maize Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Ok guys, I'd like to get back to a healthy weight. Pre-kids I was comfortable at about 135 but sometimes as high as 145. I didn't gain or lose easily and never dieted. I'm now 40 years old, have had 7 babies, and weigh between 180 and 185 since my last pregnancy. I'd like to get back to the 140's but would settle for 150's. I'm 5'7 and aiming for healthy not thin. I'm thinking low carbish is the way to go? I'm still breast feeding, which makes me hungry. Heart disease and diabetes both run in my family. Tell me what has worked for you! I need healthy, sustainable, and uncomplicated. I have some trouble with rheumatoid arthritis and hope a change in diet might address that as well. I'm up for increasing exercise as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Listening in, because you’ve described my situation exactly, even down to the numbers. Well, I’m not 40 quite yet, and I only had 4 babies, but man have they taken a toll on my body! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I think it's about what works for the individual. What worked for me to lose 60+ pounds and keep it off for three decades has been pretty much a "moderation in all things" way of eating. I lean toward vegetarian and high carb/low fat. It's what makes me feel healthy, well fueled and satisfied on the least number of calories. But nothing is completely off the table, or severely restricted. No food or food group is "bad." I eat whatever I want but always try to be mindful of my body's calorie needs. (FWIW I have a horrendous family history of diabetes. But my fasting blood sugar has always been rock solid steady in the low normal range.) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 It is trial and error on what works for you. I can’t do low carb as it makes me miserable ( not just for a bit but the entire time I am on it). I do less carbs than most but more than low carb. High protein, high good fats and exercise. Find exercises you like and do them. I love weighted bar workouts( on YouTube). My best piece of advice is not pay attention to the numbers on the scale. Go by how you feel and your clothes fit. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonflower Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 What works for me (when it does work) is to change my life situation so that exercise and improved diet become inescapable. It's hard to manufacture these circumstances, though - can't exactly make yourself so poor that you can never afford snack food or junk food or eating out, and hard to give away your car so that you are forced to walk everywhere. But maybe there are some ways you could create an obligation, at least around exercise, that makes it something both necessary and inescapable? So like, commit to volunteer for some physically demanding work, or join a family hiking club, or something? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stibalfamily Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Exercising everyday (walking and lifting weights) is really the only way I can lose weight. Plus cutting out liquid calories and sticking with a mainly plant based diet. Something about no or low carbs makes me feel hungry all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 One thing I have encountered before is that if I cut calories very far my metabolism slows way down. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 1 hour ago, maize said: Ok guys, I'd like to get back to a healthy weight. Pre-kids I was comfortable at about 135 but sometimes as high as 145. I didn't gain or lose easily and never dieted. I'm now 40 years old, have had 7 babies, and weigh between 180 and 185 since my last pregnancy. I'd like to get back to the 140's but would settle for 150's. I'm 5'7 and aiming for healthy not thin. I'm thinking low carbish is the way to go? I'm still breast feeding, which makes me hungry. Heart disease and diabetes both run in my family. Tell me what has worked for you! I need healthy, sustainable, and uncomplicated. I have some trouble with rheumatoid arthritis and hope a change in diet might address that as well. I'm up for increasing exercise as well. You and I have a very similar build. I'm at 175 right now, which is the highest I've been in awhile. I just decided yesterday that I am going to invest in myself and get a Y membership. Eating no-grain has helped me lose in the past and I think I need to get back to that, as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 23 minutes ago, Stibalfamily said: Exercising everyday (walking and lifting weights) is really the only way I can lose weight. Plus cutting out liquid calories and sticking with a mainly plant based diet. Something about no or low carbs makes me feel hungry all the time. Agreeing that it is a very individual thing. You may have to go through a little trial and error in finding your happy place. Liquid calories (soda, beer, etc.) sabotages diets and people sometimes forget to figure those into the tally. Unless you are already off any sugary drinks, you could start there. Plain water with lemon juice, plain water with a spritz of fruit juice, mineral water, etc. Daily exercise routine - some cardio like walking for 30+ minutes daily and some muscle toning exercises always seem to be helpful for me. Weight lifting builds muscle and is especially good post menopause but you are not there yet. However, remember, muscle weighs more than fat so the scale is not always a good indicator of fitness and weight loss. I like to judge it more by how my clothes fit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjffkj Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 The simplest thing that works for me is to make sure at each meal half of my plate is vegetables, not including white potatoes. The other half of the plate is protein and fat, plus white potatoes when i have them. If I snack, which is rare, I turn it into a mini meal with the same proportions as above just in smaller amounts. I enjoy desserts when I want but only after I've had my portion of veggies for whatever meal it is. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 When I was younger I had no weight troubles. It was easy for me to stay slim pretty much regardless of what I ate. I started having body fat problems after Lyme and or its cohorts and some other health problems which may also have caused micro biome disturbances directly or from antibiotics. Then with premenopause stage, it got quite bad where instead of it seeming like I could eat anything and stay slim, I had the opposite where it seemed like no matter what I did short of total fast (which I cannot do because it precipitates autoimmune flares) I was not able to lose weight. And had gone to almost 170 lbs (I’m about your same height and Would also like to be back to 135.) I stopped the gain by cutting out all added sugar and by starting to get my micro biome helped—but just with pre and probiotics. Nothing as radical as a fecal transfer (though from what I’ve read that could help everything even the autoimmunity perhaps). Seeking what could help with chronic fatigue and autoimmunity as well as weight, internet search led to the MMT diet, which at the start of summer I Started: Joseph Mercola mitochondria MMT diet plan (which can be used to lose, maintain, or gain weight as needed) where the primary goal is better health especially mitochondrial function (I have chronic fatigue and post Lyme fatigue). Some people also think such a diet may help against cancer and since I’ve had some cancer already, that is a good thing too It is a variety of Keto diet, and I can mostly use keto recipes MMT is described in Mercola’s book Fat for Fuel, which also had a link to Cronometer.com/mercola app which I have been using to keep track...maybe also help figure out headache and joint pain triggers etc. I have allowed myself some summer fruit which is not allowed on the strictest version of MMT However after being on MMT longer one is supposed to get “feast days “ where it would be So far I have lost around 2 pounds per week on average, which was the goal I put into the app. It was faster though in first week and has slowed some since Nonetheless my waist bands are getting more and more comfortable again, which is a big step even if scale isn’t changing as quickly as it was. And if I can gradually get back to 135-140 and keep that I think that would be better than a more rapid loss that I cannot maintain Most significant for me though is that (after a different keto adjustment period during which I felt ghastly, but toughed it out), I have actually had some more energy (not “normal “ by any means, but far better than it had been before.) So far, alas, joint pain and headaches have not been helped, but I am hoping that as inflammation reduces, they will be. Or that since I am tracking as much as I can, I will find triggers to avoid. One oddity is that I have seemed to be able to tolerate black pepper and coconut with out allergy symptoms (which I used to get) and this has helped some recipes Anothergood thing is the food I can eat tastes really good! My ds has even liked some foods I have made that he would not eat before, such as asparagus and big salads. I have had a few errors like not realizing how many calories are in a handful of sunflower seeds, but I am catching on more and more how to do MMT and keep it tasty, healthy and pleasant. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Adding: right now my main exercise is household chores, cooking and some garden. But I have really liked TTap exercise in past and would do that again if I had energy for anything beyond basics right now. Also, the MMT plan incorporates some restriction of food intake to limited hours which is supposed to help too. As I am able to increase that aspect maybe that would have an impact on autoimmunity and joint problems. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 For me, I've found that 2000 calories and a daily walk have worked (I've lost 20 pounds over the course of about 18 months). I tend to need some fat, whole grains and protein at every meal to feel satisfied. I like counting calories (not super detailed, I round, I estimate) because it's more flexible. I can splurge at one meal and cut back later. I don't have to worry about a special diet. Of course, I'm lucky to be able to eat carbs and fat in moderation, that may not work for others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I have had some success with intermittent fasting. There are different protocols but I aim for an 8 hr eating window. Theoretically it is noon to 8pm but honestly I often don’t get hungry or have time to eat until 2:00 and if I eat dinner at 6:00 I often don’t eat again. While I give myself permission to eat noon to 8pm I probably usually only eat about six hours. I had success with this last summer. I fell off the wagon and gained some back but I have gotten back to it and lost 4 lbs in a couple of weeks. I find it works to naturally curb my intake while allowing me to eat carbs, eat socially, etc. When I start eating first thing in the morning I just have an awful time staying under 1500 calories. But if I am only eating two meals a day I can go out for pizza or eat a piece of cake at a party and still come in under calories. Plus, it just makes me feel like I am not controlled by food. I always was a grazer and snacked. Even healthy snacks add up to too many calories if you start at 7am and finish up at 10 pm. I don’t know if there is any magic to the fasting hours but it works for me because I just can’t cram (or choose not to) 2000 calories into six hours. And it works emotionally because I feel like I have taken back control. I know I can wait to eat because I do it everyday. Taking that control back is as important to my happiness as the number on the scale. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 1 hour ago, maize said: One thing I have encountered before is that if I cut calories very far my metabolism slows way down. Yeah. Metabolism definitely changes depending on what is happening. Maybe that is not true for everyone but it is for me too I think that is one of the reasons for having “feast” and “fast” days— to not have metabolism get used to lower calories and compensate. Currently my metabolism (or micro biome) is only letting me eat around 700 kCal /per day before a gain happens which is probably why it seemed like almost nothing was causing weight gain. But it seems likely that has gone up. When I was still eating things with added sugar , my weight could go up on even fewer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gobblygook Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I am using the 2B Mindset program from Beachbody. It’s the only thing I’ve tried that is sustainable long-term. It’s based on four principles: eat lots of veggies, drink at least half your body weight in ounces, track your food intake daily and weigh yourself daily. I’m not a coach, just a happy customer who finally found something that works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 First, thyroid and hormones have to be lined out. I gained weight when I first got married due to Depo and after this last baby developed thyroid disease, those have to be addressed first. Otherwise, I eat whatever I want but try to stick to foods that make me feel good, which are real foods. I don't too low carb but I'm lower than the avg American. I eat a bit of dark chocolate most days. Sometimes I eat candy (gasp). BUT the vast majority of my food is good homemade food. I never fail my diet or fall off of it because I'm not on one. If I start to veer towards too many unhealthy choices I feel it and steer back the other direction. I've found journaling very helpful, especially starting out to be honest with yourself about what and how much your eating. There are lots of digital journals but I really like a basic pen and paper. I eat 3 meals a day and sometimes a snack or two. I've done intermittent fasting but again it doesn't work for me now. I end up eating more. I've done very low carb in the past and did well on it but don't now (too low can be hard on the thyroid). I tried higher carb veg as well and that didn't work either. I tweaked according to how I felt to find the balance that worked for me to feel good and satiated. I eat a fair size breakfast, usually around 500 calories or so, I've figured I end up snacking and eating more if I eat a small breakfast and if I eat much more than that I just feel sluggish. I average about an hour a day of exercise. I do strength training and intervals 3x a week, I walk, I bike, and do whatever else sounds like fun. I think the formula for each individual is going to be a little bit different. What foods make you feel good? What foods make you feel full? What foods do you tend to overeat? When do you eat? Do you end up snacking or overeating at certain times? You have to also find something that can work for a lifetime because nothing works if you can't stick with it and there is no sense in beating yourself up that you couldn't follow xyz plan, make your own plan or find one that you can do. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 A couple things that I have tried that work for me. Basic guidelines I follow but stick to most days. Water first , of course. High protein breakfast (Greek yogurt with trail mix mixed in, eggs, smooth with handful of spinach, plain Greek yogurt, coconut water, and berries) but I don't mind having oatmeal or English muffin. Whatever for lunch (that's a mood thing with me) very few carbs for the rest of the day. I typically don't eat after dinner. I do the best to exercise daily. I like beach body on demand. However pop sugar fitness has a lot of workout videos. Find something you like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 My two friends who lost a ton of weight (50-100 lbs) in their late 40s/50s and kept it off long term did so by exercising and changing their diet to more veggies/cooking from scratch/cutting junk. No actual diet, just an overhaul towards more healthy and natural foods. One started cycling and now rides races and triathlons, the other goes to the gym every morning at 5:30am before work. For both, the transformation was remarkable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 I'm probably eating between 3000 and 4000 calories a day right now; that's my maintenance diet when tandem nursing. It seems like it should be easy to cut back from that, but my body disagrees and doesn't want to cut into reserves to support the nurslings ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 6 minutes ago, maize said: I'm probably eating between 3000 and 4000 calories a day right now; that's my maintenance diet when tandem nursing. It seems like it should be easy to cut back from that, but my body disagrees and doesn't want to cut into reserves to support the nurslings ? Are you still nursing? Then weight loss may be much easier achieved once they are weaned. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonflower Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I'm fairly certain Maize is not planning to be not-nursing any time in the relatively near future. For women who keep having kids more or less until their fertility wanes (which I think Maize is one, but I could be mistaken) and who nurse for at least a year, the body is almost always either pregnant or nursing or nursing and pregnant until maybe age 40+ somewhere. That said, I find it easiest to lose weight (and naturally do lose weight without much thought) during the period between weaning my current baby and giving birth to the next one (I wean around age 1- 1.5, when I'm generally a few months pregnant with the next baby). But if Maize is tandem nursing, she may not even be taking that break, so hard to find a time when her body isn't producing for someone else. ? I have more or less resigned myself to having the same progression of body types as my mom, although she was skinnier as a young woman (pre-pregnancy). I am 5' 2" or 3", 115 in high school, 125 or so after first baby, 135 after each other baby, give or take 5 lb. Mom was more or less the same way (taller, so different numbers, but relatively the same). Then during menopause she gained 5-10 more lb, which stayed on until she was about 60 and she became a sort of fit, thinner old lady. She's in better health than I am in some ways as she is a swimmer and can swim miles (although she smokes and always has, her cardiovascular endurance is much better than mine). Anyway, all that to say that you might do better just to say, look, I'm going to make sure I am eating healthy food and I'm going to add regular exercise to my life, but I'm not going to worry too much about the weight itself until I'm done having babies (unless you go too far past your set point). To get back to a set point - say 160 for you, or 135 for me if I've gotten up to 145 after having a new baby (this happens to me), is not as hard as trying to get down to my ideal weight, kwim? And it normally involves 2 months of rigid calorie tracking and exercise - I get back down to 135 or 130 maybe and then I'm good until the next baby. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 26 minutes ago, regentrude said: Are you still nursing? Then weight loss may be much easier achieved once they are weaned. Yeah, nursing a 1 year old and 3 year old. The 3 year old will wean soon but I'll still be nursing one. I don't want to wait until he weans because a) that will likely be another year at least; and b) there is a possibility of another pregnancy at that point (I'm very on the fence about whether I am done having babies or not). IF I were to get pregnant again I would want to be in good shape physically going into it. I don't really know how my body would behave if I weren't nursing or pregnant, last time I experienced that state was over 15 years ago! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 (edited) I admit, I've read some but not all of the comments. My numbers are similar to yours as well. I'm 53 years old and have had seven pregnancies. My youngest is 10 so no more for me. I'm 5'5" and on my way down from my high of 180, aiming for mid 130s or low 140s. I won't go through the details of the things I've tried / done, but the most success I had in the past was with Thin Within where you try and conquer emotional eating by waiting for physical hunger to eat and stopping before full (leather, rinse, repeat). I do believe in the principles of TW but it was so wearying to fight everything all day every day. I've also done the Master Cleanse and raw milk fasting to lose quite a bit of weight quickly, and those worked for me too, but didn't keep the weight off. So what is finally working for me, and a framework into which I can work on the TW principles without becoming overwhelmed, is intermittent fasting (IF), alternating times of eating with times of fasting. There are different ways to do IF; what I'm doing is eating for six hours a day and fasting for 18 (some people do 8 hours eating and 16 hours fasting; others alternate days). I've been doing this for three weeks now and am in love with it. It's definitely something I'm approaching as a lifestyle change and not solely as a way to lose weight (and once the excess weight is gone, I will switch to the 8:16 plan). It's not just that you're eating fewer calories that brings about the lost weight; there's also something scientific about not eating any food for an extended period of time. It causes your body to burn fat for fuel more often than when you're eating most of the day. Also, the health benefits of doing this regularly, from what I read, go far beyond weight loss. I'm not perfect at it, but it works for me because every day the amount of time I have to struggle with food is limited to six hours. It was the long stretch of 17-18 hours every day, day after day, that was doing me in. Once I started eating, I couldn't really stop or control. "I'll try again tomorrow" (or next week) was very common in my thought process. Now it's more "You can do this for six hours, that's all you have to do, hold out and do well for six hours!" Once it's 6:00 PM and until noon the next day, it's not a question for me. I just don't eat . If there's something that appeals to me, I can have it -- at noon. Right now, I'm telling myself I can have those donuts for my noon meal once per week. That way I get one sweet binge a week (better than 1-2 a day!). Once I do start eating each day, I seem to have more control and I'm not stuffing myself constantly during the six hours (because obviously that wouldn't work). I'm drinking a lot of water now, too. I have an 800 ml bottle that I fill and drink between getting up in the morning and noon, then again once I've eaten something at noon until I eat something again closer to 6:00pm, and one final time between that meal and bedtime. I'm also exercising three or so days a week, at 10 or 11 in the morning, so on a pretty empty stomach. I'm not weak or starving, but hungry. From what I've read, because my body has processed all the food from the day before, what I use for fuel during my walks at this time of day is fat instead of glucose. Over time, once I am more practiced in obeying the six hours, then I will work more on both waiting for hunger to eat (stopping when satisfied) as well as making better food choices more consistently. For now, this is working for me. When I weigh in on Friday morning, I expect that I'll have lost a couple of more pounds this week for a total of seven in three weeks. It's not a lot, but I press on. I keep telling myself that even if I only lose one pound each week, by next June I'll have lost 52 pounds. The 21 days that I have under my belt spur me on to keep going, too. I want my number of days to go higher and higher. Anyway, that's what is working for me. I did read that you're nursing; I would think you could do an eight hour eating window and still get your calories in. Edited July 5, 2018 by milovany 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 12 hours ago, maize said: Yeah, nursing a 1 year old and 3 year old. The 3 year old will wean soon but I'll still be nursing one. I don't want to wait until he weans because a) that will likely be another year at least; and b) there is a possibility of another pregnancy at that point (I'm very on the fence about whether I am done having babies or not). IF I were to get pregnant again I would want to be in good shape physically going into it. I don't really know how my body would behave if I weren't nursing or pregnant, last time I experienced that state was over 15 years ago! That does make it harder. Fwiw I lost pregnancy weight with all my babies without an effect in supply, it was slow and steady though (except w/ the one baby I started smaller and gained less with). So, you are maintaining and not gaining now? Maybe try decreasing the serving of one thing you eat, just a bit, on the meal or snack that you are the least hungry. An egg, a slice of cheese, an apple, slice of bread, serving of greek yogurt, a potato all range from 70-120 ish calories a day cutting just one out of a day is a very small decrease for that much intake (just throwing out stuff I don't know what you eat regularly)- perhaps if you cut a tiny amount, bit by bit you might be able to inch down slowly. If you can handle that small amount just fine- then you could increase it just a bit again. If you can't cut at all I'd suggest exercising, specifically strength training. You can change your body without losing weight and it is good for you. My mom put on some weight due to a wonky thyroid and a broken ankle that left her incapacitated (and my dad cooking), she started strength training with me and she did not lose weight but her belly did get smaller, her body started to change, and she fell in love with feeling strong! (My 59 year old Mom can do 10 male push-ups on the floor now - she started with 0- she could only do them on a on a high platform) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Since you’re still breastfeeding and considering another pregnancy, maybe askyour OBGYN ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Disclaimer: currently nowhere near my happy place! Your scenario is close to my own, adjusted by an inch or two for height, and I've made 5 humans. You said exercise is a welcomed option. I find it's the key for me, especially strength training. It doesn't bring the scale down by dozens of pounds for me, but it changes everything. I felt amazing, strong, and energetic and was getting toward a size 8 at about 171/2. Up just 7lbs, everything hurts, I'm tired, and I'm back to my big jeans. It also allowed me to enjoy higher protein and fat foods with fewer sweet cravings. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Things that I do that all contribute and help: Intermittent fasting Keeping carbs low and added sugars low My new, accurate scale and weighing and recording every morning Tracking on My Fitness Pal, in part because it helps see carb and calories Drinking almost nothing but water. I do not drink my calories. Weight lifting and a long history of weight lifting, shich raises resting metabolism Fitbit to record whether I am being active or sedentary. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 1 hour ago, soror said: That does make it harder. Fwiw I lost pregnancy weight with all my babies without an effect in supply, it was slow and steady though (except w/ the one baby I started smaller and gained less with). So, you are maintaining and not gaining now? Maybe try decreasing the serving of one thing you eat, just a bit, on the meal or snack that you are the least hungry. An egg, a slice of cheese, an apple, slice of bread, serving of greek yogurt, a potato all range from 70-120 ish calories a day cutting just one out of a day is a very small decrease for that much intake (just throwing out stuff I don't know what you eat regularly)- perhaps if you cut a tiny amount, bit by bit you might be able to inch down slowly. If you can handle that small amount just fine- then you could increase it just a bit again. If you can't cut at all I'd suggest exercising, specifically strength training. You can change your body without losing weight and it is good for you. My mom put on some weight due to a wonky thyroid and a broken ankle that left her incapacitated (and my dad cooking), she started strength training with me and she did not lose weight but her belly did get smaller, her body started to change, and she fell in love with feeling strong! (My 59 year old Mom can do 10 male push-ups on the floor now - she started with 0- she could only do them on a on a high platform) Yes, maintaining not gaining. I've been pretty much the same weight for the past year, since my body decided on its new set point about two months post partum. I think weight training is a great idea, do you have anything to recommend to help me get started? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 OK, I have a tentative plan and some areas of focus: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Dh and I have done two things that have been absolute life changers: We eliminated sugar and artificial sweeteners and started eating a whole food plant-based diet. It takes effort, you have to spend time in the kitchen, and it is basically contrary to the standard American diet, but it has been so worth it. Excess weight has fallen off, I look and feel much younger, and my doctor is very pleased with the effect it has had on my blood pressure and other numbers. Same for dh. Check out the Forks Over Knives site or the book How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger if you are interested.? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 Woops that posted before I was done. I'm not worried really about milk supply since my youngest is 14 months and capable of filling up on other food. I will try intermittent fasting, may have to play with the intervals. I know I can't go to bed hungry or I don't sleep. Also last time I tried it worked great for about a week and then my metabolism slowed down--I knew what was happening because I felt cold all the time. Alternatively I may just limit myself to certain meal periods--I'm usually a grazer. If I go three hours without eating I tend to get shaky, that has been true since I was a kid. I'll avoid sugar and refined carbs, try to increase vegetables. Or see what happens if I try the fruit and cheese diet I've always thought I could live off of :D my apricots are starting to turn orange ... Definitely adding in exercise. I asked my husband if he would support me doing martial arts a couple of times a week (joining my kids at the dojo) and he said yes, so I'll try that. And I want to do weight training, just need to figure out what will work for me. I've been meaning to set up an exercise area in the basement. I'm not sedentary--I'm on my feet most of the day wrangling kids, doing housework and yard work. I'm not doing anything strenuous though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 The easiest thing for me is to focus on half my plate being fruits/veggies.... trying to get 10 grams of fiber per meal minimum (5 grams for snacks)..... and walking 10k per day. If/when I do that, weight comes off at a good steady rate. With nursing, it helped me to plan breastfeeding snacks so I didn't get too hungry. The hospital used to bring breastfeeding Moms a half of a sandwich, a carton of milk, and a piece of fruit....so I kind of followed that for awhile. It really helped me not to feel like I was dying of hunger and overeat junk. Surprisingly, with my last little one, I got to my lowest weight in probably 15 years by doing that while nursing. It felt weird, like I was adding food, but in reality, I was eating less than when I wasn't planning my meals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 I am still working on my weight loss. It is a very very slow journey as I have adrenal crap going on that makes it feel impossible at times. That said I have been making progress gaining muscle and strength, so my composition is changing more than my actual weight. I have learned I can not go too low carb or I become murderous haha and can't control my temper. So low carb is okay but atkins, whole30, keto etc are not a good fit for me. I am just starting to look at tracking macros and think that will be my best bet in addition to the exercise I do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 I don’t have a single source for you to go to to learn more, but books by Jason Fung, Fat Chance, and the Mercola book mentioned above discuss some of this from the metabolism POV. A current BBC series on the Microbiome on Discovery talks about some of the micro biome side and seems quite up to date, so does Grain Brain and other books by Perlmutter getting a little older . Books on Sugar issues cover some matters involving sugar including that the idea that a calorie of sugar is the same as a calorie of fat or protein is a myth from a metabolic point of view. Besides metabolic changes related to hormones and life stages, what we eat changes hormones produced including insulin, and affects our metabolism. What we eat also affects our microbiome and its environment and that too changes our metabolism. For example, fiber consumption can help improve the. Inner micro biome to be more sympathico for healthier bacteria species for us to be able to thrive, while lack of fiber can tend to promote bacteria that are less health promoting for us. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 3 hours ago, maize said: Yes, maintaining not gaining. I've been pretty much the same weight for the past year, since my body decided on its new set point about two months post partum. I think weight training is a great idea, do you have anything to recommend to help me get started? Do you want to work at home or go to a gym? Do you want to bodyweight work or do you have some equipment? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 I don't have the answer. I wish I did. I am looking more seriously at going on a no sugar, no flour diet as those seem to trigger overeating for me. Not eating too much, just eating too much of the WRONG thing. The Mediterranean type plan is one I think I would be able to live with long term, minus the wheat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 22 minutes ago, soror said: Do you want to work at home or go to a gym? Do you want to bodyweight work or do you have some equipment? At home. I have some equipment--various hand weights, kettle bells, stretch bands. I have a pull-up/leg lift tower that needs to be put together (waiting for me to set up that exercise area). I'd like to try an assisted pull-up system, I'll probably try jerry rigging something once I get the tower up. I'm willing to invest in equipment if it makes training easier. Body weight is also good of course! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 6 minutes ago, maize said: At home. I have some equipment--various hand weights, kettle bells, stretch bands. I have a pull-up/leg lift tower that needs to be put together (waiting for me to set up that exercise area). I'd like to try an assisted pull-up system, I'll probably try jerry rigging something once I get the tower up. I'm willing to invest in equipment if it makes training easier. Body weight is also good of course! How long and often do you want to workout? Do you like things explicitly spelled out or do you like to make tweak things yourself? How big of weights do you have? Do you get bored easily or do you like consistency? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 16 minutes ago, soror said: How long and often do you want to workout? Do you like things explicitly spelled out or do you like to make tweak things yourself? How big of weights do you have? Do you get bored easily or do you like consistency? I have 5 and 8 lb dumbbells, and adjustable weight dumbbells with 2.5, 5, and 7.5 lb weights that can be added. I have a 15lb ball and a 10lb soft kettle bell. At least, that's what I can find right now. I think right now I'd be best starting with things spelled out. Some variety would be good. I'm thinking 3-4 workouts per week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 6 hours ago, maize said: I'm not sedentary--I'm on my feet most of the day wrangling kids, doing housework and yard work. I'm not doing anything strenuous though. Good news! The new studies are showing that it's faaaar better to be active throughout the day as you describe than to have one strenuous time of Official Exercise a day. Both are fine of course, but if having to choose, it's better to be active throughout the day than to go for a run or do strength training. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 17 hours ago, maize said: I have 5 and 8 lb dumbbells, and adjustable weight dumbbells with 2.5, 5, and 7.5 lb weights that can be added. I have a 15lb ball and a 10lb soft kettle bell. At least, that's what I can find right now. I think right now I'd be best starting with things spelled out. Some variety would be good. I'm thinking 3-4 workouts per week? Let's see here is a basic routine- it hits everything- core- a push and a pull for upper body and squats and lunges for lower. If the lunges and squats are too easy hold weights while doing them. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ and an advanced version I've done a lot of bodyweight work, you can get strong lifting nothing but your body, push-ups and pull-ups are hard! Lunges and squats are pretty easy for most when performed with just bodyweight but when you try advanced variations, like one-legged squats and rear-foot elevated split squats it is a whole different ballgame. Something like the above is great too because it can be done in a short amount of time. There is also fitness blender-I narrowed it down to strength training w/ just dumbbells, kettlebell, and a mat for you. This is great if you like to workout with videos and if you want lots of variety. https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos?trainingtype[]=13&equipment[]=26&equipment[]=20 Currently, I'm working through the program in Strong, it is the newest book from the writers of The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women. Here is a link to the first stage of that, which can be done with minimal equipment. I really do like it but as the levels progress you really need a gym for it and it takes longer, my workouts are usually 60-75 minutes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Fitness Blender is a great suggestion. There's also HASfit. http://hasfit.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Walking, gardening and chasing the dc has worked for my underlying well-being (I need to be active), but for actual weight loss my body requires more intense work-outs. And I find that my body will shed pounds if I work-out in the evening and don't snack afterwards. That is MY current body function. As far as food quantity, I'm in my 50s and trying to re-learn just how much food my body actually needs. It's less than even a year or two ago. So small portions and stopping eating before I feel full seems to be the key. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 1 hour ago, soror said: Let's see here is a basic routine- it hits everything- core- a push and a pull for upper body and squats and lunges for lower. If the lunges and squats are too easy hold weights while doing them. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ and an advanced version I've done a lot of bodyweight work, you can get strong lifting nothing but your body, push-ups and pull-ups are hard! Lunges and squats are pretty easy for most when performed with just bodyweight but when you try advanced variations, like one-legged squats and rear-foot elevated split squats it is a whole different ballgame. Something like the above is great too because it can be done in a short amount of time. There is also fitness blender-I narrowed it down to strength training w/ just dumbbells, kettlebell, and a mat for you. This is great if you like to workout with videos and if you want lots of variety. https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos?trainingtype[]=13&equipment[]=26&equipment[]=20 Currently, I'm working through the program in Strong, it is the newest book from the writers of The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women. Here is a link to the first stage of that, which can be done with minimal equipment. I really do like it but as the levels progress you really need a gym for it and it takes longer, my workouts are usually 60-75 minutes Thank you soror I will give this a try! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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