Another vote for My Fitness Pal. It can be tedious, @DrGoogle , but at least for me, that’s part of why it works. There have been times that I’ve decided to forego eating something because I didn’t want to bother logging it. But the main value is that it’s made me hyper aware of every bite that goes into my mouth.
Saintfan is right about the large muscle groups. Weight training the glutes, quads, lats, etc. increases the amount of calories which the body burns 24/7.
I’m also looking ahead. Dealing with my elderly parents has shown me how important it is to have a strong core, good muscle support for the back, and balance and flexibility. Strength training is also good for bone density. My mom broke her leg 3 years ago and has never been the same, and the chain of events which resulted in my dad’s death began with a broken ankle. So that’s a big reason why I’m lifting weights now.
If your weight stayed the same, but your waistline decreased, that likely means that your body composition changed – favorably in that you gained muscle or bone while losing fat. Exercise is generally helpful in building muscle and bone. Your trainer is correct that your weight on the scale does not necessarily tell you if you are making progress.
Note that metabolism is related to muscle mass. Muscle is metabolically active, so maintaining and gaining muscle through exercise (particularly strength training) can resist the metabolism slowdown that allows the body fat to increase.
I know, so many of us are in the same boat. I try to limit my calories on weekdays to 1500, but I didn’t understand why I couldn’t seem to lose weight even with moderate exercising and weights. Had my biometrics done, and blood sugar too high.
I decided to try an experiment. Kept my calories and exercising the same, but gave up the simple carbs…bread, past, rice, baked goods, etc. limited my Carb intake to around 100 g per day for a couple weeks. Now I up it to 125 to 150, which is considered a safe range. After becoming familiar with carbs, I swear I was eating 300 or more a day.
I lost 1/2 lb. Per week doing just this. Do I cheat…sure, but they are little cheats and then I go back. It hadnt been easy because the meals I know to cook always have some sort of pasta or rice.
Would love ideas of strenght training for someone who can’t run or jump( severe arthritis in feet, knee replacement), or grip weights easily ( severe arthritis in hands).
I have the opposite problem here - at 54, I’m trying to gain about 10 lbs. That said, after menopause, my body has redistributed or shifted things around. I have to focus more on my posture and maintaining a strong core (I can hear my mother’s voice, “Stand up straight!”). I also see the loss of muscle mass with each year, so I have to make time to do something active (in my case, rock climbing and bicycling) to maintain muscle mass.
My husband lost inches, if not weight, once he shifted his diet a bit. Fewer carbs and more protein and fruit. He also took up a sport that he does three or for times a week. He’s definitely more alert and active now than before he started the sport.
Whatever the issue - wanting to gain or lose - it seems we have to behave in a way counterintuitive to our current behavior. It’s hard to change habits built over several decades. I think people are not aware how much or little they eat. I have a friend who wants to lose weight and she was told by her doctor to lose weight. She was told to do five or six little meals a day but I see her eat five or six pretty big meals a day. I have a funny feeling she should be eating like me and I should be eating like her.
FWIW, my dessert is usually fruit, maybe with plain whole milk yogurt, no sweet pastries or chocolate or even cheese. About once a month, I’ll have a decadent chocolate mousse/cake/brownie and be happy.
@emeraldkity4, have you tried Pilates or yoga? I can’t run or jump (arthritis in the feet) but Pilates was a nice way to gain or maintain strength. The instructor worked with me to improve my balance. Can you stand to be in a pool? (I ask because my feet are miserable when I go into a pool) If so, swimming or water exercises may also be an option.
I have diabetes so I eat very low carb and pretty low-calorie - mostly protein and vegetables, one slice of bread a day, and only a cup of yogurt for breakfast. I know it sounds depressing (believe me, I’m the one living it!) but I do eat dark chocolate daily.
I also exercise pretty strenuously 45 minutes every day - walking alone just didn’t hack it for me, exercise-wise. I found that I just couldn’t hit my blood sugar levels and keep the weight down unless I was really sweating every day.
I say all this because I weigh less now than I did ten years ago (and yes, I’m middle-aged). Actually, I weight less than I did one year ago, too. I’ve found that eating less or exercising more didn’t work for me - I had to do both, and I had to be super-serious about both.
I’ve also found that you really can change life-long habits, too, if you’re motivated enough. I used to hate exercise. I still hate it, but I do it every day now because I’m motivated to keep my diabetes under control. As I tell my husband, I want to keep my feet and my eyesight, and if that means I have to give up potatoes… so be it.
Protein, protein, protein, no calorie drinks (plain iced tea, fruit flavored carbonated and plain old ice water) and CONSTANT vigilance. I don’t think I lead a deprived food life but I am always weighing my options. Last night DH asked if I wanted a gin and tonic, I decided I wanted to have an ice cream bar instead. Peanut butter is a God send for me. A spoonful quells most of my salty or sweet cravings. I know my overeating triggers (salty and crunchy) and don’t have those things around the house.
The other thing I noticed is that I look much better since I updated my wardrobe and dressed for my changing body, I am not over weight but things have definitely moved around. If I try something on and am not sure if it is flattering, I send a quick pic to one of my daughters. They are brutal judges!
I am trying to cut back and found that writing down everything I eat is helpful and makes for more mindful eating. After 4 weeks I have lost 3 lbs. If I had done that when I was young the weight would be dropping much faster. I am also trying to eat fewer carbs and more fruits and veggies. Wine only on the weekends.
I have ramped up the exercise even though that doesn’t really help with the weight.
I burn 1400 calories a day. My docs won’t let me go below 1200/day because they don’t want me burning muscle (could cause more damage to my heart). I walk 8-12,000 steps/day most days of the week, do weights, elliptical, and floor work, and have been trying to kick it up. Lost 100 over three years, held at 95 down for 18 months, but have gained ten back, and am acutely aware that it could easily get to 20, 30…
My thing is carbs. I do fine without ice cream and desserts. Fresh crusty bread, pizza, a bowl of pasta…that’s what slays me.
My oncologist wants me to stay where I am. Primary says lose the ten. Cardiologist says lose 25. My personal target is 15 away. (Basically, I want to be comfortable in a size 14/16 and get into the normal BMI range). It wasn’t til I gained some back that people started telling me how gaunt I had looked (which is true – I looked really haggard). However, I carry all my weight in my middle, which is a major heart risk, so I feel like I can’t stop working at this.
But OMG, I wake up in the am and all I think about is food. What can I eat, how much, when (and G-d forbid if DH decides he wants to go out for dinner or get takeout at 8:30 pm when he gets home and I have already gone through my calories for the day), and who am I going to offend this time with my restrictions.
I really feel for all of you having to cook for others. I have to keep things no carb for the most part, a little olive oil or butter here and there. My downfall is sugar. I have been doing WW, lost about 10 but am having a rough time progressing. This thread is helpful to read in keeping me to the straight and narrow. Avoiding typical dinners really helps, which I’d hate to inflict on much of anyone else. Greens and with a little protein is the key for me.
Previous poster is right regarding the falls/breaks with aging being the life changer. Keep that sense of balance! Even at my age, so many break bones on the ice.
My weight is the same but boy is the fat shifting! I have a nice menopause inter tube around my middle. Also plagued with arthritis, so my exercise of choice is changing to swimming. My challenge will be to up the exercise without getting so hungry afterwards I eat every cookie in the house when I get home.
Three years ago I lost 50 pounds. I’ve gained 3 or 4 back but most of it is due to muscle gain I think.
I don’t eat bread, pasta, rice, potatoes,etc. After all this time I really don’t miss it. Also do not eat red meat. I drink only water and almond milk with breakfast ( Kashi cereal in the summer… Oatmeal for breakfast in the winter).
Our dinners every night are chicken, fish or turkey with a green veggie/ salad and always a fruit.
Pinterest is my best friend for healthy recipes. Anything you can do with ground beef is just as good (better I think) using ground turkey. I’ve found a recipe for pizza using ground cauliflower for the crust. It’s really good!
Check out the sodium content on whatever you’re eating. It bloats you up.
I buy sodium free as much as possible.
DH used to be a big carb eater but since I’m the cook, he has to eat what I make! He has lost around 30 pounds and looks/feels better that he has in years.
I try to avoid eating between meals. I always keep sugarless gum in the kitchen so I can pop a stick in my mouth when a craving for something to eat is driving me nuts. Always keep celery and carrots cut up in the frig. when I just gotta have something! I also always have a jar of dry roasted unsalted peanuts in the pantry when I need a little crunch.
I run 10- 12 miles a week and workout in our basement gym on off days. Some days are rest days and I just walk.
We bought a rowing machine this year. It’s a great piece of equipment if you have a space big enough for it. Works out all parts of your body.
Highly recommend. Easy to use/takes up little room in your house.
People ask me “Are you still on your diet?” I always say" After 3 years it’s not a diet it’s just how we choose to live."
Buy good food. If you don’t have the bad stuff in your kitchen, you can’t eat it!
Our food supply is too great and we have to do too little to get it.
We are programmed to need fewer and fewer calories as we age…if we had to grow or hunt for all our food, we would be very grateful to be able to live on very few calories as we slowed down with age. Think of the animal kingdom and our human forebears. It is very efficient…you can no longer go out and stalk game or work in the fields all day, so your metabolism slows down and you need less and less food to survive.
It’s not really the universe conspiring for me to not fit into last year’s slacks. It’s the universe helping keep me alive…because I am older than the average life span throughout human history and I sit at a desk so many hours that the universe probably thinks I’m an invalid.
I have taken yoga lately with D, but even she says, I should stick to water ex! ( but one class I took with her I really liked the instructor, unfortunately it is about four hrs away)
Swimming is out cause I cant point my feet. Its hard to go fast when you are kicking with your ankles.
My ankles are strong, but many of the tarsal bones no longer have space between them, so standing is VERY uncomfortable.
I do take water exercise classes several days a week but I really need them to be more aerobic.
( they arent long enough & aerobic is only part of it)
I used to go to the gym three or four times a week and stay for two or three hours.
I miss it.
I did love the rowing machine though, what kind did you get?
I recently calculated the total amount of calories women my age need and was surprised to learn how little that really is, and how few calories I’m actually burning when I run on my treadmill. I FEEL like I worked off a slice of chocolate cake when in reality I worked off an apple. Well, maybe 2 apples, but still…
Harris Benedict Model:
The women’s American measurement BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) equation is:
4.7 x your height in inches
4.35 x your weight
655
4.7 x your age in years
= Total # of calories you need to maintain that weight
Harris Benedict Equation/Men:
12.7 x your height in inches
6.23 x your weight in pounds
655
6.8 x your age in years
= Total # of calories you need/day to maintain that weight
My total ended up being about 1300 calories, which is unfortunate because I have a deep fondness for chocolate. I just have to eat smaller portions. My new dessert is an ice cream sundae made from one small scoop of ice cream (about the size of a ping pong ball), 1T of chocolate syrup, and 1t of whipped cream. It’s tasty but doesn’t burn too many of my daily calories.
Going back to the OP for a minute, when you have your thyroid retested, be sure your doctor is using the new standards for what is considered normal TSH and T4. I hovered around the TSH upper limit of 4.5 and felt lousy. After 6 weeks on medication I was down to 1.3, well under the new cutoff of 3.0, and I feel so much better and find it easier to maintain my weight and eat normally.
That said, I also lost close to 30 lbs. 7 years ago without medication and right in the middle of menopause. I did WW and started walking and doing Pilates. It honestly took about 3 years of hard work before I really internalized the new lifestyle and it stopped being so hard.
One other thing I learned along the way is that for me anyway, the worst thing about drinking wine or eating what I call “white food,” is that I am ravenous the following day. Sugar and simple carbs just make me so miserable that they don’t seem worth it anymore.
Basal Metabolic Rate assumes that the body is at complete rest in a comfortable temperature environment. This is the energy needed to run the cellular machinery. If you walk, run, move around the kitchen while making dinner, take out the trash, etc. your body will spend more energy above the BMR. There is no way my body can survive on 1300 calories alone without going into complete starvation. For me, at my moderate actuvity level, the comfort zone is closer to 1800-2000 per day.
Many folks who say they eat little and healthy grossly underestimate the “little” part.
