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Christine Stanley

Ms. Crissy, a woman of many talents and skills.

10/10/19 at 12:11AM UTC

Health

Gaining Weight in my 30's

I remember growing up, I was a twig, I always heard people say "It'll catch up to you later" or "You'll regret that in your 30's"... Well, here I am, I am 35 years old, and in the last year, I have gained about 25-35 lbs. I had blood work done, and I was told everything is fine, it's just age. What the heck? Is this for real? Is this true, did my metabolism just decide to take a break? I am a mom of twins, and I work 40-60 random hours a week, how am I supposed to work in a work out?!?!?!

Join the conversation...

kerik

102

Entrepreneur, change agent, mentor and mom.

10/16/19 at 1:29PM UTC

I am 35 and a very close friend of mine is 38. We were just discussing this. Everything is different in your late 30s as a woman. What is this phenomenon all about? I have never struggled so hard in my life to lose weight. We spend all of this time figuring out our bodies internally and externally then something changes in your late thirties.... what is it? Well I don’t know for sure but I think it is a combination of things and one of those things is hormones. Our hormones start to do different things inside our bodies and that effects all pieces of our being. My conversation has now been how do we support that system in our body? Especially as women. As women our hormones are a big part of our beings I feel like as women we should really nurture and support this system in our body. Though I also feel we do not talk about this enough or understand this for ourselves. So this is what I am doing going out to study this. I want to understand how women in other cultures have been managing. I think we unnecessarily suffer through these next years of growth and change when we could nurture and live life to the fullest. I feel like we should not be missing out because we feel disconnected from our bodies.... I’m purely speculating but I think I am on to something ;-)

Eva Jannotta (she/her)

171

Amplify your influence.

10/15/19 at 11:30PM UTC

Something that has been HUUUUGELY helpful for me is learning how incredibly, deeply entrenched fatphobia is in our culture. It's staggering! If you're curious to unlearn some of the hard-on-yourself thoughts you may have about weight, I recommend: 1) the She's All Fat podcast. I have learned SO MUCH! https://shesallfatpod.com/ 2) and https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/

Kaleana

152

Wellbeing Director @ Sequoia

10/15/19 at 8:20PM UTC

I also found myself having to work much harder to keep the same weight once I entered my 30s. The key for me has definitely been diet (and not diet in the sense of limiting foods, but diet in the sense of eating much healthier!), I also have had much more of a need to switch up more workouts and alternate between different types of workouts (HIIT, Cardio, Barre, Running) - you have to trick your body and muscles to keep working!

Lindsey Joe

618

Healthy Eating & Employee Wellness Expert

10/15/19 at 5:26PM UTC (Edited)

Our metabolism DOES slow as we age! Doesn't come to a standstill or change super dramatically (typically), but it has to do with our body's natural loss of muscle mass as we age. That's one reason why STRENGTH TRAINING is a recommendation of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans!

Ariana Nunez

388

Sprints and meetings in NYC.

10/15/19 at 5:04PM UTC

I hate to break it to you, but you have to prioritize yourself and your health before anything else. Pick a workout that you can stick to, even if it's at-home workouts. Find a gym buddy. All you need is 30 minutes a day. Either wake up earlier or workout after work. See if you can go at lunch time. Squeeze it in.

Katie Malone

1.28k

Social Media Manager + Mother to two daughter

10/15/19 at 4:26PM UTC

The answer above is so good & interesting. I had autoimmune issues last year & was losing weight (I know, what a problem to have). I was tired all the time & having awful stomach aches (I’m 36 & a mom & work FT). I highly recommend talking to a naturopathic doc & looking into your gut health. Get on a good probiotic & start with an elimination diet. I ended up having to cut out wheat, which for a former carboholic, was rough (at first). But now I feel so much better & stronger that it’s all completely worth it. I’m also on a good regimen of supplements & vitamins that helps reduce inflammation & supports gut health.

Kathleen Powell

Outside the Box Thinker, People Supporter

10/15/19 at 4:22PM UTC (Edited)

I am not a dietitian or doctor, but I have consulted in natural medicine for a while and have learned so much in the past few years. If your functional doctors aren't making a difference, and you're on all the prescribed supplements/ minerals YOUR body needs, then it is likely a very basic need you're missing. Remember weight loss is only achieved by taking in less calories than you're burning daily, and it sounds like you're sitting or working in an office more than sweating. Two big drivers that hurt weight loss: lack of lymphatic drainage (usually acheived through exercise, movement), and nutrition. It isn't age, it's what comes with age like being stagnant and continued ingestion of the things our body was never meant to process. Do a comprehensive search on GMOs and why giving up processed food like wheat is helpful (eat clean). You don't need to be a Celiac to be affected by this issue, and this is not a promo for a fad diet. Our soil, environmental issues, and then some, affect certain foods, and believe it or not, people who get sick in America from items that trigger auto immune diseases get BETTER when they move abroad and eat their food (same ones they ate here)! It IS the gut, as mentioned in the other post, so do a safe cleanse and try fasting with fresh juices for a bit, then begin a new way of eating. If giving up breads and pasta is death to you, limit it a lot and try swaps for pasta (rice or quinoa pastas). Foods that aren't processing correctly are just building up and making you hold stores of fat that should be burned energy. If you can't juice it, don't eat it (just for a period of time!). Fasting is good for everyone that isn't under a doctor's supervision for certain issues. Our bodies have to "work" to process and break down food, which actually taxes our system and organs, and the old way of "snacking constantly, then one big meal" is actually detrimental unless it's in very tiny portions consistently. Holding off on anything that passes through your liver for 8 to 12 hours or more helps regenerate healthy cells and rejuvenate the body (you've heard about the euphoria people have after days of fasting, but it doesn't need to take days of starving). Try on and off daily fasting ("intermittent fasting") which is very effective. It is an effective treatment for cancer patients undergoing treatment as it helps the actual treatment "take" as it regenerates better cells). Google it..super easy! You can still have morning coffee, and the hours while you sleep count! Next, look into lymphatic drainage techniques to get rid of the toxins and stuff you've built up by not moving and sweating. Lymph is your body's internal toilet (flushes junk out) so what goes in needs to come out in other ways. Optimal health means going to the bathroom as many times as you eat (3, at least), and most women will scoff at this, but once you change your diet you'll see it's true. Since you're likely not flushing, try alternate ways of moving the lymph like a shake plate, a small trampoline (yes, a trampoline! Just stand and move your body up and down for 12 minutes- you don't need to jump or bounce). Lymph massages. It doesn't mean you have to hate everything you eat or go to the gym an hour a day, it just means you alter your lifestyle a bit. The only reason eating fruit and sandwiches worked when you were young is because you limited other foods you were eating that weren't optimal, or contained a lot of sugar. Also, when you were younger it's likely you were moving your body and all the internal systems weren't trained to hold in the bad stuff that should be flushing out daily. These are basics, and I live by them. At 44, I feel and look way better than I did in my 30s. Good luck!

Anonymous

10/10/19 at 9:56PM UTC (Edited)

Raises hand slowly lol it's been a roller coaster my whole life. I remember losing 30 pounds once it took me the entire summer I walked everyday it was the year before my 9th grade year I ate sandwiches, fruit and water all summer. I remember this because this was the only time anything ever worked lol. I'm looking to do it again but I'll need to double the amount I want to lose I'm interested in your info :)

CharlizeRoad

314

10/11/19 at 6:15PM UTC

Haha, same!

Celestina Brunetti

Bringing Families Closer Through Food

10/10/19 at 3:39PM UTC

Its not age...I hate when doctors use that as an excuse! While our bodies do change over time...we just need to understand that and make modifications. Usually if you are gaining weight or struggling to lose weight, you are experiencing some type of inflammatory response in the body. You may just need to assess the food you are eating and approach your wellness lifestyle from a different angle. Happy to give you more info...DM me if interested!

Anonymous

10/14/19 at 4:16PM UTC

isn't perimenopause a strong factor as well? I've done all of the food sensitivity tests...i'm sensitive to white pepper which I've never tasted. $1500 down the drain.

Celestina Brunetti

Bringing Families Closer Through Food

10/14/19 at 4:43PM UTC

It can be...but even then, some of those issues can be mitigated. From a more functional approach to health, a lot of the health issues people experience, in general, are rooted in gut health. Often, the symptoms of ill-functioning GI health can present themselves in a variety of ways...not necessary through GI dominate issues. If you really want answers....research Functional doctors or Doctors of oriental medicine (who do more than just acupuncture) in your area. Happy to help you with that search!

Anonymous

10/14/19 at 4:48PM UTC

Thank you for the info and for your offer to help in the search. I've seen 2 functional MDs, both qualified and helpful but had no effective solutions. Lots of expensive supplements, but no food allergies, "leaky gut", etc. I may be susceptible to Hashimoto's down the road, but for now, no tangible answers or progress. It's super frustrating.

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dianna parr

10/10/19 at 3:10AM UTC

All the same but 50s...wish I could tell you it gets better

Anonymous

10/14/19 at 4:14PM UTC

Amen sister. :(

BBI

10/10/19 at 3:25AM UTC

Dianna, You have to give up bread no wine and soda Get a strict diet of fruit and vegetables. The pounds will drop off so fast .. I lost 25 pds in Two weeks.