Weight loss - getting started for older person.

[Marsher]

Help.... I have gained weight and no matter how I exercise (I am 70 years of age) ... Walks, bike rides, swim, household stuff etc it's not coming off. I have high blood pressure and I am taking medication - could this be slowing down my metabolism ? I don't eat excessively but do like sweet stuff. I also feel depressed a lot of the time because of many family problems. Which makes everything an effort, how can I get on track

[OlsBean]

Hard to give a concise answer with the information you have shared but it could be that you are struggling because you have a degree of insulin resistance, something which increases in lots of people as we age (due to a number of factors), I'm making this connection based on the fact you've a sweet tooth and I could be wrong.

In very simple terms, when we eat sugar (Carbohydrate) and our blood glucose rises, in response the pancreas releases the hormone insulin, raising the level of insulin in our blood is a signal to receptors in cells for those cells to take up the Glucose from Blood. In a metabolically healthy person, as the level of Glucose drops so does the the level of insulin. In an insulin resistant person however the receptors in the cells have trouble hearing the signal (the insulin) so the pancreas pumps out even more insulin until the receptors finally respond, but because of this over-response and delay, often insulin remains elevated when it otherwise should not be. The upshot of this 'out of tune' response is that not only can you not use Fat (Stored or Dietary) for fuel in this state, you actually end up more likely to store it, often referred to as Fat Storage Mode.

If you are insulin resistant, then successful weight loss is not just about Calories In Versus Calories Out, it's also important to look at the type of foods you are eating and the frequency you are eating them. For example if you are grazing regularly throughout the day on sugar (all be it not a lot) and your insulin is constantly remaining raised for long periods, you are going to struggle to lose weight, a good example of this would be someone drinking tea often with sugar in it, even though they might factor in the calories into their daily allowance.

Quite a few older people within the community have had some success with following a restrictive sugar diet (carbohydrate), cutting out processed sugars, including things like bread and getting back to eating real wholesome food, a few have liken it to eating like their grandparents.

dietdoctor.com/lchf

Getting a good balance of healthy food should also help with your depression.

Good Luck

[Marsher in reply to OlsBean]

Thank you so much - I will definitely give this a try.

[Penel]

Hi Marsher

My husband has been able to stop taking his BP medication since he lowered the amount of carbs he was eating/drinking. His BP dropped even before he lost much weight.

The one thing that all weight loss programs agree on is that you have to cut down on sugar if you want to lose weight and stay healthy. To avoid as much sugar as possible

you need to cook from scratch, or read all labels to make sure that you are choosing food without added sugar. Low fat foods often have sugar added, so they are not a good choice.

This is another site with useful information on changing to a whole food way of eating.

authoritynutrition.com/low-...

[nhs2015 in reply to Penel]

I started cutting down on sugar a while back and found to my amazement that my body/ joints are not sore anymore. I don't know if it is cutting sugar or eating a small can of tuna for breakfast every morning, but it is working. I always check the labels. Unfortunately sometimes there is no choice, so I get the one with the lowest sugar content. I used to have two teaspoons of sugar in my tea, now I have a third of a teaspoon of Natvia instead for the same sweetness but at 0.6 calory only. Natvia is made from organic Stevia extract and natural erythritol. Whatever it is, it works for me.

[Penel in reply to nhs2015]

Congratulations on giving up sugar, I found it quite a struggle and even gave up tea for a while. My health has also improved, and recurrent dermatitis type problems have disappeared.

I think the amount of added sugar in food is very worrying.

The Beeb have a program on Sugar tonight, might be interesting.

[nhs2015 in reply to Penel]

I wonder if we could call Sugar an addictive element. I think doctors now are waking up to the fact that too much sugar may be the cause of a lot of health issues. I also read part of interesting book called "I quit sugar" by Sarah Wilson. A freebie on my iPad. In it she mentioned how she believes sugar caused her underactive thyroid. I have underactive thyroid and I now wonder if my excess in sugar while growing up is related. Whatever it is, cutting sugar helped me with my weight and is probably helping with sore joints.

[Penel in reply to nhs2015]

For some people, sugar does seem to be addictive. Sarah Wilson is an interesting read. Have you had a look at the possible link between thyroid problems and gluten?

[nhs2015 in reply to Penel]

No but I will. Thank for the tip.

[Marsher in reply to Penel]

Thank you for taking time to reply. I am hearing the message about sugar!

[Marsher in reply to Penel]

I think sugar is definitely an addictive thing with me. Always have chocolate and sweets in the cupboard - will just have to stop buying them . Thank you for your reply.

[rmnsuk]

talk to your doctor first, he'll give good advice. But If I were 15 years older and in your position, I'd be cooking all my own meals from scratch. In particular I'd stop adding all salt and sugar, and I'd cut down on fat a bit. Cutting down on salt will help your blood pressure. Don't worry about not eating enough, any processed food you eat will provide you with more than enough. Cutting down on sugar will help with calorie restriction, as will fat. Exercise is good for overall fitness and keeping your BP under control, but won't help hugely with weight control. Maybe you can use myfitnesspal to track calories if that works for you.

[teri54 6lbs]

Hi understand your struggle as mentioned above I went on a low carb diet and changed to High fat aswell after reading the research etc ,evan though I have some really bad health problems and may lose my job ? I cant exercise like you as my knee needs an op so my mobility as far as Im concerned is almost none existence but in 16 weeks of being on this diet I hve lost over 2st I have the odd meal that breaks the carb rule but my weight is still coming off no counting calories and amazingly no hunger. I hope this is of help oh I forgot to say IM 62yrs .good sites to check are authority nutrition and diet doctor or just use search for LCHF. hope this helps ,good luck take it one day at a time .