MY Lessons Learned on Weight Loss
Inperspire Towels - I LOVE this towel. I put it on top on my larger towel that covers a full bench & you can see that it is a pretty good size for a smaller towel. Very soft & absorbent too! They also carry these very cool Dynomighty wallets that "are light weight and water resistant, which makes them great for the gym, and they are recyclable (live the green). Made from from Tyvec (the same material shipping envelopes are made from) they are tear resistant, which makes them virtually indestructible, and also pretty darn cool. They are also stylish (yes, we said stylish) with a design for every personality." Sample pics above.
OK, we left off yesterday with my tough love post on losing AND maintaining weight.
NOW, many are going to see the words perimenopause & menopause & say this is not for them - WRONG!!! The same principles I use for adjusting my food & exercise for this stage in my life can help a person at any age so read on! Also, it may help you understand family members going thru this better.
Perimenopause starts at different ages. Some women start in their late 30's, others in their early 40's & others not till the 50's SO this could hit you sooner than you think! Also, it hits some harder than others. For me, it has been tough going.
Although I listen to my bod well, that week when I lost the 3 pounds due to my teeth probs was another awakening. Learning always!
I know I have written a lot about how the bod changes with age & hormone changes. Well, that week taught me more! Let's take a couple steps back in time first:
1. In my late 40's & perimenopause and the hormone changes, I had to up the intensity of my already very intense workouts. I changed a couple things in my food plan but NOT the calories.
2. When I hit 50/51, things got worse & so did the perimenopasue which means the hormones were changing more. I started to make small changes in the amount of calories I ate each day & also the protein/carb ratio. Small steps make it easier to adjust PLUS you can see & feel how it is working for your body. I was already working out very intensely so I really could not up the intensity BUT I did start to change things up even more than I normally do in my routines.
3. Come age 53 & looks like menopause.... all hell breaks loose! I could go into the TMI of non workout stuff but that is not healthy for you or me in this post because I'd go crazy!!
You have seen me write about the rug growing on my face & that is only 1 thing of the many!So, at 53, things really went crazier than before. The weight went up a couple pounds & no matter what I did, would not come down. Even at the same weight, the body fat was higher than one year ago AND of course the body looks different even at the same weight - me still doing my intense workouts & eating really clean. I again took small steps to adjust the food & calories.
4. At almost 54, I have not decided whether to take Fit at 54 pics this year like I have done in the past but if I do, you will see how my stomach definition is not the same even at the same weight. In fact, the 53 pic shows that too. I have got myself back down to that weight I like FOR NOW but, I can tell you that even at the weight I love, the body fat is a little higher & I just do not look as "tight".
At almost 54, I have once again taken small steps to adjust the food. And like previously, changing up the routine like crazy to work on those areas that just soften up more with the age & change in hormones - can you say BUTT & the middle area! The butt wants to get all loose & drop no matter what I do! The middle just wants to "crinkle"!
That means it is hard to get the definition I did before.Again, I am not eating too few calories. In fact, I am sure many of you are eating way less than I am BUT for as much as I do, I still had to cut back slowly which made it easier to adjust to.
So, that one week with the teeth - I learned that just to be those 2-3 pounds lighter, I had to eat WAY less than normal - not liveable eating to me. And actually, 2-3 pounds less is a weight I would like to be at IF it was livable. 3 pounds on a 5'1" person is a lot in terms of look & clothes fitting.
That week "told me" how much my body had changed with the hormones & the age stuff! One year ago I could eat more & also I could add in more food items that I now have decided to limit for me to look the way I want to look. No, I am NOT limiting food groups BUT I am choosing the types of food I eat even more carefully than before. I would also say that I am probably eating AT LEAST 500 calories less per day if not more than that vs. when I was 50.
So, to summarize, I was already doing all I was supposed to do in terms of clean eating, weight resistance, cardio & more so all I could do was change up my exercise AND the FOOD! I really could not work out much harder than I already was when the "hormones fight the body thing" hit. I had already increased my intensity to a MAX! SO, it was the food & I have made many changes in terms of how much I eat, the types of food & the make up of protein/carb and the types of carbs. As for the fat - I eat about the same % fat. I eat the healthy fat mostly so it came down to the protein/carb ratio, the types of carbs & yes, slowly reducing the calories over time. I still eat a lot more in calories than some younger folk BUT I had to reduce my intake even though I am still working out as hard if not harder.
For you younger people, this is what you can learn from this - the body changes over time anyway BUT you have to listen and learn & make adjustments all thru this journey! Maintenance is going to be hard too! You may have to up the intensity of your workouts OR adjust the food OR BOTH! It all comes down to what you want for yourself & how important it is to you to look a certain way.
Me, I am willing to do what I do right now so I put in the VERY VERY HARD work at it both with food & exercise. Make your choices for you BUT if the clothes are fitting tighter and/or the scale is going up & not down, you are going to have to accept that changes need to be made & it does get hard with age to maintain the same body look. Saying all that, I think my best years, bod wise, were in my late 30's & early 40's BUT I still worked very hard for it! 
Cranky Fitness had a great post on this yesterday so check it out!
Your thoughts on all my ranting????
Categories: Motivation/Support, Fitness, Weight Loss, Awareness, Exercise, Workouts, Healthy Eating, Tips, Dieting, Challenges, Acceptance, Food
Tags: Weight Loss weight loss maintenance weight loss plateaus acceptance accountability awareness challenges change it up change dieting Exercise expectations fitness food tips Inperspire calorie counting calorie tracking choices consistency lifestyle menopause perimenopause Cranky Fitness
As much as I struggle now at age 42 I am terrified to what is in store. I have been fighting these pounds I have gained over the last 2 years and it makes me sad that I have to work so hard just to maintain a weight that is good for me. Why is it so hard? Is it because of getting older or are we eating the wrong things? I know the answer for myself its because I eat the wrong things and in the process of changing this, but I have to keep up these changes or its just going to come back on.
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Sheri, it is a fact of life for most people that it gets harder as we age. It is the way the body & hormones change & yes, for some, not being able to do what they did when they were younger BUT still eating the same.. it ain't fair but it is life... better healthy than stuck in a wheelchair or something due to not taking care of ourselves.
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Great information Jody! I so admire the way you stay on top of healthy eating and intense exercise, even as midlife challenges make it harder. So many people just shrug and give up! But I'm with you--there's only so much I'm willing to do to shave pounds, and there comes a point where you're doing enough to be healthy and obsessing over the scale (or bodyfat % or whatever) just ain't worth it.
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Crabby, THX! Yes, it is easy to give up but why do that & then live the rest of your life unhealthy or not being able to do certain things...
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We are all the lab rat of our own personal life experiment! You should give a lecture in your local medical school on this, Jody!
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Dr. J - yes, lab rats!!!!!!!! Hmmmm, lecture the medical community. I like that!
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I love that you're sharing this information. It's an important topic and I can learn a lot from your experiences.
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Thx Jess. I would hope that some younger ones like you hear it PLUS will help you relate to your mom or other women you know that are my age & going thru this...
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I am so grateful that you share all of these details and I feel your frustration. I am 44 but already noticing changes too. I wish in addition to a reduced need for calories that my hunger would decrease too. That doesn't seem to happen. Some women seem to naturally get leaner as they age to the point of looking ripped but unhealthy. I think my tendencies are in the other direction! I think you SHOULD take fit at 54 pictures but remember FIT is far more than a 2-D image. A photo doesn't show what your body is capable of!
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Cort, no, my hunger has not decreased!
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We need to learn from this. Honestly, this post is a bit scary. I'm in my mid 40s and struggling to lose albeit that struggle is all mental. Assuming I get the mental focus set and it stays there I know I am in for a heck of a battle to bet down to 199… but to think as I age onward that I will have to fight a battle on an ever changing battlefield just to hold 199… scary! But, I am so much better for learning this now, and those out there in their 20s & 30s even so much better for them to learn at that age. Now we can prepare ourselves mentally for the challenges that age will bring to our present challenges to lose & maintain today.
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Patrick, all my years at this did provide a solid groundwork for me to adjust with age. I think it is harder for those that did not learn this early on... THX for sharing!
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So unfair! I wonder if men get the same issues?? I turned 40 and it seems to me that I have to work harder already. I never haven't counted calories in years but I have started again.
PS-I would love to see your b-day pixs!
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Sian, Patrick wrote today about it is harder for him with age. I don't think they have all the hormone issues that we have so I think women have it harder BUT they do "spread" too & have to learn to change the eating.
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I love this post and all the comments. Being healthy is very important and so is keeping life in check. As we age we should be learning to stay healthy but live, a lot, because time just keeps passing, so love yourself everyday, even if there are a few extra pounds lurking around
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Thx Dana!! Love your thought process but does not surprise me - you guys are great!
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I think the older I get the less I can eat. Of course, I also wonder if I've messed up my metabolism with all my years of yo-yo dieting. I also notice the middle-age spread that my mother warned me about. And, since I am just a couple inches taller than you, I can totally relate to how much difference a few pounds makes at our size. For me, 5 pounds is a pant size.
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Karen, yup, us shorter folk, less places for the food to go!
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Fantastic post. Guess it boils down to listening to your body and making choices based on what's realistic in your life.
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Lee, that is it. It is simple but very hard to put into action for many! Good to hear from you!
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