<p>Went to a Waterpark yesterday, after not having been for some years.</p>
<p>Lord, I didn’t know they made bikinis that big! Why???</p>
<p>And whatever happened to one piece suits with skirts for the larger-than-average gal? (Not that a guy with a gut is any more attractive.) Ewww.</p>
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<p>Yes, and no. My body’s more of a dancer’s built. I am healthy and do work out an hour a day. I also don’t eat a lot of junk food (haven’t touched soda since middle school, and have not eaten ice cream since forever). However, I have fallen under the “school lunches curse,” so I am more built than the average Asian nerd.</p>
<p>Mommusic, I’m guessing you’re not big on European beaches, where even the grandmothers of large proportion unselfconsciously wear small bikinis and many are topless. I kind of like it and always thought it was good for my kids to see (not the topless part) people just fine with all sorts of bodies.</p>
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<p>Yes, and it’s gotten worse over time - with all sorts of unanticipated consequences. For example the “It’s a Small World” kiddie ride at Disneyland now regularly breaks down because the boats bottom out and get stuck, because they are carrying more weight than they were designed for. The same number of people weigh a lot more now than they did back in the late 50’s when the ride was built.</p>
<p>^^I have read articles that some in aviation believe we need to establish new limits on the number of people allowed on small commuter airplanes for the same reason. I’m pretty sure that a crash somewhere in the south a few years ago was blamed, at least initially, on too much weight, and it was suggested that the passengers weighed too much. (The plane did not gain sufficient altitude on take-off and hit the side of a hangar.)</p>
<p>I actually look at the size of the people loading onto a crowded elevator with me, and don’t get on if the number of people is near the limit and the people look pretty big. I guess I’m just paranoid.</p>
<p>The was an article in the NYT yesterday discussing charging the overweight more for health insurance.</p>
<p>I am overweight and the insurance reimbursement for me is a yearly physical. My wife on the low end of her weight charts costs the insurance company thousands of dollars a year.</p>
<p>I completely agree that there is a general sense acceptance of larger size here in USA as people get heavier. Fashion industry is definitely trying to make women feel better with ever increasing size with “vanity sizing”. Talbot (usually my brand of choice for business wear) has gotten into this practice. I heard a lot of other brands do that too, but since Talbot is the store I shop consistently last 15 years or so, I have a direct experience to actually compare their old clothes and current ones: Size 4 clothes I bought 15 years ago that I still have are smaller than the size 2 I have bought for couple of years now. I assume it’s the case with other sizes also. They are trying to make women feel like they are much smaller sizes than they actually are.</p>
<p>By the way, as I am approaching 50, it’s getting so much harder to keep the same size. I eat way less and exercise more, but still on the constant verge of getting out of the usual comfort zone for my weight. I may be way below average, but I have always been a certain weight throughout my adulthood, and it’s getting harder and harder to stay within that zone. I may just have to adjust what I considered “normal” for my own personal comfort zone.</p>
<p>Any input on how to stay within your personal comfort zone when eating LESS and exercising MORE does not do the trick? Is it just a matter of slowing metabolism or is there anything else? What do you know about revving up the metabolism? I have done strength exercise, but it still does not seem to help either.</p>
<p>^ I have noticed both things you mention – I haven’t lost any weight but am now consistently a smaller size in my favorite brands. It was the clothing sizes that changed, not me.</p>
<p>I also never had to watch my weight before, but have definitely noticed a slower metabolism lately and I have to be somewhat conscious of what I’m eating for the first time. Daily exercise is now mandatory for me to remain a steady weight; I had never exercised until I reached my 40’s.</p>
<p>This is unlikely unless you are having other symptoms, but I have heard that women often develop mild hypothyroidism at this age which can slow metabolism. TSH is sometimes checked as part of a routine physical.</p>
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<p>This one is pretty simple. Don’t eat less (that will cause the body to store up fat), but eat more frequently in smaller quantities. This will maintain your metabolism for quite some time. Have more healthy snacks during the day, and don’t overeat during dinner. Other than that, exercise like usual.</p>
<p>* I have noticed both things you mention – I haven’t lost any weight but am now consistently a smaller size in my favorite brands. It was the clothing sizes that changed, not me.*</p>
<p>I was thinking I was in great shape- I have been wearing the same size I used to wear when I was 18.
( I still can wear a Burberry raincoat that is size 4 that I bought thirty years ago.
Then I ran into a pretty ancient pair of Calvin Klein jeans that had been packed away- they are size 10. They fit 
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<p>(I do have to say that while I wore a 3 when I was 18, I was also very fragile and thin looking.I think I am healthier looking now- However expensive clothing has always been more generously cut. That Burberry coat was a 4, but if I had bought a similar cut at Target, it probably would have been an 6)</p>
<p>quote:</p>
<p>This one is pretty simple. Don’t eat less (that will cause the body to store up fat), but eat more frequently in smaller quantities. This will maintain your metabolism for quite some time. Have more healthy snacks during the day, and don’t overeat during dinner. Other than that, exercise like usual.</p>
<p>unquote</p>
<p>I do ALL of the above. I don’t think the problem is that simple. I eat less, I eat often, I eat a lot of fruits and veggies. small portion throughout the day. VERY LOW cab. lean meat. exercise: both cardio and strength. Hardly any processed food. I do everything and anything in the department of healthy eating and good exercise routine. </p>
<p>IT STILL DOES NOT SEEM TO HELP. I am just resigned to the fact that I will have to adjust my view of what my “normal” weight should be now that I am approaching 50.</p>
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<p>Is working with light weights a part of your exercise regime? Doing this 3 days each week will boost your metabolism. Or make your body “an efficient fuel burning machine” as my trainer puts it. Keep upping the amount of weight until your arms look like Michelle Obama’s!</p>
<p>Also pay close attention to fiber intake. 40 grams each day makes a real difference. Lots of berries and Special K fiber drink packets makes it easy.</p>
<p>Another who has watched sizes changing. Tried on Gap jeans this week and had to take 2 sizes smaller than usual!</p>
<p>hyeonjlee, strenght training does next to nada for your metabolism - unless you add 50 pounds of muscle. It’s necessary for your bones, balance, etc. (And on that, I’d say the single most important exercise anyone my age - 50+ - should be doing is balance. And I rarely see that done unless the person has learned that from a trainer. Work out your vestibular system and you won’t fall and if you do fall you’ll be able to protect yourself better.)</p>
<p>There is no proven way to rev metabolism. The suggestion is that high intensity exercise helps - see above in the thread about interval training. For a person in a gym, I recommend trying to increase the rate count on an aerobic machine, whether a bike or something else. Note that spinning classes are all about high rev intervals (and note that competitive cyclists spin at 120+ rpm for extended periods, like days). Most people don’t go fast enough on the aerobic equipment, perhaps because they’re afraid of dying or just afraid of working really hard physically. Look up interval and particularly high frequency interval training. </p>
<p>On weights, I agree with hmom5 that you lighten the weights and do two kinds of exercise: slow and quick. You should be doing one rep in the time you’ll see most people doing 5 or 8 and you should concentrate on bringing the weight back s-l-o-w-l-y. You thus exercise your entire muscle system for longer. You try to work in or alternate quick reps of light weights - so-called super sets of 10 or 15 or 20. This is old-fashioned definition work that body builders were doing decades ago. Remember, light weight. That means take what you can lift and do like a third or even less. </p>
<p>Remember that as you get older you are more likely to develop tendon problems. These will never completely heal, particularly tennis or golfer’s elbow - the former is the outside and the latter the inside. So be careful.</p>
<p>As for decreasing intake, drink water to feel more full, eat off smaller plates, look at Mindless Eating to understand how your brain processes eating cues.</p>
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<p>As I detailed in post #32 in the recent artificial sweeteners thread (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/756791-artificial-sweeteners-3.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/756791-artificial-sweeteners-3.html</a>), what works for me is to not only exercising more and eating a little less, but also switching wherever possible to the low-cal versions of foods. The goal is to shave calories wherever you can without starving yourself or trying to live on some drastic, unsustainable diet such as vegan or Atkins.</p>
<p>I have the same problem of increased weight, especially in my abdominal area, now that I’m 50. I think it’s part of menopause—with less estrogen, there is a tendency to shift weight into the middle. However, it might not be so bad to accept a little extra weight gain. Women in their 50’s who work out like maniacs get kind of “hard” looking because they lose too much fat on their faces and get kind of veiny in the arms and hands (Madonna, for exmaple). Not a good look for the average 50 year old although. I’d rather have a pleasantly plump face than a haggard one. Helps to fill out the wrinkles!</p>
<p>mousegray, I agree - there are no easy Spanx-like fixes for the face (see the facial cream thread)!</p>
<p>D and I had to play the “guess my size game” at the mall this weeked. D (normaly a size 4) got a skirt in size 12 :eek: and I had to size down to size 6 so the pants wouldn’t fall off my rear. Go figure.</p>
<p>I think that weight loss/maintenance programs have to be individually tailored; what works for one person might not work for another.</p>
<p>^^^ I recently bought a pair of size 4 jeans in the junior department, something I haven’t done since I was an actual junior! </p>
<p>The most gracefully aging women I know are all regular yoga practitioners. There is something about the combination of relaxation, focus, and flexibility and strength building postures that seems to keep them in beautiful shape. One reason is that they have beautiful posture, but I think another important reason is that they are less stressed by life’s ups and downs and so their cortisol levels are probably way down, compared to the average menopausal woman. At our age, stress = weight gain.</p>
<p>mousegray–though naturally slender (ok, skinny) I always had a plumpish or baby face and in fact got “carded” into my 30s. Now that fat or whatever has succumbed to gravity and I am not happy about it. Especially when I have friends who have nice tight faces (without a lift) over their high cheekbones. Blech to this flat Slavic face. </p>
<p>Still skinny, though. :p</p>