Eat right, exercise & not losing!

[SandiS]

Hi everyone-just got hooked up and found this sight! What a blast. What to do if you eat low fat (within reason) run (almost daily) on my lunch hour (2.8 kilometers)and cannot lose at all. I am 48 and I know things slow down now, but I weigh at least 137 to 140 lbs ( I won't get on a scale anymore) I am 5'7". This may not seem overweight to anyone else, but I was always sooooo skinny -could eat anything and not gain- had to take stuff to make you gain! What happened! Any suggestions?

[Laura]

Hmmm... You and I are kind of in the same boat. I am 5'8 and 1/2" (love adding that 1/2" inch http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif). When I was in college, I weighed around 125 but now weigh between 135 and 140. It could be though that if you are eating right and exercising daily your body doesn't want to get below a certain weight. I do find weight lifting helps a lot. It adds weight per se but you look thinner, feel better and are generally healthier. I also know that in any aerobic exercise, if your goal is to lose fat, it is generally better to keep your heart rate at a moderate level for at least 45 minutes (an hour is better) than higher levels for a shorter period of time. I think my best advice would be not to be consumed by the scale, add weight lifting, but it sounds like you are doing great already.

The other thing I struggle with is portion control. Yes, I eat low-fat, but too often it is too much low fat so I am still consuming too many calories.

[This message has been edited by Laura (edited 12-23-2000).]

[emilycat]

Sandi,

First of all, welcome to the boards! You'll find that this is a wonderful place to find advice and all kinds of fitness support.

You may hate me for saying this, but you probably need to increase your running mileage, or add some other cardio activity.
Like Laura said, 45 minutes to an hour 4 or more times each week is the target amount of time for exercise if you're trying to lose weight (and best for maximum health benefits, even if you're not trying to lose). If you could up your runs to 5K, you'd almost definitely see some weight loss. I imagine that you're not burning more calories than you consume each day, so either your diet or your exercise may need some adjustment.
Hope this helps! Emily

[SandiS]

Thanks for replying so quickly (Laura & Emilycat) It's nice to know I'm not alone. I think in the new year I have to challenge what I am doing and work a little harder (longer runs & portion control) etc. Maybe making the time to add weight training will help too? I guess the main thing to remember is keep going with the exercise and just be healthy if not skinny!
PS: Merry Christmas everyone!

[doc]

One thing you definitely need to do (especially at your age) is start a strength training program. It'll jump start your metabolism. You start to lose muscle as you age if you don't incorporate weight training into your workout- your metabolism will be slower & even if you weight the same as you did when you were 20 or 30, your size won't be the same.

[MrsReber]

I have also learned that if you do the same cardio activity for a period of time, you need to either switch or make it more challenging. Your body will adapt to running a certain distance in a certain amount of time each day. Therefor, your body is becoming more efficient at this one particular task and tends to adjust itself to burn fewer calories. The weight trainer at my gym taught me alot- your body's goal is to store fat and slow down your metabolism because it thinks it's keeping you alive by doing that. So we must struggle and fight against it! Darn body.

[pmmahan]

don't get sucked in by numbers! what matters is how you feel, not what the scale tells you. Adding weight training to your regimen is an excellent idea. As you age, you lose muscle mass. And we all know, muscle burns mroe calories than fat. I think it is also good for bone density (? - not totally sure).

Also, I think you BMI matters more than your actual weight. You could be 140 pounds of muscle, which is better than 120 of fat. (that's an extreme example, but you get my drift)

[emilycat]

Your body will adapt to running a certain distance in a certain amount of time each day. Therefor, your body is becoming more efficient at this one particular task and tends to adjust itself to burn fewer calories.

Okay, I've been curious about this, so I asked my trusty Runner's World editor friends for their take on it -- I hope I don't seem antagonistic, Mrs. Reber, I just have to advocate my sport as much as I can! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif


Good question. Your body does become more efficient (higher fitness) with
the result that it will feel easier at the same pace. However, the amount
of fuel (calories) that are required for a given task (say, running 3 miles)
will be the same. For weight management it's more about how much volume of
work you do---no matter how fit you are. But to increase your fitness so you
can work at a higher level easier, longer, or to get faster, you must
increase the work load by introducing more speed training, strength training
(hill repeats) and endurance workouts (long runs).

Good Running,
Runner's World reader service

[MrsReber]

Emilycat, I am certainly not offended! Thanks for posting your response. I am always interested in reading more information on topics. I miss running on the treadmill- have to give that up for a few months! I know I was told to vary my cardio to get the best benefit in a shorter amount of time. I switch machines at the gym- the body trek, an eliptical trainer, the treadmill or sometimes the bike. I think I stay more focused at the gym and that's why I enjoy going there. It's like I am in this whole exercise zone and everyone there has the same goal. It keeps me motivated.