Lots of exercise and my ass is still fat 😢

[bodychanges]

This, in a nutshell.

I’m early fifties, post menopausal, do a heavy strength/weights workout about 3 x a week, incline walking on treadmill and skipping at least once. Mostly twice. Although not perfect, I eat clean and don’t drink 90% of the week and don’t go mad the 10%.

But my ass is fat. Bigger than it’s been in years. I’m so depressed by it.

Is it age? Not doing enough cardio? Food? How can I shrink the fucker?

exercise keeps your muscles strong and you mobile, but the real deal is stopping the extra calories. This comes off with stopping bread, cake, cookies, rice, large cooked meals on top of rice like curry and so on

eat chill con carne in salad leaf , boiled eggs, chicken, fish, fruit, vegetables, yogurt

That doesn't sound like a problem to me! 🥰

Sadly you can be super fit but if your DNA decides your arse is the place to store fat, you won't lose it without dieting as well.

With all your weightlifting though, under that layer of fat are fantastic strong muscles which is far more important than a skinny arse.

Don't you mean your arse?

Yes. I should have said arse. My bad.

thanks for the contribution!

I mean depending on how fat you're talking then it could be a good thing. I think it's been shown that it's healthy to be going into middle age on the heavier side of healthy. And storing it on your bum is better than your waist.

Sorry, I'm in a glass half full mood today!

I know you exercise, I do too.
It was only after a couple of months of daily squats, did my bum firm up, and lost fat and gained definition... that was in my mid sixties, and I keep up the squats, as it's become so habitual.
I do it at the same time as brushing my teeth, so it's now impossible to get
my oral b out, without the up down motion.
Bonus is, that if I need to squat down to the bottom shelf in a shop, I now have no fear in tryito get up again.
Give it a go, if you do it daily (no cheating) you should see and feel improvement in a couple of months?

What would you guess your average calorie intake is?

Maybe try swapping one weight day for 45 mins on the bike / treadmill for a couple of months and see how that works.

Have you worked out your TDEE and calorie intake?
Are you lots of protein, less refined carbs and sugar, and sticking to 'healthy' fats ?
You can't outrun a bad diet....

I think prob about 1400 calories to lose. I’m good most of the time, but it’s so boring I fall off the wagon. I always get back on but I think at my age/time of life, it just gets harder and harder to have slack.

i do wonder about more cardio even though weights burn more fat

im away this weekend on a city break and a) I’ve def fallen off wagon b) I’ve absolutely hated the sight of myself in mirrors.

On the upside, better than your body fat shifting to your abdomen which is common in post menopausal women and much worse for your health.

A bigger arse is fashionable amongst the young people, I reckon embrace it if you’re not actually overweight?

I can’t embrace it. I hate it. I really do

Fair enough, I guess getting your calorie intake down further is the next step then. I find it surprising/depressing in my 50s just have few calories I seem to need these days.

My arse was the first thing to go. My bestie noticed first, she said I must have lost weight as, and I quote, "your arse is flat". Cheers mate. Diet and Pilates in my case.

Sometimes it's just body shape

Can we swap?! Mine is genetically flat and I despite it!

I’d pay good money for that compliment

How many squats do you do per day? I exercise, but have hit 40 and my bum is very... flat I guess?! I look enviously at the rounded bottoms of the younger girls in my gym 😂

Just keep plugging away at your eating as that's what makes the difference. Lots of water too. I'm mid 50s. Max 1600 calories a day (no cheat days), gym 5 days a week, mainly Pilates, bit of cardio but just started strength training.

Hi Tappity.

I started off with a minimum of thirty squats whilst brushing my teeth and slowly built it up to 120 squats per teeth clean regime.

i regard that now to be MY most comfortable maximum.

if I wish to make it a little more difficult, I intermittently stay in the bottom of my squat for x amount of seconds, before rising back up to a standing position.

so I might stay for five seconds in the bottom of my squat, then rise, then repeat that five times, then return to the “normal “ up/down squats ten/twenty times, then repeat the five seconds hold squat again, as described.

I hope I’ve described that in a way that’s clear, it would be easier to show you, but I’m not all that clever at diagrams.

I would say do what feels best comfortable for you, and build it slowly.

if you’re impatient, that’s quite hard, but I believe it’s best to start small and increase slowly.

Always do what’s comfortable for YOU.

Also, whenever I see exercise regimes online, they usually say for you to firstly get advice from your health provider.

That may be sound advice if a person has had issues such as a hernia, or is postpartum etc etc.

Do take care.

Please note Tappity, that at the much older than forty age I was when starting the squats regime, my bottom was what I regarded as “flat”, and I did not like my bottom in jeans at all.

I did not tell my partner that I had begun the exercises, and I was as pleased as punch when (unsolicited) he asked me “what have you been doing, your arse looks great”.

He also said that my bum felt firmer (sorry if that’s too much info) in his hands.

I’m telling you this, coz I believe if you tell someone you’re trying, then they can feel almost obliged to say they can see an improvement, just to keep you happy.

Apart from the obvious physical benefits of that exercise, the boost to self esteem is a welcome to levels of confidence.

I sure hope it works for you, but like I said, no cheating, and you’ll be surprised at how second nature it’ll become, especially as you’ll be associating it with your regular teeth cleaning, and it’s not taking up any extra time, as you’ll be killing two birds with the one stone.

Hey, you’re gonna look great 👍

You need to cut calories

Running reduces my arse. Unfortunately.
Yes diet and other exercises are needed, but I started running and the physical width of my arse changed, even though I didn't lose any actual weight.
I dislike running, especially in this weather.

Check out Bret Contreras; he has weight lifting strategies specifically tailored for women. Strong Curves and Glute Lab are both good but Glute Lab can be difficult to get hold of at a decent price.

Yes and No

As there are good calories and bad calories, it’s not as simple as “cutting calories”.

if for example your daily allowance of calories were a thousand, and you used that thousand in the form of sugary cream cakes, or an extra glass or two of wine, or you chose to eat say a carbonara pasta dish instead of a tomato based pasta dish, that’s not going to be very wise.

Think how much more you can eat by choosing healthy low calorie foods.
Youll feel more satiated, and your body will thank you more.