Healthy weight loss for apple shaped female

Tryingagainandagain

Hello.

I hope that someone viewing this will be able to give me some tips and inspiration.

I am 5 ft tall, 55 years old, female and shaped like a very fat barrel. I weigh 14.5 stone, and most of the fat is located between my chest and pelvic area (typical apple shape). I am never going to be svelte as I have broad shoulders, wide ribs and hip bones, but I'd like to be able to bend over:eek:

I am getting less fit by the day and and this is not helped by the fact that I have had knee problems since I was a skinny child. I cannot jog or run and I find it difficult to cycle. I can and do walk, but my weight and lack of energy is becoming a real deterrent.

I appreciate that I need to lose weight generally, but I am looking for regimes that have worked on little barrels like me. I look at all the magazines, programmes etc and I just get confused and give up.

Any ideas? Please? Has anything worked for any of you out there?

LittleMissAspie

Regimes for eating or exercise? They are the same for everyone regardless of shape, I'd say your biggest barrier is your knees. Do you like swimming, I believe that's easy on the joints. A cross-trainer might suit you but you'd need to join a gym to use one - similar movement to walking but has the cardiovascular benefits of jogging. For flexibility try yoga, avoiding any poses that put pressure on your knees of course.

For food I personally believe that low carb is the healthiest way to eat.

Person_one

I like weight watchers, but really any eating plan that is healthy and that you can stick to will do.

Losing weight and staying at a healthy weight isn't any different for us apples, the only thing that makes it different is that its more important for us! We carry our fat in the most dangerous and unhealthy places.

With knee problems, swimming or a water based exercise would be the place to start, you may even find that as you lose weight and your tummy gets smaller your knee will feel a bit better, depending on what the issue is of course!

Don't let yourself get into the mindset of thinking you can never be slim. Nobody's bones are so big they can't be a healthy weight!

cleggy.

5ft tall and 14.5 stone gives you a BMI of 36.9 acording to this calculator.

http://www.wcrf-uk.org/cancer_prevention/health_tools/bmi_calculator.php?jkId=8a8ae4d624e072500124e96112116790&jt=1&jadid=16830176685&js=1&jk=bmi%2520calculator&jsid=16395&jmt=1&&gclid=CNa30JPYvbUCFW_HtAodemUAww






Your BMI is 39.6, which means you are in the very overweight or obese category. Losing weight would make a big difference to your health - you might want to speak to your GP about the best way to do this.

• Less than 18.5 = underweight
• 18.5-24.9 = healthy weight
• 25-29.9 = overweight
• 30 or greater = very overweight or obese

Thats a general guide. For now, prioritise cutting calories to lose fat rather than worrying too much about excercise.
There are millions of people in the uk that are a normal healthy weight that do no exercise atall.
The reason they are normal weight is that they don't consume more calories than they use up per day.

You do. So stop doing that.

Keep a record of everything you eat and drink for a week and add up the calories and divide by 7 to see how much you're wolfing per day.
Then reduce that amount by 500 calories per day and you'll begin to lose fat steadily.
You can begin exercise when you are lighter and it'll be much easier on your joints then.

Person_one

^ Rather than that, I really do recommend joining a group where'll you'll be given a clear, healthy plan to stick to and where you will receive support from other people who understand that it isn't as easy for many of us as cleggy makes it sound!

Fire_Fox

Tryingagainandagain wrote: »

Hello.

I hope that someone viewing this will be able to give me some tips and inspiration.

I am 5 ft tall, 55 years old, female and shaped like a very fat barrel. I weigh 14.5 stone, and most of the fat is located between my chest and pelvic area (typical apple shape). I am never going to be svelte as I have broad shoulders, wide ribs and hip bones, but I'd like to be able to bend over:eek:

I am getting less fit by the day and and this is not helped by the fact that I have had knee problems since I was a skinny child. I cannot jog or run and I find it difficult to cycle. I can and do walk, but my weight and lack of energy is becoming a real deterrent.

I appreciate that I need to lose weight generally, but I am looking for regimes that have worked on little barrels like me. I look at all the magazines, programmes etc and I just get confused and give up.

Any ideas? Please? Has anything worked for any of you out there?

Without telling us exactly what knee issues you have it's difficult to make safe and effective suggestions. How much do you walk, the recommended 10000 steps each day?

Other than the knees are you fully healthy and been cleared for formal exercise by your family doctor? Might well be worth asking for a referral to your local Exercise for Health (GP referrals) scheme so you can be given a programme that works around your issues. Another option is to join a local Walking for Health group. Also head to a *proper* running/ sports shop and get fitted for some walking trainers, they should video you walking on a treadmill and the service is usually free. These will help adjust your gait and help protect your joints.

Generally interval training is the most effective for fat loss, particularly in the waist area, if you are on a treadmill you can do a preset programme or if you have access to a pool you can swim intervals. Depending on your knee issues that would mean walking hills interspersed with walking on the flat, or short burst of brisk walking interspersed with bursts of slow walking. You must do a full ten minute warm up first at easy conversational pace. As a total beginner it is fine for your 'hard' intervals to be very short and your 'easy' intervals to be much longer. There are likely free beginner walking podcasts on YouTube.

In no way should you injure your knees or work through the wrong kind of pain and so absolutely don't do high impact like running. But exercise is not supposed to be easy, you are not supposed to have boundless energy or you are going way too easy. You are supposed to get out of breath, if healthy enough not to be able to talk even if just for short bursts, your muscles are supposed to shake or burn.

If you don't challenge the body you simply won't burn enough calories, your body won't get fitter because it just doesn't need to, it can already do what you are asking. The majority of women I see just don't work hard enough to really make any difference at all, they don't know what they are capable of.

As far as strengthening muscles to support your knee joint and for 'toning' and for increasing or maintaining muscle mass as you lose fat you really want a fitness professional (Pilates teacher, advanced personal trainer interested in posture, physiotherapist, GP exercise referrals) to design a programme and teach you perfect technique. Intense strength training changes your body shape in a way cardio cannot, cardio alone will just make you a smaller apple/ barrel.

Diet is actually more important than physical activity, again you have not said what you are doing now. Look to be eating anti-stress/ anti-inflammatory/ low glycaemic index/ reduced carb/ wholefoods. Nutrients that have been linked in research with reduced abdominal fat include calcium from dairy products and omega-3s from oily fish. Nutrients that have been linked with higher body fat include sugars, high glycaemic index carbs, saturated animal fats, omega-6 fats.

The healthy eating guidelines are for at least five a day, but the research supports closer to the equivalent of nine servings for health - ideally low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables in the full rainbow of colours. These help fill you up for few calories as well as supplying vitamins minerals and fibre, it is achievable but you have to begin with breakfast. Having lean protein and healthy fats at every meal and snack helps stabilise your blood sugar, keep you feeling satisfied, help maintain your muscle.

Many women eat little more than carbs until the evening meal, are too low on protein, healthy fats, minerals AND fibre, skip meals so they get hungry and make poor choices. Carbs alone spike and trough the blood sugar, this puts the body into a state of stress which in turn encourages weight gain on the abdominal area.

As an apple shape who is in the obese category you are at increased risk of insulin resistance and even type 2 diabetes in later life, there are links here with micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiencies so IMO don't select a restrictive diet plan that cuts out whole food groups. Look at magnesium, chromium, zinc, B vitamins and vitamin D. Seeds, dark green vegetables, oily fish and other seafood supply many of these - all foods that a lot of people don't eat, in other words their everyday diet is already somewhat restrictive. Again there are links between omega-3s from oily fish and reduced risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.

margaretclare

I agree with all that Fire Fox has written but, in addition, have you thought of aqua-aerobics? The water cushions the joints but also provides resistance and you get a good workout.

Sharon87

I agree with Fire Fox. I'm similar to you, 4ft 11, 11 stone, so 2 stone or so overweight, with a slightly dodgy knee too!

I've just started my new diet, that's not a diet as such, just changing what I eat permanently. Today for dinner I had a salmon fillet with a squeeze of lemon, lettuce, cucumber, roast peppers, roast carrots with a bit of olive oil and a corn on the cob. So now carbs, which is unusual for me. I also had some orange and mango juice. Now I'm stuffed, I wasn't sure if it'll fill me up, but it has. I had this 1.5 hours ago and I'm still full up.

I would also suggest sort out eating first, then concentrate on your exercise, you need to start nice and slow or you'll risk injuring yourself. I joined the gym last year and I took it not as slowly as I should have and hurt my ankle and knee. Now I'm 3 stone lighter than you at a similar height, so if it injured me, it'll probably injure you too if you don't take it easy on the joints.

Good luck!

Tryingagainandagain

Thank you all for the detailed and informative help here.

I know I can get back to a healthy body - I just get so overwhelmed by all the possible plans and regimes.

I have decided and will stick to walking until I move house. There is no pool locally, but I am going to the pool closest to my new home for a daily swim when I move and to a weekly aquarobics class. There is also a community centre where I can do a "fit over 50" class until I see how my knees perform. I am going to have some 1:1 sessions with a pilates teacher, then join her class.
As far as the walking is concerned I will do 5 x 30 minute sessions of brisk walking and one long walk a week. In addition to this I have been walking to the shops in order to curb excessive spending. I can make sure I do at least 10000 steps!!

For my eating plan I will go low carb - especially reducing my bread intake as this leads to butter/cheese/pate etc too.

If I up my vegetable and fruits to 9 a day, I don't think I'll need the stodge. This year I have already started drinking more water and preparing veg sticks to snack on so I have made a start.

Thank you again to everyone who helped me see the wood from the trees.

margaretclare

Some of the 50+ fitness classes are partly-seated, so that may help you.

Tryingagainandagain

Thank you MargaretClare. I am hoping this will be the case.

If I can lose some weight I will feel more confident about going to seek help about my knees.