Need Some Help For Dear Old Mom

[FOZY]

My mother is 56 years old and believes she is doing everything perfect to keep her in optimal shape......Although I could be wrong I think she aproaches things the wrong way...

She eats three meals a day with almost NO fat in them. Lots of salad and carbs. She will have a night snack of icecream or cereal sometimes.....I MEAN NO FAT literally
Mabey total kal 1500-1800 a day


As far as working out she does an hour of high intensity exersize to try and burn as many calories as possible with NO weight training. She does this high intensity exersize usually 5-6 days a week.............

When I think about this I can't help but feel bad because she is so stuck in her way of being fit....

Mabey she is right, but I think what would happen to me if I followed this regime...I would whittle away, I actually think I would aquire a higher BF and lose most of the muscle on my 195LB frame.........

If I could just go to her with some hard info from you girls to turn her head.......She just wants to be in good shape for her age but I feel like the way she goes about things is counterproductive ....I am by no means an expert so I turned to this board

Any help apprecited since I am just going to print this out and let her read away and mabey turn her cheak to a better way of being fit and looking and feeling alot better

BTW- she is 5'6 120LBS BF ???


thanks in advance

foz

 

[new@gettinbig]

She need to eat more! 5-6 small meals a day. She also needs some fat in her diet....good fat, like from flax oil, olive oil, natural peanutbutter etc. She needs this in her diet!! Salads are ok, but you need to eat meat as well, chicken, tuna, turkey breasts, lean red meat, and fish. She should eat about 1 gram of protein per lb. Of course eating veggies and good complex carbs as well. Carbs like yams, oatmeal, rice, potatos, and veggies. She could also eat some fruit in the morning like strawberries and grapefruit. Keep water intake high, and stay away from the sweets, breads and pastas. Once in a while is ok, its good to have a cheat meal once in a while. Tell her not to be afraid of fat in her diet, I used to have this fear of fat, I thought when you dieted it meant no fat, no calories.....WRONG, I am as lean as I have ever been and I am eating 5-6 meals a day along with my flax oil, and olive oil etc. The less you eat, it lowers your metabolism and then when you do eat, your body grabs onto everything and stores it as fat. So eating less and fewer calories is not the way to go! Get her on the boards, we will help her

 

[FitFossil]

Women who do not actively work to maintain their muscle will naturally lose it as they age. This lowers their metabolism and causes them to add body fat. Even if a woman diets and does cardio exercise to remain slender, she won't have the shape or firmness of youth without sufficient muscle. She may look thin, but her skin will be soft and loose.

Get her some Joyce Vedral books or videos. She'd be a great role model for your mother. Joyce is in her mid 50's but you'd never guess by looking at her. Check out http://www.femininemuscularity.com/

Several years ago there was an article in Parade (or something like that) about this 70 year old lady who started bodybuilding in her 50's. Her picture was so amazing, and NOT just because she was 70. Her body looked better than most 20 year olds! Her body was super lean, hard, and shapely. That's because she had muscle. Seeing that article is what "planted the seed" for me. I saw muscle as the ultimate anti-aging weapon.

I have the same problem with my mother. She's in her 70's, plays tennis, and does yoga, but eats like a bird. She lifts weights when she feels like it, but never anything more than 5 pound dumbells. She says those are too easy for some exercises, but won't use anything heavier until she can do all her exercises with the 5 pounders. My father and I have tried explaining that different body parts require different weights, but she won't listen. She thinks she's doing fine because she's really thin and "wins at tennis" - I hate to say it, but she plays doubles with these ladies who spend more time talking than playing. I remember being shocked years ago when I was helping her get on a horse. She barely had enough leg strength to get in the saddle, even though I has giving her a leg up.

 

[keiko]

I think the best argument for your mom is bone density. Do some research on the net and find out about load-bearing exercise helping to keep bones strong (that's weight-lifting.) It bests HRT and ingesting calcium (although both are also important) for retaining your bones. And if you can gether to start lifting--even with the cute lil' pink weights, I think you can sneak in eating more.

Although I'm not at that age yet, I know that people's appetites do dwindle with age. Also, after a liftetime of cooking, your mom might just be sick of preparing meals. If you have a Zone delivery service or good carry out where you live, you might give her a month's worth for Mother's day, along with a BB book (Joyce V. is good) or tapes for a routine she can follow.

 

[Fennec]

She might be interested in Karen Andes - a bit new-agey but good books on strength, power, balance, fitness and geared for women over 40.

http://www.worlddancer.com/index.html

Fennec

 

[cockdezl]

"My mother is 56 years old and believes she is doing everything perfect to keep her in optimal shape......Although I could be wrong I think she aproaches things the wrong way...
She eats three meals a day with almost NO fat in them. Lots of salad and carbs. She will have a night snack of icecream or cereal sometimes.....I MEAN NO FAT literally
Mabey total kal 1500-1800 a day"

No fat?...HELL, no protein. This type of low protein diet is great for losing weight...muscle mass weight, that is. Low protein (<8-10% protein) have been shown to increase metabolism, decrease Lean Body Mass, and decrease bone density.

"As far as working out she does an hour of high intensity exersize to try and burn as many calories as possible with NO weight training. She does this high intensity exersize usually 5-6 days a week............."

Mom should have high cortisol levels, and a high gluconeogenic metabolism (mom is using her body's proteins for fuel). Also, her bones should be getting weak. BUT she is Mom and knows what is right.

Don't worry, its not all bad. Soon you can make a commercial showing her withering, fragile frame..."For only $0.69 a day, the cost of a cup of coffee, you can save the life of this misguided women. Please help feed Mom."

 

[Magda]

The problem my mother faced, and all of her sisters did to, is that they stayed pretty slim because they worked hard all their life but they ate mostly carbs and stuff, now every single one of them that is still alive has adult onset diabetes. Sadly, the thing with most women is if they can fit in a certain size jeans, etc, it doesn't really matter if what they do have is mostly fat or muscle. I am proof. I was very strong as a child and did sports and weight trained with my brother. Well, right before I got married and during my married I just wanted to lose weight, be small etc... I lost almost all of my muscle and now I am paying for it. It took me a long time to figure out that eating right and having muscle was one of the best fat burners!