45yr old Female --I need help
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Anonymous
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OP, I'm having a similar struggle.
I've realized that with working from home, I'm losing out on a lot of calorie-burning activity I'd normally do in my day to day, like walking to go get lunch, taking stairs, etc. I first really had to tighten up my diet to be that of someone who is completely sedentary. So not just eating healthy, but eating much less. I've also cut back to one glass of wine a week for now. That's been step one for me. My other problem was that like you I had limited time and opportunity for exercise. I caved and ordered a Peloton. I was walking, running and hiking but just couldn't get into a groove with it on my own. I needed help increasing the intensity of my workouts over time. I LOVE the Peloton app for strength workouts. And I'm someone who hates exercise. I ordered 10 lb weights and those plus a yoga mat is all I have needed to get started. My Peloton bike comes in a couple of weeks. I'm starting to get excited about it. I've never loved spin classes, but given how good the instructors are on the app, I think I'll like this. Plus it's going to help a lot that I can get dressed, on the bike and finish a workout in 30-45 minutes. Right now I'm strength training with a 20 - 30 min full body workout 2-3 times a week. My plan to start is Peloton ride 2x a week and strength workout 2x a week. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| OP, you heard it already. You are gaining fat because you consume more calories than you burn. If you want to change that you either need to increase your activity or decrease your calories. Strength training is a very good suggestion. As you do not really have any equipment try to look for routines using bodyweight for resistance. But keep in mind that adding 20-30 minutes of resistance training will not be a huge calorie burner and you should still make sure that get your calories in check. |
Anonymous
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If you are bloated, it's not due to lack of exercise - it's diet.
You seem very defensive about this. You may not be eating fast food, but that doesn't mean it's the optimum diet for you. What is your grain/carb consumption? A lot of women in their forties just cannot eat as many carbs/grains as they once did without becoming bloated and flabby. I second the PP suggestion of doing Whole 30. |
Anonymous
I thought you had to pay to access these? Are you finding them on YouTube, or are they accessible through a website? Thanks! |
Anonymous
Op-this is a somewhat typical day of food Breakfast: Fage yogurt with honey Mid morning snack: banana Lunch: bean salads; avocado and fake crab salad or pasta with my kids. Dinner: salad (Romaine and arugula) with tomato, cucumber, onion, garbanzo beans (one can) and some Parmesan. I occasionally get ravenous and dig into chocolate or cookies or almonds or other junk but not often. I suppose I can cut some of this down since clearly my metabolism now sucks. |
Anonymous
Yes. You do. I would get 10, 15, and 25. And there are a decent number of online programs for new beginners. But don't be afraid of the body-building or weight-lifting websites. You are NOT going to turn into She-Hulk. T-nation is a great website for programs. Or, look at IG pages like Street Parking. They have great programs. But really, toss those 2lb weights. They do nothing. Make sure those last two reps are hard. Struggle to complete them. Or, if you want to try your own, think of the body as having for basic movements: push / pull / squat / hinge. And you can program a work-out by take 1-2 exercises for each motion. Same idea next day, but switch to a new push, or a new pull. Or pair up pull/hinge and push/squat and do more. Keep it simple. But keep it intense |
Anonymous
I got Core Fitness adjustable dumbbells that go from 5-50 lbs each. Not too bulky like the BowFlex. They go up in 5 lb increments. I didn’t toss my 2 lb weights but keep them to use with the big dumbbell if the 5 lb increment is too much. If you want something less expensive, buy resistance bands set on Amazon. Peleton app has great strength classes. |
Anonymous
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Yoga! I've gone through the same thing (41) and have been practicing yoga for a little over a year. It's not too difficult to squeeze in to your schedule if you do home videos.
I can usually do 2 15-20 min videos during breaks from work/kids. |
Anonymous
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Same age and also Hashimoto’s. Is there a reason you aren’t on thyroid meds? I definitely lost some weight once I was diagnosed and started getting my levels in check.
It doesn’t seem like walking is working for you as your main form of exercise. I like Fitness Blender HIIT and strength workouts which you could do at home. They’re free or you might want to pay for one program (like a body weight one) to get a sense of what a good routine looks like. Walking is great but at our age we’re losing muscle and it helps with so many things beyond just weight loss. |
Anonymous
| Can you add in more walking with your kids during the day? My daughter has school 7:50-2:43 with lunch at 10:50. We walk a mile at 7:15 to clear our heads fir the school day, another 2 miles at lunch and another 2 when she is out or before it gets dark. It is a nice way to break up the day, I have lost weight and my daughter is at a healthier BMI. |
Anonymous
| I’m also 5”10 and 165 is my goal weight. I’m not trying to be a hater OP but there’s a tinge of unnecessary drama in your panic post. Size 6/8 for someone our height is not overweight. You’ve gotten some good advice, hopefully you’ll be feeling more like yourself soon. |
Anonymous
Honestly this is not a ton of carbs but it is a heck of a lot more carbs than I eat. I also notice very little protein, which you need to build muscle, esp. once you hit your forties. I really think if you did some kind of low-carb paleo for a month you'd end up feeling great. It seems crazy at first -- but really try to build every meal (even breakfast -- eggs are your friend) around a healthy protein and a load of vegetables. After you've lost the weight you want, you can start adding in carbs and see what your personal tipping point is, when you start gaining weight Hate to tell you this, but it gets tougher once you hit menopause so establish good habits now. |
Anonymous
| Bean salad for lunch plus an entire can of garbanzo beans for dinner would bloat the f$(& out of me. I’d trade 2/3 of the garbanzo beans for some chicken or fish. Are you vegetarian? |
Anonymous
Not if you want to change your body; OP strength training has done wonders for me.... just get on YouTube (try popsugar fitness, Jessica smith, madfit) and get dumbbells if possible, if not get a set of resistance bands on Amazon (the ones with handles and 6-8 different band colors are best) & commit to one of the beginner routines & continue to either walk or do HIT workouts. I’ve never been big on yoga but have started to do it in the evenings to help unwind occasionally. I feel like it helps your posture & puts you more in tune with your body. Try Yoga with Adrienne or Tara Stiles for yoga routines on YouTube. |
Anonymous
I'm honestly not trying to argue, or discourage anyone from moving more, but more walking is the opposite of what she needs to do. She's need to cut the walking in half, and incorporate complex weighted movements. 30 minutes of american kettlebell swings, dumbbell thrusters, burpees, dumbbell clean & jerks. Weighted movements that hit the entire body. It'll tone, grow muscle, and rev up the calorie burn for HOURS after she's done working out. An extra mile at a low intensity pace wont change anything. Or, at the very least, if she wants to get outside and avoid the weights, she should add 20 minutes of sprints. Tabata style sprints. She needs to jumpstart the body. Walking wont do it |