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Absinthe
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 12 |
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Posted: 27 July 2005 03:26 am |
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 Anybody know? Is it particularly hard for folks who are over sixty to lose weight? My husband and I both struggle. I use the excuse that I am post-menopausal, having had a hysterectomy ten years ago and just can't seem to budge that scale down no matter what.
I try hard to work out and get that magic ten thousand steps or more on the pedometer regularly and go to the gym twice a week for a hard treadmill workout and weights. But as much as I would like to do more, I just get too tired. It takes so long to recover from hard workouts and my knees hurt.
I have had some luck dieting, but I can't eat over 1200 calories a day. It seems like so little food given the amount I work out. But I wonder if people my age should be trying so hard to lose with such calorie restrictions and working out to such a degree. Maybe I should just try not to GAIN weight instead of losing, but I am at least eighty-pounds over my ideal weight.
I really don't have any idea what is correct or realistic. Most diet and exercise books and magazine articles seem to be directed to much younger people. ANy advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 27 July 2005 04:29 am |
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I don't really have the answer but can share a little from my experience at 58.
I've struggled with weight loss all my life -- up and down the same 20 lbs over and over (very unhealthy). At 58 I don't see any difference, except that when I get my weight down now my cheeks (the ones on my face) get hollow (and my mother complains) and I guess that fat ends up around my stomach and is really hard to get rid of. But that's just details... I can still lose the weight.
BTW, yes, everything is mostly directed at young people and actually young women.
This forum is new and just getting going. Hopefully you'll get some good replies from some experienced seniors.
Peter
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Absinthe
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 12 |
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Posted: 27 July 2005 04:59 am |
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Peter, thank you for your answer. You are certainly right about how weight loss seems to "look" different on older people. There is a definite difference in how the skin bounces back (or doesn't bounce back.)
My sister, in her late fifties lost a lot of weight, but she has never had children or a hysterectomy. She lost a good forty pounds. I really envy her new figure, but, oh my gosh, her face has aged so much! Still, I really do envy her and her weight loss success just makes me feel even more frustrated because I can't seem to lose weight. Furthermore, I feel as if I am not trying hard enough because if she lost why can't I?
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 27 July 2005 06:52 am |
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If this is going to be the old folks forum (haha)... well, I have my website for my hobby, my Red Cross work, two beautiful daughters and seven granddaughters to keep me occupied. No time to worry about a little loose skin!
I'll take the health that comes from being slim.
Peter
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Absinthe
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 12 |
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Posted: 28 July 2005 05:47 pm |
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I just wish I could get thin, no matter how it looks. But I have decided to do what I dislike the most, keep a journal of what I do eat and how much I exercise. One of the trainers on Celebrity Fit Club told the Snapple Lady if she didn't keep a journal he didn't want to hear her complain about how hard she was working and dieting.
The very least that will come out my efforts will be that if I still don't lose weight after faithfully recording every bite and every pedometer step total , that I can submit my failed efforts to some weight loss researcher for study. :D
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 29 July 2005 12:15 am |
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That's funny. Or you could publish them here in the diary forum!
Peter
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Dave Brown
Senior Member
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Posted: 30 July 2005 04:40 pm |
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Hi Absinthe,
I'm only 58 so I don't have personal experience about weight control after 60. However, I'm familiar with some people over 60 who are both slender and knowledgable about how to establish and maintain sound health. The catch is, all of them advocate eating saturated fat (the kind of fat that is thought to clog arteries) to both improve health and control weight.
I've been eating a high-fat diet for nearly thirty years. I'm reasonably confident that what I'm doing is not harming my arteries because I've read or skimmed hundreds of books about nutrition. Moreover, I've experimented with my food intake over the years to see what effect adding to or subtracting calories from my diet would have on my weight. I find that as long as I don't eat excessive amounts of fruits or whole grain products, my weight remains stable no matter how much fat and protein I consume. This, I believe, is because the body excretes calories in the feces. At least it does so in people who eat nutrient rich food with the right kind of fats, adequate protein, non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and not too much carbohydrate.
As for the people mentioned earlier who know how to lose weight by adding fat to the diet, here is a list of books. The most recent is by Fred and Alice Ottoboni, two retired public health scientists who became suspicious of mainstream doctrines when their own blood values began to deteriorate as the entered their senior years. Here are some remarks from the back cover of their book:
Millions of people have been using the low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-carbohydrate diet that has been promoted in the mass media for the last half-century for the prevention of heart disease and stroke. During this same period, the numbers of new cases of heart disease and stroke have not decreased as promised, but increased, and type-2 diabetes and obesity, which were uncommon 50 years ago, have grown to major epidemics...scientific studies and biochemical facts clearly point to the modern American heart-healthy diet as a major underlying cause of these diseases. This heart-healthy diet is based on faulty science - it is sugar and starch, not saturated fat and cholesterol, that are responsible for high blood cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, and obesity.
I would add that vegetable oils can also contribute to the obesity problem. To find out all about this, type either coconutoil.com or The Oiling of America into a search engine.
Most people simply don't understand how nourishment works so they make food choices based on the recommendations of government and mainstream science. Unfortunately, agribusiness and the food manufacturing industry have had a hand in both the direction of scientific research and the formulation of government food policy. But it's the ill-informed consumer who suffers. If you educate yourself, you'll open doors to better health for yourself for the remainder of your lifespan. Here are a few books:
The Modern Nutritional Diseases by Alice Ottoboni, PhD and Fred Ottoboni, MPH, PhD.
The Wonderful World Within You by Roger J. Williams, PhD.
Nutrition Against Disease by Roger J. Williams, PhD.
Eat Fat, Lose Weight by Barry Groves, PhD.
Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary G. Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon, MS.
Know Your Fats by Mary G. Enig, PhD.
Sweet and Dangerous by John Yudkin, MD.
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, DDS.
Why Raise Ugly Kids? by Hal D. Huggins, DDS.
Healthy Teeth Through Proper Nutrition by Fred Miller, DDS.
The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD.
Life Without Bread by Christian B. Allan, MD and Wolfgang Lutz.
You can read any one of these books to straighten out your thinking on fats and carbohydrates and their relative importance in the diet. These books (written over a span of nearly 60 years) are consistant with experimental evidence, clinical experience, and with each other. As for the low-fat advocates, they keep changing their recommendations because their theories are based on assumptions, not scientific experimentation and careful observation.
Hope this helps.
Dave Brown
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Absinthe
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 12 |
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Posted: 1 August 2005 03:40 am |
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I appreciate the effort you expended in describing the diet regimen you follow. I have to confess, however, that I am a vegetarian. I eat a plant-based diet. It does include fats, however, usually in the form of olive oil or from nuts or avocado. Coconut oil seldom enters my diet because it just isn't a part of what I eat.
Even if I am overweight, I will not change from being a vegetarian. I know I eat too much and need to eat less, but I am not going to start eating a diet based on anything other than the plant-based diet I prefer and strongly believe is the best overall diet for health and for the environment (not to mention livestock.)
That said, I know that your diet works for you and I understand and appreciate your taking your time to tell me about it. I'm certain others who read your message here may be inspired to try your suggestions.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 1 August 2005 05:03 am |
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Hello Absinthe,
I must say I am surprised. I didn't realize you could become overweight being a vegetarian! You must eat a lot of nuts and avocados?:)
Since I started on the Eat To Live diet plan, which includes very little (optional) meat, it has been almost a struggle to eat enough to maintain a healthy weight.
Thanks for your posts,
Peter
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Absinthe
New Member
| Joined: | 26 July 2005 |
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| Posts: | 12 |
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Posted: 2 August 2005 05:51 am |
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I eat too much bread and similar products (rice, pasta, whole grain crackers etc.) and I know it. I know I need to balance my diet better. For lunch today, for example, at Longhorn I had some whole grain bread, a sweet potato and part of a baked potato. I know that was an entire day's allotment of grains when added to the whole wheat pita sandwich filled with taboulli and hummus I had for dinner.
Plus, I have to confess I have a weakness for chocolate which I have to pound into submission.:D
It is possible to be an overweight vegetarian for those who consume dairy products, especially cheese or who eat too much grain. I don't consume much in the way of dairy, but bread products do seem to satisfy me when a salad alone just won't.
The other part of the equation is that I have discovered that guidelines to walk 10,000 steps a day do not seem to be enough exercise for me. I feel I need to walk at least 15,000 steps a day, but honestly, that takes so long and there is so much else I'd rather do. So I know if I want to be thinner, I have to make some sacrifices, both in better balancing a plant-based diet and in getting out of my Lazy-Boy chair.
Not all vegetarians are thin. Check out tryveg.com. They have dietary guidelines and do warn that it is possible to be overweight even though one is not consuming animal products. I'm the living example of that.
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 2 August 2005 07:20 am |
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Hi again Absinthe,
Actually, I just wasn't thinking. My (almost vegan) diet is based on highly nutritious, low calorie foods. I tend to think vegans eat that way, but only because I forget that when the goal is only to avoid animal products you can eat all kinds of junk. In fact, many of the vegan food lists on my website are full of highly processed stuff... not very compatible with weight loss.
And of course a "vegetarian" that eats dairy products (ovo-lacto vegetarian for eggs-milk) can put on a lot of weight. That's another mistake I make, I always bundle "vegetarians" in with vegans who eat no animal products.
Thanks for the reminder!
Peter
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