Any food/diet suggestion? (vegetables, stomach, weight loss, carbohydrates)

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I am a 53 year old women - I have been weight lifting and doing cardio like clockwork for 1 1/2 year now - every day I exercise hard - I am very toned but still very fat - the fat is in my torso area - I really don't snack but I do overeat - I am having a hard time losing weight - while in the past it came off easily, now it is torture. Anyone been in my boat and succeeded losing the fat?

[Luckyd609]

I am 53 too and I exercise and have been fit for most of my life. I put it on faster and take it off slower now. It is difficult to say the least. For me the only way to lose is to cut back my calories and shake up my exercise routine. More HIIT, heavier weights, etc...
I have a very social life and wine and food is huge part of it. It does not take much for me to gain back any losses. But at this point I am striving for quality of life and health, not necessarily the super fit fit body.

[ukrkoz]

Originally Posted by Nancy in Nokomis

I am a 53 year old women - I have been weight lifting and doing cardio like clockwork for 1 1/2 year now - every day I exercise hard - I am very toned but still very fat - the fat is in my torso area - I really don't snack but I do overeat - I am having a hard time losing weight - while in the past it came off easily, now it is torture. Anyone been in my boat and succeeded losing the fat?

That's it. That's your "devil". Tame your food intake down. Switch to easily digestible low calorie LIMITED food supply. Remeber, three weeks is the magic number. Your body will "figure it out" and it will all be fine.
Personally, I think yoiu are also over exercising, if you do it daily. I donno what is that you do, you might be sitting on bench at the gym talking on the phone, I saw that happen too, or, you might be like GI Jane sweating out - but amount of exercise=amount of rest and recovery. Just saying.
Whatever it is, food intake down. That's where it all starts.
Also, I keep repeating myself - tame down water intake. I am presuming you are NOT touching sodas and such. But fluids are stored in fat tissue in form of water/fat emulsion. Just saying. yes, I do know very well what everyone says. I am living and kicking example of just the opposite.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

When I am at the gym it is to work out and get out - no sitting on the bench on the phone - because I have arthritis I am no GI Jane but I can lift more than young, thin girls at the gym - I actually life more than some of the men - hehe - I also drink diet soda - I know it is bad - I just find it hard to cut down on the eating - I am hungry a lot -

[soulsandsneer]

never overeat, that is your problem. You may workout/ go to the gym often but you over eat so basically it's useless.

[bballnutty]

Calories in vs calories out. Do a journal for a week of what you eat. Write down the calories for those items and add it up. Compare to how much calories you burn when you work out. It does take a while to get rid of the gut once you get it.

[riaelise]

I agree with bballnutty. Track your intake so that you can figure out how much you're eating vs. how much you're burning. You are middle aged and female, so it's not going to be an easy walk in the park any more. When I was younger, staying thin was just a matter of working out a handful of days per week and restricting a bit if I felt I was getting "fat". Nowadays, at 40, I have to be far more vigilant. What worked for me to stop daily overeating were "cheat meals". However, the remainder of the week I was on track and exercised regularly. I ate at set times daily so that my body knew when it would be getting fed. Caloric restriction won't be easy. You're going to have to "train" your body to make due with less. That is why you should spread your caloric budget over several meals timed right to prevent the trigger to binge eat.

Congrats on being so strong at your age. I'm 40, and am getting stronger by the minute. I weight train 4 x week. Like you, I have arthritis too so I don't squat or do anything that elicits knee pain. I have to work about my conditions, but I do it. I'm not a cardio junkie but if you feel you need a boost in addition to your training, add some cardio to your workout if you haven't already. Anything new helps.

[McBain II]

How much protein are you eating per day?

[picopepec]

Originally Posted by Nancy in Nokomis

I am a 53 year old women - I have been weight lifting and doing cardio like clockwork for 1 1/2 year now - every day I exercise hard - I am very toned but still very fat - the fat is in my torso area - I really don't snack but I do overeat - I am having a hard time losing weight - while in the past it came off easily, now it is torture. Anyone been in my boat and succeeded losing the fat?

You answered yourself : you overeat.

Try to understand why : too much social life ? Too much stress, that causes eating disorder ? You eat too fast, watching TV ? You don't drink enough ?

All this can be related with your overeating problem.

If you can't reduce your portions (your stomach is too stretchy), try to put as many vegetables as possible in your diet. Keep eating lean meat and fish, but not too much. If you don't like vegetables, try to add some good sauces or spices that don't add too many calories on your dish (a bit of mostard, sriracha, ketchup, a tiny dose of coconut oil...). Try to be inventive in order to still enjoy your meal. I hope you enjoy cooking, because you will need to. And never drink your calories (avoid the triple caramel mocha frappucino at the Starboocks, for instance)

[sholomar]

Calorie restriction is more effective for weight loss than cardio.. more efficient at least, especially when you restrict the simple carbohydrates which produce an insulin spike, insulin promoting fat storage and increasing cravings.