Weight Loss for >35yr olds

[oceans11]

I saw a nice thread on weight loss but it was for someone that was only 19. I'm 38 & over the past year gained freakin 10 pounds of fat. The most in a year I've ever piled on. I'm not fooling myself though, I ate well & drank well over the summer & I'm paying for it! Plus it doesn't help that my work is in the same complex as a McDonalds, ARGGGHH!!

I'm 5'7" & hovered around 160-165 all my adult life but now weigh 178!! I just want to get back down to 165 because for whatever reason when I dipped down around 158 2yrs ago I was getting migraines almost every other week. The only good thing about being the heaviest I've ever been is I haven't had a migraine in over 6 months.

But I'm wondering is there something I should definitely be concentrating on when it comes to fat loss for someone in their late 30's? The post for the 19 year old was basically comprised with info on cardio, less calories in than out & compound weight lifting. All the stuff I did when I was in my early 20's. I'm just wondering are there any other components?

 

[Jumbie]

No it's impossible. Give up.

***

Other than perhaps having to take it easier because your joints and ligaments aren't as "unforgiving" as they were in your teens/early 20s, the same principles apply. It's just not going to be as easy because your metabolism is slower and you don't have nearly as much potential for lean muscle increase.

 

[oceans11]

Originally Posted by Jumbie

No it's impossible. Give up.

***

Other than perhaps having to take it easier because your joints and ligaments aren't as "unforgiving" as they were in your teens/early 20s, the same principles apply. It's just not going to be as easy because your metabolism is slower and you don't have nearly as much potential for lean muscle increase.

I hear ya! Easier to pack it on than it is to take it off.

 

[Mauby]

FWIW, I'm 37 and after a nice long winter of eating whatever, last March I weighed 180. My build/frame is pretty lean, so on me 180 looks chunky, as it's the heaviest I've ever been. I started eating less desserts & other junk food and more fruits & veggies. I then started doing cardio a few times a week instead of just once. By late June, I weighed 165. I weigh 170 now which seems to be 5 lbs of muscle since then as opposed to fat. So, I'm someone in your age group that will tell you it's not impossible. Now then, flexibility is another issue...

 

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Mauby

FWIW, I'm 37 and after a nice long winter of eating whatever, last March I weighed 180. My build/frame is pretty lean, so on me 180 looks chunky, as it's the heaviest I've ever been. I started eating less desserts & other junk food and more fruits & veggies. I then started doing cardio a few times a week instead of just once. By late June, I weighed 165. I weigh 170 now which seems to be 5 lbs of muscle since then as opposed to fat. So, I'm someone in your age group that will tell you it's not impossible. Now then, flexibility is another issue...

Yeah, I've fluctuated and now am towards the top end of my range (180) - but in my case I was trying to drink away my beer inventory - one or two a night. I've given that up (actually donating the rest to FIL) and upping the morning mileage so I have a shot at being 170 by mid-December.

 

[ironduke2010]

Originally Posted by Jumbie

No it's impossible. Give up.

***

Other than perhaps having to take it easier because your joints and ligaments aren't as "unforgiving" as they were in your teens/early 20s, the same principles apply. It's just not going to be as easy because your metabolism is slower and you don't have nearly as much potential for lean muscle increase.


regarding metabolism, i know there are "interval" type training programs that are purported to generally increase metabolism long after you finish. it goes something like this, using an "easy" piece of cardio equipment, say a recumbent cycle, you basically go at an all out sprint for one minute. after that one minute (at which point you feel like you'd rather be dead) you rest for one minute and recover as much as you can. you then repeat the sprint/rest cycle about 8 times.

you do the "easy" cardio machine so you don't fall off an injure yourself after your sprint (you should be that tired), and you choose 8 cycles because you might actually last 8 cycles. after your 16 minutes of excercise, you've given a hefty bump to your metabolism right there, and as your body attempts to recover from that 16 minutes, your metabolism supposedly stays elevated for several hours.

you're supposed to refrain from weight training for about 8 hours before and after this interval training since putting the 2 too close together reduces the effectiveness of both. so you end up with basically alternating days of interval training and weight training. all of which, if you stick to it, is supposed to up your muscle mass and increase your metabolism better than sticking with simple weight training or "standard" cardio excercises.

does this really work? i have no idea. but i'm giving it a shot.

 

[Thomas]

^^^ Sounds promising. Do you know if they have an interval couch? I'd really like to try that.

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by Thomas

^^^ Sounds promising. Do you know if they have an interval couch? I'd really like to try that.

Use your remote. Flip through all 500 channels quickly until you settle on one channel. When you get bored start flipping again. I lost 1.6 kilos of brain matter that way.

lefty

 

[Tck13]

nm. poor suggestion

 

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by lefty

Use your remote. Flip through all 500 channels quickly until you settle on one channel. When you get bored start flipping again. I lost 1.6 kilos of brain matter that way.

lefty

damn, that was good.

 

[ironduke2010]

Originally Posted by Thomas

^^^ Sounds promising. Do you know if they have an interval couch? I'd really like to try that.

i wouldn't mind trying one of those myself!

but seriously, i only started looking for something like that due to my experience with swimming. merely swimming a lot never made anyone who could already swim any faster, just more waterlogged. but serious swim practices are nothing but hours of interval training (of all types) designed to make you perform better. that's why swimmers who train with coaches 20+ hours a week will probably always outperform those who merely swim 20+ hours a week.

i'm giving this interval thing a shot just because i get bored too easily with my usual cardio + lifting workout. and i'm usually way way more tired after 8 intervals than i ever am after an hour on any cardio machine.

 

[atomicranch]

I'm in my late 30s and dropped 35 lbs last year doing a mix of interval training, circuit training focused on compound exercises, and diet. I think that's a good weight loss program for any stage of life.

 

[turboman808]

This idea that your falling apart is so ridiculous. I am 36 and can go run a marathon right now if I feel like it. I'm carrying 20 lbs more then my race weight so I would be kinda slow.

Your body really doesn't change that much. What changes is our way of interacting with the world. Instead of going out slam dancing and getting into fist fight like in my 20s, I go out for dinner, watch a movie and get home early. Obviously the 20 year old who partied his ass off didn't need to watch what he ate.

Also as we get older we get bored easier. I think this is the biggest cause of health issues.

I hope at some point I will find my love for triathlons again. It's been gone for 3 years now. So now I got to always find something new and exciting to keep me interested. Currently doing alot of plyometric and boxing which I find alot of fun.

I spent a good deal of my life bicycle racing. I've seen guys into their 50s and 60s just destroy 20 year olds. Age isn't anything but a number.

 

[Mauby]

Originally Posted by atomicranch

I'm in my late 30s and dropped 35 lbs last year doing a mix of interval training, circuit training focused on compound exercises, and diet.

Awesome.

 

[why]

Originally Posted by ironduke2010

regarding metabolism, i know there are "interval" type training programs that are purported to generally increase metabolism long after you finish. it goes something like this, using an "easy" piece of cardio equipment, say a recumbent cycle, you basically go at an all out sprint for one minute. after that one minute (at which point you feel like you'd rather be dead) you rest for one minute and recover as much as you can. you then repeat the sprint/rest cycle about 8 times.

you do the "easy" cardio machine so you don't fall off an injure yourself after your sprint (you should be that tired), and you choose 8 cycles because you might actually last 8 cycles. after your 16 minutes of excercise, you've given a hefty bump to your metabolism right there, and as your body attempts to recover from that 16 minutes, your metabolism supposedly stays elevated for several hours.

you're supposed to refrain from weight training for about 8 hours before and after this interval training since putting the 2 too close together reduces the effectiveness of both. so you end up with basically alternating days of interval training and weight training. all of which, if you stick to it, is supposed to up your muscle mass and increase your metabolism better than sticking with simple weight training or "standard" cardio excercises.

does this really work? i have no idea. but i'm giving it a shot.

It's magic.

Not really. It's actually rather dumb.