I would have your thyroid (TSH) tested, especially if you have had kids or have allergies.

Oh yeah that was an important point...I had thyroid cancer 3 years ago, so I get that checked ALL the time and it's fine.

Thanks for the input.

Have you changed your training over the past year? If not it could be that you body has become very efficient so the same workout isn't burning as many calories as before. The best solution to that is to change up your workouts (either add some slower days if you always run fast, or add some interval training).

It could also be your metabolism slowing down as well.

I'd also recommend reading Racing Weight. It talks about good things to eat for loosing weight and getting the proper nutrients.

I'm guessing your metabolism is just slowing down. Happens. At 30 I could no longer eat what I wanted to. My working out or eating habit hadn't changed but I gained weight.

You're not destined to be fat. You just have to do something (more) about it. Or eat less (or healthier).

I definitely noticed a change in how much I could eat when I turned 30. In good news, you don't have to accept it, but I think as we age we have to change our eating habits. Fruits and vegetables and whole foods more than processed stuff has been the key for me. Eating at home vs eating out helps control portion sizes and ingredients. It's not rocket science and there's no magic anywhere, but you have to pay attention to what actually goes in your mouth.

Yes, probably your age + metabolism changing unfortunately. Agree with reading Racing Weight and also moving towards more fruits/veg/unprocessed foods, decrease processed carbs like pasta and bread. I also had to add a lot more protein to replace the carbs, to keep me from getting hungry - almonds, walnuts, eggs, protein powder. I am vegetarian, btw. If I wasn't, I would add chicken and lean beef. No more binging on cheesecake and martinis..... or very, very rarely.

You will also have to start making more of an effort to maintain and/or add muscle. I found that just during pure endurance workouts didn't cut it after about age 35. Had to add weight workouts, core work, skipping, plyometrics, lots of high intensity intervals, etc. Otherwise, I would have great legs and a pot belly/love handles and scrawny, floppy arms :( Not pretty.

I'm 47 and have been fighting this since about age 27, so I hear ya! I'm married to Mr. Super Metabolism, which didn't help things over the years. He didn't start to experience this until about age 45. Female bodies are different!

One thing that someone said to me that really stuck, is to try to stop thinking of making food choices based on what tastes the best and is emotionally rewarding. Start thinking of food as FUEL for your life and activities, and really make an effort to choose the best FUEL for your body. If that means a spinach salad for lunch instead of a Big Mac, then that is the kind of choice you have to start making on a regular basis.

It was a long process of making better choices for me, not an overnight change. Good luck!

I would also look at Adrenal fatigue. Many people including athletes have some type of adrenal fatigue which causes weight gain, sluggishness, etc., etc. Check out books about adrenal fatigue.

Also, when I hit about 35 I realized I could no longer eat what I wanted to even if I was training ALOT. A depressing discovery but I just focus on eating healthy and portion control. It gets worse when you hit 40....:-(

well i guess everyone kind of confirmed my worst fears :( i will definitely check out racing weight...

i replied to your post because although i'm not a vegetarian, your post really hit home. i'm married to your husband's brother (also mr. super metabolism that eats 5000 calories and still has 4% body fat. ugh!) and he thinks i should be able to eat like him since i'm 7 years younger. pretty frustrating.

i've added weights (2-3 times a week) to my running, biking, and swimming. unfortunately time is a huge issue (i tend to get rundown if i train more than 20-25 hrs a week in the off season, and 30+ in race season). i'm trying to make time for the weights though. i also am trying to change what i eat...i've been hungry NON-STOP in the last week that i've been actively watching what i'm eating :( i'm going to try and up the protein and cut some of the sugars. protein powder might be the ticket. (quick and easy - i can't cook haha)

i guess you're right, itis going to take some time to get used to my new lifestyle. :(

thanks again!

 (i tend to get rundown if i train more than 20-25 hrs a week in the off season, and 30+ in race season).

Uhm. WOW! that's a LOT of training for the race season. But that's also no "off" season.

If you are struggling with your weight and really training that much, there is something else going on. The possibilities are endless (some serious, some not serious at all, but just perspective), but you should consult a doctor and/or registered dietitian.

besides doing the doctor thing...we could probably give better answers if you posted a typical weeks worth of food journals and training.

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TEAM GREEN
SWIM - CYCLE - RUN - VEGAN

i've got a years worth of training logs :)....i do 1-2 ironmans a year, one ultra (50mile or 100k) or marathon, a couple of HIMs and half marys, and maybe a dozen other 5-10ks or sprint tris if any of that matters...typical "off season" week..."tri" week in the off season... swim: 12k (~3 hours), bike: 6 hours (~115 miles), run: 60 miles (~8.5 hours), weight training 2 hours....
.... if doing a "run" heavy week (i.e. getting ready for an ultra or marathon) it can be 70-80 miles (10-11 hours), weight training 3 hours a week, riding about 6 hours a week.

the food part is going to be harder...i hadn't been keeping a log and when i do i restrict BIG time. i tend to eat whatever i want but definitely too much sugar and carbs :( i don't cook much so i eat a lot of ready-to-eat things (like cereal, which i've cut out completely, and odwalla protein drinks, that have a lot of sugar so those are getting cut too)

pre-food journal, i try and eat lean beef and chicken (allergic to all saltwater seafood) but i'd occasionally eat a donut or kolache or hit mcdonald's after a big day (6 hours + of working out), and cereal was a staple for dinner after work (i work about 3 days a week, but 12-15 hours each day). i think i also averaged about 2-3 alcoholic drinks a month (guess i'm cutting those too). my husband thinks (educated guess based on watching me eat for the last 4 years) i ate about 2000 -2500 calories a day pre- food journal. last year this time i weighed 105 (height 62.5 inches), now i'm at 115 only a year later.

with the food journal...today i had 1/2 cliff bar, coffee (fat free creamer & truvia), a myoplex lite, greek yogurt, 1/4 cup fruit & nut trail mix, small chicken burrito (but it had cheese on it). but i only ran 1 hr 15 mins. the last few days have been similar to today's meals. i've been working so haven't been able to hit the store to get any veggies or fresh fruits :( hopefully on my next day off i'll get to the store

hope that information helps....and hope it wasn't too long and boring :) thanks for all the help!!!

Someone correct me here but I'm confused. If you've had thyroid cancer aren't you on some type of supplemental thyroid hormones (synthroid, cytomel, etc). If that's the case and your TSH, T3, T4 numbers are all normal then it isn't a case of your "metabolism" slowing down because your metabolism is controlled by the medicine. It may be that you're eating more calories then you think, more fat, more sugar, etc - but your actual metabolism shouldn't be the problem here. Or so my thyroid doc tells me....

??

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http://smallfoodbiz.com
</blatent self-marketing>

you are correct, i'm on synthroid (150mcg) [which is a lot for my weight (it was reduced from 175 mcg because i went into survivorship and the docs are trying to make me "more normal")]. when i said my tsh, free t4, etc were good, i meant that it was "normal" for a person with cancer (post-cancer now) - looking at the results, my values are off from the "normal" healthy human. the docs all swear that my metabolism is "fine" as in works good enough and i'm not hypo or hyperthyroid...and i was under the impression from the docs that metabolism can still be controlled in part by factors outside the thyroid/medication (ie age, etc). and as i age they'll adjust my drugs to what suits my body's needs.

the whole metabolism, thyroid, working out thing has been a sore spot with me and my docs...i think exercise can play a role in how fast my body uses up the dose i'm given the docs think i'm crazy. they also told me when i was hypo (after the thyroidectomy, and during cancer treatment) that i wouldn't be able to function (i.e. too tired to do anything especially workout) for 4-6 months afterwards, but i did my first ironman 4 months post-ops and i LOST weight when i was hypo.

i don't really think that answers your question/statement...but i guess in summation...the docs say i'm a "normal human" and need to eat right and exercise just like everyone else to keep my weight where i want it (i.e. the meds have no role in my weight issues...)

I have hypothyroidism so I'm going to share some of the painful lessons I've learned:
- Docs who don't do a lot of exercise/sport will never get your concerns, unless you push really hard. Try to find an athletically minded doc (which is hard I know).
- Watch your calcium intake particularly around the time you take your synthroid - it interferes with uptake.
- High GI carbs/sugars etc are energy-killers - they will suck the energy right out of you. Avoid them at all costs.

FWIW my docs all think the same thing as yours - my levels are OK enough that there's other factors at play in my inability to lose weight. I have had to resort to being extremely careful about what and more importantly HOW MUCH I eat. I have had to drop my intake from ~2500cal/day to under 2000 while upping the hours and intensity. All that to only lose 5lbs LOL oh the irony of it all.

Oh and just wait til menopause if you think the weight gain is bad now...

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I'm so sorry to you and AndyPants that you have doctors who say that since you're in the "normal" range then it has to be something else. I had a complete thyroidectomy (Graves Disease) and my doctor has worked tremendously hard and figured out that I operate best in a very very narrow range within the "normal." That being said, it took going through several docs before I found this one who is truly a gift from heaven as far as I'm concerned. The key is that she really truly listens to me and if I tell her I feel like crap or feel spazzy or can't focus she's willing to try different things with my meds. We've also found that I need more in the winter then in the summer - perhaps a Vit D and sunlight correlation? Possibly but it doesn't have research behind it so it's just our best hypothesis.

I realize that doesn't get you any answer on your weight question but I do know how incredibly, hair-pulling frustrating it can be when a doctor simply won't listen and just tells you to eat right and exercise. Not sure if it helps, but I've found that a combination of Synthroid and two Cytomel pills (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) has been the "magic" dose as far as I'm concerned. My doctor mentioned that there are some preliminary studies that Cytomel added in with Synthroid works wonders for some people. Even though my numbers were "normal" when I started it, they are still normal but I dropped 10lbs like it was nothing - getting back down to what is my "normal" weight - once the Cytomel was added in.

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http://smallfoodbiz.com
</blatent self-marketing>

Hmmmm I'll have to investigate this Cytomel a bit more... ;-)

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

My doctor prescribed Cytomel along with my regular Synthroid and unfortunately, it didn't help me TSH numbers at all, nor did it help me feel any better or change my weight. I also had some side effects that I might be able to deal with if I wasn't a triathlete, but as a triathlete they were not manageable - heat intolerance, dehydration, and muscle cramps. I've heard lots of positive things from other people who have added Cytomel to treat their hypothyroidism but I may be one of the few who was not so lucky. Not to be a downer but just wanted to give you another perspective.

I have another suggestion that may help. I was gaining weight a few months ago even through my training was more and I was counting calories like a mad woman. I restricted my caloric intake and I either did not lose weight or gained weight. I went to the doctor about my thyroid dose and it was normal and fine. I saw a special on the Today show about how some people with sensitivity to foods cannot lose weight. Especially dairy and gluten. I decided to try this and restricted all dairy and most gluten. I still ate minor amounts of gluten. BANG, the weight started to drop off and I was eating the same amount of calories. I felt great, and had tons of energy. I believe the biggest culprit was dairy. I still eat plain greek fat free yogurt every morning with gluten free granola and have no issues. Sour cream and yogurt do not have as much lactate in them so I can tolerate it. It took some time to learn what to eat and replace some snack foods and breads but now I have a good idea after 3 months of doing this. I have lost 6 pounds, and know I can lose more if I need to.

I am not allergic to dairy or gluten, I am just sensitive to it and was retaining water, bloated and sluggish eating these foods.

You can try to limit your milk/dairy products for a week or two and see if you notice any difference. Same thing with gluten. I did both at once due to desperation, but can tolerate some gluten and am fine, but I do not eat bread much anymore. I treat myself once in a while. I do not eat dairy. Cheese, butter, milk products, cause me stomach distress and bloating.

Hope this helps

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No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
Laura