topic Re: Losing 10 pounds in Wellness

Losing 10 pounds

SeaMaiden — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:22:05 GMT

I am 62. I eat a very clean and healthy diet. I try to watch my calories and keep them about 1200-1400 a day. I eat no junk... at all. High fiber... Limit my starch... lots of vegetables eat only healthy fats and proteins and only low glycemic fruit and not fruit every day. I walk 6 days a week for an hour... other exercise is using rubber tubing for strength training and yard work besides the daily house cleaning etc. We have two flights of stairs in our home that I go up and down all throughout the day. I wear a fit bit and put in on average 13,000 steps a day... some days more... other days a bit less. ( on the one day I do not walk it might be 10,000). I start my day at about 4am and am in bed by 8pm.

I would like to lose 10 pounds... without a staving type of diet and exercising to the point of exhaustion. But I find that even with really eating carefully and choosing good food no extra sugar.and moving more... my weight stays stuck about 10 pounds over where I would like to be. I am not striving for skinny,,, just to lose my bit of belly fat that I put on over the last couple of years since turning 60. I never had a "belly" prior to turning 60. I feel my metabolism has really changed.

Have any of you who have noticed the 60 something shift in metabolism found anything that helped you to spark the fire under your metabolism to speed up the calorie burn? I could walk longer.... I could cut my calories down more...but I do not really want to be in the situation where I have to be hungery all the time to keep my 10 pounds off or exercising to the point where I come to hate doing it. That is how yo yo pounds go up and down which is just depressing.

Maybe a discussion of what you find works for you. If we share some ideas it might be an interesting thread.

That is all I will say on the this thread as I told my story..... I will just read and absorb your posts .. and let you gals tell your story.

Have a super Monday everyone!

Re: Losing 10 pounds

PINKdogWOOD — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:32:09 GMT

@SeaMaiden I feel your pain in the belly fat region. I've lost 10 lbs in the last 3-4 months but between continuous cleaning up of my diet, my thyroid is really getting under control since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 1.5 to 2 yrs ago.

If you've never had the simple blood test done to check your thyroid, I'd suggest you do this with your PCP. It's amazing how many of us have thyroids so out of whack and don't know it.

My belly fat is going down, I'm feeling better, more energy 98% due to thyroid.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

susan kay — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:37:49 GMT

It sounds as if you are doing all of the "good" things. I know that when I want to lose weight, I have to write down everything that I eat and how many calories it is. I'll stay at 1,200 calories each day if I want to lose 2 lbs per week. For me, if I go over, I won't lose those 2 lbs, and it can be VERY frustrating. You might want to try some type of strength training/pilates for the mid-section. I definitely understand what you're saying with weight shifting as you age. When I'm religious about my pilates, my body changes, whether I lose weight or not. Also, just to trick your body, you might want to try another type of aerobic exercise, just to mix up your routine.

I have to comment, though, on the healthy lifestyle that you have! Interested to read what works for others!

Re: Losing 10 pounds

wagirl — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:39:50 GMT

Sea--- girl--you are my hero!!! Sounds like you know what you are doing. If I could motivate myself to do half as much as you are, I would be very happy. I am 63 and have gone thru some gnarly health issues these past 5 years. Now I MUST watch carbs and have been for the last few months. I have to say that about 7 pounds have melted off my body just from not eating so many carbs. Carbs are in everything. I try for 30-45 carbs a meal and I really don't miss them and eat very well. Look into a diet for diabetes even tho that may not be an issue. I thought I knew alot about that but I was surprised at what things effect your sugar levels. I am within my 5 pounds of my ideal weight for me. I have lots of wiggle and jiggle around my middle that needs to go. But that is exercising which I hate but need to do. And yes, there is something to this age thing---curses!!!!

Re: Losing 10 pounds

queendiva — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:56:16 GMT

@SeaMaiden: Wow, Not much more you can do, is there? I am down 55 lbs this year in the same way that you are: slow and steady and keep moving. The only thought I can add is that I take only water between meals and go at least 3 1/2 hrs, between meals. Also drinking 8-10 10 oz. glasses of water/day before 8:00 PM.

I feel as if the metabolism really turns off after menopause.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

hoosieroriginal — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:56:54 GMT

I've found since drinking more water a day the inches have come off because I'm not eating nearly as much. I used to snack all day - now the water fills that void and I hardly ever snack. My stomach is flattening out and my clothes are fitting much better. Because of my cholesterol issue, I have been working out on my treadmill also 4 days a week at least and walking Story more because the heat and humidity died down (coming back this week though). You know they tell us "seniors" that a little bit of extra weight is good because if you fall, you are less likely to break something like a hip. I don't watch the scale, I watch the way my clothes fit and how I feel.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

SeaMaiden — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 15:04:51 GMT

@queendiva wrote:
@SeaMaiden: Wow, Not much more you can do, is there? I am down 55 lbs this year in the same way that you are: slow and steady and keep moving. The only thought I can add is that I take only water between meals and go at least 3 1/2 hrs, between meals. Also drinking 8-10 10 oz. glasses of water/day before 8:00 PM.

I feel as if the metabolism really turns off after menopause.

@queendiva I am REALLY BAD about drinking just water... I drink herb tea( drink this instead of diet soda which I stopping drinking 4 years ago). I have a hard time just drinking water.... I will try to drink a big glass of water right after I get up and go from there. I think I forget to drink sometimes. Thanks for the nudge and thought about more JUST WATER.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

Katcat1 — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 15:04:59 GMT

@SeaMaiden, I joined Weight Watchers and dropped 14 lbs. in 5 weeks. I sort of fell off but determined to continue with WW. My problem is getting to meetings. WW is now based on low sugar and low saturated fat. I could not exercise due to physical disabilities from surgery. Give it a try because once you lose what you want, you will be a lifetime member and not have to pay as long as your weight remains in a certain range which I am not sure about. Good luck. Do you eat plenty of vegetables? You sound to be very healthy.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

HULAGIRL — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 15:14:28 GMT

Sounds like you're doing great with both exercise & diet. Have you tried uping your protein and cutting back on carbs.....nothng drastic, but you said you eat a lot of fiber.....if that's from grains/whole wheat bread, etc. I'd switch to getting my fiber from veggies and fruit......keep well hydrated and see if it helps.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

SaRina — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 16:23:23 GMT

You're already doing about all you can do, but here are a few "tweaks" I learned in my fitness journey, mostly from pro bodybuilders....

1) Eat all your carbs at one meal within one hour-- I mean the breads, pasta, rice or potatoes. So, for example, breakfast: eggs, cheese, vegetables, low-fat or vegan sausage. Lunch: Lean chicken, fish, tuna, salmon and salad. Dinner: Whatever you like, within reason, which it sounds like you already know, but you must include lean protein in this meal. Snacks: Roasted, unsalted almonds or walnuts in mid-afternoon. You already know not to eat too much fruit. Stick to berries only and eat with your carb meal, within the hour.

Doing this will result in just one insulin surge at dinner. thereby limiting your cravings for more carbs and reducing fat storage (to put it simply).

2) Work out in the a.m. on an empty stomach. If you fuel your workout with carbs, your body will draw on the carb calories for energy. If you deplete your carb stores overnight and workout on an empty stomach, your body will more likely draw on fat stores for energy for that a.m. workout.

3) Have dinner as early as you can. Leave several hours between dinner and bedtime. No snacking allowed. If you must, have a couple more nuts, cheese, lean meat. I used to eat dinner at 5 p.m. Now, I'm able to eat between 3:30-4 p.m. and I go to sleep 10:30 p.m. It's no problem most of the time. I have a cup of green tea if I get hungry.

3) Cycle your calories. If you have the same caloric intake, day after day, week after week, your body becomes accustomed to that and your metabolism will function in the same manner, day after day. Eat your usual caloric intake for 2 or 3 days, then increase your calories for a day to rev up your metabolism, then decrease below your usual. By doing this, you will "fool" your metabolism, causing it to work more efficiently.

Cutting calories drastically for days on end to produce a caloric deficit is not the answer. The body will go into "starvation mode" and look to store fat.

I don't have a belly and I know quite a few women past menopause who don't because of their food knowledge as well as the effort they put in. It's more about food than exercise.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

SeaMaiden — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 15:46:52 GMT

@SaRina WOW some great suggestions to try to incorporate! Thanks so much!

Re: Losing 10 pounds

SaRina — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 15:49:31 GMT

You're very welcome @SeaMaiden. I should add, doing these things should not present any problem for a person in good health. If you have any medical issues, please check with your doc or a nutritionist to make sure it won't exacerbate any condition.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

hckynut — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 16:19:34 GMT

@SeaMaiden

How long or how many miles one walks/jogs or runs, is not the key to maximizing the time spent exercising, of any type. Nobody other than competitive athletes should exercise to exhaustion. Like "pain thresholds", exhaustion is a term that varies with each individual. How do you measure "exhaustion"?

Unless you have some sort of underlying metabolism issue, losing "fat" does not mean starvation or exhaustion. Unless you have had a very accurate body composition test(not calipers or a BMI reading), how do you know that this 10# you are seeking to lose is fat? Answer! You don't.

How do you measure your body's exercise workload while exercising? As you probably know, the human body acclimates to doing the same thing over and over again, even moreso when it comes a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary systems.

Don't care what type of cardio a person does, unless the workload(measured)is increased as the body acclimates to repetitive type exercises? For most, their hoped for progress decreases or stays the same. Do the same? Expect the same, not more.

Oxygen IN Carbon Dioxide OUT is the measure of one's physical fitness level. Oxygen Intake means little if the body's capability of using all of it and expelling it as Carbon Dioxide is how Max Vo2 levels(physical fitness level) is what explicitly tells one their TRUE Fitness Level.

Unless one is in competition, how far/how fast or how long one exercises, is not how one's physical fitness is, or should be measured. Few, even in the Medical Field(I exclude those Certified in Sports Medicine) understands these proven facts.

Now, read and absorb. =^..^=

E.T.A. One does not need to exercise longer or eat less to achieve their goals. The key is to eat and exercise smarter.

hckynut(john)

Re: Losing 10 pounds

GenXmuse — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 17:36:01 GMT

You might try strength training to build some muscle since we lose muscle mass as we age. Muscle burns more calories than fat and should help your metabolism overall.

Otherwise, I don't know what else you can do since you've covered all the bases.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

sidsmom — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 17:47:04 GMT

@SeaMaiden

'....limit starch...'

That's the problem. Starch, in particular Potatoes, are v.e.r.y filling with little calories. They naturally heal gut flora to make losing a few pounds effortless.

I know I talk about potatoes via the plant-based route.

But today? Let's go the Paleo route.

Paleo people are embracing the Potato via The Potato Hack,

a movement/book written by Tim Steele. 3-5 days of nothing

but potatoes...and everyone has lost weight, reset the metabolism

and discovered potatoes aren't the evil carb the Public has deemed.

If you Google, 'marks daily apple potato hack'...there's tons of

info.

Potatoes are cheap, very assessible...just try nothing but potatoes

for 3-5 days. Love the potato!

Re: Losing 10 pounds

granddi — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 19:12:50 GMT

Agree about limit starches--anything white especially sugar, potatoes, rice, any bread. Just did this and lost 15 pounds.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

Trinity11 — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 19:29:55 GMT

Are you overweight @SeaMaiden by ten pounds? If you aren't, you will probably lose in every place BUT your stomach. I weighed in at 122 this morning and I am 5'8. I do not have a flat stomach, no matter how much lower I go. It is just where I put on any excess fat since menopause. I would do cool sculpting if I was in better health and not on blood thinners. My girlfriend had it done recently and it worked for her.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

tucsongal — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 19:45:16 GMT

@Trinity11 wrote:
Are you overweight @SeaMaiden by ten pounds? If you aren't, you will probably lose in every place BUT your stomach. I weighed in at 122 this morning and I am 5'8. I do not have a flat stomach, no matter how much lower I go. It is just where I put on any excess fat since menopause.

---------------------------

This is me too. I'm thin but things have "shifted".

Re: Losing 10 pounds

chrystaltree — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 21:36:14 GMT

Are you sure you need to lose 10lbs? When we are young, we can lose weight because we "want to" but as we age that becomes harder if not impossible. Yo yo pounds really aren't about being hungery at all. In fact, dieting today is not about being starvation diets and being hungry and feeling deprived. That's old school stuff. If you HAVE to lose 10lbs, I would suggest Weight Watchers. You can do it online now for about $5 a week and WW is still the healthiest plan around for weight loss. If you just WANT to lose 10lbs, you'll have to go extreme like fruits, veggies and lean protein for a 4-6 weeks. But chances are if you aren't working out like a demon, you'll gain that 10lbs back.

Re: Losing 10 pounds

SeaMaiden — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 21:48:13 GMT

@tucsongal wrote:
@Trinity11 wrote:
Are you overweight @SeaMaiden by ten pounds? If you aren't, you will probably lose in every place BUT your stomach. I weighed in at 122 this morning and I am 5'8. I do not have a flat stomach, no matter how much lower I go. It is just where I put on any excess fat since menopause.

---------------------------

This is me too. I'm thin but things have "shifted".

@tucsongal. I am also 5'8" tall.....I weigh 141 this morning..... I wear a size 6/8 right now. I would like to weigh 131- 135.

You must be very slender as when I weighed in at 122 three years ago and was wearing a size 2 after all my joint replacement surgeries I looked too thin for my frame or build. I had no fat on my body at all and I did not have belly. I got the belly the last two years. Not from eating wrong, there was just a shift in my metabolism. And the added pounds.... At least that is what I think..... I also think that getting so thin after my surgeries did something to make gaining the weight back easier.