The Workout or the Food?

[JulieIL]

Food makes it or breaks it for me, though I look & feel best with clean food & lighter exercise. I agree with so many previous posters, including that you can't outrun a bad diet.

Interesting, after a few years of lighter exercise I look smaller, but am starting to feel doughy, which is freaking me out. This is probably a combo of lax lighter workouts & age. I do know that I don't like it, & I'm ready to switch it up to hopefully a happy medium!

Julie

[summer breeze]

Originally Posted by wishiwasinhawaii

When I turned 45 a few years ago, that's when I noticed everything was changing. I had always been very thin and was able to eat massive amounts of junk and never gained an ounce. Well, those days are over. I also was always very active and athletic and spent a lot of time at the gym, even after I stopped playing competitive sports.

But now that I'm older, working out just isn't enough anymore. I've also had a series of injuries that prevented me from working out and since I didn't change my diet, I'm afraid I've gained a few pounds. Since I'm not used to having to lose weight, I really have no idea what to do. The injuries are hopefully over and I started P90X3 the other day, so I'm hoping if I can get my food intake under control, things will improve. But I know this is a tough age for weight gain heading into menopause so not sure how this will go...

Glad your injuries seem to be in the past and I hope it stays that way for you. What you said about always being thin and not having to watch what you eat was exactly my same experience for most of my life. Imagine my surprise and confusion when the weight slowly started creeping up on me in my late 40s and early 50s. I'm sure I wasn't as active as I used to be but I also wasn't monitoring my food intake as I never had to before and didn't even know where to begin. I finally decided at 56 years old to take control of the situation and started writing down everything I ate. Tedious I know, something I swore I would never, ever do. But it was unbelievably helpful and eye opening. I cut portions, I cut out sweets and cut down on breads and pastas and wine and just generally was very, very mindful of everything I ate and I recorded it religiously. I also walked every single day (well I started out 4 times a week but built up quickly from there) and just a few times a week Core Fusion or Margaret Richard and at 56 I lost 43 lbs and got back to a weight and size I hadn't been since I was 20 years old. And I've pretty much maintained within a few lbs since that time (I'll be 58 in a few months). So it can be done after menopause and I'd say it's definitely 90% dietary and 10% workouts, but you definitely need to move every day and be active. Best of luck to you and all the others on the journey.

[54sneakers]

I'm another one who used to be able to eat whatever I wanted, but that started catching up with me in my mid 40's. I turned 60 last year and for the last 15 years or so, I've needed to eat mostly clean and be as consistent as I can be with my workouts or things get out of control quickly!

[NotThatGirl]

For me it's both for the very best results but mostly the dreaded "d" word. I used to eat tons of junk in high school and my early 20s and was about 15lbs heavier. I had a dreadful time losing my puppy fat until I actually stopped eating processed food and junk. It was a long transition and really gradual (over the course of a couple years) and that made it much easier and more sustainable. Now the healthy eating comes naturally because I discovered a few years ago that I am extremely sensitive to dairy. Since that is in nearly everything in some capacity I kind of get forced into really healthy eating. When this change in my diet occurred I easily dropped those 15lbs without really trying very hard. Some sporadic workouts here and there did the trick and now it is really easy for me to maintain my weight. Now if I want "my best body" it really means being consistent with workouts. I just have to work hard at it which kind of stinks because I miss when it came easier but at the same time I only do workouts I like from a handful of instructors. It simplified my life and none of it feels like work anymore. It helps to be nearly allergic to something, people get off your case when you don't want cheesecake and those "just a bite" comments cease entirely.

[LoveVA]

No cheesecake!

[violetblonde]

For me, dropping weight is all about diet, but maintenance is very much a diet/exercise combination. I very gradually lost about 15 pounds ending about a year ago (mainly via getting a handle on snacking habits and cutting sugar), and now am maintaining, which requires reasonable though not obsessive focus on diet and some form of daily exercise. I'm 30, so we'll see what's what in ten years!

[NotThatGirl]

Originally Posted by LoveVA

No cheesecake!

Haha when I was 20 I worked at Starbucks and at the time we had a few Cheesecake Factory offerings in the case...I definitely enjoyed my fair share of the Bananas Foster before I discovered my sensitivity

I haven't ever enjoyed cheesecake before that. I loved when the slices in the case were "expiring." They were still obviously fine but we couldn't sell them anymore so free cheesecake for all come break time

[bubbles76]

Originally Posted by NotThatGirl

For me it's both for the very best results but mostly the dreaded "d" word....Now the healthy eating comes naturally because I discovered a few years ago that I am extremely sensitive to dairy. Since that is in nearly everything in some capacity I kind of get forced into really healthy eating. When this change in my diet occurred I easily dropped those 15lbs without really trying very hard. Some sporadic workouts here and there did the trick and now it is really easy for me to maintain my weight. Now if I want "my best body" it really means being consistent with workouts. I just have to work hard at it which kind of stinks because I miss when it came easier but at the same time I only do workouts I like from a handful of instructors. It simplified my life and none of it feels like work anymore. It helps to be nearly allergic to something, people get off your case when you don't want cheesecake and those "just a bite" comments cease entirely.

This for me. I was kind of forced into eating healthier food because of my chronic migraines and naturally borderline high cholesterol. Not that I ever ate REALLY unhealthy, but I know that there were some foods that I shouldn't eat (spicy chicken sandwich at Wendys, keeping ice cream in the house, etc.) Now I crave healthier eating. I still have a very sweet tooth that I'm trying to get under control. For me, I can lose the weight with diet alone but to feel better, get stronger, and look more toned I need to workout.

[Lannette]

Combo of both though food really matters most. If I'm eating totally nutrient dense foods and only eating when I'm hungry I require very little functional work to stay in shape.

[sunday]

Absolutely, 100 percent diet.