catpow2 Member

Lift weights, don't eat refined carbs, and eat enough protein. The extra belly fat is the worst. I used to have a flat stomach, and I totally just took it for granted. I had NO idea. Now this is the first place I gain weight and the last place I lose it. Crazy.

^^This. Hahahaha. What do you eat?!! Seriously though, it's a pretty safe bet that your diet needs some work; It's hard to know without seeing what you eat over the course of at least a week or two.

Hi-- Get the "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" and join us in the group of the same name on MFP.

^^ yes. My understanding is this: If you want to build muscle you have to eat above maintenance (at a slight surplus), and if you want to lose fat, you need to eat at a slight deficit. Like you, I'm basically at a healthy weight for my height as well--I could stand to lose a few pounds but I'd rather work on becoming…

Just eat less and/or exercise more. And what do you mean by 'binge'? As in you ate a whole pizza and then couldn't get off the couch the rest of the night as your body winced in pain and marveled at how you could possibly be so cruel? Or as in you had a package of Twinkies? (oh, wait...) Last night I had a ribeye, a pile…

I don't. If I ate at TDEE I would gain weight, which I guess means the TDEE calculation I ran isn't accurate. I don't have a desk job and I exercise several times a week, but I'm also over 40 and that makes a difference. I'm active but my metabolism is a little slower than it was when I was in my 30s. Basically I eat lower…

Too many carbs. Not enough protein. Too many processed foods. Go for fresh veggies and some fruit and lean protein sources, and limit refined carbs. The main problem is your diet, but if you're also working out twice a day, that's too much.

Two suggestions: kickboxing and water aerobics. Kickboxing--quite simply the best workout I have ever done. I'm into running and weight lifting now but when I was kickboxing a few times a week when I was in my early 30s I was in the best shape of my life. Water Aerobics--totally underrated. I thought it was a bunch of…

If you want to be accurate, you should always log it. And watch the sweet stuff like mixed drinks and margaritas, and beer--tons of calories. These aren't worth it in my opinion. But red wine, on the other hand... Sometimes I log the wine I drink, and sometimes I don't--depends on how much I've had. :smile:

You called? meow You are in my thoughts EQ.

Yes--it's trial and error. I haven't been trying to lose weight for awhile, and I have pretty consistently maintained. I lost about 5 pounds in the late summer/early fall, but have since gained it back because I was lax on diet and inconsistent on exercise--no big deal. I think staying within 5 lbs or so of where you want…

Yes. I haven't weighed since June. I know I lost a few lbs in the summer and early fall when I exercising a lot and watching my diet. But recently I've put a few back on with lax diet and exercise. Now I'm back on track. I didn't weigh when I knew I was skinner, and I'm certainly not going to weigh now!! It's probably good…

hahaha! Yes, on a daily basis, it's a lot. I could pretty easily drink a bottle of wine every night myself. But it's too many calories, and I don't tax my liver on a daily basis. Also, I see you're in your 30s--when you're in your 40s you won't be able to do that without gaining weight--trust me. So, if it doesn't…

Hello! I am in! I've been looking for the cool kids on this site. 42 later this month--in like 10 or 13 days. It always sneaks up on me around Thanksgiving. 30s were great; 40s are even better. Lifted today for the first time in a week. Good to get back to it.

I agree. Depends on how you define ED, but probably everyone on here has some kind of issue with food and/or exercise. That's why we're here. Personally, I don't know what it's like to NOT think about what I eat and how much I exercise (or not) all the time, every single day. And this has been going on for 25 years. MFP…

Do you want to lose fat and have more muscle definition? Then lift. If you just want to lose weight, cardio. You should do some of both anyway; both will get you to goal if you eat at a deficit. But you're probably at the point where you want to look leaner in which case, start lifting.

Slow, steady, and sustainable is good. You have to do what works with your lifestyle. But if you want to speed things up--make some minor changes to your diet; eat more lean protein and fewer simple carbs (aim for complex carbs), and scale back on alcohol and sugar.

^^ I'm 5'5, my activity level is moderate, and I eat around 1,600. This is really close to maintenance for me.

You only fail if you quit trying. I read your profile--you have a lot to offer someone. Don't give up. You said you hired a personal trainer the first time you lost weight--do that again.

Yes--don't weigh yourself every day or you'll go nuts. And I'm from ABQ! Yea New Mexico!! I miss it very, very much.

^^ This. Get the New Rules of Lifting for Women. I can do these work outs in about 30 min, and you're working multiple muscle groups in each workout.

I just use dumb bells at home so right now I can't go very heavy. I have a few sets of dumb bells. Heaviest is 25lb. When I was lifting consistently, I was adapting to the 25lbs--I could see I was going to need go to 30 or get a bar bell--that's probably the way to go in the near future. Right now though I've been really…

I've done both--with ipod and without. When I do a race with, I always keep the volume lower than I normally would, and I hold it in my hand as I run so I can turn it off quickly if I need to. And it is very cool to be able to hear people cheering you on so... you may only want to use it sporadically. As others have…

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Awesome!! You look great!

I sent you a friend request. I'm a huge fan of the NROWL. I aim to lift heavy but I use dumbbells at home so I could go heavier if I went to a gym. Right now I use 2 20lbs for lower body and 12 to 18 for upper body. The whole 'how heavy does it need to be' seems kind of hard to determine. The New Rules isn't very clear on…

Tell them you already ate (whether it's true or not!). I always bring my lunch, and if I'm going to a lunch time meeting where there will be pizza or something else I shouldn't be eating, I eat first--then I'm not hungry and able to resist.

Not enough protein--too many refined carbs. Eat whole wheat English muffins instead. I think I saw a blueberry muffin mix, chocolate stix, Trader Joe's tortilla. Don't eat that kind of stuff. Your diet's not bad but refined carbs and lack of protein is probably the biggest problem.

I just had about 10-15lbs to lose, but yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I'm wearing pants right now that I have not been able to wear for at least 3 years. They are loose everywhere except for in the waist--I still need to slim down there. I would HAVE to be smaller--I tried the pants on a few weeks ago and thought they…

Maybe this is a given--but what's your diet like? Lots of veggies, lean proteins, complex carbs? You're probably at or very close to a good weight, but you want to be even leaner and your body is resisting. The last few pounds are really stubborn. I'm about 10 years older than you, and I've found I have to be…