What are good exercises / meal plans for 40 + year old mothers?

[blufrenzy93]

I'm asking a question regarding my mother...she's 46, had two kids, and wants to lose some weight.

I wanna help her because she feels like her body isn't good enough the way it is, but what can you expect at her age and two kids ? Anyway, I don't personally believe diets are real, but she's gone on several. Her latest one right now is eating cold-cut meats [ turkey ], but she actually gained weight.

What are some good exercises she could do or a good meal plan she could eat that would shed some pounds off of her ?

**Keep in mind she's also had two back surgeries, so nothing extreme please :]

[mia92]

this is some advice I gave to someone else on here, hope it helps :) ...

1. DRINK WATER. try to get at least the recommended 8 glasses a day. it also supresses appetite. ;)

2.WALK. don't go straight into hard exercise as it can be demotivating. walking is a great cardiovascular exercise in any case and you WILL notice a difference after a few days. try starting just 30 minutes. then go up to an hour. works like a charm I promise!

3. EAT. eat regularly- preferably 5 or 6 times a day but keep the meals small. porridge is GREAT in the morning with a tsp of honey and some cinnamon, or poached eggs on whole wheat toast (rye bread is even better) once or twice a week. another meal could be some low-fat, non sweetened yoghurt with fruit salad. try pureeing frozen blueberries and then sieving it into greek yoghurt (soooo goood :) ). later in the day you could try a small salad, hummus is a good source of protein and also nuts if you add them to the salad. cheese is good in moderation. because you are a guy, try to keep it at 2000 calories or less if you want permanent weight loss-----

your mom should stick to 1500 calories or less a day (no less than 1000)



4. PORTION CONTROL. I almost always have dessert cos I love sweet food but make sure it's small. I'll have a piece of cake the length of my thumb or a single chocolate. a GREAT tip for your meals- put your food on a small side plate. make sure every meal fits on it (don't stack).

5.DANCE- I'm a dancer, and I swear by it. you got any music you like, then play it and move. it can be soso much fun, when you get more comfortable with it you could even take a class.

6. NEVER SAY NEVER- do that and you'll want it immediately. just make sure if you're drinking alcohol, it's one night out in the week, or a glass of wine at dinner (actually healthy), but be afraid of empty calories. coffee is good once a day if you don't have too mcuh sugar. frying food is no good but say you'll do it once a week.

7.DON'T TRY DIETING. being slim and healthy is a lifestyle. these changes need to be easy enough so that you can continue permanently without falling back into you're old ways. detox diets don't work- trust me I've tried them all (stupid, I know). the weight comes on afterward. same with all diets, as soon as you stop the weight will come back on.

8.STAY MOTIVATED. it's really hard sometimes. try a song or a picture and stick it on your fridge. force yourself to look or listen when you feel like things are going to slow.

;)

[blufrenzy93]

Thank you :]

very helpful.

she does drink a lot of water,

but I think she over-walks [ she'll walk -randomly- out the month for over an hour, but you said only for 30 min. ]

#3 sounds great.

[Confused614]

Great tips. I tell everyone #7 over and over and in pretty much the exact same wording. I tell people dieting is a temporary thing you eat right hit your target weight and go back to eating what you want. You can't do that if you want to be healthy it has to be a permanent lifestyle change.