Cate's Diary

Cate
I was watching a programme although didn't get to finish it about how hard it is to lose weight after 50 .
I find it extremely difficult because I have spent 30 years now of yo yo dieting . I think I can safely say I have never been truly happy with my weight except for maybe 2 or 3 times for a short spell in my life . I'm trying now as you say to focus on long term weight loss and not get too wound up . Will read you link later .
 
Hi, Petal. The article really does help me understand why I struggle so much, but unfortunately doesn't give me the knowledge to know what I can do about it. I have been researching foods that increase leptin sensitivity & decrease leptin resistance. Gah! It is all so complicated, but I simply cannot give up! Yo-yo dieting does so much damage! My losing that 36 kg in 28 weeks really has lowered my metabolism.
 
You know, I wouldn´t expect leptin sensitivity to be the problem in your case. You don´t overeat as such, do you? You just don´t burn a lot of calories. Leptin can´t help you there (unless you´re hungry a lot with the amounts you eat. Things like hot peppers will boost your metabolism for a little bit but the only thing that ´ll really up your calorie burn is movement. Don´t sit for longer than half an hour at a time, even if all you do in-between half-hours is walk to the kitchen for a glass of water. Fidget! Reach for the ceiling, wiggle your toes, push the soles of your feet against the floor as if you´re trying to crack a nut beneath them, sleep in a cold bedroom. The main way our bodies reduce metabolic activity is by making us sit/stand more quietly. I think you can fight that and it may even become second nature again, just like it was years ago. I have no research whatsoever to back that up but then I cant think of an alternative. Of course adding some resistance training (like your squats) to build up more muscle mass would be amazing but it takes a lot of time for women to build a measurable amount of mass and even then you burn more calories when you wiggle. Also: make sure that every calorie you eat gives you as many nutrients as possible (though I think you´re doing pretty well on that front?) so your body gets everything it needs even on your reduced budget.
 
I don't overeat LaMa & that is the frustrating thing. I'll ring today & make an appointment to see the exercise physio soon. I just need some direction. I really do want to do some strength training, but want to make sure it's safe for me.
On the nutrient front- my hemp seeds arrived today, via Whoop Whoop. I'll check out what to do with them. I'm also going to make a fast day soup. I felt much better today, after my 500 cal "fast" yesterday & remembered how good I felt when I was doing it properly. My stomach shrank & I had more energy.
I didn't go to golf this morning as a tree was down over our drive. Rain was forecast anyway & I decided to help G cut up the tree. It was a good decision as the job is done now & it's raining. It was hard work as it was on out steep drive. Our neighbour was also blocked so the job had to be done this morning. There are quite a few trees that should come down before they fall down on top of our shared driveway. Some are very big& would possibly kill you if they fell on your car.
 
Hi Cate, sorry to hear about the metabolism issue. Going through the change has been really hard for me, as my appetite stayed the same, while my metabolism slowed way down. I have to eat things that satisfy my hunger like a few nuts for snacks and eat a little grain each day or it is just too hard. I also do all the typical things like not eating 2 hours before bed, drinking water first before reaching for food if it is between meals, varying how much I eat day to day so my body doesn't go into starvation mode, ... all stuff I am sure you already know. Anyway, I hope your visit to the health professional goes well and you get good solutions!!!

I bet you got a great workout helping chop down the tree!
 
LaMaria said:
Sounds like a good bit of exercise then. Are they old trees or is the substrate washing out?
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A bit of both I think.
Marsia said:
Hi Cate, sorry to hear about the metabolism issue. Going through the change has been really hard for me, as my appetite stayed the same, while my metabolism slowed way down. I have to eat things that satisfy my hunger like a few nuts for snacks and eat a little grain each day or it is just too hard. I also do all the typical things like not eating 2 hours before bed, drinking water first before reaching for food if it is between meals, varying how much I eat day to day so my body doesn't go into starvation mode, ... all stuff I am sure you already know. Anyway, I hope your visit to the health professional goes well and you get good solutions!!!

I bet you got a great workout helping chop down the tree!
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I do all those things Marsia, but my metabolism sucks. I'm back reading my fast diet book & I'm really going to give 5:2 another crack. It had me feeling really good when I followed it for a year or so & it really reduced my inflammation & belly fat.
I didn't ring the exercise physio today, but will tomorrow.
As well as about an hour's wood carting & a 10 min walk I did 5 km on my bike.
One of the biggest pluses of 5:2 is that you only feel like you are on a diet for 2 days a week & I used to find that I didn't want to over eat on the other 5 days.
 
I looked up the 5:2 diet, and it looks great! I had been wondering how I am going to maintain my weight once I get back to normal weight, because it gets harder and harder each time to lose the weight dieting (especially the last 25 pounds), and it is always way too easy to gain it back. I had a friend in college who fasted one day a week, and I think once I am normal weight I will do that. He was also a runner and a vegetarian, so maybe I will always have to watch what I eat carefully and get serious about exercising every day. That's my Achilles heal is making myself exercise consistently!

I looked up some of the recipes for the 5:2 diet, and think I will make some, too!

Time to go make a German chocolate cake for my hubby's birthday without snacking on the ingredients or eating any once it's done!!
 
cate said:
I'm sure it is LaMa. I only have to look at food & I put on weight & it gets harder & harder to lose it. Slow weight-loss is definitely the go, but I can't go back & change my history. Losing 36 kg in 28 weeks, back in 2007, was too fast & did long-term damage to my metabolism.
This article is interesting (& almost makes me cry with frustration!) https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?_r=2
I'm back home again & it is bucketing down with rain now & very cold. I'm not going with G to his 8-ball tonight!
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36 kg in 28 weeks is amazing work. I read most of that nytimes article, I do think the body tries to swing you back up again if you go through any period of extended hunger, but I am dubious that it would bring you back up to an unhealthy weight if you weren't doing a little something yourself to help that. I do think once the compulsion for sugar gets ingrained, it is so, so hard to go back to it and only have a little. It's a hell of a drug. (This is directed at the people in the Biggest Loser show, not you by the way.)

I am always impressed by the food you eat. I know your weight is a little bit higher than you like, but you must be feeling pretty good with all the nutritious food you take in daily. That to me would be worth a lot at this point. Anyway, just keep on keepin' on Cate.
 
Marsia- I think 5:2 is also a good way to lose weight & then 6:1 is a great way to maintain. I'm going to try to get back into it & am having my second day for the week today. I'm going to aim for Tuesdays & Thursdays. I'll make a very low-calorie soup today that I can have whenever I like during the day. I felt much lighter yesterday after just one 500 calorie day, so I'll hold that thought for when the hunger pangs kick in later. I don't do it if I wake up hungry as that's just too much.
Emily- When I lost that 36 kg I was on a very restrictive diet. A friend told me it was about 800 cals a day. We were advised not to exercise as it makes you too hungry. I stuck to the plan religiously for that 28 weeks.
I would have lost so much muscle, which would have slowed my metabolism down to a crawl. The damage is done & now I have to find a way of getting that metabolism working properly again. Muscle will be the go I think & I had better make that call to the exercise physio.
I do have a healthy diet & am glad I don't have sugar cravings. I actually don't like cake or junk food.
Yesterday-
Breakfast- a mushroom omelette on GF toast
Lunch- Cold baked chicken with a big salad. G made this one & it was delicious- very similar to the one I made the other day, with our own home-grown salad, walnuts, herbs etc, 1/4 avocado, some shaved parmesan... I had better stop as my stomach is rumbling!
Followed by a small fruit platter.
Dinner- grilled lamb chops & veggies( cauli, brocc, mini bok choy, carrots & potato)
Followed by yoghurt & a little stewed fruit.
25 squats, 5 km bike, 1 hour wood gathering, calories 1586.
Today-
500 cal "fast"
30 squats so far (before my shower).


 
Your food sounds so good!! Oh I wish I didn't like junk food. I like all food hahaha. I hope the 5:2 works well for you!! I know fasting has other benefits as well besides the reduced calories. I tried just doing intermittent fasting a while back, big mistake for me with my binge-eating tendencies. Different things work for everyone!!
 
I have been re-reading the book today & that reinforces the positive benefits of 5:2 for me. When I was on it before & had got used to it, I felt great, so am going to give it a good go. It's flexible. If I wake up hungry I won't fast.
My soup was delicious- celery, onion, snow peas, mushrooms, lentils, miso, garlic & a little chilli, 58 cals & I have one serve the same for the freezer.
About to hop on my bike.
 
Thanks, LaMa. It's 3 pm & my stomach is making lots of noise, but I feel good. I'll go get some jerky I think.
I need to distract myself on fast days.
I have done 5 km on my bike.
I'm planning tomorrow's breakfast :D
It will be salmon & avocado on sourdough oat toast.......drool........
 
Cate I'm reading . Low cal soup is a great idea to fill up on .
I have been yo yo dieting for years sadly so it's very hard now to lose any at all .
 
LaMa- distraction is a great thing, as is Territory jerky- only 15 g & no longer hungry. Boom!
Petal-low-cal soup does fill you up, but I really had to have some protein. I'll boil an egg for my next FD.
I have been yo-yo dieting forever too. Losing is SO much harder because of it. We must never give up though. I couldn't stand being fat again!
I'm going to dive into a book now. Joanna Trollope, "The Other Family"
Dinner is going to be delicious & I will eat it veeeerrrrry slowly :)
 
Being overweight is not a moral judgment and need not impact your health but by the invisible pink unicorn it makes life so much harder!
 
Cate
Yes keep af it . I feel pretty fat right now and I’m sorry I let myself get like that

Joanna Trollope I have not read her books in years . Enjoy
 
Thanks, LaMa & Petal.
Life is so much harder when you are overweight. I wouldn't feel so bad if my weight was stable, but it's not & it is steadily creeping up over the years. I do feel that 5:2 might be the go for me. For only 2 days each week, I have to really watch what I eat. It feels so much better than watching it every day & seeing little difference.
I'm not sure I'll bother with any more Joanna Trollope books, Petal. It's a bit corny & annoying.
Woke up feeling good this morning & did some exercises. I will make that call today to see the exercise physio.
Weight- X-.05kg. I actually weighed X+1.5 one day last week. It freaked me right out. I haven't weighed as much as I do now since 2007.
I'm starting to practise Italian in my head now & getting my head around going to Italy again next year. It will take a sizeable chunk out of our money, which makes me nervous. We won't be inheriting any more. G is keen though & I have to keep telling myself that you never know what might happen down the track, so you should follow your passions, especially as ours are shared.
 
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