Please only reply if you're female and closer to 50 than 40

[IWillSurviveHeyHey]

Because how in the name of the holy cheeses does one loose weight at the age of 48, when nothing that used to work in the past, works anymore?

I am reasonably active and don't overeat although admittedly I do drink alcohol and have a weakness for sweets. This was never an issue before but clearly it is now. Simple I hear you say, stop drinking alcohol and eating sweets. But I have. And whist in the past I would have started noticing some change after a couple of weeks, nothing moves at the moment. In fact, I am just getting bigger and bigger.

I have extremely large thighs and I am only short so I feel really uncomfortable within myself. My only saving grace is that I don't have a fat belly.

I am a bit sick of being hungry pretty much all the time and still, it seems I need to accept that I've gone from a size 10 to a size 12 in the space of a year and I've been hungry for the most part. Well I don't want to accept that. I need to go back to a size 10 or by the end of 2018 I'll be a size 14.

Please help me.

TIP
erm, we do eat together...? I don't make a song and dance about me eating differently? I have a daughter and am very mindful of eating disorders etc I don't understand why you think we don't eat together.
They've always eaten meat, I don't.
Same thing. Do you seriously think I would start announcing at the table that I'm on a diet?
We eat a wide variety of delicious and healthy meals. My plate is as full as theirs!
For anyone interested today's meals have been
Overnight oats with few raspberries
Home made vegetable soup
Celeriac, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and my fave cauliflower "cheese"
My family have had the same for tea with leftover roasties from yesterday and I roasted a gammon joint for them.
Easy

Also TIP I don't "reject" food.
I found this comment bizarre by the way.

Olivia dextrose causes a rapid rise in blood sugar and is far more dangerous than complex carbs.Its used in hypoglycaemia as it’s absorbed so rapidly.I fail to see why you say that carbs/rice are bad,yet dextrose is good.
I’m also sorry I haven’t responded to your pm.I don’t really tend to respond to random pms unless I know the sender.
I’m actually finding this thread hilarious,but fascinating.All sorts of wonderfully eccentric opiniated musings on everything.
Can I say that in the nicest possible way?
I definitely find myself becoming more dogmatic in my 50s 😀

You've asked a complicated question ...

Sports nutrition is a completely different ball game to normal nutrition. Most people don't need to bother with the silly stuff I do.

I am low carb most of the time. I believe in the health benefits and it keeps me lean. I'm also terrified of cancer and cancer cells fuel exclusively off of glucose. So I intend to continue.

Fat as a fuel is pretty efficient to fuel aerobic workouts - long steady work not too intense at about 75% Vo2 max. Ultra marathoners are increasingly using fat as a fuel. As are cyclists and triathletes. It's the only fuel that works over long periods.

But anaerobic exercise consumes glycogen only and I do a lot of anaerobic work. Whether martial arts or high intensity circuits or weight training. So I need to find a way to fuel my explosive workouts. Carbs.

The unfortunate thing is the process to convert fat to glycogen to restore it in the muscles takes too much time. Fat in other words is crap as a fuel for my sports which require 90 to 95% of Vo2 max. It takes Up to a week to restore glycogen using fat according to some texts (the glycerol molecule from fat converts to glucose but oh so slowly).

To put it bluntly I'm not gonna wait a week to train another session. I sometimes train twice a day. As I did today. Happily knackered.

So I restore my muscle glycogen post workout with dextrose. Or maltodextrin. Or waxy maize starch.

And you're correct. Dextrose spikes blood sugar very high. It's exactly what I want it to do because cells are particularly open to restoring glycogen within a 2 / 4 hour window post intensive workout. I have to jam that glycogen in there as fast as I can so a cheap simple carb does it (as
long as it's not fructose). At least that's what my physiology textbook says. And sports nutrition resources on the internet say the same.

Next morning I'm usually back in ketosis so the theory seems to pan out in practice. I test this with a blood ketone meter - about 0.6 mmol of BHB in the morning.

I haven't yet figured out when to time the slow starch. But I'll get there. As I mentioned to @PeppermintPasty I'm going to experiment with that.

Make sense?

Olivia you're blowing my mind!

Ok, so for someone like me, doing an office job full time, time only in the evenings for workouts, wanting to get leaner and with more muscle tone, particularly on the lower half (I have vg definition on top and am quite strong and muscly, which I like), what sort of food would you eat post workout in those circumstances? If you don't mind me asking?

Also, being nosey, two workouts a day sometimes? Did I miss an earlier post about your profession, is fitness your job, or related to it?

I work for myself as a consultant so have time to train. I gave up the corporate grind a while ago. But a consulting firm is trying to pull me back in ...

I'm not sure I have an answer for you that works. But if you're not competing and don't care about performance you may want to try some of these ideas:

1. diet is key for fat loss. Much more so than training which I look at for muscle growth.

Go low carb. No more sweet potatoes! Your performance may not be great but who cares? If you want 17% or below fat % it's the only way I know that works.

Funny as you've encouraged me to add sweet potatoes back at some point! But your and my objectives are different so this makes sense.

2. exercise wise not sure if you're doing this but I'd try circuits. Five of six sets of five exercises of 40secs each at max output. 2 min rest in between. I've used apps before but they're nothing like tyre flips, battle ropes etc. These destroy me and I'm literally jello for a few hours after.

3. post intense workout only take down 50 g of 90 or 97 no carb whey isolate and 30 or 40g of dextrose. Sometimes I double this when I have bonked or got close to it - means my glycogen is really low.

Use that 2 hour post exercise window to do it.

I add glutamine and leucine for recovery. Other than the whey these supplements are cheap.

4. during the workout you may want to take electrolytes and branch chain amino acids with your water so your muscles don't get destroyed and you replace nutrients. Both are cheap.

5. never take any supplements or eat before a workout. Seems it lowers your aerobic threshold. Look up Peter Attia for some of his nuttier self experimentation. Seems to make sense but he is a cyclist.

6. think about taking 5 to 10 g of creatine chloride (monohydrate is slightly less absorptive) daily. It adds about 10 to 15% to my strength so I can work harder. I'm much more explosive too. You'll need to drink a lot of water. Creatine cheap as chips.

I get all my supplements online at bulkpowders but there are other sites that sell cheap high quality supplements. I don't recommend them specifically. Just the vendor I use.

7. eat only twice a day but make sure you get your calorie budget. Go for 1600 or 1700 net calories so run a small deficit. If you eat more times a day your blood insulin levels will block glucagon secretion and prevent fat metabolism.

Be curious to know if any of this works for you.

Thank you, I am going to let that sink in and have a think about what I do and how I can do it better. I appreciate you taking the time.

Re the sweet potatoes-that's funny, I threw them in upthread as I do have them very occasionally but not at all regularly, and I thought they might be more interesting than my normal pretty dull food intake! I'll steer clear totally!!

@PeppermintPasty

Good luck. As most on here demonstrate we all need to find what works for us thru experiment. Trial and error. Get that tyre though!

On it

Thanks to this thread I rediscovered callanetics for the tummy (I watched the original by the person who "invented" it rather than later versions) and it is AMAZING!!! It has had an amazing effect after just a week or so. Just thought I'd share and encourage!

I do a brilliant 'crunch' for the belly muscles. It couldn't be easier and doesn't hurt!

Bodensausages glad you’re getting on with Callanetics. I’m doing the original ones too and DD said the other day my stomach is going down. It seems to be helping that roll of flab under my boobs! I’m doing stomach exercises, the waist one, one for arms and the sit on floor and squeeze a chair one.

Ppeatfruit how do you do your crunch?

Post 1. You lie flat on a firm base ( i use my mattress!)

1. Raise the upper part of your body slowly as far as it will go for approx. 6cms from the base, taking 6 counts, hold for 6. and release down for 6 counts That's it ( The important thing to remember is to keep your head in line with your spine, don't poke it forward or drop it) . Do it 3 times in the morning and 3 at night.

Remember if you're not fit to start gently and slowly and not to force it. Also stop if it hurts!

You can increase the difficulty by doing it with your legs straight up against the wall and or putting your arms flat above your head.

Thank you OP for starting this thread. I have enjoyed reading it over the last two days and there are some useful suggestions.

However I find it quite unpleasant to see how some posters are verbally bashing Olivia’.

Talking’ , I don’t find Olivia’ ’Strident & Preachy’ in the slightest. If (and the others) you don’t enjoy reading her posts why don’t you just scroll past rather than berate her. It isn’t nice to have to navigate yours and others unpleasant posts. Don’t get me wrong I am all for healthy debate. But some people on here are being plain rude.

I must say Olivia has continued to post reasonable and measured responses to all you haters without being rude or unpleasant.

Thank you *Ppeatfruit , did them last night then forgot this morning!

You're welcome Post You can do them again tonight! The good thing about them is that they 'activate' the muscles (I feel them!) so continue working without any more input!

cheeseandbiscuits - I'm doing your cauliflower cheese for lunch today.

Hi all. Can I come and hand out in here please? I used to be very small indeed but am now in peri and am just gaining and gaining around my hips and arse.

I dont eat THAT much - I would estimate it at 1500 a day, I dont drink either. Sugar is my main problem. I am also on a very restricted diet so it is naturally low carb.

I am already doing 8000 steps a day and one 45minute full on workout a week. Plus planking every night etc.

Just wanted to sit in here and admit that it is really getting me down now and I feel really vain for even typing that.

tsk hang out obvs.

It's not vain at all!

49, used to be able to lose weight very easily. Now, I'm on 1200 calories a day if I need to lose weight. I use MyFitness pal. I log everything, it's easier the more you use it as many of my regular meal are now on there already.

I then run 3/4 miles 3 x a week to pay for any treats (ie wine or pudding). I also use a resistance band to build upper body strength, I keep it in the kitchen and use it when I have a spare five minutes. It is really hard, but works. Harder for me is maintaining weight, as I get complacent.

I agree about a step counter, it also encourages you to walk more to burn more fat or use it as I do, purely to earn more treat calories

Use a tape measure to measure yourself once a week as when you build muscle it weighs more, so I don't bother with scales.

Nothing vain about wanting to look your best, taking pride in yourself and wear clothes that feel good on you and don't dig into you. I have no intention of letting myself go to seed.

I don't think that vanity comes into it, and if it does, I don't care. I still want to look good.

So it's been a dry month, low carb, and I know I've lost some weight because clothes feel better. However, I still don't dare to weigh myself because if the number hasn't shifted, I worry I will give up.

I want to shake things up by starting the blood sugar diet next.

I tried Slimming World late last year. Although I did lose some
Weight, the diet itself (low fat, sugar free etc) just wasn't me. I think that low carb is the way forward for me, but as a family rice and pasta are such staples for us! I'd be really grateful if anyone would post a few 'typical' low carb meals to give me an idea of what I can cook. Thanks in advance!

Why don't you go to the Bootcamp topic, and have a look at some of the recipe threads? They'll give you a good idea of what you can have!