At my wits end about my middle

S

susie2susie

Cathlete
Is it my age? I'm 45 this year. My waist and stomach is thick thick thick and I'm unable to lose any fat there no matter what I try.

I've been working out with Cathe's weight DVDs (alternate between Gym Style, Slow and Heavy, Pure Strength) 3 times a week (lift heavy too) and do 30 min cardio 4 - 5 times a week. I eat mostly clean.

What else can I do? Sometimes I just feel like throwing the towel.:-(

Please help!!!
Thanks,
Susie
 
Just a few thoughts -

1) write down everything you eat - you may be surprised.
2) have your thyroid levels checked, hormone levels checked, actually, just have thorough bloodwork done. Don't settle for just the T4 thyroid test either - ask for a thorough one if you've never done this before.
3) have you seen your gyn to be sure all is ok in there the abdominal area?
4) try a new form of cardio to push yourself - maybe your body is in a rut with the weights you are doing and cardio - try to break it up a bit and shock your body.
5) I just saw an article about women losing belly fat by eating monounsaturated fats. It was a recent Prevention article. I have only scanned it so far, but it looked interesting and the results were great - Prevention is a magazine I trust too.
6) be sure you are working your core really well so that when the extra bit around the middle does come off, you will start to see those muscles come out of hiding!

Good luck - don't give up though! That surely won't help anything at all :)
 
While I am not Cathe and not nearly as educated as her in the field of fitness and nutrition. I can tell you I asked this question awhile back. I finally got so sick of the bulge I went to a Doctor. I was eating very healthy organic and all however, I was unable to lose the tummy. First I went to a Family Practice doctor that specializes in natural healing as well as modern. She did a run up of blood and also a saliva test. The saliva test revealed my adrenal gland was working overtime and I was producing too much Cortisol. She put me on AdreCor and I am better but the bulge was still kinda there. So I started this program called Weight-By-Date. It was 37.00 to join but they have a 2 week pre trial. It journals everything for you, all you do is add in your weight, measurements, goals etc... Then you plug everything you ate for the day. It even has organic foods that I eat so I don't have to individually add the food. I have lost 9 lbs. It makes such a difference, it has a workout calculator to input your workouts for the day. Try it , it may help.
 
Mary,

How long did it take you to lose the 9 lbs. using the Weight-by-Date program? Also, did you find it user friendly? I have tried a few other programs and they were really a pain to use, it took way to long to enter your information for the day. Anyway, anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated.

Rita:)
 
It took about 2 wks but that depends on how many calories you cut. It does tell you what the lowest you should go on calorie reduction for your height and weight to be healthy. It has a 2wk trial period so you can futs around with it for a few weeks before you actually have to buy it. However the free trial period does not offer all the foods and perks like charting. You do have to pay the 37.00 for that. It has Lundberg Farm stuff, soy stuff, Amy's etc.. Also it offers more excercise options once you buy it. It really has been a huge help for me. Not too difficult to operate, a little tricky but you should be able to figure it out. My sister lost 20lb in a couple of months. She went slower. Hope this helps, let me know.
 
Hi Susie,

It may be just genetics that is your problem. I tend to carry weight in my thighs and it's always been my big problem. I'm 46 and I have noticed a couple of things that have helped in the abs besides eating very clean. I have noticed that when I do lots of plank work that it tends to lean out the entire core, abs and back. I also started running in October and noticed that they abs got very flat and I started to see some muscle. Even when I just was doing a little bit of running I noticed a difference. Sometimes you have to play around with different things to see what works best.

HTH,
 
This may sound strange, but when I started doing more "boy push-ups" I noticed that my abs became a lot more defined- and sore! Just keeping your body in the correct form (no sagging, core tight, etc.) seemed to really work that area. I found that I didn't need as much ab work when I was very careful about keeping good form with all the exercises.
 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the P90X+ ab workout. I swear it has helped my abs more than anything ever has before. I don't even do all the exercises he does hanging from a pullup bar. The first day I did it, I could barely move the next day. He uses so many unique exercises standing and lying and my abs and core have really responded. I don't know if it is sold separately or not. I bought the P90X+ set of 4 DVD's but I definately recommend it.
 
It may be the amount of carbs that you take in. For a few days write down the amount of carbs grams(good and bad). When I cut back on carbs and only eat carbs during snack time and breakfast. This helped me to lose the belly but when I cheat (cookies, pizza) it comes right back.

Everyone is different and this technique may not work for you but I do recommend a food diary.
 
Another thought is that it is the dreaded peri-menopause spread in the midsection. I'm turning 50 next week, a couple of years ago I noticed a very distressing spread, not so much in the abdominals, but in the MID-section - the waist area. I tried EVERYTHING, and was so frustrated. x( My weight went up a few pounds and it was ALL in my waist - none of my dress slacks and skirts felt comfortable, even though lower-rise jeans weren't so bad (they don't sit AT the waist). My gynecologist told me that he sees this ALL THE TIME, and it's pretty much a typical side-effect of the changing hormones in our bodies.

But now that I am pretty much through the menopause phase, the midsection has started to shrink again. So you've gotten great advice on how to eat as cleanly as possible, and some great exercise ideas. Just do the best you can do with both sides of the health & fitness equation (good food, appropriate exercise) and I bet you'll see results! :7
 
Hi April,

I see you mentioned that you've got P90X - I'm very curious about this workout system. Do you feel like it would be a good thing to get prior to the STS workouts? I saw on the commercial that he uses muscle confusion for the great results - what has been your experience with it?

I also wonder how you like the workouts, since you're working out with them for 90 days. Do you like his teaching style, the set, all that stuff?

I know people are very passionate about P90X, whether it is for or against....I'm just wondering what a fellow Catheite thinks of it, since you already know what kind of workouts I'm used to doing.

Thanks for any input you've got - I appreciate it!
Tricia
 
Sorry, I've worked all week and this is the first time I've had to check online! If you can, I'd definately suggest getting P90X and P90X plus ASAP along with the STS. I love P90X and I haven't even ever made it through the entire program! I use the DVD's along with Cathe. The P90X + abs is awesome though and has definately improved my core.After just a couple of weeks I noticed a difference.
 
Hi,

I too have the "over 50 Menopause Spread!

I have a question for all you people that have P90X-Plus...Is the Ab/Core Plus at the end of the Upper Body + DVD? I already have the original P90X and don;t want all the Kenpo etc, just the new Upper Body one and would love the new AB/Core+ Thanks!

Deb
 
Yes, it is at the end of the upper body tape and also the interval X which is awesome too. It is a little less than 45 min long and is short blasts of cardio. The abs + is not on the end of the total body and kenpo + though.
 
I am 52 and for the longuest time tried to lose weight and shed some volume at the waist. Then I found P90X and what a difference. I did the whole program, it actually took me more than 90 days as I got injured and started some phases again. I lost 2 inches in the waist, 7 lbs and 2% bofy fat. We recently got the X+ and I can vouch for the Abs/Core+ It's really a good w/o. I have back problems and I can manage this one while I had serious issues with Ab ripperX. My husband also did the program and he is so pleased with the results. I haven't seen him like this since we gor married 32 years ago. So I can highly recommend both programs.
It also seems that Cathe's STS will be a winner. But the diet is crutial. Our son is also doing the X but because he lives by himself, he doesn't cook the way mom does and although he is seeing results in terms of strenght and endurance, his appearance has not changed as dramatically.
Hope this helps;-)
 
I feel your pain about your middle! Oh I can see those muscles in my abs that I have been working out for 20 yrs. on under that little bit of fat still there! UGH! I am 42; it has been tough!

But, when I really, really watch my diet, it gets a lot better. I just need to eat clean all the time...yikes. I mean ALL the time...my middle is so sensitive to what I am putting in my mouth. I am the type that carries any weight in my middle. So for me, although I am fit and at a good weight and size, my middle reflects my eating like, the next day.

It is very frustrating because I work out to maintain my weight and increase my fitness level. My middle is just a thorn in my side. It also improves with planks, which I do a lot of, and ball abs like pikes. Basically, the more I kill myself doing abs, the better they are, and then I have to eat perfectly....so, unless I am on vacation or will be sporting a bikini often (which doesn't happen too much in Wisconsin) I will enjoy eating clean most of the time with my occasional glass of wine until I have to prep to bare my middle. Then I will kick butt and get it done. This probably doesn't help; but at least you know you are not alone! I look fine with clothes on...that is when most people see me anyway! :) Hee Hee.
 
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