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| | battling mid life bulge!Page 3 of 10 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) | Too often thyroid issues are overlooked especially in women. I found out in 1987 that I have Hashimoto's disease. I will always be on medication, but if it isn't monitored, I can have all sorts of things go wrong with my body. A couple of examples with an underactive thyroid would be: high cholesterol; night sweats; hair loss; depression; fatigue; constipation, decreased libido; joint/muscle stiffness; decreased hearing; memory & mental impairment; slowed heart rate; etc.
As far as the irritability thing goes - it happens from Monday through Thursday 
On the flip side of the coin, when I was 8 years old, I had an overactive thyroid. I could eat my family out of the fridge and never gain weight.
As far as the mid life bulge goes - I've had it since I was born  I can't say that I'm the happiest with my hips & thighs, but they are like these shadows, they keep following me around. Thankfully, my body is a well oiled machine, just a bit on the fluffy side. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 5:40:17 AM | I came across these lines a short while ago. I don't know who originally wrote the words but I agree totally with them.
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, What a Ride!" | |
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rossal
| | Joined: 12/5/2005
Msg: 53 | |
| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 8:39:08 AM | I have an hour glass figure.....some of the contents have shifted.
Used to be a size 5........a size 12 is fine with me.......I went t a personal trainer for 3 months...3 times a week. Not a pound lost!
I walk 10 miles a day to work in good weather....No weight lost
Nothing I do works ---been checked for everything....so.....I just joined weight watchers.......20 pounds overweight on me at 5 ft. 2 and a half inches tall........
I will just keep trying, but I won't beat myself up; after all, I will be 62 in 6 months.
When I lost 2-3 pounds people remark on it; strange, eh? It shows in my face...the last place I need to lose weight, LOl, LOL | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 8:42:40 AM | I battled the mid-life bulge and lost miserably. Now I'm battling the old-life barge.
cdn guy | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 10:07:08 AM | I guess the main problem is the "image" the media puts out as to what entails an attractive woman. To most men here in Southern California, the beautiful thin package is "imperitive" and the main issue. Most believe that surgeries by women aging should be the norm, and that women should be a size 4 or smaller or just hang it up. I see it all the time, a man and woman going out to dinner, He has a big steak , potato, all the trimmings and she is doing a tiny house salad with dressing on the side, and the guy thinks this is fine.
The funny thing is they will say that with a big paunchy gut, no hair, and totally out of shape. You see, the world is their oyster because they are "men". If they have enough money, they can buy the type of woman that they want and are more than happy doing so. I don`t even bother trying to meet anyone any more. If having the company of a man means starving myself , getting surgery and being unhealthy, I`ll stay alone. It tells me something about a man when his percieved ego with the babe means alot more to him than her health, happiness or well being. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 7:39:02 PM | | I would rather be happy eating and living normally then starving myself, obsessing over diets and trying desperately to look 40 instead of 58. Life is too short not to enjoy it!!!! | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 8:45:02 PM | The problem with excess weight is not only looks.
It's a serious health problem, world-wide, but esp in USA, World Champion fatties (UK is coming on strong, even France is worried).
You might get away with decent health and excess weight under age 40 (although a lot of fat teens and 20s are getting early heart disease symptoms and diabetes), but then it really starts to take its toll. Excess weight is "associated with" a whole bunch of diseases after 50, most them them are pretty nasty, even fatal.
Eating to live with a decreasing and then stable weight isn't starving (ask your trim friends), nor is it obessing over diets (effectively none of which work long-term). And only very tiny percentage of people having difficulty losing weight for medical reasons.
Life is too short not to enjoy it
Exactly. Too short to spend it waddling around with excess weight, lowered quality of life, and finally $1000s wasted for years in unending medical expenses.
There's no conflict between eating well and pleasurably while also maintaining a healthy weight. It's called The French Paradox. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 9:16:06 PM | I know that every man wants the thinnest and most beautiful woman in the room, but where do you draw the line? I guess if I am not going to be able to get to that 4, I should just hang it up.
OP, you know that's not true. In every thread about size and weight, scads of men say they prefer larger women, or average women, or that they don't have a specific preference and it depends on the particular woman. Also, a Size 4 (here, anyway - maybe the sizes are different in California?) isn't particularly thin for a short woman, and it REALLY doesn't mean she's unhealthy or starving herself. I find it difficult to believe that, even in California, men aren't basically the same.
But on topic, I believe almost everyone, female and male, faces some sort of metabolism shift in mid-life that makes it easier to gain weight and a bit harder to lose it. But a regular person (I'm not talking about those who have medical issues like some described on this thread) can eat A LOT of good food and still maintain their chosen, preferred weight/size. And that includes occasional indulgance.
I think the biggest problem is when more than a few pounds creep up on someone, it becomes frustrating unless you're logical about it. That happened to me when I hit about age 40, and realized I'd slowly gained at least 20 pounds - maybe 30 - from my ideal weight (for my height) over the past couple of decades. A pound or two a year - it's easy to allow to happen: too many cups of coffee a day with CREAM, too many lazy TV evenings with chips, etc., less physical activity because of crazy work schedules. I decided to cut out the stuff I really didn't care about (milk in my coffee, for example, and popcorn or fruit for TV snacking) and to SCHEDULE physical activity. I lost all the weight I wanted in about six months, and started paying more attention to my body if I gained a few extra pounds before they become many more extra pounds. It's really so much easier to lose two or three or five pounds, compared to 20.
I do notice among my friends and family in my age group who are struggling with their weight that (in general) they're deluding themselves about what they're putting into their bodies. They say they don't eat much, but they have fancy coffees with whipped cream when we go out and they have deep-fat fryers on their kitchen counters. Poached fish with dill and lemon tastes better than fried fish. It really does.
But - and here's a BIG but - I ALSO believe there's a sensible, biological reason for people in midlife to be slightly heavier than in youth. At age 45, I was still 10 or 15 pounds heavier than I was in my 20s, and was quite content with that. And at age 45, I was blind-sided by a personal disaster (my partner died suddenly, but it also could have been an illness or accident that happened to me), and I basically lost my appetite and went slightly mad for about a year. Those extra pounds probably saved my life. As it was, I was teetering on the brink of dangerously underweight before I regrouped. But that's in the past, and now I'm back with all the other mid-lifers, trying to keep a balance of not too fat, not too thin.
Small things, OP. First a sensible decision about what weight/size you WANT to be. Second, a logical and honest look at your lifestyle to achieve it. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 9:19:29 PM | Dear satx,
I`m not exactly waddling at 5'6" at 140 lbs. I weigh the same weight as what I was at 14.
I was going to send you my pics to prove it but you have a block, only considering people with public pics. I`m just a svelt as you, and probably in better shape. But thanks for your interest in me trimming up and getting in shape. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/17/2008 9:36:47 PM | Merry,
I'm not addressing your or any one person's specific weight, just the general idea of excess weight being more than a cosmetic problem, and more so with each decade.
I didn't realize I had that block on. I'll go take the block off. nah, women would be able to send me nekkid pics. :lol
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/19/2008 7:22:49 PM | I yam what I am..ya get what ya see,I'm healthy and me and like what I see.I please myself,not no man. I like me,if I ain't happy and like me,who else is gonna?Don't be thinking bout no man..think bout doing it for yourself first. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/20/2008 7:15:42 AM | Like many of the posters said, you're not eating enough. You can't lose weight longterm on a starvation diet. You need to start early, EAT BREAKFAST every day, have 5 or 6 small meals, and eat at least 1500 calories a day. Make sure you are getting fish, leafy green vegetables, and berries. Tomatoes and peppers are also very good. All these foods are highly nutritious and help boost your metabolism. Drink lots of water. Lift weights... the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism. Don't smoke and cut your caffeine as much as you can... both of those things effect important nutrients in your body that will help you loose weight.
Shock your metabolism by adding short sprints into your walk. Vary your diet and your exercise every few weeks so that your body doesn't get too used to one particular routine. You'll get more benefit from both by changing 'em up occasionally.
9 isn't big. It's a good average size so you're fine. Just start doing these kinds of things so you'll stay that way. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/20/2008 11:41:04 AM | OP
I watched a show on TLC last week about how to eat what you want while staying thin....I am 58 and have been the same weight for 40 years. Well getting back to this guy on TV, he said there are 4 rules to help you stay slim and I am passing them on to you..
1. Eat what you want
2. Eat whenever you are hungry...he stated that when you are starving yourself, the stomach sends messages to the brain and you end up binge eating to fill the empty spot.
3. Eat consciously....don't have TV on, or while you are driving. Make sure to put down your utensils after each bite. Pay attention and chew thoroughly.
4. Stop when you are full.
So, I have done this same thing all my life and I eat just what I like....so don't give up hope, just change what you are doing and good luck | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/20/2008 11:49:55 AM | ^^I saw that show just the other nite and a lot of what he says makes total sense!
I have changed my diet regime and I must admit, at times, I cheat. Because if I don't I will not be successful in my quest. I treadmill and use handweights. Down 13 lbs now! Woohooo. Into clothes I have not worn in ages! And I am doing this for me and what feels right on my body. Now a man on my body could be a totally different feelin alltogether! lol....
Just have to do what works for you is all. Starving is truly not the way to go as you will put the weight back and more!! | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/20/2008 1:01:41 PM | "buy the family packs to get a good deal, or stuff will spoil."
This is a real problem for people living alone. You want to eat live, healthy food, but everyday it's in the fridge or on the counter top, the nutritive value is decreasing, and finally rots.
Plus the fruit and veg farmers are not subsidized the way the corn, soybean, and beef producers are, so the live, healthy food costs more per calorie than the high-calorie-density industrial junk which shelf-lives forever.
So you're pretty much on the treadmill of shopping for small quantities frequently rather than the usual weekly shopping baskets of dead food. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/20/2008 1:36:17 PM | | We all would like to stay that ideal weight.... Men have the same problemn we are not 40 any more & we can battle the budge from now till death but tell me can we be happy doing that. I have fought it... then found out some meds I have to take work against weight loss. I stay active, I enjoy life, I love traveling, working in the yard, I was 102 till I was 40 then stared to gain weight. I am now, fat, fifty something , & fun. I do use the tread mill go for walks weather permitting, & watch what I eat. I have had bypass surgery back in 1996 it was when I stared gaining weight. I have had a stroke but I am now healthy again & thats what matters the most to me. I fell Iam a lucky woman I am 58 & I look it . We cant be a Barbie forever, & truthfully I enjoy life travel more & do more fun things now than ever. I look forward to the rest of my life whether it be alone or with someone special that can love me as I am. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/20/2008 7:23:08 PM | My feeling is that eating has been hyped by advertisers and has become an unnaturally pleasurable experience. When the link between hunger and pleasure becomes blurred, then people eat for pleasure instead of to sate their hunger. I am guilty of it as well when I dig into my stash of peanuts and chocolate chips and I am beginning to see the start of a bulge above my belt. I think the problem is that it is easier to satisfy our pleasure requirements through food than through anything else. We need to be happier with our lives in order to abstain from the pleasure of junk-food.
Short unrelated rant:
Plus the fruit and veg farmers are not subsidized the way the corn, soybean, and beef producers are, so the live, healthy food costs more per calorie than the high-calorie-density industrial junk which shelf-lives forever.
Food costs depend more on supply than on subsidies, though I'll grant that subsidies helps to guarantee a steady supply. With a short shelf life, fruits and vegetables will always average a higher cost than commodities with a long shelf life. Those subsidies are in place to prevent the normal feast and famine cycles of growing basic foodstuffs. They have worked so well for so long that people have forgotten what it is like to have severe shortages like they are experiencing in parts of Africa. Right now we're seeing a confluence of world-wide events that have produced shortages of wheat, but because of wheat subsidies, the infrastructure is there for the US to pick up a lot of the slack in world production. Hopefully it will only be a one year thing, but who knows how much of this is related to global warming. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/21/2008 7:40:38 PM | I've heard that it is more important to lose inches than weight yet everyone is so focused on their weight. Pull out the tape measure. You might find that although there is no difference in your weight....you may have lost some inches.
I've also heard it said that if you keep/put on a few pound it helps to plump up your cheeks making one appear younger.
I'd have to say.......find the middle ground. Keep some weight on but lose some inches. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/21/2008 9:52:50 PM | 'more important to lose inches than weight"
losing weight loses the inches, no difference.
"plump up your cheeks making one appear younger."
Probably true, if you only look only at the face. I've often that older people weren't that worried about the overall fat because it seemed to fill out and minimize the wrinkles.
But what about the fat required everywhere else that goes along with plumping up the face? | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/21/2008 10:10:35 PM | Meh... 110 lbs used to be my maximum - now I'm 125 and puffy in the face
I figure if James Spader and Chér can put on a little weight then so can I
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/22/2008 9:15:51 AM | "losing weight loses the inches, no difference."
^^^^^^^^^^^^
False......there is a difference. Building muscle does not usually involve a weight loss. If anything there will be a gain in weight as muscle is heavier than fat BUT your clothes will fit different. Therefore......a lost of inches does not equate weight loss.
Tone and trim, ladies. Then....if you're not happy with your APPEARANCE, concentrate on your weight then.
"Probably true, if you only look only at the face. I've often that older people weren't that worried about the overall fat because it seemed to fill out and minimize the wrinkles.
But what about the fat required everywhere else that goes along with plumping up the face?"
^^^^^^^^^
Well, what about all the sagging that comes about from weight loss? Breasts that hang and lay flat like pan cakes or a droopy a** that has wrinkles comparable to that of an elephant.
Don't get me wrong. I do believe that too much weight is not healthy but what is considered TOO MUCH? Most of these ladies that have posted, I feel, do not fall into the category of TOO MUCH.
Here is site for you to check out your IBM. Check out the difference between being a man vs. woman.
http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm
Cheers. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/22/2008 9:49:52 AM | I think my rant has to do more with unrealistic expectations of older men for that 50 year old pin up, they seem to demand.
I weigh within 10 pounds of when I was 13 years old, For God`s Sake. I`ve been about as consistant a they come. I live a normal heathy lifestyle, eat healthy, etc. etc. I have
read and heard things about how your body is set at a general maintenence weight which is genentic. If you want to change from this, it takes in inordinanat amount of work to get you under this. I know for myself, I have gotten down to a size 5-6, a few times (working out for 1 1/2 hours every day and literally eating next to nothing) I don`t think that this is really healthy. I don`t yo-yo at all. My weight is about as stabile as you are going to see. Genetically all of my relatives are right around my size and build if not bigger.
I think it is just the LA-Hollywood influence here. I know quite a few women my age.
Every one is constantly fighting to stay thin. Most (not all) are taking some kind of drug to try and stay thin. Alot have surgery.
I guess my biggest problem is the amount of single older men ( who usually are overweight and out of shape) seem to feel that staying waiflike thin and looking like we are 20, is a given part of our responsibility as women. We are obligated to try to look like that ideal runway celebrity- or we just aren`t cutting it. I mean really, a perfect body at 50, yeah it happens but not without alot of work.I have actually had really overweight very unattractive men make nasty comments about me not being thin enough ( usually after I have rejected them for being a jerk). It just hurts. I`m not a szie 4 and probably will never be. I guess men who are judging a shapely attractive woman over something so petty, should pretty much be ignored. The double standards and the objectification of a woman is the part that really slays me out here. I think it`s time to move to a kinder gentler place. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/22/2008 10:06:00 AM |
You have a Basil Metabolic rate that is related to your body's characteristics.
My basil metabolic rate is such that I will eat more lasagne if it has basil in it.
I live in Wisconsin where the average dress size is, hmm, 14? People are unhealthily fat here. I read about you size 2's or even size 9's and laugh. For all the negative things about this state (namely, WINTER), there are some things I like about the culture.
I do think mid-life people must exercise or die before long - diabetes, stroke, heart attack, the list goes on - but the last thing on my mind is fitting into a smaller dress size. I wish I only had that kind of problems! I'm happy as a size 18 (16 in some things, 20 in others). I have plenty of other reasons for people to reject me that are much more relevant than the size thing. And yes, I do exercise, but only in moderation. | |
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| battling mid life bulge!
Posted: 3/22/2008 12:28:15 PM | | yikes. coat yourself in whipped cream, it hides a multitude of sins ...*L* | |
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