Women 50+: Does the word "exercise" make your teeth curl?

This post is directed to women over 50 who are here to lose those 50 or so pounds that have crept up over the past 20 years, and seemed to take up permanent residence post-menopause.

There is a ton of guidance on this site devoted to exercise. All of it has value – and nothing I’m going to write here should be construed as anti-exercise. We all need to move more, and I encourage you to do that. I walk the dogs several miles a week and take an intermittent pilates class. I own a treadmill, which I keep dusted, and some hand weights, which I sometimes move from the floor to the coffee table.

I am not willing to make my weight dependent on an extreme exercise routine that I may or may not be willing or able to maintain as I get older. I have read posts again and again from people who work out like fiends, only to get an injury or illness that prohibits them from working out – short-term or forever – and sends them into a weight gain panic. Their weight maintenance is dependent on their exercise routine.

And, yes, I know that means that when I reach my goal (just 27 more pounds!), I’m likely to be what’s known in the MFP vernacular as “skinny fat.” Trust me, I look forward to that. If at that point I want to play around with some toning, fine – but I don’t want my maintenance lifestyle to be contingent on a gym membership or home equivalent (i.e., something else to dust). Know what I mean?

I’m writing this to you over-50 women because I suspect some of you are a lot more like me than like the young fitness buffs on MFP. They are wonderful and I’m thrilled for all the help they’re giving so many people. I just don’t want the women like me to be discouraged by that inner voice that says, “But you know you’re not going to work out six days a week!” That’s the voice of failure waiting to happen.

I have done a lot of experimenting over the past 10 months, and have had success (53 pounds) with calorie cycling or a variation on intermittent fasting or Eat-Stop-Eat. All that means is that once or twice a week I’ll not eat anything from dinner one night to dinner the next night. And I look at my average numbers for the week instead of the day, and keep them between my BMR and my goal TDEE. That gives me room for lots of fun!

I’m originally from New Orleans, so I have worked really hard to learn to cook clean – and my 1450-1700 calories of daily food are jam-packed with nutrition and even a few glasses of wine. There is no diet food or fake food or processed food on my menus. I am never, ever hungry.

Feel free to friend me and let’s share recipes and war stories.

Cheers!
Alice