over 40 and frustrated!!

T

terrryd

New Member
Cathe,
I would really appreciate some advice.
I am 46 and an avid exerciser. I have 4 children, 18,15,5 and 3. After my two oldest I got back into shape fairly quickly. I ate low-fat and exercised regularly and no problem.
Not so after my last two kids. I workout even harder, watch my carbs and fat intake, and I cannot lose my midsection. I feel great, and hove lots of energy, and people say I look great for my age, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I am determined to lose the last 10 lbs. Summer is here and I want to feel good in my summer clothes. The problem is how?? I do alot of ab work, (pilates, crunches, bridge work, etc). I can see results in muscle and endurance, but I cannot lose the midsection. I would appreciate any advice you could offer. My husband is getting tired of hearing me complain, and frankly, so am I. I love your show and admire your strength.

Thanks,
Terry
 
I'm not Cathe but I think a lot of us *over 40's* can relate. I would love to hear the secret of loosing the middle fat. Personally, I think it is things like estrogen preparing the body for pre/peri menopause and settling in for the 2nd half of life. Yikes, what a thought. This, of course makes me want to fight it all the more. At this point... of already having a good exercise program, I think it is all in what we eat. Squeaky clean eating is the answer for me. I have taken out most sugars and simple carbs from my diet (I give myself some slack for fear of backfire). I eat mostly low glycemic foods and protien now and I am SLOWLY seeing a difference in my abs. I know if I did this 20 years ago (I'm 45 by the way) I would have stripped these abs down to nothing, but now I realise it is much more work and the results are very slow.

Wow... you have a 3 and 5 year old at 46... that's GREAT! I have an 8 and 10 yr old at 45 and I'm always the oldest parent at their events. So I know that story. Congrats on your lovely family.

Pam
 
Boy, I have that same problem and do the same things as you do, HOWEVER.....I'm not 40 (getting there, but not quite yet), and I never had any kids. The one and only time I had flat abs was 2 years ago. It wasn't cut and defined and I didn't have that washboard look, they were just flat. I was hospitalized for 12 days and on home bed rest another 14 days after I was discharged. During that time I lost those last 10 lbs and was thrilled, and even had a hard time gaining weight for about 2 months after I was back to normal, which was actually nice, although that's not the way I wanted to lose the weight. Unfortunately today I've gained back that weight + more, and no matter how many ab and core exercises I do and watch what I eat, I too, just can't get rid of that lower ab bulge and get rock hard abs.:( Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi Terry! Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your beautiful family. You sure do have your hands full (of joy, of course:) ) Thank you for your kind words too. I'm glad you are enjoying the show.

Your mid-section struggles are actually very common and experienced by many women who are over 40 and have had two or more children. Our metabolism gradually begins to slow after 35 making it difficult to lose weight and build lean muscle mass at the rate we once could at a younger age. Your youngest is still very young so you could still be working through the changes that occured as a result of your pregnancy too.

Also as we approach our menopausal years, our waistlines gradually thicken, our metabolism slows even more, and our hormones fluctuate frequently, affecting us mentally as well as physically. There is a lot going on and it takes time and patience to find the best program to meet your needs.

Aside from a sound fitness program, your food intake will be very critical as well. I encourage you to work with a registered dietician. He/she will work with you on a personal level and be sure that you eat the right foods and in the right portions to coincide with your physical output.

The one thing we do have to be realistic about is that after muliple pregnancies our skin could be stretched to a point that it can no longer return to its pre-pregnancy state. How much weight you gained, how you carried your weight, and your genetics will determine just how close to the pre-pregnancy ab state you can return to. Also, if your abdominal wall separated while you were pregnant, you can have a harder time regaining the muscle tone and control you once had in this area.

As for fitness, I recommend doing two very high intensity cardio workouts two days a week, two moderate-to-high intensity cardio workouts a two days a week, and one light-to-moderate intensity cardio day (that totals 5 days of cardio per week). I also suggest doing my Pure Strength Workout Series once a week for 6 weeks (including one or two days of your favorite yoga or pilates workouts per week) and then follow up with my Slow and Heavy Worout Series for three weeks after that (again including one or two days of yoga or pilates per week). I think this workout program in addition to a proper nutrition program will help you achieve very realistic and promising results.

Good Luck and don't give up!
 
Cathe, the program you've suggested sounds great - exactly what I need.
Now, what would you say is: very high intensity; moderate to high intensity and light to moderate intensity? Which of your workouts fall into those categories?
Thanks in advance.
Michele
 
Just had to chime in and tell Terry, "I FEEL YOUR PAIN"!!!!

44 yrs old...3 children-7, 5, and 3.5 yrs old. (Yes, lots of that 'joy' Cathe mentioned. :D )

Cathe will 30 min at a time for these cardios be sufficient? With 3 kids, it's hard to get in much more than 5-6 hrs worth of workouts per week. :+
 
Oh! I need to chime in as well. I'll be 49 next week and probably in the best shape of my life thanks to Cathe's workouts! I've had the 2 kids (they're 15 and 19 now) and while I see results everywhere thanks to Cathe, that mid section drives me nuts too! In the last month or so, however, I've been doing IMAX2 2x a week along with other Cathe workouts but I have really seen a difference. Sometimes I do all of it, sometimes only 5 intervals at a time. But there's a layer of fat that has recently left me! It's that High Intensity Interval Training that's done the trick along with really watching my eating. I like Cathe's recommendation of adding Pure Strength and Slow and Heavy though. I will have to try that. Thank you, Cathe!
 
I'm female and 42 (nearing 43) years old. I have two children. I had horrible problems losing weight even doing Cathe's wonderful workouts MANY hours a week. In fact, I kept gaining exactly around my middle even while doing many, many Cathe workouts each week.

A bit over a year ago I found http://physiquetransformation.com
Now, I spend a lot more time eating and less time exercising than I used to when I couldn't figure out why I kept gaining fat.

My waist has dropped from a snug 30" to a snug 24" in the last year!

This site combines quite well with Cathe exercise routines. It helps you lose weight by eating a lot of protein and carbs. Only sugar and fat are kept low. Only while actively fat burning, you remove a small percentage of carbs just some days of the week. Every day there is a attention to adequate nutrition and vitamin needs.

This is way more healthy than fad diets that starve you or do not provide essential nutrients. Your body will only hang onto its fat with a death grip if you are eating too little. This process is the way a lot of body builders shed fat before competitions. The best thing is this resource is inexpensive. It's only $8 per month to use. And the on-line help forum will answer all your questions.

Dona
 
Hi Cathe,

I have a question. In the workout that you suggested for Terri, you have cardio 5 days a week and PS once a wk. Are you suggesting to do one cardio and one strength on the same day?

Thanks

Lollie
 
Cathe,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. You gave me some great advice, and yes, I do believe that I need to work a little harder on my diet. Especially cutting carbs. Being Italian, I sometimes find it hard to do, but I am determined, and I won't give up.
:D Terry
 
Thank you Pam,
I think the carb thing is probably a big issue with me. I've definitely cut out alot, and have notice a slight difference in my abs, so I'm not going to give up. I'm surprised to hear that you are the oldest parent at your children's functions. I am always amazed to see how many women are having children later in life. I'm very rarely the oldest.
good luck,
Terry:)
 
I feel yo0ur pain!!! I am 50 and two years ago went from a size 16 to a size 4 thanks to Cathe, the Firm, and a running program. Although I am fitter now than I have ever been in my life and look good in clothes, I have abdominal "ruffles" that will not leave. My abdomen looks sort of like a deflated balloon. This bothers the heck out of me, but I know that surgery is the only way for it to leave me. Very frustrating. I am saving up for removal of the excess.
 
Thank you Cathe for your plan of action and for all of the other forum members for your encouragement at getting rid of flabby abs!
 
Thank you, Cathe and other posters. I also have this problem--being almost 50. Where-as I used to have the most difficulty getting the last bit of fat from my pear-shaped lower body, now the last to go is the midsection. As we lose hormones, our midsection puts on more fat because these are the fat cells that can best make estrogen for us. Tough situation--need the estrogen, but sure don't want the fat!! ;-)

I AM having better results with over all fat loss and midsection fat loss since doing Cathe workouts, but I am realizing that this is going to take alot of work at this age.

I think dona is right about getting 'adequate' nutrition. I have found that if I cut back too far, I have more trouble losing than if I am eating junk food--wt loss wise.

Clean eating, but enough, is working. Slowly. :)
 
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