Weight gain after kids (late 30's)

Drink only water and eat less, more protein and fewer carbs. Smaller meals and space them out. Get comfortable with being hungry sometimes.  My weight crept up around my 40s and that was the only thing that worked.  Exercising helps but exercise alone won't do it.  The other option is just to buy larger clothes.  I hate snug clothes too! 

sadly this is the time period when the reliance on prior habits stops working. Calorie tracking/being more vigilant about what you eat and drink is the most efficient way, as well as increasing daily step count. Consider limiting post-dinner eating and cutting out alcohol too.  2x a week workouts are about what I can do, but a focus on weightlifting/strength will help immensely. 

 I just turned 43 this month and am dealing with the same issues, but I'm guessing it's due to perimenopause in my case. I eat healthy, run, dance, etc. but last year started gaining weight seemingly out of nowhere. Even if your OB says it's not peri, it never hurts to get ahead of the curve, I wish I had before I hit 40! I've been doing some reading on this and also met with a trainer and here's some of what I learned: At this age women's metabolism slows down and we also start losing muscle mass, so our ratio of body fat to muscle gets thrown off, even if we're active. Adding some strength training or weight bearing exercise to your workout routine helps combat this. My trainer also recommended I do more standing core exercises since I have a job where I sit a lot. It's also important to get more protein during this phase. I was also advised to do exercises that differ from my normal workout routine to give myself more of a challenge, such as a HIIT class (way outside of my comfort zone). I hope this helps!

Look into weight training. I'm 50 and that has changed my body more than cardio ever did. I lift a few days a week and do cardio the other days. I use the Peloton app at home for strength training, but there are plenty of youtube videos. You could do it at the gym too but I find that I am way more consistent if I can workout at home.  

I was in a similar situation — didn’t feel like I had changed my lifestyle much after kids but found myself with 15 lbs of extra weight. After trying a few things without success, I subscribed to Noom and followed their program (which included logging all my food, committing to some light exercise, and weighing myself each morning) via their app. It wasn’t cheap or fast, but it worked. I lost the weight and have kept it off, but the most important part of the process was that I learned a lot about my habits and what my actual food intake was. 

Hi, I did experience the same. I'm 35 with 2 kids (5 and 3). Last November I started gaining weight despite a disciplined 5 days/week workout routine. I also keep a regular diet and even quit drinking alcohol for several months to try to get the weight off. Nothing worked, in fact I kept gaining. At one point I was the same weight I was at 9 months pregnant. Kaiser was super dismissive of me. Told me not to worry because my BMI was still normal. I made my doctor run every test under the sun, I had to keep pushing her on it. All normal and healthy, no concerns there. She also dismissed my concerns about peri menopause. Ultimately in my case, I started gaining weight at the same time my doctor had put me on several medications for a skin reaction to a vaccine. The skin reaction kept happening so they kept me on the meds (OTC antihistamines). Through my own research I discovered that weight gain was a side effect of antihistamines. My doctor did push back on this, but when I was finally referred to the allergy department (6 months later) they agreed that it was probably the medication and I stopped cold turkey. I have since dropped 15 pounds and I've changed nothing except dropping those meds. I even drink again. Maybe there is something your taking that could be a culprit? Kaiser also kept telling me "its age" and wanted me to see a dietician. Cue eye roll. 

I think its definitely true that as we age our metabolism changes but you shouldn't see sweeping weight gain if your exercising and eating well. Good luck!

So I’m not practicing what I preach right now but when my son was a toddler and I was in my mid thirties I put on about 20 pounds and  weight watchers all helped me take it off and then some! It was really helpful to have accountability. 

Sadly I’m less motivated now that I’m in my mid fourties’ but now I have an older kid and can exercise more so I put some back on during Covid that I haven’t lost, but I’m still not as heavy as I was. I really recommend some sort of tracking app that works for you. 

This is super frustrating! I also have gained weight with my pregnancies but have lost a lot and now just trying to get off the last 20 lbs to get back to my pre pregnancy weight.  Have you checked your thyroid? I couldn’t figure out why I gained 70+ lbs with both my pregnancies.  I was found to have hypothyroidism. Once I started the medication I lost 5 lbs in the first month.  The rest has been tracking food intake in an app and working out 2 days a week.  I remember in my 20s I’d diet and lose10lbs in a week haha! Our bodies change so much as we age.  I hope you find what works well for you!  

This is such a hard season! I had my second kid at 38 and during the pandemic so I totally relate! We got a Peloton before my second was born and it's been great, both my husband and I love it. It isn't just bike classes but strength, cardio, yoga, pilates, etc etc. We also have a full weight rack. I know people are going back to the gym but this makes exercise so accessible to us; we'll never go back. We've got some space in our house to make this work and I know not everyone does so might not be an option but wanted to mention it to you. 

Also totally agree with other's who say keep pushing your doctors to run tests. If you feel there is something wrong, keep exploring it. Medicine can be very dismissive of women, unfortunately, even in the Bay Area. I was super bloated most of this year and I couldn't figure out why. I expected my Dr to dismiss me but she ran tests. When that didn't show anything I decided to do an elimination diet. It was food related, coffee actually, which I've been drinking for the last 20 years daily but suddenly it just didn't sit well with me. (Specifically Peet's hot coffee, so weird, but just goes to show you it can be anything! Changed brands and much better.) Maybe there's a food that is causing you to gain weight bc of a reaction? It took me over 9 months to figure it out. I like the whole life nutrition elimination diet, but there are so many out there. Choose one that feels manageable to you and give it a try. Weight gain can be a side effect of a food intolerance. Good luck! Remember, change takes a while and you've started on the right path. Don't be hard on yourself. 

Another vote for Noom. I also felt like nothing was moving and I just couldn't loose weight. Once I started tracking food intake and sticking to a caloric budget, things did move. It might be good to start with the paid version for 1-3 months, but after that the free version is sufficient.