I’ve been on WW for over 2 years and I’ve lost 40 lbs. I’ve taken almost no breaks from WW other than a few weeks during the holidays, which had disastrous results of a 10 lb weight gain. Of course I jumped right back on plan but didn’t seem to have the same results. Since that time, I’ve had one heck of a time getting the extra weight off!
Now let’s be honest! I know what to do and I know how to do it! I weigh, I measure, I track — nothing. I do cardio, I weight train (lightly) and I drink lots of water. Nothing. I kick and scream and wait. And wait….and …wait…. Nothing. So what is happening?
Now what do I do?
Well, I am 2 years older and when you are perimenopausal and in your 50’s that does matter. I’ve increased my walking and started tracking like a math teacher but still … nothing. What the heck could be happening? I had my blood work done and nothing had changed in my health situation so that was a plus but what could be causing no movement at all? I started doing a lot of research. Here are a few important things I learned.
Picture of my husband and I before I started losing weight. My face was much rounder and my eating habits were horrible! I’m in Boston in this picture and I promise I tried every Cannoli they offered!
3 very important lessons that turned things around
#1 As we age our metabolism slows. This I knew however, according to the Atkins Center for health, along with many other highly reputable health and diet centers, WW included, who study weight loss and specifically for those over 40, state many women tend to carry weight around the middle. (Ok, that’s me.) And if that is you too, you may be prone to something called metabolic syndrome (more info linked here) https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-blogs/colette-heimowitz/why-a-low-carb-diet-is-the-best-diet-for-women-over-40
Basically that means your body is losing its ability to process the sugar in higher carb foods and it sticks to your middle section as fat. If you have a larger round tummy, chances are you are insulin resistant and are experiencing metabolic syndrome. This phenomena makes it harder for us ladies to lose weight!
#2 According to the Mayo Clinic, we NEED fat in our diets. Wait — I thought if you ate fat you got fat! No, not all fat is created equal! And in many cases a healthy fat is better in many ways for you than a low fat version of something. Nuts, avocados, eggs — all high in fat but truly good for your diet. Now, you arent supposed to go crazy with the fats and really overdo it as suggested in some diet plans but a good fat is a good thing.
According to the Mayo Clinic, more info linked here, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fat/art-20045550
“There are numerous types of fat. Your body makes its own fat from taking in excess calories. Some fats are found in the foods you eat — these are called dietary fats. Dietary fat is a macronutrient that provides energy for your body.
Fat is essential to your health because it supports a number of your body’s functions. Some vitamins, for instance, must have fat to dissolve so that they can be used by your body.”
Ahhh, okay. So this is also why WW puts such a heavy point emphasis on SUGAR not as much fat.
#3 The foods you eat matter more than the points you eat! So I’ve really discovered in trying the WW Green plan for a bit, that all points are also not created equal. I did the WW Green Plan for a month and had lots of points to play around with. YES, I still tracked like a hawk, YES, I still weighed and stayed within my allotted 30 points. YES, I GAINED weight. WHY? Well, what I learned is that in the “mind” of your body, 7 points consisting of a Quiche with veggies cheese and a side of turkey bacon is not equal to 7 points of 3 Oreos. 4 points of a Chef Salad with ham, cheese and Thousand Island light is not equal to a 4 point bag of WW BBQ chips. Make sense?
Do what works for YOU!
Now, of course we are all different however, if you are in a stall or you are not losing and you’re in the beginning of your diet journey, this is something to seriously consider. Our bodies change and adapt to things we are eating and there is substantial data to back up the benefits of a low carb diet! Im not suggesting HIGH FAT but maybe looking closely at the carbs. Especially if you carry your weight around the middle like so many of us do!
You can easily add lower carb foods into your WW meal plan choices. Give it a try and see if it isn’t just that magic pill for you too!
Excellent read!!!!!!!!
Is there a recommended percentage of fat, carbs and protein for a woman age 67?
Everyone is different and macros are very specific to each individual. The main thing is to raise the protein and lower the carbs. I am not a fan of very high fat so I still cut it where I can and only eat the healthy fats — most of the time. 🙂
And I – on purple – have become a believer in high carbs…complex carbs I eat beans, legumes sweet potatoes potatoes etc and feel so satisfied while maintaining
I would agree that purple is GREAT for maintaining.