What to eat to loose muffin top and lower belly flab

[Itsbeenalongoldday]

I’m start by saying I’m not overweight I’m 5ft 7 and 9 stone 3 but at 55 I have lost tone massively, clothes getting tighter round bum and waist and feel my bum joining my legs and my waist is getting wider despite eating healthily. I cook from scratch I’m pescatarian and my job has me on the move most of the day plus I walk my dog. I find squats and lunges tricky as knees creak ! I follow lots of people on line and have upped protein intake but I’m not huge on eggs so have Greek yogurt berries and homemade granola for breakfast but fear this may be where the problem is ? I’ve tried overnight oats as well which I love but think the way might be can reduction !
any thoughts welcome as determined to not have to buy bigger clothes !
because of DH schedule I eat late. Breakfast is usually around 10, lunch at 3 and dinner 8.30. I also find I have to finish my evening meal with a couple of squares of 80% chocolate as need something sweet- maybe that’s habit ! I actually find I lose weight if I’m on holiday as I can’t pick at nuts, a biscuit toast etc through the day ! Ideas please

Low carb diet.

Following

Plan in advance and even when going out mentally prep for the options with salad/veg not chips/bread in advance. Reduce volume of meals (smaller plate & leftovers box up for lunch), eat fibre for fullness (whole fruit/raw veg), no sugar. If you need a glass of wine have it and don't then give up for days with guilt.
Distil your nuts into a small container (e.g. 10 for your late breakfast).
Keep the dark chocolate but after lunch & no other snacks (except veg sticks/plain yoghurt).

Just a calorie deficit. Skip breakfast. Exercise can help tone your muscles but unless you go for quite intense weight lifting it’s not going to be that noticeable until you lose the weight, and there’s no such thing as spot reducing.

I don't think you need to lose weight. I'd try toning first. Resistance exercises, pilates, weights, swimming, brisk walking etc. You have to work harder to keep muscle mass post 50 but it's important for your future health.

Her BMI is only 20!

You are in the right height and weight but as you say you're loosing tone so perhaps is more attention to exercise that's needed. Worth seeing a personal trainer to see what's needed.

less
you need to eat less calories
what you eat is no so important, but keeping to a sensible and sustainable calorie deficit is easier if your eat a lot of vegetables, some good protein and very little fat.

I am no expert here but I would say exercise is the way to go. You are already eating healthily, you are active and far from overweight.

What to eat to loose muffin top and lower belly flab
less.

From the diet side, it sounds like the "picking" at things like toast is more likely to be the issue than yoghurt with granola.

You're active and your activity needs fuelling. Are you "picking" because you're being too tight at meal times? Planned snacks have their place particularly in active people, but picking adds up.

You may need some strength training too. Walking has so many benefits for general health but it doesn't add much metabolism boosting muscle. Especially if you're 40+ ish.

Even just holding planks to engage your core will help.

For general wear on joints, supplements like cod liver oil and collagen can help. But strong muscles also help too. Weak muscles cause instability and joints to move out of alignment. I have better joints in my 40s than in my 20s!

I started at 9st3ish, at 5ft4, and am now 8st11. But I've put on a significant amount of muscle from strength training, so I've lost a good amount of fat there.

It's honestly tricky without eggs.

Standard for me is:

• fat free Greek yoghurt made into chia seed pudding, with berries, flaked almonds and honey
• a 3 egg omelette with small amount of cheese, or a salad with a tin of tuna and 2 eggs
• an apple with 100% peanuts peanut butter
• a dinner with a whole chicken breast or piece of salmon with veg and a bit of brown rice.

Without liking eggs, I guess you need to eat prawns/fish/chicken/tofu instead.

I'll add, I've not counted calories at any point. Instead, I started weighing myself regularly, to see what kinds of meals, in what kinds of portion sizes, led to a small weight loss (1-1/2 pound a week) - and then ate more of those.

Quite honestly - Keto and running. It has shredded my body to an insane amount and I now have visible abs. I'm in my 40s and as you age your protein requirements go up anyway if you dont want to lose muscle so for me, it's been really great all round.