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Old 01-03-16, 07:03 PM  
Nuggie's Auntie
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
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I've been enjoying reading this discussion but have restrained myself from commenting because, at 43, I don't meet the age requirement. I feel like one of those little kids who has to stand out side the amusement park ride because he or she doesn't measure up to the stick.

Anyway, I find middle aged weight gain very interesting. I've put on 10ish pounds in the past year and a half that I cannot account for and cannot reasonably shed. I've researched this topic fairly extensively and cannot find any conclusive reason for why women tend to gain weight in their 40's, but it seems most women do.

I really hate the pressure women seem to feel (or put on ourselves) to develop only a tiny little bump during pregnancy, bounce right back to their pre-baby bodies immediately after, and then sail through middle age still able to fit into their jeans from high school.

I did listen to one interesting lecture on youtube that addressed this issue (I can't find it or I would link it even though it would violate the living daylights out of the diet guidlelines.) It wasn't the main topic of the lecture, but the speaker talked about the protective mechanism of elevated cholesterol and 'a few extra pounds' as we age.

It seems to me if a little weight gain is *so* prevalent, and always has been, why can we not accept it as a natural part of life? And this is not a recent phenomenon. You can read many accounts in books of women gaining a bit--usually in the middle--from the days before the current 'obesity epidemic' about which we hear such ominous censure today.

What really chaps my hide is that most mainstream media will never tell you it's ok if you gain a few pounds in middle age because they seem to fear people will view that as a free for all to hook themselves up to an IV drip of oreos. And as soon as someone does have the courage to say, 'hey, it's ok if you put on up to 10 or so pounds' others pounce as though someone has set in motion some grave moral decline.

For my part, I decided to continue with my workouts, my regular active lifestyle, and my very satisfying and nutrient-dense diet. And I bought some new clothes. I figure if a few extra pounds is what my body wants and needs right now, it would be pointless, head-wrecking, and quite frankly not a very nice thing to fight it.
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Old 01-03-16, 07:07 PM  
Juliepie
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Nuggie's Auntie, you have acquired much wisdom in your short time on this earth. Well said!
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Old 01-03-16, 07:09 PM  
MsThistlebottom
 
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Originally Posted by Nuggie's Auntie View Post
What really chaps my hide is that most mainstream media will never tell you it's ok if you gain a few pounds in middle age because they seem to fear people will view that as a free for all to hook themselves up to an IV drip of oreos. And as soon as someone does have the courage to say, 'hey, it's ok if you put on up to 10 or so pounds' others pounce as though someone has set in motion some grave moral decline.

For my part, I decided to continue with my workouts, my regular active lifestyle, and my very satisfying and nutrient-dense diet. And I bought some new clothes. I figure if a few extra pounds is what my body wants and needs right now, it would be pointless, head-wrecking, and quite frankly not a very nice thing to fight it.
Brilliant.
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"When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people." -- Abraham Joshua Heschel
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Old 01-03-16, 07:26 PM  
sophiesmom
 
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Originally Posted by Nuggie's Auntie View Post
What really chaps my hide is that most mainstream media will never tell you it's ok if you gain a few pounds in middle age because they seem to fear people will view that as a free for all to hook themselves up to an IV drip of oreos. And as soon as someone does have the courage to say, 'hey, it's ok if you put on up to 10 or so pounds' others pounce as though someone has set in motion some grave moral decline.

For my part, I decided to continue with my workouts, my regular active lifestyle, and my very satisfying and nutrient-dense diet. And I bought some new clothes. I figure if a few extra pounds is what my body wants and needs right now, it would be pointless, head-wrecking, and quite frankly not a very nice thing to fight it.
I love this . Hmm, I'm also 43 and have had the same thing happen. This was very, very helpful.

Now off to find that IV drip of Oreos....joke! Sorta...
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Old 01-03-16, 08:16 PM  
Nuggie's Auntie
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Well, thank you Julie, Joan and Sophiesmom. Comforting to me that sophiesmom had the same experience!

The interesting thing about books I've read that have referenced women gaining a bit in middle age (and by this I mean Victorian-era novels and the like) is the bland references to a woman 'losing the bloom of youth' or whatever are always discussed as if it is expected. Women didn't expect to remain the same into mid-life, and why should we, really?

Most recently I read 'Nella Last's War' and 'Nella Last's Peace,' two books fashioned from the real-life diaries of a fifty-something English housewife during WW2 and the immediate post-war years. In one entry, she mentioned something about weight gain, saying something to the effect that her mid-life gain 'wasn't too bad.' She didn't gain too much and thanks to a nip in her corset still had a slight waist! It was clear from what she wrote that she fully anticipated putting on a few pounds as she got older, despite the strict rationing she had to endure during that period.
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aging, body acceptance, body dysmorphia, diet mentality, happy with body, over 45, over 45 happy with body, self image

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