Liposuction?

[Nash]

When a human body experiences a calorie deficit, it will eat itself. Your body will consume calories by eating its own body fat.

The solution is to stop eating.

 

[braumeister]

Yes, metabolism is complex but if you burn more calories than you take in you WILL lose weight.

It's not opinion, it's proven fact. No one is immune to the laws of physics.

Repeating a discredited idea doesn't help.

 

[MarieIG]

But there is nothing that will effectively target old belly fat. 100 million landfill copies of "Abs of Steel" will tell that story. Sure, you can gain a little muscle in your ab area, but not to the point of slim definition.

Women, especially older women, if truly making changes, after a few months might manage to drop say, 15-20lbs (if they are very disciplined and lucky, and concentrate on maintaining/gaining muscle and not just cardio'ing their way to unhealthy skinny) and might find they lost a cup size in their boobs, and their legs are a bit thinner, their ass is flatter - in the not-good way, and their face is a bit more jowly and saggy, but nope, that tummy is still there.

Fat loss doesn't come evenly across the whole body.

I just don't care for all the judgment against a stranger here, and it probably leads to a lot of folks NOT wanting to ask these questions, as the "Oh, you should just..." crowd comes out in full force.

Some very good points.

I agree with Aerides.

I've had a lean, toned stomach my whole life. In my late 60's, it is beginning to pouch slightly, no matter how many crunches I do or how many cookies I refuse. Gravity and genetics always win in time.

Having no wealthy husband to hang onto, and being afraid of surgery, I'll just keep exercising to maintain core strength as long as I can, and perhaps wear a foundation garment, should I want to step out in a tight red dress.

Nevertheless, if somebody else wants a little surgical help for their waistline, more power to him or her.

Finally, my thought, for the "he/she looks fake" crowd, is to consider: how much worse would they look if they'd done nothing? You can bet the person being criticized, has considered this.

I make the same argument for hair dye (nobody thinks it fools anyone - they just think gray looks awful on them), Botox, and everything else we do to look a little better for just a little longer.

Agree.

No, it's opinion. Because it relies on the obsolete and often disproven idea that we "burn" calories. Metabolism is far more complex.

Agree. A human body is not a bomb calorimeter. So many factors play into our use of energy and metabolism, including hormones, sleep, muscle mass, health, age related changes, food choices, etc. The body tends to reduce calorie burn in response to lowering calorie intake. I am not saying energy intake is not part of the equation, although I do not believe that the body responds to all food (even if the same amount of calories) the same, i.e. 150 calories of soda vs. 150 calories of raw celery. Hormones and genetics can, to a certain extent, influence where the body deposits fat.

On my Podcast Dejour, there was a mention of a study of the Hudza tribe (active hunter gathers) which found they were expending about the same amount a calories as a desk worker. It did appear that the Hudza's bodies were efficient in their use of calories. I am not stating that exercise does not have many health benefits, and I am a proponent of both resistant / strength training and cardio training (albeit for different reasons).

 

[ElizabethT]

Can we have this discussion without use of the word 'believe?' I really am not swayed by beliefs. They are simply opinions, which we all have. I am swayed by cause and effect.

Cause: I limit my calories or increase my burn. Effect: I lose weight. Each and every time.

I do love the reference some posts above to the body eating itself when calories are restricted. It evokes a great Pacman image which I'm now going to carry in my head.

Today we're going out to a new pizza place getting lots of buzz here. But we're walking there, an 8 mile loop. Most folks will likely get there by car, so we'll already be in the hole by 800 calories (roughly 80-100 calories burned per mile), which we are looking forward to partially refilling with pizza.

Yesterday I hiked six hilly miles. The day before that I cycled 30 miles. And on the days I can't or don't care to churn out the miles, I cut way back on what goes in my mouth.

Which is why I have to bite my tongue hard when people toss out to me that I'm 'lucky' to be so thin, which happens pretty frequently, particularly when I'm in the low teens such as I am now. And which no trim person has ever said to be, BTW.

I don't think anyone is suggesting it's easy to reduce calories in our modern and processed crazy food world, but that is different than stating a belief that the cause and effect of calorie intake quantity no longer works.

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ETA: Weight reduction and/or maintenance can definitely be a royal pain, so I totally get if some folk can't or just don't care to. Or prefer to take a pill, or get stomach stapling, or lap band or perform liposuction to get there more quickly. I get it.

It's the refusal to accept the cause and effect aspect of weight that is the problem some like myself are attempting to point out.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I retired last year, and I have lost a lot of weight. I now weigh the same as when I was 20.

Here are a few things I have learned.

1. The number of fat cells do not change in adults. The fat cell size change, but not the number of fat cells. If you have stomach fat and remove it, it will not come back. When you gain weight, something else will get big.

2. When one loses a lot of weight quickly, one reduces the fat cell size and lean mass. One does not get to chose where the fat reduces.

3. All my research says one has to produce a calorie deficit to lose significant weight (not talking about water loss of a few pounds). The body does interesting things with its basal metabolic rate (BMR) when you go into starvation mode. I believe the Minnesota Starvation Study provides a lot of info about starvation.

I'm almost done with my weight loss journey. I hope my skin tightens up soon, but I know it still might be loose forever. I really don't want to lose much more because my face and neck would look better if I was 10 lbs heavier, but I still have a little fat/loose skin on my belly.

I can understand where someone might want to get some stomach work after losing a lot of weight. I'm too frugal to do that, but I understand the desire.

 

[Music Lover]

Repeating a discredited idea doesn't help.

I agree. No one in history has ever gained weight consuming less calories than they burn.

if you think otherwise, provide some proof.

 

[braumeister]

I agree. No one in history has ever gained weight consuming less calories than they burn.

if you think otherwise, provide some proof.

No, talking to you is pointless.

And I'm sure you feel the same way in the other direction.

Carry on.

 

[Music Lover]

No, talking to you is pointless.

And I'm sure you feel the same way in the other direction.

Carry on.

This isn't a matter of opinion or feelings. You have chosen to believe something that can't happen.

Facts are facts even if you don't like them.

 

[Amethyst]

It would actually be rather keen, if one could live on very little food.

Think of the savings on groceries alone!

Not to mention the precious time returned by not having to shop, cook, store, prepare, and eat countless meals.

 

[braumeister]

This isn't a matter of opinion or feelings. You have chosen to believe something that can't happen.

Facts are facts even if you don't like them.

No, you keep accusing me of saying something I never said.
Just look at post #25 where I made my point. Your posts are just knocking down your own strawman.

 

[Music Lover]

No, you keep accusing me of saying something I never said.
Just look at post #25 where I made my point. Your posts are just knocking down your own strawman.

There is no strawman. The only thing I said was that if a person consumes less calories than they use they will lose weight.

 

[Texas Proud]

I agree. No one in history has ever gained weight consuming less calories than they burn.

if you think otherwise, provide some proof.

Technically that stmt is true... if you burn more calories than you take in eventually you will lose weight...


HOWEVER, it is false in that the body adjusts to the lower caloric intake and you have to reduce even more... and it continues...


My mom was on a 1200 calorie diet for months and started to gain weight after loosing for awhile... it is HARD to maintain function at that low of calories...


So just throwing out that if everybody that is overweight would just stop eating as much and lose weight IS false... and that is what it seems you are trying to say...

 

[RetiredHappy]

Our bodies need fewer calories as we get older. So, the perception that our bodies adjust to lower caloric intake is merely because as we get older, we do need fewer calories with the same level of activity.

 

[Amethyst]

I suspect it's more that the level of activity/intensity is no longer quite what it was, and thus fewer calories are expended.

The same is perhaps true of "dieting" to lose weight. The dieter may not realize it, but with the continued calorie deficit, they are finding ways to move more slowly and make fewer movements overall. Plus, I have not known one dieter who didn't admit to cheating, due to hunger and cravings.

If genuine starvation didn't cause weight loss, one would not see videos of pathetic near-skeletons moving about in famine-stricken countries, nor the horrible photos of skin-and-bones prisoners in concentration camps.

Our bodies need fewer calories as we get older. So, the perception that our bodies adjust to lower caloric intake is merely because as we get older, we do need fewer calories with the same level of activity.

 

[Aerides]

The same is perhaps true of "dieting" to lose weight. The dieter may not realize it, but with the continued calorie deficit, they are finding ways to move more slowly and make fewer movements overall. Plus, I have not known one dieter who didn't admit to cheating, due to hunger and cravings.

Because most "diets" are overly restrictive. You can't simply say, right, I'd like to weigh 125 lbs, and the maintenance calories for that body are X, so I'll just eat X and get there.

You have to get a noticeable deficit, probably less than the amount a 125 lb woman eats normally, which might make you uncomfortable, and unable to maintain the same activity levels properly. The body doesn't always make the right decision on when to reduce via muscle or fat either. You will lose some muscle while also losing fat, but it's certainly not a set ratio for everyone.

Age and hormones also play a role. We have all tried the kind of diet that worked when we were 30 - do X for 2 weeks and drop 5 lbs - easy peasy. Try that again at 60 after menopause? hahahaha nope not remotely the same result.

 

[badatmath]

Because most "diets" are overly restrictive. You can't simply say, right, I'd like to weigh 125 lbs, and the maintenance calories for that body are X, so I'll just eat X and get there.

You have to get a noticeable deficit, probably less than the amount a 125 lb woman eats normally, which might make you uncomfortable, and unable to maintain the same activity levels properly. The body doesn't always make the right decision on when to reduce via muscle or fat either. You will lose some muscle while also losing fat, but it's certainly not a set ratio for everyone.

Age and hormones also play a role. We have all tried the kind of diet that worked when we were 30 - do X for 2 weeks and drop 5 lbs - easy peasy. Try that again at 60 after menopause? hahahaha nope not remotely the same result.

It still works though. Just takes longer and more effort to get there. I don't look the same as I did at 18 to be sure but I look better at a lower BMI than a higher one. (I have always been in the "normal" BMI range FWIW).

I think this thread is going a little astray and might be a little rude to the OP though as we have no real business saying what his wife should or should not do and I wish him and her nothing but the best. I have every sympathy for what it is like not to be comfortable with your older age looks for whatever reason.