Okay over 50 and can't drop the weight!

[Tuckervill]

I've been studying wellness and health as a hobby for the last 3 or 4 years, with an eye to increasing my wellness and changing my body. I'm not claiming to be an expert or anything, but I feel relatively educated about my specific issues, goals and choices.

One of the things I make great use of is to listen to people who have more experience than me. I read from a wide variety of sources. When I hear the same message from several different credible sources, I put stock in it and often adapt it for my use.

Mimi said she'd never been overweight so she didn't know if her experience would help. But it does. If you've always been overweight (I wasn't always), you don't know what it's like to be healthy weight or what the habits of healthy people are. If you were once healthy and now fat, listening to an always healthy person might trigger memories of habits and choices you made as a healthy weight person. (So thanks, Mimi, for your input.)

One of my biggest sources of encouragement is the National Weight Control Registry. http://www.nwcr.ws/ It's a study of people who got down to a healthy weight and kept it off. It's hard to mine the data there, but when I've seen it referenced there are certain things that most of those on the registry do consistently to keep their weight down.

The two that stick out in my mind are 1) eat breakfast, and 2) exercise EVERY day. That's how they control their hunger and their weight. So I eat breakfast, and I exercise as much as I have energy for, with my goal to be doing something active every single day. It can be gardening or walking the dog on the days when I don't ride or have an exercise class.

Another thing I do is keep it all in perspective. I never work so hard at exercise that I'm going to be so sore I won't want to do it again. Especially for a beginner, this is an important concept. It's self-eliminating, though. The more you work out, the easier it gets. The more you work out, the more you know you can do. This is something I'm learning best through cycling longer and longer distances. Just keep at it, for the long haul.

Another thing I've done is change one little thing at a time. I started with Diet Coke. Five years ago I began resisting Diet Coke. I replaced it with hot tea, iced tea (no sugar) and water. Then it was artificial sweeteners. Last year it was high fructose corn syrup. I've tried to eliminate french fries, but that won't happen until I no longer have PMS! I've changed my cooking. I only shop on the outside walls of the grocery store (meat, produce, bread and dairy).

These little changes add up (littlechanges.com) to big changes.

One thing I DON'T do is read or hang out with people who aren't serious about their health or educating themselves. (I don't mean my personal relationships--I mean online, etc.) That's a reason I don't do sparkpeople anymore, because there are so many failures the successes are hard to find. The successes are who I need to hear from. I know everyone is on a different path, but I only want to listen to the ones who are on my path, or have my goal. (I'm not that narrow-minded about everything, I promise!)

What good would this forum be if it was populated mostly by people who bought a bike at Wal-Mart, rode it around the block once a week for 2 weeks and then quit? We'd have to dig through all that to read about Fredwina's brevets or Runningmommy's triathalon, or Lisa's 3000 miles. That's what most of the diet sites I've been to are like. So I don't go there.

Have I lost any weight? Yes. On December 26th I weighed 206. It's almost November and I weigh 186. That is very, very slow. Lots of people would not be happy with those results, but I'm much more mature than I was and so I'm happy. I can ride my bike 50 miles and run on the arc trainer for 12 minutes. I can do push ups! I can do 30 reps with 10 lb dumbbells. I can hike for 5 miles. I can lift my grandson over my head and hold him up to the ceiling (in a short room ) like my dad used to do to me.

You ladies here are quite an inspiration to me. All of you who are over 40 and are competing in races and tri's and just riding your bikes--you're like who I want to be. I'm seeing myself in a new way because of you. (You younger ones are an inspiration, too, but I just can't relate as much to being 30 anymore.) My goals were modest at first, but through you and through my successes, I see the possibilities I didn't dare imagine. So thanks! I can't wait to learn something new today!

Karen

[Zen]

The two that stick out in my mind are 1) eat breakfast, and 2) exercise EVERY day. That's how they control their hunger and their weight.

Another thing these people do is eat mostly the same things all the time. It's not as boring as it sounds. I found I actually like oatmeal and I like beans. The thought of a sugary cereal or sausage gravy and bicuits does cross my mind but doesn't stay there long. The harm outweighs the good. Which is not to say I don't have those thing once a year or so.

I can do 30 reps with 10 lb dumbbells.

Try switching that up to 15 reps with 15 lbs...

[Pax]

I've tossed this out before but this thread seems a good place to do it again. My honey and I have switched to a primarily plant based diet, it has allowed for some weight loss but more than that it has changed our "numbers" tremendously, my cholesterol is MUCH better, blood sugar/resting heart rate/blood pressure are all "optimal". Reading The China Study and implementing the changes outlined in it has changed our lives significantly.

[kelownagirl]

I've tossed this out before but this thread seems a good place to do it again. My honey and I have switched to a primarily plant based diet, it has allowed for some weight loss but more than that it has changed our "numbers" tremendously, my cholesterol is MUCH better, blood sugar/resting heart rate/blood pressure are all "optimal". Reading The China Study and implementing the changes outlined in it has changed our lives significantly.

Can you give me an idea of what a typical day's food intake might be Queen?

[Tuckervill]

Another change I made was to only use the salad plates at home, not the dinner plates. Everyone in my house uses them now. I'm even in the process of collecting new, beautiful, handmade salad plates. My DILs have been instructed not to buy dinner plates if they help me with my collection. Eventually the wedding china we use regularly will be disposed of.

That change has had a great impact on how much I eat, and I get full quick. So eating out is not a problem for me, because I mentally divide the meal and only eat as much as I know will make me full. My biggest struggle with that has been making the decision to do it before I decide to eat out, but hypnosis has pretty much solved that. It made me more mindful of my intentions in this area, and regular self-hypnosis reinforces the mindfulness.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

I just gotta say this... because we're talking about two different things here, and conflating them. Maybe even three different things. Hormonal changes in body fat distribution; getting to a healthy body fat %; and getting to a body fat % that's more suited to racing (or being a model).

Body image issues are really complicated, maybe even more so in an athletic setting. So I hate to even talk about weight loss, for fear of reinforcing somebody's unrealistically negative body image (including my own).

I'll be honest here - with myself as much as with anyone. I don't have an accurate numerical measure of my body fat %, but I'm sure it's at a healthy but higher than ideal level. I can feel my iliac crests all the way around within 2-3 mm of the skin. I have some definition in my arms, mid to lower legs, delts, pecs, back, upper abs and obliques. The last time my cholesterol was checked, it was a total chol. of 165 with 102 HDL. All my life I've carried extra fat around the hips and upper thighs. I was going to say I'm nowhere near a racing weight... but that's not true; I'm within 2-3 lbs of my racing weight, but my body composition is not what it used to be. I've never been happy about my big butt and thunder thighs, but right at the moment what I'm really bummed about is that pooch around my navel, and the loss of definition in my middle abs. (I never had any in the lower abs ) Bottom line: I'm lamenting the depredations of age, and because of my fitness focus I'm a whole lot more bummed about the menopot than I am about the white hairs, the laugh lines or the saggy boobs.

I just had to say this. Because it sounds like there are some people in this thread whose health might improve if they lost weight. There are people like myself, who would like to lose fat for cosmetic reasons, but doing so would mean deprivation. There are competitive athletes who would like to lose fat for performance reasons, and who are willing to deprive themselves to get there. And then there are probably some people reading this who believe they need to lose fat, but really, really don't.

So just... it's an issue of mine. If fat were self-defined, then Karen Carpenter was fat on the day she died. Are we commiserating about getting old? Sharing tips for ways to naturally maintain higher estrogen levels? Or playing that same old fat game?

[emily_in_nc]

I'll be honest here - with myself as much as with anyone. I don't have an accurate numerical measure of my body fat %, but I'm sure it's at a healthy but higher than ideal level. I can feel my iliac crests all the way around within 2-3 mm of the skin. I have some definition in my arms, mid to lower legs, delts, pecs, back, upper abs and obliques. The last time my cholesterol was checked, it was a total chol. of 165 with 102 HDL. All my life I've carried extra fat around the hips and upper thighs. I was going to say I'm nowhere near a racing weight... but that's not true; I'm within 2-3 lbs of my racing weight, but my body composition is not what it used to be. I've never been happy about my big butt and thunder thighs, but right at the moment what I'm really bummed about is that pooch around my navel, and the loss of definition in my middle abs. (I never had any in the lower abs ) Bottom line: I'm lamenting the depredations of age, and because of my fitness focus I'm a whole lot more bummed about the menopot than I am about the white hairs, the laugh lines or the saggy boobs.

Oakleaf, you said this really, really well. I am 46 and pretty much could have written the above too. Even down to the HDL > 100! I weigh less than I weighed in high school (by about 6 lbs.), and back then never exercised at all, but today my waistline is larger, despite never having children due to infertility issues. I have loose flab/skin on my belly and in my love-handles area and around the back on my flanks (back fat, ugh). My upper thighs are looser on the side than I'd like. I almost hate to post on a thread like this, because I am the kind of woman that larger women would probably look at when I'm dressed and "hate" because I'm small -- but seeing me naked is another story. I am NO Karen Carpenter. I can pinch flab, plenty of it.

I only weigh 102-103 at 5'1-1/2", so losing more weight would require depriving myself more than I am willing to (giving up my nightly glass of wine, or occasional dark chocolate...) or working out/training a lot more than I really have time for with my job and life. I already do some form of exercise every day, even if I only have time for thirty minutes.

So I live with this middle-aged spread, as it were, and figure I'm still in pretty darn good shape for my age. But I do get what you are saying. And it's a little frustrating to weigh what I do, exercise every day, and still have more flab/higher BF % than I'd like. I know if I had lived the lifestyle I live now in my 20s, I'd have had a flat tummy, no question.

I try to tell myself, though...the alternative to aging is definitely not preferable! I try to be thankful for my good health and not let my imperfections get me down. But you won't see me flaunting it in a bikini, that's for sure!

Emily

[Susan126]

I just love coming to this forum and reading all of your posts! You guys never fail to bring a smile to my face! And I've learned a lot from your posts too! I'm also glad to know that I'm not alone in this battle. And I have made changes this week.

For breakfast (yes I am finally eating breakfast!) I have been having either hot oatmeal with soy milk and coffee of course or scrambled eggs (egg beaters) and coffee.

I have not been having snacks. Is that important?

For lunch I have rice and a chicken breast.

When I get home from work I am usually famished and will have a bowl of cherrios and soy milk.

Dinner I have with hubby. This week it's been lean meat (chicken, chicken, and more chicken . . . except last night I baked tuna filets) with rice or baked potato and fresh veggies.

So one week down and already I've noticed I am losing a lot of "water". I am also trying to drink a lot of water. But really I am going to the bathroom almost every half hour at work! Cheryl, the librarian at the middle school where I work, must be wondering about me this week. LOL

Oh nights are still very hard for me. I had such a craving for ice cream last night! But I was good and instead had a bowl of dry cereal, cheerios.

Oh I hope I can keep this up with the holidays approaching! Hubby will be out of town for two weeks, Nov. 3 - 17, and my daughter and I decided this would be a good time to bake our annual holiday cookie stash. I place the cookies in my big freezer and take them out over the holidays for guests and to give away too. I must bake 12 dozen or more cookies. All kinds! But I'm on a mission now and I think I will get through it fine!

I don't know what my body fat is (I don't think I want to know) and my HDL and LDL levels were not good in June when I went in for a checkup. Hopefully I can bring that around. Has anyone tried the Promise Active Supershots for high cholesterol? It's new on the market. I have been drinking them with breakfast and dinner. I hope they help.

[Zen]

I only weigh 102-103 at 5'1-1/2", so losing more weight would require depriving myself more than I am willing to (giving up my nightly glass of wine, or occasional dark chocolate...) or working out/training a lot more than I really have time for with my job and life. I already do some form of exercise every day, even if I only have time for thirty minutes.

I'm 5'2" and weigh about 135. I do have a belly but I would not describe myself as fat. I can't imagine someone my height weighing in the neighborhood of 100 pounds yet describing herself the way you do. You don't need to lose weight. You should build muscle.

I do weight and core training on the stability ball. I rarely use weight machines, most of my lifting is done on the ball and with relatively light weights. You can do this in thirty minutes a day.

[Pax]

Can you give me an idea of what a typical day's food intake might be Queen?

Hi KG, a typical day would look like this -

Breakfast:
- cereal with soy milk
- an apple or some orange juice
- coffee

Mid-morning snack:
- some raw cashews or almonds

Lunch:
- PBJ or veggie wrap
- lots of fresh peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots.
- V8

Mid-afternoon snack:
- apple or banana

Dinner:
- Black beans and cous cous
- a veggie of some sort (broccoli, asparagus, green beans...)
- a couple of Trader Joe's "Joe-Joe's" cookies for dessert

Snack (not every night but once in a while):
- Sesame sticks or some sweet potato chips

And about a gallon of water a day.

[Tuckervill]

I can do 30 reps with 10 lb dumbbells.
Try switching that up to 15 reps with 15 lbs...

Oh, that was just something we did in class today--just a random example. I like lots of variety in my exercise.

Yes, I eat oatmeal every day, too, with dried fruit and nuts. I won't give up my brown sugar in it, though! I have to have SOME vice!

I would be very happy eating a certain set of foods with variations on occasion. I haven't gotten tired of oatmeal in about 18 months of eating it every day. I could never get tired of hot and salty french fries, either. But I have tired of salads. In the winter time, they're the hardest thing for me to eat, because I like hot food. I'm going to spend a lot of time learning about soups this winter. yummy.

Karen

[Tuckervill]

Queen, I've been taking Christiane Northrup's advice and eating "meat as a condiment". Of course, that means more plant-based food. This lets you off the hook when people offer a slab of ribs at a cook-out when they notice your plate piled high with veggies, which happened to me at a tailgate party this weekend. I can still have some of all the meat I like the most, so I don't feel deprived at all.

Karen

[emily_in_nc]

Another thing these people do is eat mostly the same things all the time. It's not as boring as it sounds. I found I actually like oatmeal and I like beans. The thought of a sugary cereal or sausage gravy and bicuits does cross my mind but doesn't stay there long. The harm outweighs the good. Which is not to say I don't have those thing once a year or so.
Try switching that up to 15 reps with 15 lbs...

Yes, Zen is right. In addition to eating breakfast ALWAYS and doing some form of exercise every day (cycling, walking, running, lifting, hiking, kayaking, gardening/yardwork, just something) and not feeling "right" if I don't, I eat a fairly repetitious (though healthy) diet. A final factor that has helped me maintain a weight loss for 6 years now is eating out very rarely. The portion sizes and temptations of restaurant meals make it so much harder for me to control my weight. I only eat lunch out about 1-2 times a month with a friend, and dinners out are VERY rare as my DH loves to cook and isn't crazy about eating out. We'll go out for birthdays, anniversary, and on vacation, but that's about it. And no fried food...well, only a couple of times a years. Fries just aren't on my radar. Nor are sodas.

Yes, it might sound a bit boring, but I'm slender, in good health, and fit, and want to keep it that way. It does take diligence, especially as we get...ahem...a bit older (46 and peri-menopausal here).

Emily