Is it possible to lose weight simply by eating less?

[DumbledoresGirl]

I am a novice here. I have always been slim and not needed to watch what I eat. I have never had to lose weight before. Now, I find I am heavier than I have ever been before (apart from when pregnant) and I want to get rid of at least half a stone, maybe a bit more.

Dh keeps on at me to exercise but I am not an exercise person. So I want to know: can I lose weight simply by cutting out some fatty/indulgent foods and generally eating a bit less? I hope the answer will be yes!

In your 40s you start to lose muscle mass. Consequently, you burn fewer calories because muscle uses more calories than fat. This is what gives rise to the middle age spread. To counteract this you have to

1. Ingest fewer calories or
2. move around more or 3
3. do both

I'm 42yo now and I do more exercise now than I did in my 20s and 30s plus I eat more fruit and veg because I want to be fit for my DTS and to avoid looking like a tub of lard.

Yep Speedy. I've started doing weights for that reason. Apparently the loss of muscle mass is very easy to reverse if you do weights.

Absolutely Mog.

Also, when you use weights, make sure they are heavy enough to challenge your muscles. You should be able to do 12-15 reps with the first set, 10-12 reps with the second rep and 7-10 reps with the third set. Women always worry about bulky out and developing big muscles but that is a fallacy. You need testosterone to build muscles and women have a dearth of this in their bodies. When women work out with weights, they end up with shapely, firm and strong bodies, especially if they diet to remove the excess fat layers covering their muscles.

Rachel Mclish in her hey day when she won Ms Olympia in 1980 and 1982 has the sort of physique I would love to attain if I had more discipline and drive.

There was a programme on BBC1 about pensioners who worked out with weights. There was a woman who was in her 80s, wearing a bikini, flat tummy, able to do press ups and entering body building competitions for the over 70s.. She looked like someone in her 60s but with the strength of someone in their 40s. That is what I'm aiming for.

Well, so far, I am afraid no-one has sold the idea of exercising to me, but I am doing a great job re eating less. My poor body is begging for a biscuit or cake (my mouth has just watered as I wrote the words!) but I am being really disciplined about it. I just hope this works.