40, female, horrific stomach overhang - help with diet and fitness regime

bob_sponge

Hi, am looking for some help and advice.

I'm just at the end of my 3rd week of my new healthier diet and fitness regime. I'm female, 40, 5'4" and currently weigh 151 lbs.

I've cut down on carbs, upped my fruit and veg intake and am trying to eat a clean diet.
Yesterday was a typical day: 2 weetabix for breakfast with a handful of raisins (I know porridge is probably better but if I eat porridge I have to go back to bed), snack at 11 was homemade hummus and carrot sticks, lunch was a baked omelette with peas, tomatoes, onion and peppers with lettuce, cucumber, celery and scallions on the side. Afternoon snack was a banana and orange. Dinner was a pork casserole with 1 scoop of mashed potato. I drank 2.5 l of water and 1 cup decaf coffee with 1/2 sugar and a drop of milk. According to myfitnesspal I was just 40 calories short of my daily allowance, under on carbs and fat and slightly over on protein).


I've ditched the bus and now walk to work every morning - it's 40 mins at a very brisk pace. I run at least once over the weekend, usually 5 k. I try to do some exercises too, crunches, lunges etc.

My questions are:
1) I've woken up several mornings feeling like I've a hangover, feeling sluggish and tired, do you think it could be diet related? I sleep approx. 7 hours every night.

2) I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago which resulted in 42 staples holding my abdomen together and I've had 3 children so my core strength is appalling. I have an absolute clean bill of health now but there is no money in the pot for a gym membership or personal trainer or the like, can anyone recommend a DVD that I could follow for strengthening/toning exercises?

3) Any more general advice - I want to lose weight, I know I'll never have a bikini body but I would like to be able to wear a pair of jeans without an overhang.

Thanks for your thoughts!

g'em

bob_sponge wrote: »

My questions are:
1) I've woken up several mornings feeling like I've a hangover, feeling sluggish and tired, do you think it could be diet related? I sleep approx. 7 hours every night.

It could be, but it could be lots of over things too. If it persists your best bet is probably to go to the doctor to get a blood workup to figure out if there's anything askew.

bob_sponge wrote:

2) I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago which resulted in 42 staples holding my abdomen together and I've had 3 children so my core strength is appalling. I have an absolute clean bill of health now but there is no money in the pot for a gym membership or personal trainer or the like, can anyone recommend a DVD that I could follow for strengthening/toning exercises?

I've seen a lot of recommendation for the Gillian Michaels 30 day shred. From what I know of it there's a good emphasis on core strength.

bob_sponge wrote:

3) Any more general advice - I want to lose weight, I know I'll never have a bikini body but I would like to be able to wear a pair of jeans without an overhang.

The weight loss will be primarily about your diet. In your case it's definitely not bad but you could tweak it further - it's still quite high in carbs that could be replaced with protein and fats; having the omelette or scrambled eggs in the morning for example, and a salad with meat at lunch. Drop the potato at dinner and replace it with vegetables or even something like cauliflower mash (what it says on the tin really, blend cauliflower with a knob of butter or a dribble of cream). Snack on a small handful (literally no mroe than fits in your palm) of nuts or cottage cheese or even some sliced deli meat or cooked chicken.

Your myfitnesspal is registering you as over on protein but they underestimate the need for protein in the diet and overestimate the carbs needed. Carbs are the most likely culprits to result in tummy fat unfortunately.

nice_guy80

You'd be better off with more protein at breakfast - eg boiled egg or omlette along with something like a smoothie (time consuming but nice)



Fair play though. You seem to have the right attitude.

BlueIsland

bob_sponge wrote: »

Hi, am looking for some help and advice.

I'm just at the end of my 3rd week of my new healthier diet and fitness regime. I'm female, 40, 5'4" and currently weigh 151 lbs.

I've cut down on carbs, upped my fruit and veg intake and am trying to eat a clean diet.
Yesterday was a typical day: 2 weetabix for breakfast with a handful of raisins (I know porridge is probably better but if I eat porridge I have to go back to bed), snack at 11 was homemade hummus and carrot sticks, lunch was a baked omelette with peas, tomatoes, onion and peppers with lettuce, cucumber, celery and scallions on the side. Afternoon snack was a banana and orange. Dinner was a pork casserole with 1 scoop of mashed potato. I drank 2.5 l of water and 1 cup decaf coffee with 1/2 sugar and a drop of milk. According to myfitnesspal I was just 40 calories short of my daily allowance, under on carbs and fat and slightly over on protein).


I've ditched the bus and now walk to work every morning - it's 40 mins at a very brisk pace. I run at least once over the weekend, usually 5 k. I try to do some exercises too, crunches, lunges etc.

My questions are:
1) I've woken up several mornings feeling like I've a hangover, feeling sluggish and tired, do you think it could be diet related? I sleep approx. 7 hours every night.

2) I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago which resulted in 42 staples holding my abdomen together and I've had 3 children so my core strength is appalling. I have an absolute clean bill of health now but there is no money in the pot for a gym membership or personal trainer or the like, can anyone recommend a DVD that I could follow for strengthening/toning exercises?

3) Any more general advice - I want to lose weight, I know I'll never have a bikini body but I would like to be able to wear a pair of jeans without an overhang.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Not offering medical advice now or anything but I know when I cut out a vast amount of Carbs from my diet I got like that for 3-4 days. The chances are you are eating way way less carbs than before and your body is getting use to it.

Id be in agreement about your breakfast. Go for something more protein heavy like eggs. maybe have that ommlette you had for lunch at breakfast and have a salad with chicken or tuna/ salmon at lunch!

Stench Blossoms

If your looking for a DVD the 30 day shred isn't bad.

Are you into running? Have you heard of Couch to 5k?

Sorcha16

g'em wrote: »

I've seen a lot of recommendation for the Gillian Michaels 30 day shred. From what I know of it there's a good emphasis on core strength. Carbs are the most likely culprits to result in tummy fat unfortunately.

I think the OP's primary issue here is the fact that she's had major abdominal surgery, which often means that the remaining 'overhang' as the OP mentioned is actually dead tissue, as opposed to fat and subsequently something that will unfortunately remain there, regardless of how much surrounding fat is lost.

Improving core strength will possibly add some muscle definition to support the carriage of dead tissue but unfortunately cosmetic surgery is the only way to eradicate the 'overhang' issue entirely

bob_sponge

Thanks to you all for taking the time to read and assess for me. I will check out that DVD.

I'll also try to up the protein and reduce the carbs further, BlueIsland - you may have a point, I used to eat way more, I just thought that 3 weeks in was a funny time for that feeling to be hitting.

Stench Blossoms - I completed the couch to 5 k in July 2011, I haven't been out 3 times a week since but I can run 5 k, I do it at least once a week.

Sorcha16 - Not what I wanted to hear but I know you're probably correct. I know I'll never be rid of it (barring a lotto win and a trip to a cosmetic surgeon!) but I'm hoping I can reduce it somewhat with an overall loss.

Onwards we go!!

Chancer3001

well done, great start.

My advice would be , keep going and dont expect too much too soon.

losing a pound a week is realistic. Might not even be that much.

You may feel like youre busting your ass and "being good" and then see no change on the scales.

dont give up. keep it going and you will see differences.

bob_sponge

Well it's just over 2 months since I last posted so I thought I'd give a quick update. I've lost 21 lbs to date, I'm feeling fit, strong and healthy. I still have a slight stomach but it has improved beyond belief. I got the Gillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD and do it a few times a week, it's a brilliantly efficient way to exercise, 25 minutes in total and I can see and feel a difference. I still do my 40 minute walk to work every day and I track everything religiously on myfitnesspal. I eat healthily but still allow myself the odd treat and night out. I'm aiming to maintain my weight loss over the Christmas holidays and lose more come January.

If I can do this anyone can, there are no secrets or magic formulas to weight loss, we all know what we need to do but getting in to the right mind frame is invaluable. I also found that there were weeks where the scales didn't shift, I wasn't deterred and knowing that weight loss isn't linear really helped, after 5 weeks of no loss I suddenly lost 4 lbs.

Thanks for all the replies to my post, I'm delighted to be able to share my success to date.

The Guvnor

Good for you - just read the thread and great advice given but also a great mindset from yourself.

40 mins there and back is more cardio than most of us do.

Keep us updated - this thread will definitely be useful to others as it shows results do come just give it a bit of time and be consistent!

Stench Blossoms

If you like Jillian's style you might be interested in 'Ripped in 30'. I think it has more weights incorporated into it.

Thomas Magnum

g'em wrote: »

Carbs are the most likely culprits to result in tummy fat unfortunately.

Utter rubbish. Unless the "carbs" in question are shaped like twinkies...

walshb

bob_sponge wrote: »

Well it's just over 2 months since I last posted so I thought I'd give a quick update. I've lost 21 lbs to date, I'm feeling fit, strong and healthy. I still have a slight stomach but it has improved beyond belief. I got the Gillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD and do it a few times a week, it's a brilliantly efficient way to exercise, 25 minutes in total and I can see and feel a difference. I still do my 40 minute walk to work every day and I track everything religiously on myfitnesspal. I eat healthily but still allow myself the odd treat and night out. I'm aiming to maintain my weight loss over the Christmas holidays and lose more come January.

If I can do this anyone can, there are no secrets or magic formulas to weight loss, we all know what we need to do but getting in to the right mind frame is invaluable. I also found that there were weeks where the scales didn't shift, I wasn't deterred and knowing that weight loss isn't linear really helped, after 5 weeks of no loss I suddenly lost 4 lbs.

Thanks for all the replies to my post, I'm delighted to be able to share my success to date.

So you are 130 lbs now. Seems healthy and normal for your height.