Fifty Plus (50+) - How do you get rid of the unwanted stuff around the waist???

My legs are skinny, my arms are thin and my ribs are showing. However there is still stuff that folds over my cycling shorts. I bet I could get rid of another 5-10 lbs and decrease my waist size a 2-3 inches if it were to disappear. Without resorting to liposuction, how in the heck do you get rid of all that????

Or is it really something to be treasured and something I might need one day.

My legs are skinny, my arms are thin and my ribs are showing. However there is still stuff that folds over my cycling shorts. I bet I could get ride of another 5-10 lbs and decrease my waist size a 2-3 inches if it were to disappear. Without resorting to liposuction, how in the heck do you get rid of all that????

Or is it really something to be treasured and something I might need one day.

Well now, I honestly don't know, and I'm the wrong person to comment although I seem to be the first person to comment - and I'm a bit p.eed off because my 1980 student 30 inch waist jeans are a bit nippy on me now since I haven't been cycling since October

For advice, I'd recommend the speed or crack forums over the real ale ones

Best I can suggest, sorry

drop the carbs. be sure protein and veggies are in every meal. start weight training. be patient. 5 years from now you will look better.

I had a pot belly. I stopped using sugar in my coffee, started eating yogurt every morning and got (don't laugh) an Ab-chair which I use religiously. Now my belly is flat and I have better abs now than I did in my twenties. Once you begin using it, it only takes about a week before you can laugh without being in pain. No lie. Good luck!

drop the carbs. be sure protein and veggies are in every meal. start weight training. be patient. 5 years from now you will look better.


Bingo. Get in the weight room.

When I was young and fit- I had a six pack. That has now extended with special offers to a 12 pack. It ain't going away with cycling. Only way I can see me getting rid of it is to get down the gym.

But Summers coming- Why waste time at the gym when I can be getting a PIE ride in.

Lots and lots of sex. Or so I have heard. ;)

like most married 50s, he got the belly from the lack of sex ... so he is SOL

Part of this response will be sacrilege, please do not banish me............

1) Quite a bit of time in the gym and working on the core, lower back and abs.

2) reduce significantly ( almost entirely ) beer intake. I now drink beer only on weekends. Took a while, used to it now. But I can see the difference in the mirror.

Another person advocating low carb diet. Read The South Beach Diet book- the first third that talks about the diet- then do the recipes and stuff. If you ride a lot, though, bear in mind that you need a few more carbs than what the diet allows. Try keep them good carbs, though, not processed wheats and sugars.

Your body puts on fat around your midsection first and takes it off last. Extra weight there is near your center of gravity and produces the least disturbance to your activities and your balance. You can't "spot reduce" via exercise...you can build muscle under the layer of fat, and you can reduce total fat. If you've been very over-weight, you may have excess skin that takes seemingly forever to go away after weight loss (or may never go away!), particularly as you get older. Don't do fad diets (most diets with a name can be classified as "fad").

Your body puts on fat around your midsection first and takes it off last. Extra weight there is near your center of gravity and produces the least disturbance to your activities and your balance. You can't "spot reduce" via exercise...you can build muscle under the layer of fat, and you can reduce total fat. If you've been very over-weight, you may have excess skin that takes seemingly forever to go away after weight loss (or may never go away!), particularly as you get older. Don't do fad diets (most diets with a name can be classified as "fad").

I agree. Also, I have read that putting weight on the midsection first is quickened when the body is constantly traumatized by dieting or extreme endurance activities. It naturally wants to build a reserve. We don't see 20 year olds winning the Tour because they don't have the reserves.

Now my belly is flat and I have better abs now than I did in my twenties. !

In the road forum they would say "pics or it didn't happen", over here it's optional.;)

I was just talking to my bride about this just yesterday...I'm 10lbs overweight and it is all right around the waist. I just lost 9lbs and what do I have to show for it?? Loose Levis, around the butt and legs...exactly where I DON'T need to lose inches. I know it's a male 50+ thing but it sucks. Seems like I could lose another 10lbs for ideal weight and still be looking at that ring around the belt. :notamused:

Your body puts on fat around your midsection first and takes it off last. Extra weight there is near your center of gravity and produces the least disturbance to your activities and your balance. You can't "spot reduce" via exercise...you can build muscle under the layer of fat, and you can reduce total fat. If you've been very over-weight, you may have excess skin that takes seemingly forever to go away after weight loss (or may never go away!), particularly as you get older. Don't do fad diets (most diets with a name can be classified as "fad").

That's been a problem for me over the years. As a once "Clyde" @ 235 lbs in my early 30's (now 155 lbs.), dropping the weight left me with a "reminder" not to fall off the wagon. As I began to cycle, it got better. Last year I started doing sit-ups, crunches, planks, lunges, squats and push-ups every other day to help stabilize the core and back (for the sciatica), better, but still not totally gone. Guess I'm never gonna be a portrait in swim trunks,

Now, if they could figure a way to pull the excess in through my navel, well then...

Abdominal crunches and other core muscle exercises will help, but the most effective method would be to go back in time and choose parents without a tendency toward love handles.

Go sign up for the free version on TrainingPeaks.com. You'll get a ballpark BMR, log what you eat for a few days and see where your excess calories are coming from. It ain't carbs, fat or pro that's the problem, it's the amount of total calories you eat and the quality of those calories.

If you don't supply your body with what it needs to train/ride, you'll just limit your ability to train/ride-gain fitness/lose weight.

[PS Stop eating a big dinner and eat a big breakfast.]

Same problem here. How can I work out as much as I do and still have a mid section problem? I am sure it comes down to that perfect diet to go with the training.

My legs are skinny, my arms are thin and my ribs are showing. However there is still stuff that folds over my cycling shorts. I bet I could get rid of another 5-10 lbs and decrease my waist size a 2-3 inches if it were to disappear. Without resorting to liposuction, how in the heck do you get rid of all that????

Or is it really something to be treasured and something I might need one day.

I would love to trade bodies with you. I'll even take the extra 5-10 pounds.

drop the carbs. be sure protein and veggies are in every meal. start weight training. be patient. 5 years from now you will look better.

I've also finally become convinced that the carbs are the bad guys. Is your 5 year time frame based on personal experience, or is there some other info that suggests that it takes that long to see a difference?

You can't spot reduce, but doing your core strengthening exercises can help to tighten up the muscles in the belly area. Go see a nutritionists and make sure you are eating properly, there may be a reason your body is hanging onto those fat reserves. Fat placement is caused by hormones, so it may just be harder for you to lose that fat than others would have. Make surgery your last resort, and remember, this is the 50+ group. You're not 18 anymore, so some things are just the gifts of age.

How is your overall fitness? From your post I get the impression that cycling may be your only significant exercise. For your whole body to look good your whole body has to be exercised. Plus, as has been pointed out, there is no such thing as non-surgical spot recuction of fat. Add to that the natural tendency of older bodies to be round. And, of course, adding to the challenge is the tendency of your metabolism to slow with age and with it the need for calories.

So, make sure you aren't taking in too many calories for your age and activity. Lots of discussion about how those calories should be distributed between protein, fat and carbohydrates. But, the body builders seem to have it most right. They say you should have 1 gram (or more) of protein per pound of body weight per day. That comes first in the calorie allowance. The rest of calories should be primarily composed of fruits and vegetables that are as fresh as possible.

Then be sure you do a whole body workout. Take some tips from the body builders. Read some articles in Muscle & Fitness. Talk to a good personal trainer who is a real person; not one of those tiny people, or a mountain of over developed muscle. You will rapidly come to understand what it takes to have whole body fitness.

IF you do it right you can expect a decent body in about 2 years. Yep, it isn't an overnight thing. It is a life long commitment to health and fitness.

Also remember:

First on last off. If you genetic disposition is to carry weight above your waist, it'll be the last place you lose it.

No need to ask here; there's a monthly 'cycling' magazine entirely devoted to this and other appearance issues: Bicycling;)

Stomach or visceral fat is the most dangerous when it comes to cardio health. It's also the most difficult to lose. It's been shown that intervals/sprints reduces visceral fat most quickly. I've found that it does work.

It's easier for me to get my heart rate up doing sprints (running) than intervals. Also, one's max heart rate is higher running than cycling : 190 vs 174 for me @ 70.

Once or twice a week I'll do 4 or 5 tenth-mile full-out sprints. Keeps the fat off as well. Helps the cycling when one has done them for a while and built up to the added strenuous effort.

Al

Based on what I'm hearing my Michelin Snow Tread is going to be around a pretty long while. So, I can't just take one of those pills advertised on tv, go to sleep and wake up the next day and it's gone???

You can't spot reduce,

Yes you can. In 2005 I lost 70 lb. in 6 months on South Beach Diet and the belly fat went away first.

Based on what I'm hearing my Michelin Snow Tread is going to be around a pretty long while. So, I can't just take one of those pills advertised on tv, go to sleep and wake up the next day and it's gone???

See my last post: South Beach Diet really works. The first two weeks are the toughest, then it gets easier. If you ride a lot, though, trying to cut the carbs as deeply as the plan dictates may not be truly possible. I tried to go back onto it this year, at the same time that my commute increased from 7 to 17 miles each way, and if I follow the diet I find it hard to have enough energy through the day. (Adding some toast & maralaide to my breakfast seemed to help that quite a bit.)

Based on what I'm hearing my Michelin Snow Tread is going to be around a pretty long while. So, I can't just take one of those pills advertised on tv, go to sleep and wake up the next day and it's gone???

Just a thought... take the last 5 issues of Bicycling Magazine and follow the "lose 5 lbs now!" directions listed on the covers. Do all concurrently and within 1 week and you become spare tire free!

Just a thought... take the last 5 issues of Bicycling Magazine and follow the "lose 5 lbs now!" directions listed on the covers. Do all concurrently and within 1 week and you become spare tire free!

Lost 5lbs in 48 hours a few weeks ago due to Delhi Belly. Have kept up the light diet and lost another couple of lbs since then but my trousers still need the same notch on the belt.

You might not want to get rid of it. A few extra pounds lets you live longer (statistically.) I do quite a lot of medical related reading and have seen that in at least 1 other place besides this one, but this was the only link I saved.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=101422

Of course a lot of people put appearances ahead of extra life but that's not the way my values go.

You might not want to get rid of it. A few extra pounds lets you live longer (statistically.) I do quite a lot of medical related reading and have seen that in at least 1 other place besides this one, but this was the only link I saved.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=101422

Of course a lot of people put appearances ahead of extra life but that's not the way my values go.

This brings up a good point. We often talk about weight as though less is always better. In fact when we talk about weight loss we are using weight as an indicator of fitness. It is fitness we are after, not just less weight. That is why long term appropriate weight always comes from a proper mix of exercise and nutrition.

Sound like a great justification to be "a few pounds heavy" to me. ;)

Enable weight, it's you friend.

I had a pot belly. I stopped using sugar in my coffee, started eating yogurt every morning and got (don't laugh) an Ab-chair which I use religiously. Now my belly is flat and I have better abs now than I did in my twenties. Once you begin using it, it only takes about a week before you can laugh without being in pain. No lie. Good luck!

Miss Kenton, you are soooo hawt!!!! :love:

Based on what I'm hearing my Michelin Snow Tread is going to be around a pretty long while. So, I can't just take one of those pills advertised on tv, go to sleep and wake up the next day and it's gone???

Suspicions Confirmed!!

I suspected you were tongue in cheek when you posted. You rabble rouser you :)