I am 43 and I have always been slim and youthful looking without the need for special diets or dedicated periods of exercise. Lately the years are starting to catch up to me a bit and I have noticed that things are not quite as tight as they once were.
Among the changes:
1. Jiggly thighs and the appearance of something that may be cellulite.
2. Something I can only describe as "love handles".
3. A small bulge over the top of my bra strap and a saggy sort of look underneath it.
Before you start to think this is some sort of a joke post let me tell you that I am 5'10" tall and weighed 135 lbs from high school until about 2 years ago when I hit 140. My figure has remained the same for my entire life, rebounding well after childbirth even. I am not in bad shape, I just don't go down to the gym, preferring to hike, etc. instead. I am one of those genetic anomalies that can eat anything I want without consequence. As such, I have no discipline when it comes to food and will eat whatever I want whenever I want. Eating a box of Ding Dongs every day for a week will yield a net weight gain of nothing, zero, zilch.
Considering the above, my questions are:
What changes should I expect to my body at this age?
How much of an effect does gravity have and is it realistic to think I can have an effect on it?
By working out harder will the jiggly and the cellulite go away, or is that just part of the over-40 landscape and I should not expect to see it go away at this point in life?
Should I stress about what I eat all of a sudden, since things seem to be starting to slow down a bit, or is a tad bit of weight gain inevitable and not worth the stress unless things get out of hand?
When I ask people I know these questions I just get joked. They don't take me seriously and say I shouldn't be complaining since I have the body of a 30 year old. That is an exaggeration, and I am feeling and seeing the effects of the years as they are, but it seems that without a seriously visible weight issue I am never part of the group when it comes to that kind of thing. Because of this I probably know less about how to maintain my figure than someone twice my weight!
Among the changes:
1. Jiggly thighs and the appearance of something that may be cellulite.
2. Something I can only describe as "love handles".
3. A small bulge over the top of my bra strap and a saggy sort of look underneath it.
Before you start to think this is some sort of a joke post let me tell you that I am 5'10" tall and weighed 135 lbs from high school until about 2 years ago when I hit 140. My figure has remained the same for my entire life, rebounding well after childbirth even. I am not in bad shape, I just don't go down to the gym, preferring to hike, etc. instead. I am one of those genetic anomalies that can eat anything I want without consequence. As such, I have no discipline when it comes to food and will eat whatever I want whenever I want. Eating a box of Ding Dongs every day for a week will yield a net weight gain of nothing, zero, zilch.
Considering the above, my questions are:
What changes should I expect to my body at this age?
How much of an effect does gravity have and is it realistic to think I can have an effect on it?
By working out harder will the jiggly and the cellulite go away, or is that just part of the over-40 landscape and I should not expect to see it go away at this point in life?
Should I stress about what I eat all of a sudden, since things seem to be starting to slow down a bit, or is a tad bit of weight gain inevitable and not worth the stress unless things get out of hand?
When I ask people I know these questions I just get joked. They don't take me seriously and say I shouldn't be complaining since I have the body of a 30 year old. That is an exaggeration, and I am feeling and seeing the effects of the years as they are, but it seems that without a seriously visible weight issue I am never part of the group when it comes to that kind of thing. Because of this I probably know less about how to maintain my figure than someone twice my weight!
Based on my observation, it is going to be an uphill battle for you to stay young from now on. You will increasingly need a combination of exercise and diet to stay in shape. Even then, your jiggly and cellulite may not go away completely. I have seen news clips on TV and articles on health magazines that many men had resorted to growth hormone and/or testosterone injections to maintain their lean muscle mass and to raise their energy levels when they hit their 40's and 50's, and with a great deal of success. However, the long-term effects of these injections are not well known, and may indeed be quite harmful. I am quite at a loss of what similar things you could have done to stay young. Growth hormone injection maybe? Definitely not testosterone.
I am female. The last thing I am going to do is resort to 'roids to retain my girlish figure.....sheesh!