Should I listen to my trainer?
I am 61 years old post menopausal and have been struggling with weight loss for many years but in the past two years it has gotten harder than ever. I have been following Weight watchers for many years with limited success. WW has me eating about 1500 calories a day. I have been weight training for about 8 years and my trainer is telling me that I'm not eating enough calories. He wants me to try Cronometer and suggests that I eat more like 1800 calories a day - 150g protein, 100 grams carbs and 88 grams fat. I currently weigh 193 pounds and would like to get to 180. I am 5'6" tall. My trainer is a male, around 40 years old so I'm not sure he's plugged in to the plight of a woman my age? I would love to hear opinions on this!
Comments
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What's your training and daily activity like ? I see people at the senior centre gym I go to and hardly any work hard, just go through the motions. Do you walk much everyday ?
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You could try a keto lifestyle (Protein - 30 - 50%, Fats - 40 - 60%, Carbs - 5 - 10%). I am 65 years old, 5'2" tall, post menopausal and weighed 193 pounds when I started a keto lifestyle Aug 2022. So far I have lost 52 pounds. I personally know two other women ages 61 and 86 with similar success. Walking and resistance training are good low impact exercises to add if you aren't doing them. Good luck to you!
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My wife 67 and 5' weighs 110lbs walks or hikes pretty much 2 hours a day with her friends or me. Also daily yoga for 1/2 hour, uses the indoor swimming pool for aqua-fit. She's done a few big hike including the 800km Camino de Santiago. No special diet except moderation.
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I would highly recommend Next Level by Stacy Sims. Great info on menopause and the way we should train. I'm following her cardio intervals and 'lifting heavy shit' and I can already see an improvement in my body.
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Thank you. I just requested her book from my library.
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I can't speak to your plight, but 150g of protein is not easy to get for most people.
If I were structuring my meals around that amount of protein, I don't think I'd have an easy time going past the 1500-1800 mark.
Protein aside, if you're certain you've been eating 1500 every day for years and you haven't dropped in weight, then it sounds to me like you're not operating at a caloric deficit. In which case, raising it to 1800 probably wouldn't help in terms of weight loss.
That being said, most people are not very religious about tracking every morsel of food that crosses their lips. Or they underestimate their consumption; I myself am guilty of this. By far my most successful deficit periods have been the ones where I'm weighing most/all of my portions with a baking scale, and entering the servings according to their weight (in grams).
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@ Renoirs That would be an impossible goal for me. It would be a daunting challenge to maintain a calorie deficit and consume that amount of protein.
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Hi, Renoirs! I don't have a trainer, but I'm in a similar situation. I turn 68 tomorrow, I'm 5'6", and I weigh 173 pounds. The last few years, I've had pretty serious health problems, but I'm now able to do more and am working to get healthier. I aim for 1200 calories a day and usually manage to keep it reasonably close. I started walking a little over a month ago, and while my blood pressure and blood glucose have improved and I actually have muscles in my legs now, I haven't lost any weight. I'm up to about 25 minutes of walking a day, and I haven't missed a day since I started, so I'm really looking for results.
How is your fiber intake?
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Track your saturated fats to be 13g a day and walk everywhere.
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I am post-menopausal and hypothyroid, so my calorie requirements are a bit lower than most. I find I can only lose weight if I keep my calories between 1200 and 1400. I aim for 100 mg of protein daily but can only achieve that using protein powder. My trainer suggests eating within one hour of a workout when the body processes calories more efficiently. Maybe just a few changes like that would help you?
