This is the first summer in my entire life I have gained weight. Usually I lose a few pounds. Turning 54 this fall and really not liking the aging process at all. This really stinks! I try to watch what I eat and exercise each day, but the frontal mass seems to be growing. Looks like I swallowed a basketball or something. Never have felt my age before today. I want out of this arrangement!!

There's only one way out......

Try one of those intranet "biological age" calculators.
IMHO, if your biological age < chronological age; your ahead!

It isn't as bad as you might think. I am in better shape today than I was at 45. It is just that our metabolism isn't what it once was. What we eat and when we eat it is also important. We do not need to try and watch what we eat we need to watch what we eat. We do not need to try and exercise we have to exercise. But that is preaching and unless you are ready to attack this new problem head on you will have to get to the point where you are ready. When I first retired I lost weight a little every year for 4 years then nothing. I put in 150 miles a week on my bike and still nothing. I joined a gym for cross training but still nothing. I then signed up for a program to change my life and lost 50 pounds. I now weigh what I did in college.

When I was in the military we had a saying, never give up. I plan on going into the dirt trying to sprint from city signs with the big dogs even if I hardly ever win.

Given the alternative, I'll take getting older. I get to see my sons grow into fine young men. I get to see my wife get more beautiful each day. No, I definitely do not want out.

Couldn't have said it any better.

My son was just voted on the board of a major, major national civil rights organization, and I get to celebrate with him - pot belly or not! I can do more pushups, more chinups, more of just about anything physical than I did 25 years ago at 48yo. I didn't swim, didn't ride a bike thousands of miles per year.

It ain't so bad being 73>74.

Shucks, I'm sixty-nine, having a lot of fun, and want to live to be a hundred and then get shot by a jealous husband with an eighteen-year-old wife!!!

I told my wife the latter part of that. She got one of those mysterious smiles women get and said, "You'd better worry more about me than about him."

I've seen my son pin on the stripes that I was wearing at the time of my retirement. I've seen my two biological grandchildren and my one step-granddaughter. I think I've made out pretty good: I've got two sons, two daughters, one daughter-in-law and three wonderful grandkids. On top of all that, I've still got most of my health; just a few more aches and pains than I had when I was thirty. But the aches and pains let me know I'm still alive.

Not to be morbid, but one of the things I absolutely abhor is the thought of being put into a grave. Instead, I am going to be cremated, my ashes turned over to the USCG at New Orleans for scattering over the Gulf of Mexico. That way, this old soldier will be where he has always wanted to be.

As it is said, growing old isn't for wussies. HTFU. Yes, one has to make some changes. To not quite stay even, I've had to become a lot more gung ho and change many things in my life. Or one can just let it all go.

I had a room mate in college who was quite obese. I asked him about that. He said, "well, I like to eat. It's my favorite thing. I know I'm giving up sex and long life, but I don't care. I'm enjoying myself."

Choices.

.. theme song for TV show MASH , playing in the Background.. (tile is ... )

At 54, you're still kinda young ! 11 years ago, when I was your age, I weighed 270 lbs.; this morning I came in at 224. I feel like I'm in the best health in the past 25 years. So don't feel sorry for yourself. Just get on your bike and ride and watch what you eat very carefully.

Suicide is painless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gO7uemm6Yo

A lot of folks don't make it past 50... Eat less and ride more.

.. theres the whole pop star 27 club ..


my 66th year is coming in a week ..

For my 50th I took my Bike to Ireland rode from March to The Northern Scottish
highlands Moray Firth shores, Then finally came back in November , that birthday passed There.

I'm not too happy about all the aches and pains, bifocals and weird stuff either. But I see other people at the same age, and realize I have little to complain about. I can still do what I want when I want to do it, and that's all that matters.

I've come to think that older age is your reward for taking care of yourself. If you do that and have a little luck, you'll be fine.

Lots to be grateful for:

• Watching my kids grow up into terrific adults.
• I don't feel compelled to put up with as much crap as I used to.
• All the attractive women in the 40's and 50s who also take care of themselves. I dunno why but women in their 20s look like children to me.
• Lots of good friends and the time to enjoy them.

All that for the cost of a few extra pounds? So be it.

1) Androgel
2) P90X

The pooch/pouch will evaporate.

Truth in advertising, I'm not an MD. Also, I don't take any hormone replacements because of incidences of prostate cancer in both my dad and my older brother. But, low-T often shows in abdominal fat, from what I've read.

I can testify to the effects of p90x on your abdomen and core strength. It works.

PG

As you get older your metabolism slows down. As you put on weight your metabolism slows down. As you get older you lose muscle mass, which slows your metabolism down. And usually our jobs are more sedentary, so our metabolism slows down. You have to watch your diet, become more active, and do some type of muscle building exercises to try and bring your metabolism back up to decent levels. You might also want to have your testosterone levels checked.

See a nutritionist if you can. Get on a good diet and start a good exercise program, with some cross training. Just like always, it's a lot of work, but worth it in the end. Just remember your joints now have more pressure on them from the extra weight, so don't go out and do too much at the start as the pounding on your joints can lead to other much more serious problems (and this includes your spine being pushed down harder too, which can lead to blown disks.).

I'm at a better weight and in greater physical shape than I was in my 30s, 40s, and very early 50s--now 55--due to diet, exercise, and medicine change, but the exercise is huge part of the improvement.

Bacon

Eating dirt I'm guessing

Hear, hear.

Mmmmmmmmmm, bacon.

I love being older...currently 67. It's true that I can no longer run or throw a football like I did when I was young but I can still succeed at things I care about. And, hearing a young person say "You can't be 67" when I ride with them is worth it all. It's just a matter of attitude and willingness to strive for improvement.

Attitude is everything! Also, eating less calories then you expend helps

Lots of good in this thread

. . . and I don't think you're gonna like it.

Probably becaus the husband will aim to kill, your wife (well, mine anyway), won't let you get away that easily.

Why is it whenever I see that word, I turn into a drooling Homer Simpson?

There's only two things I dislike about the high side of 50; one is named 'Arthur', made himself known in my 40's, but has taken up residence.

The other is being considered 'delusional and pathetic' by attractive younger women, whether I'm trying to impress or not. I like to banter and flirt, just to pass the time; maybe it's just the 'type' -- they DO all seem to think they're sitting on gold plating.

I enjoy the thought that I'LL still be pedaling, with oak-tree thighs, when they're wrinkled, fat and dumpy.

Unless, of course, they take up riding bikes at some point (perhaps at age 38) and then they too will have oak-tree thighs.

There are a few over 50 things that I could do without, wearing glasses is one, but on the whole, it's not all that bad.