Body Recomposition ?

[Snowpuppy]

Hey all, not sure if this is the proper forum to ask this, but here goes!

I was looking at old pics of me in my 20's. I am now 49. I always had a belly, low slung type of pooch. I was ~ 35 lbs lighter in the pic than I am now, but OMG did I have some abs! :eek:

I now have a spare tire where the abs should be that the Michelin Man would envy. My spare tire is actually larger than my hips now! Any opinions as to why the change over the years in where the body fat is? All the years of high carb/high sugar? Peri-menopause?

Any ideas on how to flatten the tire? TIA. :D

[cmcole]

If anyone gives you some ideas, I'd like to use them, too.
I think it has something to do with age, diet, and a whole lot of things, but I can understand your dilemma, although I can't solve it.

[Snowpuppy]

Thanks for taking the time to read & comment. I started PP with the book from '98 and there was info targeted to women who were an 'apple' or 'pear' shape and what insulin/glucose had to do with composition.

Truthfully, I was so round back when I started I was looking for the 'bowling ball' model. Maybe someone who has some physiology background could help.

[Shadow]

Snowpuppy - There is no way to reduce just our problem areas :). The only thing you can do is reduce your overall body fat - and just accept that it's going to leave your body in the way your body deems necessary, not the way you do ;). I must say that I believe that as we age, we are subject to the unfortunate whim of Mother Nature that I call "The SSS" (Shifting Shape Syndrome). So areas that may have been your best in your late teens/early 20s may now be your worst once you hit the 40s and beyond...

But the important thing is that you're working to reduce overall body fat and there is nothing shabby in that at all - in fact, just the opposite! It takes a lot of grit and determination to make this journey - so you deserve full credit for fighting the battle. Sure, you may not end up looking like a centerfold, but even centerfolds have air brushing and taping and etc. done to actually make them look that good :p!

[Snowpuppy]

I was just disgruntled the other day when I realized I could buy one size smaller jeans if only I didn't have such a spare tire for a waist! :(

Then again, as I write this, I am recalling with tears of gratiude the Christmas I had lost enough weight to shop in a real store (Fashion Bug) and buy real jeans instead of the pull on ones with faux zippers from "We are Catalogs for Fat Ladies".

[Shadow]

Believe me, Snowpuppy, we all have our disgruntled moments ;). But it sounds like you're now looking at it from a much better perspecitve :D! Hang in there, Snowpuppy, that spare tire will deflate :)!

[Mitra]

I had a look in Protein Power. I found the section where they discuss apple/pear shapes and the effect of insulin resistance, but there wasn't any specific advice on how to change your shape :(, just that abdominal fat is one of the indicators of insulin resistance, and means you need to pay attention to keeping your insulin levels under control. They also mention the "shape-shifting" that Shadow referred to:

For many women who have carried hip and leg fat for much of their lives and seemed perfectly healthy otherwise, these additional health problems may not occur until after the child-bearing years but then come on with a vengeance as menopause approaches.

Just what we "women of a certain age" wanted to hear :rolleyes:.

[cmcole]

Oh, yeah. I really needed to read that today.
I should have just stayed away from this thread.

I have the vengence of approaching menopause, I'm guessing, and my weight is settling around my middle . . . UCK!!!

[laughingW]

Snowpuppy - There is no way to reduce just our problem areas :). The only thing you can do is reduce your overall body fat - and just accept that it's going to leave your body in the way your body deems necessary, not the way you do ;).
Teresa Tapp, a trainer who specializes in women's bodies as they age, has workouts where you can "tighten up" the muscles around the core just like you would tighten a corset. So in that sense you can change the musculature and make it inches smaller. She also has workouts for other body areas too along the same principles.

Then all you gotta do is remove the excess fat around it and voila!

[Snowpuppy]

Thanks for all the comments & suggestions. I am re-reading my old PP book and also realized how much progress I've made in reducing bodyfat. I still have a way to go before I even get to the upper limits of what is considered acceptable. :p

When I began my weightloss, one of the suprising events was that I was a smaller size at the same weight on my way down while on PP. The Eades attribute this to protein consumption/exercise/lower bodyfat.

Laughing, I have read about strengthening your 'core'. I've been ill the last 2 years and now that I am healing I am ready to begin exercise again. I still have reduced lung capacity so I will have to see what works for me. I'm sure lack of exercise the last 2 years has helped inflate the tire!

[Shadow]

Yes, you can work on areas and make them better and stronger. But even if you build a good muscle base and haven't lost the fat, the area will not look any better on the outside - and just might end up being larger ;). Until the body fat is gone, the area in question is never going to be at its best :).