Frustrated with my 45 year old body - advice needed

dcresider

So I've been consistently doing SL for the 6 months (give or take a few weeks for vacations, etc.) and I still don't see any changes in my body. My arms look a little better but everything else seems to be saggy or soft. I don't want to blame my age for my slowing metabolism. My weight hasn't changed one bit and if anything has gone up a bit. Clothes fit okay, not great.

I don't want to give up SL and yet after 6 months I don't notice any major changes. Feeling frustrated and down. Any advice?

ar9179

Are you meeting your calorie goals? Are you using accurate ways to measure your intake? Are you progressing on the weight for your sets?

I'm also 45, turning 46 in Jan. My experience has been different than yours. My current lack of progress with scale weight is 100% eating too much, lol!

xcalygrl

Do you take measurements? If yes, take them again now and see if they've changed. If no, then take them now and use them as a baseline.

FWIW, I did SL for about a year. I didn't lose any scale weight, but I lost inches. I was already relatively fit so I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised. Plus, I got a whole heck of a lot stronger in that year, which was awesome!

I wouldn't give up SL until you are no longer making progress on your lifts. Even if your body isn't changing much, you are getting stronger and helping your body out. Lifting not only helps your muscles, it helps your bones, ligaments, and joints.

scrittrice

dcresider wrote: »

So I've been consistently doing SL for the 6 months (give or take a few weeks for vacations, etc.) and I still don't see any changes in my body. My arms look a little better but everything else seems to be saggy or soft. I don't want to blame my age for my slowing metabolism. My weight hasn't changed one bit and if anything has gone up a bit. Clothes fit okay, not great.

I don't want to give up SL and yet after 6 months I don't notice any major changes. Feeling frustrated and down. Any advice?

That sounds tough. The changes are pretty slow and gradual, and I think the more fit you are when you start, the slower the changes are. Be sure to measure everything possible--not just scale, but inches, photos, maybe use an online body fat calculator to see if you're moving in the right direction, look at your progress in terms of how much weight you lift and how many reps you do. I bet something is improving. I'm 49, and it has taken about 9 months of working out with a barbell (after switching from dumbbells) to see changes, and I doubt anyone else can really tell. I feel good, however, and being stronger has improved everything else--biking is so much more fun now, for one thing. (I seem to remember that you bike, too.)

canadianlbs

i kind of feel you . . . i don't feel like i look very different either. weight a few pounds above where it was when i started sl about 18 months back. measurements about the same too.

but i know i FEEL different - not only from inside my skin, but also if i poke or clutch parts of myself. there's definite muscle there now, under the fat. also, my overall dimensions haven't changed, but there's definition to me now that i don't see when i'm standing still and just checking myself. it shows up more when i move - to take a step, for instance. or lift an arm.

i also think i've kind of stopped expecting lifting to give me all of the stuff that i wanted or hoped for right at the start. i keep lifting because i like it, and i like many of the tiny ways that my body has changed. but in terms of getting the dream body from it, well. i've always had daydreams about being slightly different in some way and it may not be orthodox to say this, but i kind of like them and suspect that i'll always have them. they don't overwhelm me or ruin my current life; they're just nice things to think about the same way as daydreaming about having a little extra money feels nice.

dcresider

Thanks everyone. I have an upcoming Hawaii trip in January that's a big motivation for my weight loss journey.

FYI: I personally think it's my eating habits and occasionally go over my macros hence no weight loss. I know what I'm doing wrong in terms of food intake, but why do I keep sabotaging myself? Also, I'm in a funk (it must be that TOM) so forgive my self pity.

Here's another question: do i weight myself the day after a SL workout or the morning of a SL workout? and when should I take measurements?

ar9179

I would weigh BEFORE working out. I always look at first thing in the morning/after bathroom weight.

As for measurements, an every 4-6 weeks schedule is good. You can pick the same date for each month, but a 28 day cycle will end up impacting you as it edges towards that date over the course of the year. Fluid retention can be a bear. I don't think time of day is as important since you'll be looking for a trends.

I recommend pictures, too. I haven't done that in a while but it was very motivating for me in the beginning! Looking at them all as a time line will highlight the changes.

andylllI

Almost all the images we see connected to fitness are photoshopped pictures of fitness models who engage in vlcd prior to photo shoots. Many of them are also on anabolics to preserve muscle mass while they are on starvation macros for their photoshoot. Many of the natural fitness images are of young women who have a different hormonal milieu, generally don't have as many family and work responsibilities and whom recover from workouts faster because of their young age (I'm thinking about social media fitspo images here). 6 months is a drop in the bucket when it comes to training. Wait another 30 months. It takes at least two years of consistency to build a great physique - that's two years of progressive overload and reasonably hitting your caloric target. Give yourself a break. What you are doing isn't bad for your body and that's kind of more important than how you look.

Also, weight training makes me as hungry as *kitten*.

Sumiblue

Refresh my memory-how tall are you? What is your weight loss setting? 1 lb/wk, 1/2 lb/wk.?

I have been doing SL for a year now. My arms shaped up pretty fast but I've always had muscular arms. I did not see big changes to my body with SL alone because I had too much body fat covering my muscle.
I was pretty sloppy with my logging & eating too much. I'm set to losing 1/2 lb/wk and that is a small enough deficit that I could (and did) often go over.
I started to lose again and visibly got leaner when I started to really stick to my deficit. My Fitbit Flex gave me a better idea of what my TDEE is day to day. Now, sticking to a deficit is hard, especially if you are 45 (I'm 46) & short (like me). I had to use intermittent fasting to help me stay on deficit.
I also added a new program: Strong Curves. Maybe you need to mix up your workouts more or add something.

dcresider

@Sumiblue - I'm 5' 1", and trying to lose .5 lb a week. Your stats are kind of like my stats in that I have lots of fat on top of whatever muscles i may have. I track all the time but possibly go over my daily intake so that's where the problem of no deficit. Also, I know I have to up the protein because sometimes I don't get my protein intake on those days I do SL.

You'll have to tell me about intermittent fasting. I'm not familiar with that.

My current workouts are:
-SL 3x a week consistently at least the past few months. (squats up to 140 lbs, bench/rows at 95 lbs, Overhead presses at 55lbs, deadlifts at 185lbs.)
-cardio/run 3-4x a week since I just started training for a half marathon.
-I bike to work totaling 6 miles a day/5 days a week.

I have access to a gym which offer TRX, tabata, HIIT classes and may have to take advantage of those classes. AS you can see, I get plenty of activity.

canadianlbs

andylllI wrote: »

It takes at least two years of consistency to build a great physique - that's two years of progressive overload and reasonably hitting your caloric target.

oooo . . . . *perk* that means this time next year is gonna be great.

Sumiblue

I agree with @andyllll that it takes a significant time commitment to change your body. If you aren't eating at a deficit then you are recomping and that is very slow. And also agree that photos of fitness models are unrealistic. I read an article written by a lifter who had professional photos taken of himself and he revealed the truth behind them. Namely, dehydration (to look shredded) and lighting. True, he worked hard but how he actually looked vs. the photos were eye opening. I'll post it if I can find it. I'm not saying that you expect to look like a fitness model from doing SL but I think we all are affected by these photos somewhat. Since you set yourself to lose .5lbs /wk you must not have a lot to lose. Those few lbs are the hardest. Diet probably needs to be tightened up.

xcalygrl

I personally weigh first thing on Saturday morning. It's the best day for me. I usually take measurements right after (on a monthly basis). I also take pictures then too (monthly or every other month depending on if I remember).

agbmom556

Thank you for posting this information. My weight loss process has also been slow. I added more walking to my lifting and the scale is starting to move a bit. My weight on the scale has stayed the same but I have dropped another 1/2 size. I started at a size 18 in January, this summer my 14's fit and now they are loose. I am now buying 12's.
My body feels tighter. I can feel muscles under my flab. Just need to reduce my fat. By the way, I am 5.2"

agbmom556

and will soon be 43 yrs old

indianarose2

I'm 45 will be 46 in December and am 5'3". I was (still some BF to go) overweight so eating in a deficit has been key for me to see changes. I don't eat enough protein most of the time which is a problem but I'm trying. You will not grow big muscles in a deficit but you WILL uncover them if you are able to eat at a deficit. It's hard. It stinks....but it's a fact. Diet breaks where you eat at it close to maintenance helps. I'm cutting now but will likely go to maintenance over the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays and hopefully make some strength gains. It's nice to be able to trade out the benefits!
I lift for the future as well as the present. I've known some awesome, strong 70-90 year old women who looked 20 years younger than they were and also the adverse. I know which I would like to be. ;-) Best to you!

mirrim52

dcresider wrote: »

Here's another question: do i weight myself the day after a SL workout or the morning of a SL workout? and when should I take measurements?

I read you should weigh yourself after a rest day. Your muscles retain water as they are recovering, so first thing in the morning after a rest day should have the least amount of lifting related water retention.

fanncy0626

I noticed that for myself if I don't eat clean I can just look at food and gain weight. Protein and healthy fat fruit and vegetables are your friends! Like someone said get a scale and weigh everything. Protein 80% of your LBM in g of protein. Eat at a deficit to lose weight. I have to give up processed foods, candy, and bakery in order to lose weight.

indianarose2

Oh gosh me too fanncy! I've tried the all things in moderation tact and make almost zero progress. If I want to cut I must really cut out all of that stuff. Hopefully it will be temporary once I get to my desired BF %.

dcresider

Thanks everyone for their great advice. I do eat healthy when I can and have plenty of fruits and vegetable. I alos own a scale too. However, I do have some processed food at home (tortilla chips, crackers, etc.) which is fine in moderation. My problem is overeating because I can't get that full feeling. I'll keep working on it.