Ok, ladies, I'm a life-long exercise buff. It's always been a lot of work for me to stay thin, and I've always done it. I have a slow, Irish metabolism, and every few years...it gets even slower, so I have to re-adjust diet and increase exercise to get back down to size. I lost all weight after all three kids. Now I'm 42, and still wearing pre-first pregnancy jeans. I eat healthfully, I run, I walk, I do zumba and yoga and some weight training (but not enough to bulk up).
I'm tall and big boned with broad shoulders. Even at my SKINNIEST (and I mean skinny) in early twenties I was never under 130pounds, and I was a size 8-10. As I got into my upper 30's, I was the same physical size, but with increased exercise and muscle, I was 150 pounds and a solid size 10 (sounds big, but I didn't look like I weighed that much-again, same size as always-big bones).
So NOW, I have been slacking for a few months, and accidentally put on some pounds I need to lose before the pool opens. No biggie. But I weighed myself, and I'm 170 pounds!!!!!! WHAT? I don't have 20 pounds to lose-just some belly flub, so when that goes, I'll still be around 160-ish. Can this be true? Or do I have more weight to lose than I think? I'm still a size 10 and all my clothes still fit (aside from belly pooch which comes and goes). I don't weight myself often, so I'm shocked.
Has this weight increase happened to any of you "mature" mommas? Will I weigh 300 pounds and still be a size 10 by my 50th birthday?
Yup, SN, we're twins! And it's true on the sizes.....If I'm honest with myself I know a Gap or Land's End 10 is really a 12 in more expensive brands...and if I'm way down to my minimum (like you at 150-155) I do sport some 8's-which are definitely yesteryear's 10's......Thanks for kick in butt to weigh more often---off to gym I go!
No. If you get up to 300 lbs, you will NOT still be a size 10.
You could be in peri-menapause. If so your metabolisim is slowing down and the tendency to gain weight is hitting you. You can still lose and be slim and fit but it will more difficult.
OMG - you're built just like me!! Irish too....
I was 158 at my wedding (12 years ago) and a size 6/8 (6 at the waist so a tight waist/flowing skirt would fit in a 6) 8 in everything else. I had a guy who did Iron Man Tri's (totally into health/body) ask me if I weighed 125 lbs!! Ahhh... the power of muscle.
The problem I've found is that ( as you experienced) the weight creeps up FAST and b/c you don't look as 'big' as your weight would indicate you 'should' be it's easier to not TOTALLy freak out about it.
You will NOT remain a size 10 so I highly suggest that you weigh yourself every morning.... that was what allowed me to maintain a healthy weight for over a decade. If it's up a pound or two you make simple, small adjustments and Boom you're back down in a day or two. When I stopped doing that I gained just like you... and am still trying to loose it.
People who don't gain weight like us have no idea how easy it is to put on 20 lbs (crazy I know). No matter how well you carry your weight - 20 lbs is hard to take off. You also need to realize that sizes are completely different now... I believe Tim Gund (the guy on Project Runway) said that the sizes are about 1-2 inches BIGGER than 10 years ago... so you're probably a 12/14, but the vanity sizing has allowed you to remain a 10 over the years.
the key is to find your 'natural' body weight. It's the weight that you can easily maintain - not one you have to fight to get to. Mine is 150- 155. I look great and am not punishing myself to stay there.... sounds like you may be that too.
Best of luck to you.
I had begun to wonder the same thing - I, too, had experienced weird weight gain over the past few years despite going to fitness boot camp, really watching my diet, etc. Turns out I have low thyroid. Once that was diagnosed, things began returning to normal. Incidentally, once I was diagnosed with hypothyroid, my mom decided to go get herself checked (she had 30 pounds of unexplained weight gain herself) - she also has extremely low thyroid AND found out she was diabetic, to boot. With both of those problems under control, she has lost all the extra weight, too.
So, sometimes I think the medical profession and people in general will tell you that this weight creep just "happens," but I'm here to tell you that it can be a medical issue. If you're fighting to keep weight off with all the activity that you do, there may be something else going on that is adversely affecting your metabolism. Just a thought!
I would not use size to determine how big you are. I am a smaller size now than I was in my late 20s but am 10 pounds heavier. Companies have vanity sized like crazy. I would bet that at many stores today's size 6 was a 10/12 ten years ago.
A., you will not continue to gain weight. LOL I am 48 and I finally got myself back on gear. I lost 45 pounds last year and easilyam keeping it off. It's all about getting your body to work more effectively....with the foods that we eat, our body does not function as it should and we retain a lot of junk that we are not supposed to. Vitamins are key in my book, but not all vitamins are equal. I enjoy my vegan protein shakes for breakfast and then have another one at dinner if I am in a weight loss mode. I truly believe we all need to get our insides back on track and all will fall into place.
