Age-related shifts in metabolism

[blackcat777]

I didn't want to hijack another thread when this subject came up, BUT, I think I've experienced my first age-related shift in metabolism.

 

I'm approaching 30.

 

I'm not really sure what my question is I just need to whine and cry and rant about it...

 

For the past decade, my body was locked at a certain weight. That number wouldn't move up or down no matter what I did.

 

I've always been physically active. I don't eat *any* processed food, junk food, I do all my cooking from scratch. I only eat organic animal products (I was veggie in my early 20s). My best friend opened my fridge and yelled, "IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE MURDERED A GARDEN IN THERE!"

 

I don't follow it religiously, but I incorporate a lot of Weston A. Price's ideas into my diet, quality broths, fish oil, grassfed everything, lots of sweet potatoes, fresh fruit, I do my own fermenting... I drink water, kombucha, and tea with honey.

 

I always took an interest in health and nutrition related subjects after I lost my mom to cancer when I was 16. I'd like to believe I'm fairly educated on the subject for a layperson and I've always taken pride in my health...

 

I inexplicably gained a couple of pounds earlier this year. I cut carbs where I could and increased my cardio only to gain a few more pounds...

 

I freaked out for a while and now I seem to have plateaued...

 

I'm still below the midpoint of "normal" on the BMI scale so it's technically nothing to freak out about... but at the same time, it's alarming to see my body change and have it be completely out of my control. It's even more alarming that over the last two months I have made HUGE efforts to see if I could get those pounds to slide off, but they won't.

 

I get (irrationally) scared the weight will start piling on nonstop for no reason. (My boyfriend says I'm a huge fan of the "slippery slope" argument which is logically invalid. )

 

I'm eligible for healthcare in six months at work... so if a scary amount of weight did start to pile on, I'd have my thyroid checked ASAP.

 

End-of-the-world paranoia aside, I guess my metabolism changed a little bit and it's making me angry and frustrated. I haven't let myself go, but I feel like my body is letting go.

 

My boyfriend also says it's the side effect of living with a great man and my body trying to get pregnant (I'm still slightly below the ideal BMI for peak fertility).

 

I know it sounds SO PETTY and SO STUPID and probably SO VAIN but it's really been upsetting me.

 

I guess it's another confrontation with mortality.

 

I don't want to have to spend tons of cash on new clothes because I can't fit into my old ones. I already know I won't fit into one of my favorite dresses and I can't even think about it.

 

I get scared that I am doomed to gain weight against my best efforts for the rest of my life...

 

Or I sometimes wonder if this is actually healthy weight I'm supposed to have?? This weight is me being healthy and happy?? It's just a giant mindf*ck??

 

Ugggghhhhh it's making me mental I wish it didn't bother me, but it does.

 

My freakout is also preemptive and amplified because two days ago I started an awesome job in my field... which is SUPER sedentary. It's a craft that requires long hours, and the more still I can be, the better the work goes. Previously, I did nothing but run around like a chicken with my head cut off serving in restaurants (about 10,000 steps per shift on a Fit Bit).

Edited July 7, 2016 by blackcat777

[jen1447]

Ha, I'd guess your last paragraph explains it.

 

I've always maintained a pretty healthy, steady weight - mainly thru a consistent and very active sex life I think, as I don't exercise any other way regularly - but age def brings a loss of your youthful ability to just effortlessly be immune to everything. Better get used to that.

[Emilia]

The key to staying trim and maintaining shape is having more muscle mass. You need to change your body composition through weight training. I'm 44 and have never had a smaller waist than I have today and that's because I'm a weight lifter, I squat 2 x a week and do various other types of weight training.

 

The reason why you found that cutting carbs and increasing cardio didn't work for you is that you lost muscle not fat. When the body is in calorie deficit, it burns muscles before it burns fat because muscles are more expensive to run.

 

When people - especially women - lose muscle and they take a break from exercise, even if they put on only a little bit of weight, they add more to the body fat they already have slowing down their metabolism further. Over time the fat increases and the muscles decrease, even after some weight loss they end up looking skinny fat, ie with a spongy, squishy body.

 

You need to put muscle on, OP. If you learn to squat, your boyfriend will thank you for it, trust me . Once you start weight training, you will also need to change diet to include plenty of protein and carbs.

[blackcat777]

Thanks for the replies

 

There's a Crossfit place near my house... I've been dreading signing up, but I suppose it's inevitable.

 

I'll get on those squat challenges. I was SO ANGRY that the extra cardio was doing nothing for me... and there were days I was so exhausted I was questioning if even that was the right thing to do... but that makes sense about the muscle and fat. I'll have to join my boyfriend in his quest for gains.

 

I wouldn't care if I weighed more and had more muscle!

[Emilia]

Thanks for the replies

 

There's a Crossfit place near my house... I've been dreading signing up, but I suppose it's inevitable.

 

I'll get on those squat challenges. I was SO ANGRY that the extra cardio was doing nothing for me... and there were days I was so exhausted I was questioning if even that was the right thing to do... but that makes sense about the muscle and fat. I'll have to join my boyfriend in his quest for gains.

 

I wouldn't care if I weighed more and had more muscle!

I don't know of your circumstances exactly but crossfit may not be the answer. Please take a look at the differences between powerlifting (it's what I do) and olympic lifts (crossfit).

 

For gains, powerlifting tends to work better.

[optomistic_nonsense]

:laugh:

I swear it was as though it was ME writing this post!

 

I am 31 years old and I SWEAR.....it was like mother nature said "Ok my dear, you are now 30 - say goodbye to your metabolism, energy and :laugh:drive to exercise, and hello to post-pregnancy flab and sleepiness!"

 

I have a 7 yr old (I bounced back from that pregnancy like a champ) and a 9 month old....the 9 month old seemed to do me in. Honestly though once I hit 30 or so, my overall energy levels decreased, I had cravings for the most ridiculous foods that I never even liked before (such as Pringles, kettle corn and buffalo chicken dip). Such healthy snacks, right?

 

I have come to the realization however, that I just need to grab the bull by the horns and be more stern with myself. I am running around the house like a nut all day between keeping the house in order and dealing with the kiddos, but none of that matters with my crap-o diet.

 

Basically - it seems, at least for me, that my metabolism has in fact slowed down to that of the speed of a tree growing, however it's my laziness in doing more things to work on that, such as improving my diet and getting my actual heart rate up more.

 

You are not alone, and the struggle is real! Just try to find a plan that works for you. I hate the term DIET, it seems so....I dunno... silly almost. I prefer to look at this necessary change as a "life change", not a diet. It's quite simple - exercise MORE, careful with your portions, and eat more NATURAL foods that grow from the earth, not all of this processed junk that floods the grocery stores. I feel like it's easier said than done, but it just takes some self-discipline and the acknowledgement that results are NOT immediate. Hang in there my dear!

[xxoo]

Muscle loss is normal with age. After mid twenties or so, if you're not actively building muscle, you're losing it.

 

If you want a body of a 20 year old, move like a 20 year old. That's hard when you add adult responsibilities of jobs, a house, kids, etc...but it's also a lot of fun. And it keeps you young. I'm 43, and I climb, swing, play, run, and jump like a kid whenever I get the chance

[SpiralOut]

I started gaining weight when I turned 30. I'm not sure if it's because I started biking a lot and gained muscle, or if I gained fat, or maybe it's both. I had to throw out all of my shorts and pants one year because they were too small. I got so annoyed with pants, in fact, that I spent an entire year wearing skirts, dresses, workout shorts and sweatpants. They fit better. Even a pair of shorts I recently bought are suddenly too small, which I don't understand because my thighs and butt look great. My doctor says I am healthy. I have a bit of belly flab which bothers me, but that's not why my pants stopped fitting.

 

Sigh.

[anika99]

I laugh at you thirty somethings, it's like listening to a twenty somethings complain about wrinkles:D...just kidding. It's just that I have recently hit menopause and I have to tell you this is real hell in terms of slow metabolism and weight gain. I didn't really gain much in my thirties. It's more like I filled out and became sexier as prior I had very lean athletic body that was almost boyish.

 

Basically the news is not good as it only gets worse. When peri menopause/menopause hits your metabolism will appear to disappear altogether. The only things I can recommend is healthy eating and exercise. The best exercise for boosting metabolism is weight training but weight training also increases your appetite so you have to be extra vilagent about making good choices regarding food (my downfall) while still taking in enough calories to build the muscles. Good luck

[xxoo]

I laugh at you thirty somethings, it's like listening to a twenty somethings complain about wrinkles:D...just kidding. It's just that I have recently hit menopause and I have to tell you this is real hell in terms of slow metabolism and weight gain. I didn't really gain much in my thirties. It's more like I filled out and became sexier as prior I had very lean athletic body that was almost boyish.

 

Basically the news is not good as it only gets worse. When peri menopause/menopause hits your metabolism will appear to disappear altogether. The only things I can recommend is healthy eating and exercise. The best exercise for boosting metabolism is weight training but weight training also increases your appetite so you have to be extra vilagent about making good choices regarding food (my downfall) while still taking in enough calories to build the muscles. Good luck

 

All the more reason to build muscle before perimenopause hits, ladies!

 

Thank you, Anika, you've given me my motivation to work out tomorrow

[Els]

I'm only in my late twenties and I definitely have noticed mine slowing down plenty. When I was in my teens I would eat as much as I wanted every day (including an entire 200g choc bar) and still be super skinny. And I wasn't even active. I'm a lot more active now than I used to be then - I do have a sedentary job but I make sure to get the medically recommended hrs of exercise every week. And I still need to roughly count calories to maintain my weight. It's still maintainable of course, just needs more effort than before.

[sam light]

Someone as fit as a professional athlete will notice age related changes earlier than people who are slightly less fit.

 

I was very fit (not at pro level) in my 20's, 30's, and 40's. I was faithful to cardio and weight training. I didn't really feel a change till my late 40's. In my case I demanded slightly less of my body than an athlete that demands absolute peak performance, so I wasn't feeling a change as soon.

 

Keep walking, stay trim, eat right, ...it's about all you can do.

[Chuff]

I second Emilia about putting on some muscle. That's the only thing that will actually speed up your metabolism.

 

I'm 50 and am smaller than I've ever been. I weigh a little more (muscle is denser than fat) but weight means nothing - muscle to fat ratio is what's important. I also powerlift.

 

Also, it's physically impossible to "get too bulky" like a man (a common excuse to not lift heavy for women) unless you are on steroids. We don't have enough testosterone to do that. So don't be afraid of weights!