I'm going to discuss this with my new doctor when we get together to discuss my blood work (next Tuesday). I was only losing weight when I kept my calories between 900-1100/day. However, once I started exercising, and increased them to 1200/day, everything stopped. Then, when I completely quit counting calories, but controlled portions and quality of food, I was eating closer to 1500-1600 calories per day, I cut my exercise back to walking 4-5 miles/day, and I neither lost nor gained. So...I'm wondering if all those months at 1000 average calories messed up my metabolism...or if it's just my age...or if it's a number of factors...which is likely the case. Thanks for sharing!

Super helpful, thanks! I'm going to be 53 in September, and still no sign that menopause is near. Which sucks, because now that I'm done having kids...I'd kinda like to get things over with!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not familiar with any of these people. :)

Adding this to my behavioral mod list... Great point. :)

You look fantastic - assuming that's you in your profile pic. :)

I think that's about what I need, as well, based on my weight trends. It's disheartening that an 80 lbs weight gain over 12 years computes to only 60 or so extra calories a day. It's so EASY to eat 60 more calories than one needs...especially when one loves food. :)

Thanks for the input, Ladies. I think you're all right - eating less, being aware, moving more... all good stuff. :)

If you have maintained your ideal weight, or close to it, pretty much your entire life, would you share some examples of your daily eating habits? I'm interested in seeing how food quality, quantity, and calorie count vary among individuals. Also, are you physically active, moderate, or sedentary? Active would be a regular exercise regimen. Moderate would be no formal exercise program, but not a lot of sitting. Sedentary would be mostly butt-in-chair. I'm assuming there aren't many forum members under age 30, but I'm mostly interested in hearing from the over 30 crowd. I'm curious because I'm trying to get to the bottom of my own weight issue. Until my mid-30s my weight stayed close to ideal, but over 12 years I'd gained almost 80 lbs! I lost 50 of it on a highly restrictive diet, but plateaued about 25 lbs from my goal and stayed there for about a year and a half, no matter how I tried to lose that remaining weight, nothing worked. Now, my weight is creeping up again, and I'm in a panic. I am having blood work and other testing done this week to see if there's some underlying problem, but barring health issues - I'm guessing it's just that I'm eating too much, even at under 1500 calories a day, and will need to cut back and/or move more. Thanks in advance for your help. I haven't been on the boards for a long time, so if there's a similar thread, don't hesitate to point me to it. I did a cursory search, but couldn't find what I'm looking for.

Looks like I missed it by six votes. :)

Thanks so much! I appreciate your taking a look. If you do register, though, make sure to vote for the story you truly think is best. I won't be offended - not everyone likes creepy thrillers. :)

WD magazine runs a monthly writing contest called "Your Story." I submitted an entry last month and mine was selected as one of the five finalists out of over 400 entries. Yay! However, the winning story, which will be published in a future issue of WD, is selected by popular vote.Anyone can read the stories without registering on the site, but you must be a registered forum member to actually vote. I'm not asking anyone to register simply to vote, but if you are currently a member and would take a look at the stories, I'd be grateful! Here's a link to my story. You can also read the other entries from the "Your Story" forum. They are the contest #58 finalists. Of course, only vote for mine if you are a current member and truly like the piece. I'd love to win, but I want to win with sincere votes. :) Edited to add: it's a creepy, psycho-thriller...so read if you like that stuff.

Yeah, but you don't expect us Texans to pass up a chance to talk about home, do ya? :)