Middle-aged weight loss

Greetings!

A client of mine passed along this article to me and I thought I’d pass it along to you.  It definitely was thought provoking.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100323/ap_on_he_me/us_med_middle_aged_spread

When people complain to me that the pounds just aren’t coming off, I know that this can be frustrating enough to make one want to quit the whole quest for weight loss.  However, when I take a look at what middle-aged women who have been successful at losing weight, it seems that what they are doing is very different from what the rest are doing.  Let me explain.

Women who have been successful at losing weight and keeping it off seem to work extremely hard at doing so.  They exercise daily or almost every day.  They are meticulous at watching what they eat and possibly even track their calories via a food log or through another organization such as Weight Watchers.  Sure, they have their “cheat” days, but these days are far and few in between.  It is constant work and they have a great desire to keep their weight down, even if that means they feel hungrier than normal (this is what has been reported to me!)

I know a slowing metabolism, hormonal changes, menopause, sedentary lifestyles, stress, and lack of time are all to blame for weight gain.  Who really has an extra hour to work out every single day? Well, in this study most of the women were not on calorie cutting diets, so that does make a huge difference.  However, that is reality.  Most people truly underestimate how many calories they eat or how many calories they need, and over time, this leads to inevitable weight gain.

It is frustrating, yes.  But before you start blaming your thyroid, menopause, or anything else you can think of for your inability to lose weight, ask yourself these questions:

1.  Have you truly been consistent with your exercise program?

2.  Have you been tracking your food intake?  Have you been 100% consistent with the way you eat or do you have cheat days every now and then thinking it won’t matter?

3.  Have you cleaned up the JUNK from your diet?  You know all those little bites and nibbles that one takes during the  day?  Yes, these do add up!  WHAT you eat also matters.  Processed food has no place in a healthful diet.  Our bodies are not garbage disposals.

4.  Have you joined an organization that will teach you what a portion size looks like (if necessary)?

If you truly feel you have been doing all of the above, then maybe it’s time to get blood work done to make sure your hormones are functioning optimally.  We also need to expect the changes that come with aging and embrace the fact that we will gain some weight, fat will shift, and that our bodies will change shape a bit.  However, I do think that with some planning and persistence, you can have the best version of your body, at any age.
Cheers!

Jeannette