I have been doing a cycle of yoga, pilates, resistance, weight lifting, cycling, and aerobics, 5-6 hours a week for the past 12 years ! It's not like I just crawled off the couch!

In fact, long ago I decided to stop dieting and put my energy into exercise. It has paid off to the extent that my body fat % is around 25% and I only have a few pounds to lose (even though I am 51 years old and in menopause). The up side of that is that I have been eating a healthy diet and am not dealing with the metabolic effects of years of yo-yo dieting. But I have also seen a gradual, two-pound-per-year weight gain for the past 5 years, and I am surprised at how hard it is to reverse the trend at my age.