What to eat when weight is so stubborn?

[SunsetRunner]

I am 50 years old and Peri Menopausal. I have 65 pounds to lose and can't seem to get it to budge! Does anyone have any advice? 

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

The body is very good at keeping things the same, this is called homeostasis. In order for the weight to "budge", there needs to be some disruption. If you want to bring it down, you must create a caloric deficit. This can be done by eating less while keeping your activity the same, or moving more while eating the same, or a combination of both. In other words, it’s not so much "what to eat" as "how much to eat". Of course, you will hear that all calories are not created equal, which is true: in addition to creating a caloric deficit, it makes sense to make qualitative improvements to your diet, i.e. favour food items that provide higher satiety and contain more of the important micronutrients that are good for your health. Many veggies and fruits meet these requirements: they’re high in fiber and have plenty of vitamins, minerals etc. Lean protein is also a good choice. As a general rule, try to favor minimally processed foods, even though it involves more time spent in the kitchen prepping (cooking is fun and rewarding!).

The question "what to eat" often prompts "my diet is better than yours" debates that tend to be fruitless. However, there are many different ways you can eat healthily and achieve your goals in terms of weight management (whether it’s losing, maintaining or gaining). The most important success factor is adherence, so if/when considering making changes to the way you eat, ask yourself whether you will be able to stick to them long-term. 

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you 😊 I love this! It is very clear what I need to do besides I have tried everything and I know what works best for me and is sustainable! I have to remember this isn’t a race and I have to give my body enough time to adjust. I will keep at what I am doing which is not eating processed sugars and carbs but eat more fruits, vegetables, protein and good fats plus exercise. Woo Hoo! It’s clear what I need to do! I need to steer clear of the diet fads.

Thank you so much! 😃

Sent from my iPhone

[gtg947h]

Don't know if I have advice, per se, but some observations...

Losing weight is simple.  Just eat less than you burn, and you will lose weight.

Notice I didn't say it was easy.

Everyone looks for the easy solution.  They don't want to experience any discomfort, they don't want to make substantive changes; they want an "easy button" that gives them results without having to work for it somehow.  A pill, a magic diet, an electronic widget... anything that doesn't involve being more active and/or eating less-convenient food and/or dealing with some level of hunger.

The simple (but hard) solution, as above, is to eat less than you burn.  Where I think so many people have difficulty is that they don't know what they're eating and they don't know what they're burning, so trying to make the one be less than the other is just a random crapshoot.  At least for me, I found the way to do it was to use a tracker with reasonably accurate calorie burn estimates (in my case, a Versa) and track all my food.  Once I did that, I knew what was going out, so I knew what could go in, and then it was just a matter of self-discipline to look at the number and say "I can eat this much but no more"... and stick to it.

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you Strider!

[prettysky]

Just a recommendation to read Dr Michael Moselys books based on the Mediterranean way of eating, if you haven’t already I followed the original 5.2 in 2012 (at 63) and dropped from a 16 back to a 10 and most of all, the visceral fat around the middle. With his updated research I now follow the principles of the Fast800 having dropped white carbs and focusing on high protein, good fats and low carbs from green leafy veg. I’d yo-yoed most of my life but this is now a way of eating rather than a diet. It can help to change up what you eat and TRE (time restricted eating) also has extra health benefits. Good luck 

[KissAngel]

As long as you are in deficit, you'll lose.

When I was in plateau, I got more active and my weight started coming off again

[blazingsword]

Try lifting some weights. That will help build muscle which burns more calories. And also do something aerobic as well. If you lift weights, only do like every other day so that the tears in the muscles, which will come from lifting weights, will have a chance to rebuild. (Tears in the muscles happens all the time, which is why you will feel sore; but not to worry because this is normal, especially after exercising.) Make sure you are eating quality protein, such as lean beef, turkey, and chicken. (Pork has a lot of fat in it.) Eat plenty of veggies and some fruits. Drink plenty of water which will help with digestion and keep everything moving in the right direction with elimination. You will find that muscle weighs more than fat, but you will be more tone and find that your clothes will become looser. That is the key. So start out slow and easy and build up. As others have said, change up your routine. Jump rope for a bit, do power walking, jog, jumping jacks, lifting weights. If you have a gym membership, take advantage of it and ask the staff how to use some of the machines. But stay away from the ones that require you to  put your legs under and lift up, and don't do sit-ups which are very bad for the back. You want to avoid joint injury. And always make sure you warm up with some stretches and movements. But you can do the bicycles, the treadmills, the rowing, the elliptical, and even run/walk on their track which most YMCAs have. Best of workout to you.