Seeking Advice from Serious Fitness Buffs About Fat Loss

Hi M., I highly recommend speaking with Dave Picardy at the NorthShore CrossFit. His regime is like nothing I ever experienced before - all about serious everyday fitness. He has a place in Topsfield and just opened a new one in Beverly near the Cummings Center. Don't know if this helps as I don't know where you live. Call him at ###-###-#### & tell him I asked you to call. Just make an appointment to go in and talk with him - you will be glad you did. Good Luck! E. Taft ____@____.com If you are not in this area, Dave could certainly recommend the same training near you.

Not to freak you out, but I've heard from a number of friends and relatives that once they hit 40, this mysterious tire appeared around their middle. Not even my marathoning sister-in-law has been able to shake it...

Welcome to middle age, my friend! I experienced the same thing (I am 44 with one six year old daughter). I think there may be a number of factors involved.
Here are some:

-"advanced" maternal age. Our body chemistry/collagen levels/hormonal levels, etc. are very different than they were at 30-something or 20-something, making recovery from pregnancy a different story than it would have been 10 or 15 years ago.

-I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during pregnancy, which essentially amounted to a state of starvation as far as my body was concerned, since I could not eat (resulting in increased stress hormones like cortisol). It is well known that body chemistry can permanently change under such conditions. Therefore, I now accumulate fat differently than I used to pre-pregnancy.
Such a state can be induced through severe dieting too...Eventually, the body becomes more "efficient" with its' intake of calories, as it attempts to offset the next period of "famine".
You can see how in evolutionary terms, the body's ability to do this would have helped humans through times of food shortage. Today, however, it can undermine our attempts at esthetic beauty. (and show us just how at odds with biology our attempts at esthetic beauty can sometimes be...)

-Genetics. What do other women you're related to look like after several births at your age? If they too have the same jelly roll, there's likely a genetic propensity to it that no amount of dieting or exercise will change.

In answer to your final question "What worked for you?", I'm afraid my best and only solution is to change your perception of your jelly roll: I can accept that my jelly roll is a badge of honor, that this is what I look like; and remember that it is a result of the best thing I have ever done (give birth to my daughter). Or I can spend the rest of my life trying to achieve an impossibility and feeling poorly about myself as a result.

It may help us all to remember that in other less vain cultures, the signs of motherhood, like jelly rolls and sagging breasts, are actually badges of honor that afford mothers certain privileges and respect that younger, still childless women do not get despite their esthetic beauty.

Good Luck!

HI,
I've had good luck with one hour of walking every day, breakfast the largest meal, then lunch, with a small dinner, relatively early, say 6 O'clock. Also, no refined sugar or white flour. No coffee, it causes your energy to wane. And get plenty of sleep.
Good luck!

HI M.,
Just curious as to how many times you are eating a day... how long have you been following this plan? How old is your youngest? I am the mother of 3, 43 years old and also into the fitness life style. I am also a personal trainer/ fitness instructor. I have also found that after the 3rd... tit has been pain stakenly difficult to shed the final layer of fat around the mid section. My 3rd was c-section. Eating clean is good but if you are not splitting the meals threwout theday.... 5-6 mini- meals... your metabolism will slow. I know, 3 kids... 6 meals? who has the time? It is tough! alot of times it is not neccasarily the calories but the timing of your meals. Like a fire...if you don't contiuously feed the fire it goes out or dims... same as the metabolism. And I hate to say this.... as we get older the body changes....UGH!!! And it fights us tooth and nail! Good luck with your goals!
P.

OMGosh. You sound just like me. I can't wait to hear some responses. I have the EXACT situation as you. I am also in my early 40's and have exercised my whole life.

Currently I use 10 lb weights and work my upper body, 2 sets of 10 squats, 30 push ups, 2 sets of 12 lunges, and run/walk 3 miles 5 times a week. I still have a layer of fluff, but under it I can feel my muscle tone....

After reading all of the responses, I'll chime in about the perimenopause thing. I'm 37 and have had a lot of "issues" since my daughter was born over 3 years ago. Sleep, anxiety, mood and this winter more fat on my belly. I work out all of the time and have super strong abs that now have a layer of fat on them that I just cannot accept though I know I should be less hard on my expectations. I have been diagnosed as being in perimenopause but very prematurely so I'm going on progesterone to begin with and having a lot of tests done. I feel confident that I can lose the fat but I've got to get my body normalized. I do need to mix my routine up some and am excited because our Y just got spinning bikes. I was curious about your comment about low caloric intake and a lot of exercising possibly contributing. Can you explain a little more? You're obviously not alone in this quest/struggle!

M.

Hi, does your gym offer any Spin classes? If so do it 2 or 3 times a week and I promise you in 3 weeks you will see a differance. You will also be come addicted to it so it could be a good or bad thing!!!!!Enjoy it is hard at first but it gets easier. How do you do it with 3 BOYS I have 1 that is 1 1/2 and he gives me a run for my money I think he helps keep my weight off. GOOD LUCK, let me know how it works.

M., if you find out, will you let me know?!? I've had that midsection jelly roll since I lost my pregnancy weight (my daughter is now 5). I started Pilates 2 years ago, which has helped a lot to define the muscles underneath, but have not lost the cellulite on top. My feeling is that short of a very low-calorie, low-fat diet or liposuction, this roll is just not going away. So I'm trying to live with it and love my body anyway...all while keeping up regular exercise. Good luck! -M. C.

I am a 36YO mother of 2 (6yrs and 2.5yrs. I teach kickboxing, spinning and just started as a personal trainer. My advice would be to change up your workout routine. Your body often plateus b/c it gets used to doing the same things over and over. If you don't run, try it. If you have never swum try that. If you are used to doing the weights on machines try free weights. There are tons of options and it could help to get things going again.
Good luck!

My sister sent me the info below. She uses these books for weight loss and the over all health of her family. It's worked for her and her husband.

The pH Miracle and The pH Miracle for Weight Loss, both by Dr. Robert Young. The weight loss book has a lot of the same info, but of course more focused to weight loss. I like a lot of the recipes in the weight loss book.

Hi M.,

You just exactly described my past 3 yrs!! I just have two children, but everything else - w/o, eating right, good carbs, protein, had thyroid checks... everything. My doctor and I concluded it was perimenopause. It does run early in my family - and those darn female fat cells just start acting up like this! I have read 3 books on menopause and they all agree - don't do the misc. diets!!! Just eat those 5-6 meals /day and work out! I was exactly 42 when I just started gaining weight. My trainer couldn't believe the weight I was gaining - he saw me at the gym all the time and knew I ate pretty good! The bad news for me, was I had suddenly lots of cancer in my family and lost a sister and brother in law within a year - so besides the depression and the menopause and I also devleoped arthritis - I have barely been to the gym in the past 2 years :( SO please - for your sake!!! Keep working out no matter what! And try not to do those fad diets!
So, I'm not saying that it it definately menopause - but it sure sounds like it! And Perimenopause can last upwards of 7 years! Have you had any hot flashes? Be sure to keep in touch with your doctor! And remember - we're still hot mama's - they just come in flashes :)
Goodluck!

Hi M., I too am 42 (although I every year I celebrate my 39th birthday AGAIN!) :) and have worked out for as long as I can remember. I too had hit a "stale" point and was unable to get rid of the "belly jelly roll". Then an neighbor told me how she lost hers - by running. I also have asthma and have just never been able to run for very long. So I started out by walking very fast on the treadmill for 4 minutes, then running 1 minute, then walking 4 minutes - and so on. I also focused alot of attention on stomach crunches - doing 50 a day to start and working up to 200 a day. I do not do the diet thing as I was a size zero before I had children (13 yr old & 8 yr old). I also love my food and if I eat anything "extra" I will just work out harder. I eat healthy but there is nothing that I will NOT have. I am in the best shape of my life! After 13 years I was finally able to wear a bikini again!! Good luck, keep the faith & have fun!

Hello,
I've tried many things to lose weight and finally a month and a half ago I joined weight watchers and have lost 12 pounds so far. It's not a diet, they teach you how to eat right. Best of luck.

Hi M.,

After doing all sorts of exercise regimes over the past 20 yrs., I have to say the single most life changing thing I tried was thai kickboxing! I didn't think I would like it but had signed my child up for karate and she decided she didn't like it after we had a membership already so I transferred it to me and took up the kickboxing classes.

The classes included boxing gloves for punching and kicking on a large bag (wavemaster), push ups and lots of ab work. In the course of 4 months, I went from my pretty good size 8 down to size 4. I couldn't even believe it- I hadn't been that size since high school ( I am now 41). I totally recommend it! I didn't change anything else as far as eating. It was the best thing I ever did.

Well I'm 41 with 2 kids (2 c-sections), and I know too about the jelly fat. I've been doing Weight Watchers for a year and have lost 30 pounds so far, and have kept it off. Yo-yo dieting NEVER works and is unhealthy. WW is about portion control. It's a great support system. Good luck.

M.,
A strange question for you... Are you sure it is a layer of fat and not stretched skin from your pregnancies?

I am extremely thin (too thin and trying to gain weight but am having great difficulty... even with 5,000 calories a day I don't gain weight ~ there are definite medical issues being investigated).

Even at my mere 80lbs I have a midsection roll. (I have had several pregnancies). My husband and I got excited thinking it was a sign that I was gaining weight only to find out it was a very large amount of skin. It just makes me think that perhaps the "jelly roll" isn't jelly? I guess it would depend on if it is only there that you have the roll or if you have trouble elsewhere...

As for the weightloss plateau ... I know that in most individuals trying to lose weight that it is completely normal.

I hope you are able to get the help you are looking for :).