45+ Ladies - Has it been harder for you to lose on PB? page

[MakeupAddict12]

I have been doing PB for five weeks and have only lost 3-4 lbs. I was surgically placed into menopause in May of last year and have put on 10-15 lbs since then. Just wondering if other ladies seem to struggle even following the PB.

Thanks in Advance.

[JennGlob]

I am only 40, so feel free to ignore. However, I definitely feel it can be harder for us as women to meet our goals, not to mention keep on track. I think you have to just make the decision to do it. Sitting on the fence weighing options is not productive for changing a lifestyle. Make a plan, own it and do it. If you have an off day, week or month...jump back to the plan. It took me 2 weeks to right myself after the holidays, and now I have to deal with Valentines. I have already decided to maintain this weekend and get back to Primal on Sunday. It isn't a race, no biggest loser $ to win. If 50/50 is all you can do some weeks, that's okay...better than nothing.

[MakeupAddict12]

Thank you ladies. And JennGlob, I would never ignore your comments. I know ladies under 45 are in menopause/surgical menopause and in general its harder for women in general.

I have been doing well so far I think. I am down to one Splenda in my coffee, trying to use Stevia mostly. Still need to give up my one vice...Diet Coke....but I am only having one in the morning. Will get off it soon. From where I was, which was a carb junkie, I am doing well. I just see all these people that dropped 10-15 so easily...I guess I was hoping to be one of those too.

[JennGlob]

Thank you ladies. And JennGlob, I would never ignore your comments. I know ladies under 45 are in menopause/surgical menopause and in general its harder for women in general.

I have been doing well so far I think. I am down to one Splenda in my coffee, trying to use Stevia mostly. Still need to give up my one vice...Diet Coke....but I am only having one in the morning. Will get off it soon. From where I was, which was a carb junkie, I am doing well. I just see all these people that dropped 10-15 so easily...I guess I was hoping to be one of those too.

It took me from April until October to lose 10 lbs. It has taken me from October until now to regularly stay at 130, now those last 5-10...we will have to see and hope . My big problems are red wine and apple fritters. They seem so easy to ditch, but I have children and very little patience.

[sbhikes]

I didn't notice any weight loss for the first 5 weeks or so, although I went by feel not by the scale. I didn't find this way of eating to be difficult to follow at all, though. I'm not in menopause but I had a hysterectomy (without the oophrectomy) when I was 39. I know that I will never look like a hot young bikini babe or a cross-fit babe but I'm pretty satisfied with my more athletic and strong physique and the ability to eat for realz and not gain weight.

[ChocoTaco369]

As you may know, I am not a 45 year old woman. I am a 26 year old male, so I'm probably the last person you'd take seriously, but I'd just like to give a little input:

1.) Weight loss is entirely caloric. While certain lifestyles will support a healthier metabolism than others (starvation diets low in nutrients WILL lower your metabolic rate, making it impossible to sustain low enough calories to lose weight), you always have to burn more fuel than you take in.

2.) The reason why it's so damn difficult for post-menopausal women to lose weight is because the metabolic rate drops significantly. It's not your fault. It's a product of portion size. We eat with our EYES, not with our stomach. Applebees, Olive Garden and Red Lobster have given us a preconceived notion of what a plate should look like, so we often just eat based on habitual portion sizes instead of actually listening to hunger. Remember, eating 150 calories extra a day for a 6 foot tall young man is a drop in the bucket, but for a 40-something woman whose total daily caloric burn is 1400...it's over a 10% surplus! Each bite counts twice as more for a woman than a young man, so that's why it's so much harder.

The advice I'd give:

1.) Drink plenty of water. Often, hunger is confused for thirst so you'll want to eat just to eat the moisture out of foods. If you stay well-hydrated, you're less likely to confuse this.

2.) Lift. Heavy. Post-menopausal women have the least desirable hormone profile for staying lean. Sprinting, deadlifting and squats with heavy weights will optimize your hormone profile and make you least likely to store fat when you overeat. It'll trend more towards lean mass.

NO EXCUSES!



3.) Cut your fat intake, up your protein intake. The more fat you take in, the more you have to burn to lose weight. You can't lose body fat without burning through dietary first, so trade in that ribeye for a sirloin, and use your slow cooker more instead of your frying pan.

4.) Don't necessarily live under the carbohydrate curve. This is all calorie-driven. If you fill up faster eating potatoes than fatty steak, maybe you'll eat less calories by incorporating more starch. Or maybe it'll make things worse. Experiment with all foods. I notice many post-menopausal women around here eat 50-60% calories from fat. I'd drop that to 30-40%, raise protein to 30-40% and consume 20-30% carbohydrate.

Take it for what it's worth.

[canio6]

Okay, Chocotaco, until you have lived it personally you have no place telling a 40+ woman dealing with hormonal issues ANYTHING.

I wouldn't even think of telling a 26 year old male ANYTHING. I am not one.

Could we have some kind of break down or perhaps labelling system to make it easier to determine which threads certain demographics can and cannot post in? I mean, Mark is neither a woman nor suffering from hormonal problems so I am sure none of the women on the forums read anything of his like the Primal Blueprint as his suggestions would be worthless given he has never lived it. He would obviously have nothing at all to offer to a conversation outside of those containing former professional athletes with washboard abs.

My wife turns 40 next year and has all kinds of hormonal issues. I would love to know what to suggest to help her. "Sorry honey, it sucks for women as they lose so slowly" is not the best approach in my mind. At least Choco offered some solutions.

Sorry if that comes across as harsh, but I see it far too often on the forums these days "Your opinion is not welcome here"

[gopintos]

Okay, Chocotaco, until you have lived it personally you have no place telling a 40+ woman dealing with hormonal issues ANYTHING.

I wouldn't even think of telling a 26 year old male ANYTHING. I am not one.

From my experience, Choco is right on the money.

I lost most of my 70lbs pre-primal. When I arrived here and upped the fat, weight loss slowed down until finally it stopped. I think PHD is on the money also. (which fwiw, Mark wrote the forward for the new edition so it is very much in line with Mark's way of thinking, IMO but that is just IMO)

But I have been primal almost a year, and have barely lost 20lbs. Started out okay. When I was 50% fat, weight loss slowed down to about 4-5lbs per month. I thought I must not be doing it right, so I bumped the fat up higher and higher, until finally all weight loss stopped. Exercise and energy stopped as well.

Here is the link.
Perfect Health Diet: Weight Loss Version | Perfect Health Diet

He recommends to cut fat to 40% or less, for weight loss for women of our age. And this is from a fella that is normally a higher fat guy, around 55-65%.

I am in a much better place now. Making sure I get plenty of protein. Adding some carbs back in, cutting the excess fat - I dont worry about my fats from meats, eggs, etc, it is the EXTRA fat. And I am back to exercising - walking, tabata on my elliptical and ST. I shoot for 40% fat, but usually I end up with a 3-way split.

I really feel like I will reach my goals by the end of summer if not sooner. Hoping anyways.

[ConnieSB]

Can't wait for the entertainment coming after Choco's comment, lol

I'm 52 and for ME calories DO matter ( even with Primal/Paleo). I admit I'm not following Paleo/Primal 100% these days, but when I first discovered this way of eating, I was excited to finally find a plan I didn't have to "count" but I do. Hubby and I are farmers, we raise our own beef/pork we garden in the summer. I did give up bread and "healthy" cereal, this greatly reduced my reflux. I don't miss either of those things. I don't have a sugar demon, I just don't like "rules". Have enough of those in my life!
If I don't count I eat way more calories than I need. I had a hysterectomy in '05, I have a desk job, and although I'm consistant with exercise I still do not burn many calories throughout the day. Another thing I've discovered with getting older is it's much harder to keep muscle (I've been a gym rat for nearly 30 yrs) but got sucked into the circuit training, lighter wts, more reps, cronic cardio mind set in the last few yrs and I lost a lot of strength and got even fatter. I'm back to heavier lifting, 4 day split (old school training) and in 3 weeks I've already increased my strength a lot. I'm back to measuring my food, and my clothes feel a bit more loose in the waist. I did buy some MCT after reading the Shang-ra-La diet thread...(oh I tried 3 weeks of whole 30, not counting and gained wt and felt miserable with so much food following their template). I am eating less fatty cuts of meat, more mindful of added fats to other foods,more carbs and moderate protien and feel better already. I've never been afraid of carbs, but did quit eating white potatoes and rice for a bit when I first discovered Primal. I don't have an issue with either. I'm still in trial and error stage, but that's ok because I'm slowing figuring out what works for me. I've spent too much time bouncing around from very strict Paleo, to Primal, to whole30, and back to Primal...Primal seems to be a better fit for me, but I still have to be aware of portions, that's the truth for me. Oh how I wish I could just eat Primal foods without care for calorie intake, but I can't. I'm so happy for those who can, really!

While I agree women of our age have different challenges, but we are not unique when it comes to weight loss. I was always lean until my late 40's without even trying, I had a physically challenging job, a gym rat and I could not imagine being as fat as I am now....but my life changed a lot between 38 yrs old and now. Job change, life style change, surgeries, (things I didn't see coming!) I didn't adjust my eating accordingly.

[Cryptocode]

ChacoTaco369
Thank you very mcuh. My God, that's a beautiful picture. She'll be one of my role models. Maybe I'll print it and put it on my bedroom wall.