Okay over 50 and can't drop the weight!

[netoll]

Pilates really does firm up the abs and the overlying skin plus it helps you to breathe more effectively.
I enjoyed your photos of biking in France. Have you ever biked in Italy? We are going next summer and we would love to bike in some of the areas of the country.

[PinkBike]

Oh I hope I can keep this up with the holidays approaching! Hubby will be out of town for two weeks, Nov. 3 - 17, and my daughter and I decided this would be a good time to bake our annual holiday cookie stash. I place the cookies in my big freezer and take them out over the holidays for guests and to give away too. I must bake 12 dozen or more cookies. All kinds! But I'm on a mission now and I think I will get through it fine!

susan,
jillian on "the biggest loser" had a tip - chew gum while you're baking. sugarless, of course. i think that would work for me!

[Susan126]

Saw this at a store and took a picture with my cell phone. Just had to share it!

[barrb46]

I have a problem with weight gathering around my stomach area also. I am 54 and always have been thin, but my belly right now is hard to lose. I think it is an age thing -- not so much a permanent issue, but I think it is related to menapause, and once pass that, weight lost will be easier. My Aunt told me she had a problem around 50 and she was able to get her weight under control.

Someone mentioned when she drinks beer or eats certain breads, she feels bloated. I have celiac disease (www.celiac.com) which is a gluten intolerance. I use to feel bloated after eating. I was diagnosis with celiac disase and I am now on a gluten free diet. You may want to read about it, and if you think you may have it see a doctor and have blood tests. I feel much better since I have been on the diet. I have more energy, less skin problems -- my stomach is now "quiet" after I have eaten a meal.

Okay ladies, well those of you in my situation, over 50 and harder and harder to lose weight. Yea, I thought I would never gain weight because I exercise and eat right but lately I have noticed that since I turned 50 three years ago my middle section has been getting thicker. I just can't seem to get this situation under control. Anyone out there experiencing the same thing as me? And if so did you find an answer to shedding the midrif tire? HELP! I mean my hips and legs are fine but my middle argh! I don't want to start wearing stretch waist band jeans like I have seen older women wearing AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHH

Sue with more than one spare tire on my bike rides.

[beth h]

It's at least partly genetic, I think. At almost 45 I am now shaped just like my late mother, with the same big belly and narrow butt and hips. The only difference is that because I ride so much my legs have definition and shape where hers were just a couple of sticks. I am shaped rather like a slightly pudgy tree trunk in the middle. I wear a lot of mens' clothing because women's clothing (especially bike clothing) usually doesn't fit me so well.

My diet choices are somewhat limited by having Crohn's disease, so I shrug, eat what I can (word up: having breakfast is SO important!), watch my meds and symptoms and try to ride at least a little every day. (I average between 40 and 50 miles a week commuting, and also do longer distance rides some weekends.) I also try to stay active at work. But the last thing I want to do is get totally down on myself because my body isn't a certain shape. It's the shape I have.

For me the result is that I have a body I can live with (even if it doesn't always behave) and I'm not cutting out so many foods that I feel totally deprived and bummed. My partner adores me just as I am. I can live with being shaped like a slightly pudgy tree trunk. I'm alive, and vital, and amazingly healthy for someone with an auto-immune disorder. Life is good. I'm going for a bike ride now. Happy riding --BH