anybody else dealing with similar issue?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

will turn 40 next year. recently i feel like maintaining my shape and finding flattering clothing is getting harder and harder every year. even though i haven't really gained weight... the types of clothing i can wear and look decent in seems to keep shrinking and shrinking as the days go by :) for example, just realized that those thin, stretchy jersey knit tops..don't think they're ever going to be my friend anymore. :ROTFLMAO:

and i'm starting to hate pants now. hard to find a pair that is flattering and doesn't showcase the tiniest bit of a muffin top. i'm a fairly thin person, so even small rolls are obvious.

it's frustrating bc i exercise regularly and i haven't really gained much weight in past year, it's been 6 years since i was preggo... but even still, many pants that i bought just couple years ago don't seem to fit well anymore. is it just plain old aging that weakens all the ab muscles and lets everything hang out?

eta: i did start Pure Barre a month ago and that seems to help tremendously with the abs/arms "flabbiness", though i think i'm going to have to do it 6 more months to see more results, basically to just go back to what i looked like few years ago. sigh..

[trales]

I totally hear you. I think my butt is lower than it used to be, and I run A LOT. Even though I actually weight less than I did 3 years ago, I think I am saggier and looser than I was. Even my arms are loose. It is so frustrating. And my boobs never shrunk after Breastfeeding (grrrr).

[lizzywednesday]

Ms P, PREACH!

I will also turn 40 next year. I do not work out, though I ought to, and am really suffering from poor body image and overall self-image/self-worth issues.

As far as tops, when I notice tops and dresses don't look the way they should, I tend to think it's time to get new bras. Maybe that's part of the issue? I just got new bras and they made a HUGE difference in even the way t-shirts look.

Where are you shopping? Maybe you need to look at other brands?

Oh, and there is nothing wrong with Spanx. Nothing. I know you work hard to stay fit and feel good about yourself, but sometimes we all need a little help!

[hillview]

TOTALLY. I've revamped my eating focused on macros which has taken inches off (and some lbs) ... it gets a lot harder as we get older it seems. I've been weight lifting which seems to have tightened up things everywhere but still have my baby belly. SIGH

[StantonHyde]

I have finally resorted to buying pants and getting them altered. My body just doesn't fit pants anymore. I wear lots of dresses and skirts! I exercise a lot too but at 52, it is what it is. The exercise and training for races really does help me with body image--I feel strong and accomplished. I know my body can do some amazing things--more than some 20-30 year olds I know who are thinner than I am but they are not in the same shape I am. So change your clothes but keep investing in your fitness.

[ray7694]

Yes. I shop every season for jeans and pants. I wear leggings in the winter. Even lounge clothes are hard to find. I have accepted that I will never look like I did ten years ago and that's ok. I workout and enjoy life.

[123LuckyMom]

Ms P, PREACH!

I will also turn 40 next year. I do not work out, though I ought to, and am really suffering from poor body image and overall self-image/self-worth issues.

As far as tops, when I notice tops and dresses don't look the way they should, I tend to think it's time to get new bras. Maybe that's part of the issue? I just got new bras and they made a HUGE difference in even the way t-shirts look.

Where are you shopping? Maybe you need to look at other brands?

Oh, and there is nothing wrong with Spanx. Nothing. I know you work hard to stay fit and feel good about yourself, but sometimes we all need a little help!

My goodness, YES!!! I believe in shapewear! I don't wear it daily, but for some evenings out or when I want to make sure I look nice, I wear something. Sometimes I even do nice corset-type lingerie, which sucks everything in AND looks sexy. I completely agree about the new bra, too. A good bra can make a world of difference! It's okay, too, to rethink the styles of clothes you wear. There are nice, non-matronly clothes that don't cling but are still vibrant and pretty.


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[Minnifer]

All I have to say is, wait until 50! :ROTFLMAO: In other words, sorry, but yes! Honestly, it just gets more challenging as you go along. I am only about 5 pounds above what I was at 40 and still relatively slim but OMG everything looks and fits differently - things are sagging and drooping in places I didn't even know existed on my body. I went from never having to think about what I ate to thinking about it constantly and always feeling like I am not doing enough. It's exhausting honestly! I really struggle with railing against it, versus accepting it. I mean, it's important to be healthy (and I weight train and try to eat healthily) but I really wonder if at a certain point I need to cut myself some slack and just accept that I will never look the way I used to. It doesn't help that I am the oldest mom of kids my kids' ages in my community, and so I have been feeling really down about myself lately :cry:

[mom2binsd]

As a newly 50 year old mom who has all younger friends, I will say, to those who are feeling the changes, don't fall into the trap and dress older-I see so many women much younger than me who are not doing themselves any favors by picking boring clothing. I totally rock a pair of American eagle jeans like these https://www.ae.com/women-artist-crop-jean-bright-starlet/web/s-prod/0439_9787_778?cm=sUS-cUSD&catId=cat6430042 (apparently I'm not supposed to wear them but who cares!). I find a lot is in the attitude as well. I look better now than I did in my 40's, don't work out (except for sex does that count?) but watch what I eat when I can.

A great bra, and a few less clingy tops (go for a deeper v neck vs fitted over the tummy), fun heels, a few trendy bracelets or necklaces, and it's amazing what a difference it'll make.

I get mistaken for being in my late 30's/early 40's, and could care less about the number 50! Yes, i have a few wrinkles around my eyes, and I hate that my hands look "older" but whatever!

I have learned that carbs are not my friends, and avoid pasta and breads unless I really want them. I eat a lot of eggs and other protein sources.

[rlu]

I find a lot is in the attitude as well.

I knew a nurse who worked into her 70s. I met her when she was in her 50s. She was a nun so she dressed modestly (button down camp shirts and pants) but she was so vivacious and energetic and happy/content/serene she practically radiated "life". Yes she had wrinkles and flabby arms but they definitely don't jump to mind when I remember her.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks everyone for the commisseration! helps to know i'm not alone in this. i thought it was going insane...so frustrating finding out that a pair of pants you bought just 2-3 years ago doesn't fit right anymore.

i buy a lot of Athleta and Boden. with boden i have mostly dresses, flowy tunics and leggings, so luckilly those still work. what's hard is jeans and pants. my lower abs seem to have sagged or pooched out in past couple years. i haven't even gained wt (i weight myself every day), so i thought i was going crazy. especially since i've always exercised.

the point about bras makes sense. i hadn't gotten new bras in forever. i finally ordered some from ThirdLove and i really liked them. i tried the half-cup size which seemed to work. tho i still have to deal with the tummy pooch. i think that is the most annoying thing for me right now. i get muffin top from most pants unless they are super super loose.

at work i just started a 90 day challenge (using those T25, P90x videos) so hopefully i can get into that and get somewhat more in shape.

[JBaxter]

I can ALMOST do a 5K it was my goal this year. I need to lose 20 lbs and am working on it. I did start using Thrive which seems to have given me a pic me up. But I hit the big 50 this year and I'm not going down easy.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Hit 47 and haven't worn shorts (unless they were cotton and stretchy) ALL SUMMER for this reason. I need to get moving, as I've noticed this past year really changed my body.


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[abh5e8]

Well... Im only only 35, with an 11 month old, and this recovery has been the toughest. My abs are just shot. My weight is fine, it came back down like it always does, but the tummy is still there.

As I just posted in the exercise thread, I love pure Barre classes and I think it's time to start back with those. (I have supply issues if I exercise much, so it's just been walks and playing with the kids so far.)

[mackmama]

Yes yes yes. I feel like a frump, and I never have before. Pants don't work anymore, and shirts look boxy and bleh.

[basil]

I am 38 and I think I'm in pretty good shape. I'm the same weight that I was in my 20s (there was a lot of fluctuation in between with pregnancy etc).

I have always been quite pear shaped and now since my waist is bigger pants are less of an issue than they were before. Not sure if it's the availability of more "curvy" fits than 15 years ago, that I can afford more expensive nicely cut things, or if my pooch is just filling out the area where I was once out of proportionally small. I did recently try on my favorite jeans from my honeymoon 9 years ago and had a major muffin top, though.

[pinkmomagain]

I'm 50 and have put on some lbs over these past few years since returning back to work. I've tried exercise and dieting and can't seem to come up with the right combo to get me results yet. Anyhow, as far as pants/jeans are concerned -- I became much happier when I started buying NYDJ. While they are probably not the edgiest, high fashion clothes, I think they are pretty alright (Nordstrom carries it) and more importantly I feel like they are the best in accommodating my midsection messiness. Also, dresses and skirts are my friends now.