Weight gain after menopause.

I was always a 12 in fact in my 20 s I lost so much weight through unhappiness that I was a feather and looked quite anorexic going down to 6 stone but after the menapause I went to a 14 + and go between large 14 and a small 16 I ve done SW never really got with the eating plan and hate all the clapping for losing half a pound and commiserations for gaining a half I did lose weight when I went but put it back on when I stopped going ... I know our metabolism slows down I also know I don’t walk so fast or as much now but I do really try to eats lots of fruit and veg and keep off the snacks This is no help to you I know but when you find the magic plan share it with me please

Yes I know what you mean about the clapping and award system etc. Was like a praise assembly at primary school! ;-) I am pretty active and I walk miles with my dog and I cycle everywhere. I'm never still. I dont think my metabolism has slowed down I think its ground to a bloody halt! I did the couch to 5k plan quite sucessfully last year but didn't really lose much at all! So me being me, I just gave it up! I don't look too bad from the front its when I turn to the side and my profile resembles Humpty Dumpty! I do think that alcohol is my downfall. I never thought of liquid as being calorific in the past but I suppose a couple of bottles of red a week takes its toll. Hey ho. But yes Bluebell if I do find that magic plan I'll be sure to share! Thanks for replying. X

I was always skinny until mid 40s. I gained some then but managed to lose that by eating more carefully.
In my late 50s I gained loads partly due to giving up smoking and being to exhausted to do much after my stressful job. I managed to lose 3 stone in 6 months with Weight Watchers. They don't publicise your weight loss in the class unless you agree to it and don't mention gains. I stuck to the rules and didn't use my allowances for treats, except an occasional half a glass of red wine. I also increased my activity levels. I've put 7lb back on after 2 years. We can't eat like we did when young and stay slim.
So, you can lose weight in your 60s but you really have to cut down on everything and be very active.

Thanks GrandmaMoira. I suppose I (literally) want my cake and to be able to eat it! I think I just have to work out which is most important to me. Being all slim and miserable about not being able to eat what I want, or being fat and miserable cos I'm not skinny anymore! Its a no win situation I'm afraid!

The Cambridge diet worked for me. It’s not cheap, but I found eliminating food completely for a few weeks and just using the products was much easier than counting all the syns or calories - you just become more obsessed with food. I felt really well and got the instant results I personally needed. I’ve maintained it now just by eating healthily. Well mostly. I hated the slimming world meetings which were not a lot more than a crèche with kids running everywhere and new mothers trying to lose baby weight after only about 6 weeks. But I think for each year you get older your metabolism slows and you have to accept you’ll never be a size 10 again. Being too skinny is aging anyway, and French women who eat little more than lettuce just look thin but miserable!

Depressing, isn't it? I was always a size 12 until I had a hip op three years ago. After that I went up to a 14 and here I've stayed, despite eating healthily and taking regular exercise. DH often snacks in the evening and offers me bags of crisps or chocolate biscuits which I usually decline but would actually love to accept. I sometimes wonder if it is all worth it. Perhaps I should just sit and munch with him and enjoy myself.

Helen; I'm feeling the same at the moment. Have always managed to get on top of the weight gain, even though my weight yo yo's constantly, but this is the first year that it's gone up and stayed up. I, too have tried slimming clubs but they're not for me I'm afraid. Just a short amount of time overeating piles on the pounds and then it's a nightmare trying to get them off again.

I don’t know if you have tried to keep a record of everything that you eat & drink in a normal week or fortnight, and then going through it to see what you might be able to cut out or cut down on without feeling as if you are depriving yourself of what you enjoy. Also, always endeavour to have a decent breakfast with a protein base as it will help to keep you going through the day. Drinking lots of water might help too.

As I’m getting older I’m finding that there are lots of things that don’t agree with me e.g pasta, bread and wheat products. As a consequence I don’t eat these nowadays and this has helped keep my weight stable’ish!

Good luck!

I think you have to decide if you really do want to lose the weight - if you do, it's not a matter of a short-term diet, which won't work now you are older, but a permanent change of eating. You will have to settle for three small meals a day and no extras, for ever. Only you can decide if it's worth it!

HelenTracy, I'm not trying to be alarmist but, if you're really eating less and still putting on weight for no discernible reason, maybe you should ask your GP for a thyroid function test. I only know about this because a similar thing happened to a friend who went from a size 12 to a 16 despite careful eating and a strenuous exercise programme. She's ok now, a!though she has to take pills daily and has resigned herself to being a 14 forever.

Try logging everything you eat on my fitness pal (free) and also look up the calories you need just to live. There is a thread on weightwatchers - have you tried that - I'm 64 and just lost 18 pounds. I eat carefully in the week and yes I do drink wine (or G&T) at the weekend! Also think of the health benefits not just your appearance.

The only way is to eat less and eat sensibly. We started in April this year. No biscuits, cake, puddings unless it is yogurt with fresh fruit. For me, in any one day, either potatoes or one slice of bread, not both on the same day. At least three days a week with masses of veg but no carbs at all. Surprisingly easy when you get used to it and this is the way we eat permanently now. I have reduced from 12:7lbs to 10:6lbs and my husband from 15:10 to 13:01. All my size 16 clothes left the house last week either for recycling or to the charity shop. I am not aiming for size 12 as I think that would be unrealistic at age 73 but I have far more energy now and get a lot more done. We also have a bottle of Prosecco every weekend, bottle contains 6 medium glasses. One each on Fri, Sat and Sun, dry for the rest of the week. I had my first sticky bun from Waitrose last week, it was OK but I seem to have lost my taste for gooey things. We will have most of the Christmas goodies but that is a one off.

I'm another my fitness pal logger. It is hard work as we get older I heard it said we should eat half the calories we did in our twenties just to stay as we are ... I didn't drink in my 20's!!! So that's ups my calls hugely!!! Anyway I exercise bike additional calorie savings to enable my treats and with a bit of fasting (5x2) I can keep around a size 8/10.

Watching post with interest. I could have written the OP post myself. I was size 8 all my life until disability wreaked it's havoc Now I'm a 16 and growing ?

Think what Teifi said will work, once read Princess Ann only eats a third of what she used to,she seems to maintain her weight.I can do it if I've got a holiday coming up,managed to lose over a stone this year as I was 70 in April OH booked a cruise for it.Was small 16, Now 18?He's just booked another one,so got my diet head on. ?Some model once said. No food tastes as good as slim feels!

I'm just the same at 61, I have been doing the 5:2 diet but have only lost about 6lb & that took ages!! I'll pop over to my fitness pal & try that. What really doesn't help is I have a disability and do much less now. I wish they'd show someone with a disability on diet programmes, its harder to exercise with a faulty body.

When I retired at 64 I was quite depressed and did a lot of comfort eating. My weight went up to 12 and a half stone. When I saw the family photos of Christmas 2015 I cried! I felt so depressed and ashamed of myself. My son bought me a Fitbit and I gradually worked up to 12,000 steps a day and used the App to log my calories allowing myself 1400a day including wine and crisps! If the weather is bad I dance to Heart 80’s in the kitchen.By my 70th birthday this year I was down to 10 stone 3lbs and am managing to maintain it most of the time. Good luck HelenTracy you can do it!

I shall follow this post with interest !! I'm struggling with my weight but have started to walk more and have already started to feel the benefits but no weight loss. I'm so pleased to hear that I'm not the only one who can't cope with the slimming world meetings, I only went once and thought "life's too short" . Having said that, I know lots of people who have done really well on their diet

Gave up work at beginning of year and determined I'd attend to sustainable health routine, redressing age and lifestyle balance using as much of a "natural" diet as both I and DH found acceptable. I love being back in the kitchen so hasnt been a chore! Daily doses of ACV, ginger and tumeric with balance of fresh fruit/veg and mixing up protein/fibre sources in weekly meal planning resulted in dropping 10lbs and comfy size 12 since spring. We still eat out 2/3 a week and probably have a few too many calories in the vino.. but I now balance better and cook smarter.

You are not fat at size 16 unless you are 4 feet tall!

My weight shot up after having a hysterectomy aged 58. In August this year I went to England to visit my brother. All his family are thin, whereas all mine are overweight. I decided to cut down on sugar, but still have a glass of wine in the evening. It's been slow but I've lost about 10 lbs. Hubby and I used to treat ourselves to cake every afternoon. That's all gone now!

Look up your basal metabolic rate - how many calories you need a day at rest - it's surprisingly low!

Lost 2st with SW in my 70s

I have down loaded a free app that counts steps and calories too., has a weight graph etc. You can also use it to count calories. I did lose weight when I first had it but it does keep me active and aware of when I have not walked the dog for as long as usual! Might be worth a try, there are lots of different ones about.