I am 62 and I can’t lose that spare tire, so frustrating

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Hi
I have tried everything, I am almost ready to give up! Haha, not likely. I have incredible determination and fight. Just need some help please,,ideas, what type of exercise works anything!! Brenda

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  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 843 Member
    edited October 2023
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    You’ll have to lose weight through a calorie deficit and exercise to “edit” your shape. I’m at my goal weight now but I have an odd tummy roll that I’ll have to work off if I ever want that to go away. But losing 20 lbs was necessary to get most of the fat off. Recomping will help when you get close to your goal weight, but the sooner you adopt a fitness routine the better.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
    edited October 2023
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    Yeah, you can't lose that spare tire just by exercise. In other words, you cannot spot-reduce or choose where the weight settles. Fat comes off all over your body in a pre-determined genetic way. If you carry your weight in the stomach area, that will be the last place it sticks around. People who are pear-shaped will lose the weight around the hips last.

    Keep losing pounds and eventually you'll be more proportionally shaped.
  • skingfool2003
    skingfool2003 Posts: 1 Member
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    Best two exercises I found to burn fat is walking,treadmill or outside. Or a bicycle,again stationary or outside. I use to walk 10miles a day. Steady average pace walking burns fat, fast walking is more cardio for heart and lung health. Start with 1mile and work your way up. I'm back to square 1. Had lost over 100lbs. Kept it off for 5-6yrs. Then covid hit and I gained it all back.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,737 Member
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    There's no magic.

    Most of what's different as we age is that our daily life routine has gradually and subtly become less physically active since early adulthood, and alongside that we've gradually lost muscle mass.

    Happily, both of those are things we can change.

    It will require patience and perseverance, but shouldn't need to be an epic struggle. In fact, I think figuring out ways to get moving in the right direction, without major motivation/determination, is a useful way to think about it.

    Loosely:

    * Strength train - not necessarily lifting giant weights, just anything that challenges your current physical strength a manageable bit.

    * Get enough protein, and spread it through the day - Lowballing protein is very common among aging folks (at least in the US), and recent research suggests that as we age we'll benefit from getting a fair chunk of protein in each meal, rather than getting most of it in one meal. (Timing of nutrients may be less important for younger people. As we age, we metabolize some nutrients less efficiently, and spreading them out helps with this.) Other nutrition is important, but adequate protein is one foundation for stopping that gradual loss of muscle mass, making the most of the strength training.

    * Find some fun activity that gets your heart rate up a little, and do it often enough, intensely enough, and long enough to create a manageable bit of challenge to your current cardiovascular capability. Notice that I'm not saying "do something miserably intense for hours daily" or any variation on that theme. That can be counterproductive.

    * Think about ways to integrate more movement into your non-exercise daily life, without adding a bunch of time or misery to your day. This is the stuff like "park further from the store" or "take the stairs more often". There's more. Lots of MFP-ers share their ideas in this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    There's no need to do all that stuff all at once. Make some manageable changes, practice them until they become habitual, then make some more changes. Keep going, making changes when you have the will and energy, and fall back on the new/better habits when you have less will and energy.

    That can work.

    Bona fides: I'm not a starry-eyed 20-something. I'm a 67 y/o woman who was inactive until her late 40s (after treatment for advanced-stage breast cancer), and overweight to obese until age 59-60. I've been at a healthy weight, and still very active, since the weight loss. It's worth the effort.

    Best wishes!
  • jarvisbd
    jarvisbd Posts: 5 Member
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    Thank you so very much!
    This has helped me so much. I am a professional house sitter so not really active but intend for that to change. I suffered a R side stroke at 28, then they discovered a hole in my heart underwent open heart in 2002.
    Since this I have been a yo yo! Up and down, I know that I have fought this and it’s time to say. NOW, I won’t join a gym as I have a disability but I can sure walk.
    Thank you again
    Good luck to all
    Brenda

  • liwo81
    liwo81 Posts: 17 Member
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    Hi Brenda. I turned 62 this week myself and need to lose about 30#. Weight has been a struggle for the past 25 years or so but I retired 2 years ago and my cholesterol and BP are starting to climb so I decided it’s now or never. I started MFP early September and started walking almost daily. I’m up to walking 3-5 miles most days and my husband (after much begging) bought me a bike for my early birthday. The combination of walking and biking has been fun, challenging, relaxing and exhilarating all at the same time. I would encourage you to just start walking when and where you can and really push yourself. I never thought I would ever walk 5 miles and bike 6 all in one day. I don’t know your story, only that the determination you say you have might be your greatest asset in this battle. I also enjoy some yoga and have really had fun with a program called Body Groove. Just love having all these options.