No Results Because of This?

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by Alta-tude

Well, you asked a question and we have given you answers based on our experiences. For women in our 50's, all the stuff that used to work may not work anymore.

Exercise is important. Diet is important. The menopausal years are a new adventure in metabolism and the body has a mind of it's own. (Kinda like puberty!)

It is a time to re-asses and re-think everything!

I couldn't agree more.

I've also found that you cannot control the direction of a thread's conversation. Some of the most innocuous sounding topics have ended up being locked.

And don't forget the VF Law of Attraction: if you say "don't talk about diet", people will talk about diet!

[Vintage VFer]

Also, sometimes a natural reaction to extra pounds is to over-exercise. Doing HIIT four times a week or diving in to an advanced rotation. That can be a bad call because injuries can happen. Then you can't work out at all. I have found that too much exercising makes me hungrier.

I enjoy the threads where folks are stunned to find that doing Leslie and other non-killer workouts has helped them to lose stubborn pounds. Sometimes you need to be gentle with yourself and not beat your body to death.

[Gams]

Ditto what Sue B and Alton's Alta said...

[Sophie]

Originally Posted by Nuggie's Auntie

I agree. I think many of the diet related posts were addressing these issues in general and not directly addressing the OP since we don't know her in real life. It was a collaborative discussion.

This is very true. Many posts share info for the VF readership, since we cannot possibly know all the details of a person's life, or their preferences, constraints, and so on.

And I agree - I read the most of the posts as very well intentioned, based on sharing their own experience, and certainly not meant to make assumptions about the OP's diet choices.

And don't forget the VF Law of Attraction: if you say "don't talk about diet", people will talk about diet!

LOL Sue, it's like trying not to talk about bulk.

[Vintage VFer]

Originally Posted by Gams

Ditto what Sue B and Alton's Alta said...

Alton.....sigh...

[marmact]

I can sort of understand the OP's frustration because she specifically asked about exercise, yet many of the responses were on the diet part of the equation. On the other hand, I agree that diet is an important factor and often underemphasized by marketing that generally refuses to admit that program participants also seriously dieted and didn't get their results JUST from doing whatever program. I also don't think you can control where a message board conversation is going to go, and I think it's kind of rude to summarily dismiss peoples' experiences just because they don't provide the kind of answer you're seeking.

Anyway, here is my .02 to this conversation. First, I have been reading Tracey R's book "The Swing," and she talks about how she lost 100+ pounds by getting into a rhythm with both food and exercise. I thought this was so profound and it underscores the idea that it's about LIFESTYLE and not necessarily about hopping onto whatever bandwagon happens to be popular at the moment. You have to figure out what's going to work and what feels right to you, and then you have to make that a consistent part of your everyday life. This requires mindfulness and discipline. It doesn't just happen on its own.

The other thing I think of is the old saying, "Wherever you go, there you are." If you don't have a plan, you're going to end up wherever you end up. That's why I don't personally understand hit-and-miss approaches to diet and exercise. I mean, you can certainly do it, but if you're taking a scattered approach, you're going to end up with scattered results.

Finally, "insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." If what you're doing isn't working, then it likely isn't going to work. Real change requires going out of our comfort zone. Most people do not enjoy change because it is uncomfortable by nature. It's easier to stick with the familiar, even if that isn't working. You have to be willing to brave those feelings of discomfort to get something different for yourself.

Anyway, good luck. For me personally, it's about BOTH diet and exercise.

[Laura S.]

Well, I guess that's the difference then. Some people feel that the question posed in a thread should respected enough to be addressed and others feel that a question is a stepping off place to share personal experiences, whether they relate to the question posed or not. Personally, I can't imagine having someone walk up to me in real life and ask me the question posed by the OP and give them the answer, "Oh, don't worry about exercise. It's all about what you eat!" If you wouldn't be that dismissive in the real world, why would you do it online? But, I guess if you would, then it makes sense.

This is all just me though. I'm now backing out of the discussion since it's really not on point anymore anyway...

[eyefit]

Originally Posted by Laura S.

There are some of us (and I say "us" because I assume I'm not the only person for whom this is true) for whom the exercise component is the driver of weight loss. That doesn't mean that it's the biggest factor in weight loss, but that it's where a successful process of losing weight starts. Whenever I have been successful at losing weight, I have gotten my exercise "right" whether that means getting the duration, the intensity, the mix of activities (strength vs. cardio), etc. right. Once the exercise part of the equation is going well, then that makes the eating portion that much easier. It motivates me to eat better. My body starts to feel more fit, stronger, better and that helps me make better choices about what I eat and to stick to my planned diet.

You're definitely not the only person for whom that's true Laura! I am the same way. I lost weight and drastically improved my body composition through exercise primarily, and then as I started seeing this metamorphosis, it motivated me to change my eating habits (although not drastically since it was never that bad to begin with). I am definitely more likely to pass on a cookie when I exercise then when I stop. I think for me it's psychological...I don't want to sabotage my hard work while I'm doing it. Yet, when I stop working out, the eating goes downill! lol I guess I'm all or nothing.

So much good, well intentioned advice on this thread. I think it's great and I hope it's been helpful for you OP!

[BunnyHop]

Originally Posted by Laura S.

... If you wouldn't be that dismissive in the real world, why would you do it online? But, I guess if you would, then it makes sense...

I don't think this analogy applies, though.

Online discussions by their nature are less confrontational than 'real' conversation face to face. People contribute over time, not immediately, and have the luxury of thinking about the question before they reply. Sure, it's easy to just start typing and hit the reply button too quickly, but I don't think that's what's happened here.

The thread title is kind of vague, original post was kind of rambling, and despite their caveat that they want to talk about whether or not longer/more focused rotations would help the OP make some changes, the OP did provide a lot of other information about themselves and their situation.

I think it's perfectly natural that people would use that post as a jumping off point for a less specific conversation.

In my own specific case, my weight gain came about because of major lifestyle changes that show no sign of altering. For me, if the weight's gonna come off, I'm going to have to make changes in pretty much every area of my life. Until that happens, I'm thinking things won't change for me.

Fuel and exercise are just part of the equation, not the whole solution.

[Helen S]

Originally Posted by Sophie

This is very true. Many posts share info for the VF readership, since we cannot possibly know all the details of a person's life, or their preferences, constraints, and so on.

And I agree - I read the most of the posts as very well intentioned, based on sharing their own experience, and certainly not meant to make assumptions about the OP's diet choices.

LOL Sue, it's like trying not to talk about bulk.

I agree with you and others. VFers don't know the diet, exercise routine, lifestyle or body type of OPs. So they respond to what works for them. They are trying to be helpful. Also when it comes to gaining weight because of age, I think a lot of VFers including me understand that. I can no longer just exercise the extra weight away.

The OP asked if following a rotation would help. I based my answer on my own experience. For me, it didn't matter which rotation I followed or if I followed one at all. I only got results if I changed my diet. I know the OP didn't want to know about diet but I couldn't answer the question honestly unless I included it with my answer. I will say that I've always been consistent with exercise so even if I didn't follow a rotation, I still exercised at least 5 days a week. So a rotation could be helpful if a person wasn't consistent with exercise without it. Also rotation could be helpful if you wanted to try a new program or because you are training for something (that's usually why I do a rotation).

Lora, you might not want to read the rest of my answer but I'm just wondering if your stress level is better. I know from previous posts that you have/had a stressful job. You also couldn't do certain activities because your wrist was injured. I think you said that you're clear to exercise so that's good. But you might want to consider adding walks, yoga (not the kind that stresses wrists too much), or other relaxing activities.