They are proving to be rather stubborn despite the walking.
Is it a sluggish metabolism or the hypothyroid condition that I have?
Whatever it is I am getting frustrated!
The Weight Watchers Regime advocates keeping track...so I'm writing down the WW point count of everything I eat and drink.
I am not too hungry at breakfast time so I usually eat lightly...some fresh fruit and yogurt.
But I am usually really hungry by lunchtime...
Keeping busy with chores, actioning domestics, walking, running errands doing the things we women do can really give you an appetite.
Something that fills me up, satisfies and sustains me until my tea and a small mid afternoon snack is what I need.
Wraps are the stars in my book...they are fast, easy and versatile.
Hummus, red cabbage and pea shoots on a corn and wheat wrap.
High fibre goodness that sates and satisfies.
You could use a scrambled egg, a modest serving of lean meat or poultry,
a bunch of cooked, raw or roasted veggies
whatever you have on hand.
Think healthy and use salsa or hummus.
Avoid the creamy dressings which will quickly add fat and sabotage your eating regime.
A piece of fruit for "dessert."
Loaded with flavour and simply delicious...plus it's a low point count lunch.
Weight Watchers and Hostess Approved!
I'm waging war on these persnickety pounds!
It won't be long before the weather warms up enough so that we can sit outside and dine al fresco.
How are you handling mid life weight gain and a slower metabolism?
Tish Jett the writer of one of my favourite blogs wrote about it in a recent post.
I think Candace Bergen is lovely and it is her right to choose how she eats and if she is comfortable in her own skin I say Bravo!
38 comments:
Your wrap looks yummy! I'm getting back onto my regime (packing lunches, lots of fresh fruit and veggies) after a few weeks of crazy schedules. Wraps are one of my favorite lunches to pack.
I am struggling. I think food is a tricky comfort right now. All the travel for work ( and back and forth to Edmonton) means that food choices are often not the best. I try not to beat myself up about it, but still, it is frustrating.
Yes, to all of the above. Plus add a broken wrist in a cast for 3 months, no exercise and....love your food tip. Thanks.
I am going to be 60 this year....don't mind that, but I do mind the loss of muscle that comes with aging...AND muscle burns more calories and takes up less space. My goal is to get stronger and shrink a size.
Here's what I have been doing: a green smoothie every morning (lots of kale + fruit from the farmers market + a bit of kefir for the probiotics)
No snacking! All food has to be eaten as a meal -- dishes + silverware. I don't know why, but this works to curb my appetite.
Walking. And more walking.
And here's the workout plan I follow each morning: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/10-free-workouts-get-fitter-stronger/
Holy cats! They're tough! But I'm down 10 lbs in 2 weeks!
What would you usually eat for afternoon snack, especially when trying to lose the weight? It's the tiredness that gets to me at that time of day. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Lucy
I will be 63 next month and have not done a great job with weight gain. Tonight's dinner is all vegetables. We try to eat only healthy fairly low calorie foods. I know what to do, but you are right, it has gotten more difficult.
It is definitely harder to lose weight at 63. Candice Bergen is lovely even though she has gained weight. When summer comes, there are so many vegetables to enjoy. It is not worth worrying about.
It's harder to take off a pesky few extra pounds at 58! Drives me nuts! And I have lots of muscles, due to strength training with a personal trainer, and STILL, it's much harder to trim down than it used to be:(
BTW, I too think Candice Bergen looks gorgeous at her new weight. Abundant.
Last year I decided to clean up my diet. I'm pre-diabetic and want to take a holistic approach of managing the condition. I weighed 145Ibs and at the height of 5'7 I wasn't considered overweight. The goal was to eat better and perhaps loose a few pounds. My plan included walking 2 to 3 miles a day either on a treadmill or out in nature on most days. But, I think adding weight lifting 3 times a week was the thing that revved up my metabolism. I eventually lost 10 pounds (again not the goal) and have kept it off for over a year. However, the most important thing is that my glucose levels are in a far better range and at age 58 I am a lot stronger today than I was in my 40s, yay!
Renee in Northern California
I've tried to lose 15 pounds, and no matter what I eat, or don't eat; my weight hasn't budged. I eat healthy, and rarely snack on sweets or chips. I admit I don't exercise, or even do much walking. I think hiring a personal trainer, like LPC did, may be the solution. I need someone to force me to work out.
I was quite thin up till about 37 or so. Then I suddenly gained 20 lb! I'm still there--or maybe a bit higher. I'm too undisciplined to do anything about it. Maybe that's good, because my mother has been constantly dieting (she's now 84) and every weight loss is followed by a gain.
I wear a scarf to cover my tummy when I teach! I walk miles and miles every day.
An endless struggle. Gets tiring and old. But I continue on.
The best and fastest way to lose weight and keep it off is to cut out ALL sugar, flour, dairy and caffeine. No grains of any kind inlcuding oatmeal. And no snacking of any kind. And no breakfast - this makes people want to eat all day. Eat only 2 meals a day at the most. Following this kind of eating plan will shed inches fast and make you look YEARS younger. Sugar causes wrinkles and premature aging. Bread and pasta is converted to sugar in the body.
Breakfast is my fiber meal, 1/4 cup of Kellogg's All Bran and one slice of some type of high fiber whole wheat toast and lots of tea. This keeps me full until lunch when I am the most hungry. What I eat for dinner depends on how late I eat lunch. I never, ever snack because I simply am not hungry between meals. I too take thyroid medication but that has been very stable. I work out with a personal trainer twice a week, walk 2-3 miles a day and go to yoga. I also work very hard physically in my garden. But all that said....I am one of those extremely fortunate people that lucked out in the gene pool, I weigh the same that I did in high school. Genetic make-up plays such a big role in this area, but I do think that improving muscle mass can be very helpful. I can appreciate how difficult this problem is for many people, but a little extra weigh is not as important as good health and being too thin really doesn't look good on an aging face.
Your wrap looks yummy!
Your wrap looks delicious. Weight gain is something I'm not doing too well with just now. I was skinny as a rail until 45, and since then the pounds have crept up. I did well for about 5 years with a low/healthy carb way of eating, but for the past couple of years I've not been as disciplined and it shows. I just looked at the livestrong site recommended above and did the first workout. Highly modified. This might be something I can do. And if I exercise, that seems to motivate me to eat better as well.
I think it's a constant balance not to beat ourselves up and to accept that this is part of aging. Sigh.
I have been fighting midlife weight gain for a while. I was successful on WW losing 14 lbs. But then I plateaued and would lose and gain the same three pounds. It was very frustrating and has gone on for 8 months. Recently, I added Zumba twice a week to my exercise regimen and, lo and behold, I've started to lose again. And I love Zumba. But it means I am doing an hour of Zumba or aerobics 5 days a week which is time intensive.
From Margie in Toronto - weight has always been a constant struggle and I hit my heaviest this past summer (246) and I'm only 5'2". Since then I've managed to lose 40 pounds by sticking to 1200 calories per day. It's been slow but at least it's coming off and not going on. It's mostly for health (BP is too high) but vanity is also part of it as I want to be able to dress stylishly again. With the winter weather finally coming to an end here I'm beginning to get out for more walks and I plan on increasing the distance each week. The goal is to lose at least another 40 - hopefully by my Sept. birthday. Good luck everyone.
I just had to go read about Candace Bergen since I had not heard anything about this. She is gorgeous at any weight right?! I agree with her re how women judge each other and wish we'd all just stop it and then she goes on to say that thin women are bulimic? So much for not judging each other. oh well....
I gave up sugar on Dec 16th and haven't missed it. I wish I could say a bunch of weight dropped off but it didn't, I just feel healthier.
Are you getting excited about Paris???!!!! x
I am going to make this meal. I might use a pita pocket instead for a little less bread. It is very hard to stay the correct weight. There is so much good food around. lol I think this is called a first world problem.
You are under a lot of stress and it is probably not the right time to be focusing on weight loss...I know that personally I'd be opting for comfort food.
I read that you had had an accident...hope your wrist is on the mend...in the meantime I hope that you are getting lots of TLC.
Wow ! 10 pounds in 2 week is amazing results!
I often have an apple with two wedges of Laughing Cow cheese or some carrots and hummus...or a banana and a small dollop of peanut butter with a cup of tea.
It's our slowing metabolism...so we either amp up the exercise or cut down on the food and it is Ok if we gain a few pounds too...there is estrogen in those fat cells which will protect our hearts as long as we keep the weight gain moderate so our blood pressure stays in the safe zone.
I couldn't even consider an approach like this. Food is too wonderful.
I recently saw a picture of Catherine Deneuve and she looks abundant as well but still very beautiful...
When one is short like me any significant weight gain is unattractive.
Sounds like you are in good health and have adopted a great regime which is working for you...Bravo!
Walking is so good for us..."dieting" is not ideal.
Modifying our eating habits needs to be a lifestyle change or that post diet weight gain is inevitable.
I know what you mean!
Your regime sounds quite restrictive...WW is wonderful because no foods are forbidden...they are all assigned a point value and portion control is pasrt of the success of the plan. Good wholesome foods are recommended, lots of vegetables and lean protein...
Oh, your wrap looks so delicious! I knew what you mean. I find it hard, myself, to drop the 25 pounds that slowly became my new set point. I deal with it by continuing to eat a healthy diet -- 3 meals a day, avoiding most junk food. However, I'm still not losing the weight! The funny thing is, people still consider me slim. A 25 pound gain just puts you up a dress size (so if they don't have a good memory, they don't notice). I feel better thinner and still have hope of getting there.
Had I eaten like I do today (which isn't starving, but watching the portions, sugar and carbs) several years, I would have dropped 30 pounds in a month! So it is frustrating. I actually do manage to lose 2 - 3 pounds, but they are the same 2 -3 pounds over and over. We just have to keep trying!
I agree with what you are saying Adrienne...and I have heard it said many times that a "little more" weight helps keep the face looking more youthful.
I think you look fabulous!
Accepting that we cannot look like we did when we were young is a huge part of aging with grace. Bitterness and unhappiness shows on our faces too...
I've never tried Zumba...it does sound like fun. I think I average an hour a day walking to help keep fit...it is a lot of time but I believe my health, weight control and aging joints will benefit from the investment.
Congratulations on your weight loss Margie!
Best wishes for your continued success.
Candace is a really attractive woman...her mother was gorgeous too so she comes by that honestly.
I don't eat much sugar except for the occasional piece of chocolate...I love fruit and the sweetness of an orange or a bunch of grapes or berries satisfy most of my cravings.
Janet I am totally excited about the Paris trip...I think I'll be counting the days very soon! I cannot believe it is actually going to happen...it's a long held dream of mine to visit.
Eating healthy is really the key...you didn't mention if you exercise and I have to say that for me personally it was what really helped me lose 30 pounds. WW is wonderful and counting points makes a huge difference...I stuck to it and it worked but it took me the better part of a year to lose it.
Keeping on track and focusing on your goal will make the difference...
I just reread your comment about how you could have lost 30 pounds in a month when you were younger! Wow!
Post a Comment