Dropping Pounds after 50

They say that gaining weight is just a part of getting older. But I’m not convinced. There has to be more to it. I think it may have something to do with an accumulation of pains and regrets over the years, and if emotions can contribute to added pounds, they could be important to dropping unwanted weight. It’s worth a look.

I have gone through periods where I exercised strenuously and cut back on what I ate, but still couldn’t lose a single pound. And then there have been times when I ate more than usual and lost weight effortlessly. The difference seems to be the emotional state I was in.

In her latest book, Goddesses Never Age, Dr. Christiane Northrup writes that focusing on diet and exercise is an inefficient way to lose weight. She describes how a friend tried a drastic, 500-calorie-a-day diet with no luck. But when she went on a much-anticipated trip, she suddenly dropped weight effortlessly.

That happened to me. When I vacationed in Europe I ate my way across several countries. I enjoyed breakfast in Germany with lots of cured meats and cheeses, and had schnitzel with dumplings and gravy for dinner. I wolfed down piles of pasta, plates of pastisseries, and liters of wine in France. Though I consumed far more calories than my body was used to, when I got back home I was amazed to find that I had not gained anything but had, in fact, dropped a few pounds.

Oprah.com reported on a study that showed that when we are stressed, we may put on more weight because our bodies burn fewer calories after we experience an argument with a loved one or problems at work.

So maybe the secret to letting go of unwanted weight is to be mindful of your emotions. Do what you love. Have fun. Let go of past resentments and pain. Your feelings and stress may impact your weight far more than the calories in/calories out ratio. Releasing negativity may be the doorway to releasing unwanted weight—at any age.