When I was in high school and college, I would buy 3/4's and she would buy 7's - but we would wear each other's clothes (especially dresses). So, it was like an era had passed.

I will be 40 in April, and though I am down to a size 6, I still *look* big in the stomach after having my dd at 37yo. (When the BooKs are smaller than the stomach, it just really doesn't matter *how little* the stomach actually is - :mad:)

Suffice it to say, I don't expect to ever fit into my size 2's ever again.

[lynn]

ahem....baby weight:rolleyes: I decided I was not going there so I found a doable walk to run program and lost 30lbs. I now have 10 more to go I run/walk/crawl minimum of 5 miles and 1hours each day and weight train. Wimp little 30 min workouts just didn't work anymore. Now I love running and exercising it's part of my everyday life like brushing teeth. There is time break it down 15min at a time throughout the morning or whatever you have to do. The way I looked at it is I could keep complaining and get no where or do something about it.

[hpymomof3]

I really don't have the time to work more than 20-30 minutes on the treadmill in the morning or at night. I could probably do 20 minutes in the morning, 10 or 15 more during lunch and then another 15 more later. Would that still work or do you have to do it all at once?

[Amy in NH]

I thought I heard a recent report that showed that smaller bursts of intense exercise throughout the day are better for you than one longer period?

[lynn]

I don't know if it would as many calories as keeping your heartrate up for a longer period of time but to me movement and movement has to do something, burn a few more calories, get the metabolism up and get some extra energy. I also have to watch what I eat. although I do not diet.

[Amy in MD]

Body For Life For Women (specifically the section on the Measure of a Woman: From Body Comp to Hormonal Milestones).

She is pretty direct on describing what is happening to your body and what you can do to adapt your lifestyle to maintain weight or minimize weight gain. I am still reading it... hoping to see some results this Spring. I have 10 pounds to lose as well.

Amy

[Rhondabee]

Not really so much for the weight aspect, but just because it seems so healthy.

I'm thinking it would also help me get some *alone* time - something this introverted mommy needs about 3:00 pm every afternoon! If I really do keep at it, I'll let you know. It would be fun to have some accountability-partners!

[lvbnhome]

"so I found a doable walk to run program and lost 30lbs. I now have 10 more to go I run/walk/crawl minimum of 5 miles and 1hours each day and weight train. "

Thanks,
Lacy

[Liz CA]

[QUOTE=hpymomof3;32219]I was always very thin in my childhood and through my mid 30's. Now that I've reached the 40's (I'll be 42 in May) I seem to be gaining weight.


...you develop an excess of estrogen vs progesterone you can put on weight. A saliva test for hormone levels is sometimes helpful. It can then be balanced out if necessary.

[FloridaLisa]

If I want to lose weight, I've found that I have to run 4 times a week or walk every day. Walking 3 times a week will help me maintain, but I can't lose. But that's because it's really hard for me to give up chocolate. :)

Lisa

[prairiegirl]

Ever since I turned 40, the weight gain has been following me around. I have always been thin and I am tall, so the weight gain hasn't been noticable but I feel icky. For the first time, I have rolls and bulges that I am not used to at all.

On my 45th birthday, I decided that I needed to take a drastic step (at least for me) and go cold turkey with sugar. This was huge. I have been finding that as I get further into the land of menopause, I have become a sugar addict as well as a carb addict. So I cut out sugar 4 weks ago as well as some carbs. I eat lots of veggies and protein. I am going to wait awhile and then slowly introduce fruits to see if my body can handle the sugar from that source.

So far (three weeks) I have lost 9 pounds. There aren't as many rolls now. Wahoo! I am working on the exercise thing but this is harder for me. I just don't have the energy these days to put into exersice. Maybe I will leave that until my 46th birthday. :D


Julia
mom of 3 (8,7,5)

[Diann]

Like you, I was always thin, and I could eat anything, as much as I wanted, and not gain a pound. Until I reached 42. I'm tall and so the weight gain wasn't as noticeable to others, but I noticed my clothes getting tighter. I started watching my portions and walking/running. I'm 47 now and still follow this plan. For me, it keeps the weight off.

Diann

[Chris in CA]

I'm 5'6" and 122 (size6) but I noticed that when I turned 40 the normal way I maintained my weight (calorie counting & running) didn't work anymore. I had to radically change my way of eating - low carbs, high protein, lots of water and keep running : )
and I noticed that if I put on a couple of lbs. its ALOT harder to get them off

[Patty Joanna]

Dear Hpymomof3,

Inevitable? No. Not for *everyone*. I got told I would get the weight gain at 16, 18, 21, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50...and I've lost weight. I had to get a whole new set of clothes because merely standing up was an Adventure in Modesty.

Is being skinny a virtue? No. It's just the way it has worked out for me. But let me tell you two things:

1. My son--my very own son, who loves me very much--was always much more comforted when my sister held him. She has some female flesh on her bones.
2. If you are not fat, don't worry about it. If you are fat, it's better to keep things under control than to let them spiral and have to a) break bad habits and b) lose the weight. But "fat" is not determined by what other people say. It is determined by how you feel when you live your life in a healthy way. If you can still do exercize 4x a week and not feel awful, you should listen to that. If you start to feel crummy when you do this, then it is time to lose weight.

I have no moral authority from which to speak--I am a stick by nature, physically (and maybe interpersonally). But I have 50 years on me, and I have noticed that it is harder for people my age to deal with weight issues than it was for people my age to do so when I was 40. So I'm passing along some "older woman" information more than "empathetic" information.

By the way, I was "skinny" -- so called by a lot of people -- when I was wearing a size 10. So put that in the pipe and smoke it. Right???

[BamaTanya]

I was always skinny. Too skinny. I lost all the weight with my first 2 babies without any effort. In fact, I went back to lower than prepregnancy. Nursing really burned those calories.

But I developed hypothyroidism and had the last baby at 38. Yikes. Now I'm heavier than ever. I didn't "watch" my weight that first semester back in grad school, and I gained 7 pounds without changing anything.

Yikes.

I've decided to get serious about this because it's effecting my energy and comfort.

Even though my hypothyroidism is treated, I think I'll visit a specialist to monitor me. And I've got to make exercise a priority, too.

I don't accept that it's inevitable, but apparently it's going to take a mighty effort to change this outcome for me.

Good luck!

[RoughCollie]

I am a big believer in telling people what I think about their negative comments about me. I know what I weigh, I know I need to lose weight, and I would be offended if anyone mentioned it unless it happened to come up in a conversation I initiated with them about that topic.

If anyone commented on my weight, I'd tell them that I wanted them to stop doing it because it is not helpful and it hurts my feelings. If they persisted, I would tell them to leave me alone about it. If they continued to make comments, I would tell them they are being rude, to leave me alone about it, that their comments are not helpful and that they are hurting my feelings.

After that, I'd repeat the above litany until they got the message. I think it's called the "broken record" technique. I read about it in an assertive training book about 30 years ago. It works, although it takes longer with some people than with others.

I wouldn't accept the excuse that they are just concerned about me, either. I'd tell them to keep their concerns to themselves.

IMO, what you weigh and what you would like to weigh are your business unless you choose to make it someone else's.

RC

I also resent the fact that people make these comments. I think it is because I was always super thin and now I'm average but it still hurts.

[hpymomof3]

that the people who make these little comments are heavier than I am. Most people would not consider me heavy. In fact on the charts I am right in the middle. Since I am 5-6 I can weigh more that my 5-1 sil. She weighs in her 120's but since she is only at the most 5 feet tall her fat percentage is actually higher but most people think she is tiny because of her height. It's just frustrating because I'm just starting to get a few more curves (in the wrong places unfortunately) then I used to have. I used to be stick thin and maintained that most of my life.

I would like to lose 5-10 mainly so that I can fit back into my clothing. For the most part I feel good so I don't think I necessarily "need" to lose the 10 pounds. I wouldn't mind it though.

[Ferdie]

This is how it was explained to me. Somewhere around age 25-30 your muscles start to slowly atrophy. For every pound of muscle you lose your metabolism slows by 60 calories a day or about 500 calories a week. So if you do nothing to maintain your muscle mass, (weight training) then you would have to either cut back on your eating or increase your cardio as you age to avoid gaining weight.

Thankfully, the reverse is true. For every pound of muscle mass you add to your frame your metabolism increases by 500 calories a week. The secret to long term weight loss in your 40's is weight training.

Weight training also has about a million other side benefits, including increase bone density and preventing muscle loss in old age.

[hpymomof3]

I have a set of light dumbbells but I really don't know what to do with them. Again, I don't have a ton of time to exercise but I think that perhaps I could fit it in for short periods at different times of the day. Do you follow a particular program or just do certain ones on your own?

[Claire]

Right around 40 or so, there is a tendency for the body to lose a small percentage of muscle mass every year. Reduced muscle mass means your body naturally burns fewer calories. That is often how the weight gain "creep" starts. As someone well past 40, I can inform you that the weight gain continues unless you start doing something about it. Recently I have been able to stop the weight gain by tracking my food intake and exercise at Sparkpeople (http://www.sparkpeople.com) . Weight training to build muscle mass helps also, although I haven't been consistent enough to make use of that yet.

The weight gain with age isn't inevitable. Some people naturally start eating fewer calories to compensate for the fewer calories burned each year. Others exercise enough to maintain muscle mass. The treadmill, unfortunately, is not particularly good for retaining muscle mass because it doesn't stress the upper body muscles. It's great for cadriovascular, but the number of calories burned while on the treadmill isn't enough to compensate for the fewer calories burned from natural loss of muscle.

[Ferdie]

Hpymomof3 - the Body for Life routine would be perfect for you because it is quick and effective. You can get the book at the library. The author is Bill Phillips. Skip the diet and supplement section and go straight to the exercise section.

The weight training program is 1/2 hour a day, three days a week. Day one you work on the upper body doing one exercise for each of the five muscle groups: back, chest, shoulders, bicep and tricep. Day two you work on the lower body working out the hamstrings, quads, calf muscle and abs. Day three you go back to the upper body. He also suggests interval cardio work outs for 20 minutes which you can do before the weight training session or on your off days.

His book suggests a pyramid method of weight training, where you decrease reps but increase weights when you work out each muscle group. If that is too confusing then you can start by doing 3 sets of 12 reps for each muscle group with a minute rest between sets. You should barely be able to finish the third set. If you can your weight is too light. If you fatique before the 3rd set your weight is too heavy. The other trick to maximize muscle gain is to pause at the top of your lift and squeeze your target muscle and then carefully lower the weight. Don't let the weight touch the ground (or bench) or rest until you finish the 12 reps.

You can start with your light dumbbells, but to really be effective you are going to need to get some heavier weight (5, 10 and 15ib), especially for the larger muscle groups. Unless you find them at a thrift store they are expensive, but the BEST investment you can make for your body. If you get into it and are succesful then a reclining weight training bench (about $50 at Walmart), will be helpful.

The downside of trying to lose weight by weight training is that it takes a really long time. It takes months of hard training to add a pound of muscle. Losing weight is 70% about what you eat, so you can speed up your results by changing your diet and adding some cardio. I LOVE Bill Philips cardio plan (in the same book) because it is fast, 20 mintues 3 days a week, and very effective. Perfect for homeschool Moms.

Good luck and keep me posted!

[Karin]

Another quick routine that only takes two-three times a week, 1/2 hour is Strong Women Stay Young (if it's easier for you to find). You really need to get past 10 pounds for the full benefit to prevent osteoporois (15-20lbs for most exercises), but as Ferdie said, must start low. My sister recommends this to all her patients. Also, this book recommends doing the strength training for a while before adding cardio as you are less likely to suffer injury in a stronger more flexible body (this routine includes a bit of stretching.) j

One other tip--take the increase in weights more slowly than you would have 20 years ago!! I learned this the hard way.