The over-the -age-50-belly bulge
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tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot. I walk, bike and canoe but nothing changes. Ive added 8lb dumbbells to my routine to start. I agree weight lifting is needed when you get older so hopefully the dumbbells will help. I'm not fat but its irritating when all the effort shows no change. At least I'm staying the same. I look 10 years younger than my age, so I'm told, so doing something right. Thankful to be healthy. Loosing some fat would be a bonus.
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The metabolic slowdown as we age is mainly because of reduced activity/movement/exercise. It is not a forgone conclusion that as you age you metabolism will slow significantly* but rather that generally, as older people move less, they lose muscle and so their metabolism slows.
This is good news because it means that, with appropriate exercise and diet you can stall or even reverse somewhat, that metabolic slow down.
* there are some metabolic processes which slow when older and are not due to reduction in activity - There is not much we can do about these but luckily they seem to be less of a factor than the slowdown due to inactivity.4 -
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tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot. I walk, bike and canoe but nothing changes. Ive added 8lb dumbbells to my routine to start. I agree weight lifting is needed when you get older so hopefully the dumbbells will help. I'm not fat but its irritating when all the effort shows no change. At least I'm staying the same. I look 10 years younger than my age, so I'm told, so doing something right. Thankful to be healthy. Loosing some fat would be a bonus.)
My mom will be 80 this year and is like the Energizer Bunny. She's extremely active, and has always been so.
I'm 50 and female and use 25 # dumbbells for my heaviest weight for chest presses. I'm sure there are women our age who use higher weights.
Do you belong to a gym? I found just a few sessions with a personal trainer to be extremely useful.4 -
This is all very interesting. I just started Nutrisystem. I am keeping below 1500 calories daily and the pounds are starting to come off. That being said, several people have told me that I will stall out if I don't starting adding exercise. I am not a gym person. I'm (slightly) over 50 and work a ton of hours weekly. The thought of using what little free time I have in a gym is not appealing.
Flossing my teeth isn't appealing but I do it anyway
You don't need to spend time in a gym to lose weight but you should do something somewhere for your cardiovascular and muscular/skeletal systems.
I mostly go to a gym for the weights. At some point I may empty the guest bedroom and use that for lifting. I like to get cardio outside. Usually I walk, yesterday I shoveled, and today I will snowshoe. Later in the year I will garden and swim.
I work a lot of hours too and can't imagine trying to deal with work stress without walking or lifting weights at lunch time. I'm more energized and productive in the afternoons for this.0 -
From the linkSo, is CICO worthless and outdated?
No! The CICO equation still needs to be involved in your diet planning. You must take in fewer calories than you expend to drive weight loss. However, it's important that your diet plan doesn't stop there. You must consider the macronutrient composition of your diet, your exercise choices, and your daily activity levels, too. By taking everything into account, you'll be able to plan for optimal progress.
Bodybuilding.com is a supplement shop, most of their articles are there to help with that.1 -
Another myth for the most part, "metabolism" slows down because of inactivity and loss of muscle mass.tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot.
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annaskiski wrote: »The way the body metabolizes them for one, and thats a big one. Staying away from processed sugar which is a gateway to fat. Weight training is key as it burns calories even after your workout, especially for over 50's who lose muscle mass much quicker. Blindly saying calories in/calories out is not the right way to get fit or healthy.
Ummmm, no.
Kriss seems a little more knowledgeable
Ummmm, no. Disagree on that one, Jayco seems spot on. Why do people want to over-simplify weight loss with this whole CICO "formula"? Our bodies are MUCH more complex and different foods ARE metabolized differently which absolutely CAN influence weight loss. Go to any medical library and read stuff for yourself. If it were so totally simple as "eat less and move more", would we really have a global pandemic of obesity? Come on, people, wake up and smell the coffee! Why is everyone so afraid of admitting there's GOT to be more going on than CICO?
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I would say that emphatically. Go to a penitentiary. What's the obesity population? Not to mention that many of the inmates are pretty lean and ripped up. The food..................the lowest quality you can get. At $4 dollars a day for 3 meals, it's gonna be low quality. The thing is that it's just 3 portioned meals a day. And it's not the food that's killing them because the population isn't shrinking even though crime is down.Ummmm no, so your saying it doesn't matter what you eat? That its all just in/out?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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If a diet is long enough and you don't have any increase/change in physical activity, then the body DOES adapt and regulates metabolic rate to match the calories it's taking in. This is NOT uncommon.This is all very interesting. I just started Nutrisystem. I am keeping below 1500 calories daily and the pounds are starting to come off. That being said, several people have told me that I will stall out if I don't starting adding exercise. I am not a gym person. I'm (slightly) over 50 and work a ton of hours weekly. The thought of using what little free time I have in a gym is not appealing.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
It does slow down a bit, but that's due to hormonal changes. The one more is physically active, the less impact there is on metabolic rate. Like anyone else, the body easily adapts to physical routines that aren't that demanding. Normally, I just have clients be a little more intense in their exercise to help metabolic rate increase. But it's still CICO that matters most.tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot. I walk, bike and canoe but nothing changes. Ive added 8lb dumbbells to my routine to start. I agree weight lifting is needed when you get older so hopefully the dumbbells will help. I'm not fat but its irritating when all the effort shows no change. At least I'm staying the same. I look 10 years younger than my age, so I'm told, so doing something right. Thankful to be healthy. Loosing some fat would be a bonus.)
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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mactaffy428 wrote: »annaskiski wrote: »The way the body metabolizes them for one, and thats a big one. Staying away from processed sugar which is a gateway to fat. Weight training is key as it burns calories even after your workout, especially for over 50's who lose muscle mass much quicker. Blindly saying calories in/calories out is not the right way to get fit or healthy.
Ummmm, no.
Kriss seems a little more knowledgeable
Ummmm, no. Disagree on that one, Jayco seems spot on. Why do people want to over-simplify weight loss with this whole CICO "formula"? Our bodies are MUCH more complex and different foods ARE metabolized differently which absolutely CAN influence weight loss. Go to any medical library and read stuff for yourself. If it were so totally simple as "eat less and move more", would we really have a global pandemic of obesity? Come on, people, wake up and smell the coffee! Why is everyone so afraid of admitting there's GOT to be more going on than CICO?
Everyone tries to be 100% black and white on this issue. CICO is the answer for most of us. Without eating fewer calories than you expend you will not lose weight. Period.
The other side of the argument has a point in that eating better can also help. If you go on the famous Twinkie diet you'll lose weight... if you do the same calorie reduction but with good foods you'll end up looking and feeling better (at roughly the same weight as the Twinkie person).
For most people on this board CICO is all they need. It might only get them to 90% of where they could be if they also ate perfectly at that calorie level but that's good enough for most of us. If you're trying to compete in the olympics or something you will definitely need to eat correctly.1 -
tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot. I walk, bike and canoe but nothing changes. Ive added 8lb dumbbells to my routine to start. I agree weight lifting is needed when you get older so hopefully the dumbbells will help. I'm not fat but its irritating when all the effort shows no change. At least I'm staying the same. I look 10 years younger than my age, so I'm told, so doing something right. Thankful to be healthy. Loosing some fat would be a bonus.)
Uhh, NO! At 59, I can assure you that my metabolism isn't shot! Like you, I do all of those things - walk, bike, run, kayak and, like you, not that long ago, I would have said that nothing changes. It was only when I started to honestly track/log my CI that the weight started to come off. Granted, I am only 2 months into this journey but acknowledging that I couldn't depend on exercise alone to lose the weight was key.2 -
Go to countries in Asia and they eat processed foods just like they do in the fattest countries in the world. Why are the majority of population still leaner then? Because they EAT LESS. Let's not be obtuse here. People gain weight because they eat more than they burn REGARDLESS of how well they eat.mactaffy428 wrote: »annaskiski wrote: »The way the body metabolizes them for one, and thats a big one. Staying away from processed sugar which is a gateway to fat. Weight training is key as it burns calories even after your workout, especially for over 50's who lose muscle mass much quicker. Blindly saying calories in/calories out is not the right way to get fit or healthy.
Ummmm, no.
Kriss seems a little more knowledgeable
Ummmm, no. Disagree on that one, Jayco seems spot on. Why do people want to over-simplify weight loss with this whole CICO "formula"? Our bodies are MUCH more complex and different foods ARE metabolized differently which absolutely CAN influence weight loss. Go to any medical library and read stuff for yourself. If it were so totally simple as "eat less and move more", would we really have a global pandemic of obesity? Come on, people, wake up and smell the coffee! Why is everyone so afraid of admitting there's GOT to be more going on than CICO?
Again, go to a penitentiary. Low quality food, day in day out, year after year and the inmates don't resemble the population of obesity. Why? Because they eat a LOT LESS than the population does. Control the portion and weight gain doesn't happen.
CICO is the equation for weight loss/gain/maintenance. IT IS THAT SIMPLE. People who don't lose/gain/maintain efficiently either aren't following it correctly or have some health/hormonal issue that needs to be addressed.
And I'm talking from the prospective of someone who works directly in the field and has so for decades.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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"The Metabolic Rate (Calories Out) Can Change Depending on What You Eat"
Sorry, but anything that states THAT^^, is not to be taken seriously.0 -
mactaffy428 wrote: »annaskiski wrote: »The way the body metabolizes them for one, and thats a big one. Staying away from processed sugar which is a gateway to fat. Weight training is key as it burns calories even after your workout, especially for over 50's who lose muscle mass much quicker. Blindly saying calories in/calories out is not the right way to get fit or healthy.
Ummmm, no.
Kriss seems a little more knowledgeable
Ummmm, no. Disagree on that one, Jayco seems spot on. Why do people want to over-simplify weight loss with this whole CICO "formula"? Our bodies are MUCH more complex and different foods ARE metabolized differently which absolutely CAN influence weight loss. Go to any medical library and read stuff for yourself. If it were so totally simple as "eat less and move more", would we really have a global pandemic of obesity? Come on, people, wake up and smell the coffee! Why is everyone so afraid of admitting there's GOT to be more going on than CICO?
I'm confused as to what your saying here...
Are you saying that because foods are metabolised differently then this means that CICO is invalid?1 -
tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot. I walk, bike and canoe but nothing changes. Ive added 8lb dumbbells to my routine to start. I agree weight lifting is needed when you get older so hopefully the dumbbells will help. I'm not fat but its irritating when all the effort shows no change. At least I'm staying the same. I look 10 years younger than my age, so I'm told, so doing something right. Thankful to be healthy. Loosing some fat would be a bonus.)
I'm 61. I've always worked out, well, for 30+ years at least. The gym is part of my life, crunches and ab work is just normal for me. But when I gained weight and got pretty heavy (I was about 42 or 43 I think) I definitely gained a belly pooch. Not a huge one, but a pooch. I can do all the weights and ab work in the world, but if I didn't lose that weight by eating less than I burn, it would still be there. Just because you have fat in concentrated areas, does not mean you are "fat". It means that your body stores fat that way. It may be that the belly is the very last place that your body "releases" that fat as you lose. That means you need to work on burning more calories, or eating less.5 -
mactaffy428 wrote: »
Ummmm, no. Disagree on that one, Jayco seems spot on. Why do people want to over-simplify weight loss with this whole CICO "formula"? Our bodies are MUCH more complex and different foods ARE metabolized differently which absolutely CAN influence weight loss. Go to any medical library and read stuff for yourself. If it were so totally simple as "eat less and move more", would we really have a global pandemic of obesity? Come on, people, wake up and smell the coffee! Why is everyone so afraid of admitting there's GOT to be more going on than CICO?
So I just have to ask...how much time have you spend at a medical library reading "stuff?" I mean, are you blowing smoke, or have you actually done research of your own in a medical library? Can you give us the name of peer reviewed texts you would recommend to support your views?
And, yes, we have "global pandemic obesity" because people DON'T eat less and don't move. One fastfood meal carries more calories than most people need for the entire day.
Every morning at work I see a mass of clinically obese women show up carrying their McDonalds breakfasts with over 700c or their Starbucks lattes with over 300c. These women line up and wait their turn for the elevator instead of climbing one flight of stairs (in the atrium, not in a dingy stairwell). Then they head out at noon for another fast food lunch (1000-2000c) using the elevator down & up. Add in the breakroom snacks, trips to the vending machine, and the free hot chocolate & cappuccinos work offers, and you have sedentary people consuming 3000-4000c before they go home at the end of the day for dinner.
That's why we have obesity.
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I've lost 2 1/2 stone on MFP and maintained it, logging everything and exercising - not massive sessions, but 2 x 15 minute walks mon-fri with 20 mins morning aerobics/toning and 3 nights a week 20 mins more aerobics/Wii zumba core, plus 2 x 45 min classes (zumba and clubbercise) Wednesday and I've just added another clubbercise Fridays. Although I look way better than when I started, still have a post-c section belly. I am over 50 and probably the fittest I've ever been - certainly doing way more exercise than in my younger days - but just can't lose that wobble. I'm limited in lifting anything due to carpal tunnel weakening my hands, but I do use hand weights for some of my workouts, and have even added wrist weights to workouts to try to get some more results. Don't know why they couldn't have just done a tuck while they were getting the baby out
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Its been proven so many times that the best way to improve your health is to lose weight, regardless of WHAT you eat. (please note, I'm not saying you should eat junk food all day).
People's health marker improve most notably when they drop body weight.
Check out the Twinkie Diet:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/
^^ Professor tests CICO theory, eats mostly twinkies, drops weight, improves health
We have a great example here :
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10348650/cico-still-skeptical-come-inside-for-a-meticulous-log-that-proves-it/p1
^^ Another skeptical body-builder putting CICO to the test.
Start a thread on the main forum:
'Did you get fat eating 'healthy' foods.' You'll be surprised by the responses.1 -
tammyannwebb wrote: »Is it possible to shrink the subcutaneous belly bulge when your over 50? What exercises or any legitimate supplements that would help?
Sounds like you aren't planning to lose the bulge through weight loss, where were you thinking pills or special exercises would move the fat?0 -
tammyannwebb wrote: »The calorie deficit and of course exercise makes sense but when you are over 50 the metabolism is shot. I walk, bike and canoe but nothing changes. Ive added 8lb dumbbells to my routine to start. I agree weight lifting is needed when you get older so hopefully the dumbbells will help. I'm not fat but its irritating when all the effort shows no change. At least I'm staying the same. I look 10 years younger than my age, so I'm told, so doing something right. Thankful to be healthy. Loosing some fat would be a bonus.)
Somebody just kill me now. I wasn't aware of this so I'm guessing this increased energy I've been having since my 60 pound weight loss has all been in my head. I think I'll just get back on the couch and nurse my shot metabolism. 
I'm in better shape now than I've been in past 30 years, both physically and mentally. I challenge myself daily to improve and it's working. I'm 63 and will be climbing the Grand Teton this summer with my 45 year old son who also doesn't know he's on the road to having a shot metabolism. I'm not going to tell him either! 10 -
Somebody just kill me now. I wasn't aware of this so I'm guessing this increased energy I've been having since my 60 pound weight loss has all been in my head. I think I'll just get back on the couch and nurse my shot metabolism. I'm in better shape now than I've been in past 30 years, both physically and mentally. I challenge myself daily to improve and it's working. I'm 63 and will be climbing the Grand Teton this summer with my 45 year old son who also doesn't know he's on the road to having a shot metabolism. I'm not going to tell him either!
Sounds like you are having a blast!! 2 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »Somebody just kill me now. I wasn't aware of this so I'm guessing this increased energy I've been having since my 60 pound weight loss has all been in my head. I think I'll just get back on the couch and nurse my shot metabolism. I'm in better shape now than I've been in past 30 years, both physically and mentally. I challenge myself daily to improve and it's working. I'm 63 and will be climbing the Grand Teton this summer with my 45 year old son who also doesn't know he's on the road to having a shot metabolism. I'm not going to tell him either!
Sounds like you are having a blast!!
Nah. With his metabolism being shot he's just going to have no fun and be completely miserable being outside, climbing mountains and *kitten*. Same for me. I will be 52 and I plan to be 220-230 by summer and get towed behind a boat in one of those big parachute things. I'm going to hate it because my metabolism is as shot as it was at 330 lbs last summer. It is going to really suck to golf more and bike more as well.
And I hate that he's going to lie to his 45 yr old son as well.5 -
And......
Back to the OP as opposed to the woo merchants of doom.
Yes - lose the fat through a calorie deficit.
Build the body you want through exercise that you enjoy (or will endure for the results).
I'm 57 and lost my belly bulge. Didn't eat any "special calories" or "special supplements" my metabolism isn't shot to pieces.
Is it easy? Maybe not.
Is it complicated? No not at all.
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mactaffy428 wrote: »annaskiski wrote: »The way the body metabolizes them for one, and thats a big one. Staying away from processed sugar which is a gateway to fat. Weight training is key as it burns calories even after your workout, especially for over 50's who lose muscle mass much quicker. Blindly saying calories in/calories out is not the right way to get fit or healthy.
Ummmm, no.
Kriss seems a little more knowledgeable
Ummmm, no. Disagree on that one, Jayco seems spot on. Why do people want to over-simplify weight loss with this whole CICO "formula"? Our bodies are MUCH more complex and different foods ARE metabolized differently which absolutely CAN influence weight loss. Go to any medical library and read stuff for yourself. If it were so totally simple as "eat less and move more", would we really have a global pandemic of obesity? Come on, people, wake up and smell the coffee! Why is everyone so afraid of admitting there's GOT to be more going on than CICO?
You're right, but not in the way you think
CICO is a statement of energy balance. If you consume less calories than you expend, you'll lose weight.
The issues you want to conflate with that have to do with satiety, nutrition, hedonic response to hyperpalatable foods, an obesogenic environment, and various psychological factors and economic factors that come into play with affecting one's ability to put CICO into practice.
None of these factors invalidate the basic premise of CICO. They are separate issues and separate points of discussion.8 -
I'm 57 and my metabolism is kind of out of control, according to my wife anyway. I eat at a slight deficit, and don't eat exercise calories back most days, so that widens the deficit, and subcutaneous belly fat is much less visible than it used to be.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong?
Oh, and I did target the belly fat with great success. It just took a year and a half of targeting (15 lbs) for the results to show.....
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I'm going to have to agree with @Look_Its_Kriss, only a calorie deficit for fat burning can reduce the belly. Age does not matter. I'm 47 and have reduced my belly 90% in size by CICO. I eat chocolate, carbs, ice cream, candy, carbs when I want, etc. all within my calorie goals and have done so for the last two years and have had great results. There's nothing anyone can do besides surgery to force your body to lose fat in one spot over another. 10% of my belly still remains, and underneath it is a solid as hell six pack. Not much more I can do to build those muscles so all that is left is to burn the rest of the fat with a calorie deficit. No amount of squats, heavy lifting, etc. is going to do that for me besides a calorie deficit. I'm not saying lifting or weight training, or even resistance training is bad. Quite the opposite. It's all good to build muscle because when you do manage to burn off the fat using a calorie deficit you'll have something to show for it. But exercise itself, unless it creates the calorie deficit, won't do it.0
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I'm pushing 61 this year, and from November 2016 to now, I have lost over 100 lbs with my "crapped out" metabolism.
I think you are making excuses for even trying. thats definitely not going to move the belly fat, which you CAN shift by losing weight generally, and especially if you pair it with some focused exercise.
I didnt do any intentional exercise while I was losing, due to mobility issues. So it can be done even if you dont do a single jumping jack or lift a single weight.
You're only kidding yourself - time to get real, Sister!1 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »Somebody just kill me now. I wasn't aware of this so I'm guessing this increased energy I've been having since my 60 pound weight loss has all been in my head. I think I'll just get back on the couch and nurse my shot metabolism. I'm in better shape now than I've been in past 30 years, both physically and mentally. I challenge myself daily to improve and it's working. I'm 63 and will be climbing the Grand Teton this summer with my 45 year old son who also doesn't know he's on the road to having a shot metabolism. I'm not going to tell him either!
Sounds like you are having a blast!!
Nah. With his metabolism being shot he's just going to have no fun and be completely miserable being outside, climbing mountains and *kitten*. Same for me. I will be 52 and I plan to be 220-230 by summer and get towed behind a boat in one of those big parachute things. I'm going to hate it because my metabolism is as shot as it was at 330 lbs last summer. It is going to really suck to golf more and bike more as well.
And I hate that he's going to lie to his 45 yr old son as well.
Ummm...I'm a girl. 0
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