By Guest Blogger Paula Jager, CSCS
One morning mid February I had an urge to try on my bathing suit–I don’t know why I just did. Most likely because it had been cold, spring was around the corner and I had been hiding out in my sweats enjoying mass quantities of comfort foods.
I didn’t gain much weight–the scale could not be right! If I had gained it had to be muscle. Well, I put on that swimsuit, grabbed a mirror and checked my rear. I almost threw up, that could not possibly be my body looking back at me. What in the world had happened?
Here I am a CSCS and owner of a fitness facility that eats “right” and exercises year round. I am passionate in my efforts as well as my nature. I practically get on a pulpit and shout it from afar. How in the world could I have gained 11 pounds? And 9 ½ of it was in my rear–that’s pure genetics there. Could it be my age, I am 51? Could it be because I am post menopausal? I had always had older friends tell me about the “inevitable weight gain around the middle” at that stage in life to which in my “youth” I always replied “it’s what you eat and whether or not you move your arse”. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my entire life at 126 lbs and 19% body fat and had a roll around the middle. Could I possibly have been wrong? Does the body change? Well of course it changes as we age but was it really out of my control? I decided to test my hypothesis and treat myself as if I were a client. . .
I first ask a client what they are trying to accomplish–what their goals are. For in order to evoke change one must have goals, they must be measurable and you must have a strategy or plan. My goal is to reach 115 lbs and approximately 12% body fat by May 22nd. My start date was March 15th of which the first 12 days were a raw milk fast to cleanse and detoxify the body.
I next ask a client to give me a food log; I must know what they are taking in before I can help them. So, for 3 solid weeks I logged everything I ate in www.fitday.com (an excellent free online diet journal) to see where I was. I changed not a thing as I wanted an honest assessment of what I had been consuming. Now mind you, I eat healthy, healthier than 95% of the people in this nation I would guesstimate. It is a priority in my life; for how I feel, for my health and energy levels and around this time of the year for how I look. It is my job and my life. I will give you keeping a food log is tedious, time consuming and not something I would do long term or for more than the duration of an occasional reality check. However, if I do not know what I am consuming and in what amounts I will not know what I need to change.
Here’s what I found. . .
The macronutrient ratios were near ideal: about 21% protein, 19% carbs and 60% fat on average. The foods were all from quality sources and home cooked. But my average daily caloric intake based on 2/19 — 3/10 was 2400 calories a day and my “indulgences” were averaging 2-3x a week coming from homemade ice cream, 70% organic cacao bars and grits. So maybe that’s why all that junk was in my trunk?
Based on the 3 week food log that I kept in Fit Day, eating as I had been all winter – I am surprised! Yet the answer is clear and I now know what to change. Most importantly, I have a plan. . .
Stay tuned for Part 2–where I am 5 weeks later and how I got there. . .
Paula Jager CSCS and Level 1 CrossFit and CF Nutrition Certified is the owner of CrossFit Jaguar.
Her exercise and nutrition programs yield life changing results
www.crossfitjaguar.com
[email protected]
Hi Angela, great job on dropping your body fat over10%! That requires dedication and discipline. I must admit, I do miss the larger portions:) Stay tuned for the after pics. . .
Paula – I can’t wait to see your results!!! I am in a similar boat. I am about 19% body fat with a bit of a tummy (5’4″ 110lbs) and I follow a mostly primal diet and exercise program. I’ve been working hard at lowering my body fat over the last 7 months (went from 29% to 19% over this winter) but am still stuck with a little belly.
I’d say I eat 90% clean, but after tracking my eating for a mere 3 days, I realize I eat over 2800 calories a day. I’m a little motivated to get to a more reasonable calorie intake, but I’d love to see what happens to you first. 😉
You’ll be my motivation to eat less calories and finally lose the little belly. Way to go! And by the way, you are brave to put up photos. You look great (and STRONG). I wish you the best of luck.
Girl you are so brave 🙂
To all my 40-something and early 50-something sisters. I am 62, so here are some words of wisdom from an older gal. You are all still in what I call “fighting mode.” Don’t worry about trying to turn back the clock, ya can’t, and trying to look like you did before you hit those decades (I am very anti all this anti aging stuff). I’m aging with grace, no work to be done on my face or body by plastic surgeons, and my motto to live by now in that regard is, “I just want to be healthy (WAPF and real foods are key), I just want to be clean (clean clothes, clean body, etc., and I just want to be sort of current (got rid of all my “retro” clothing and hair do!) and of course I want to be happy and helpful. I think when you all ease into and out of those five years of menopause, you too will hit a graceful stride! There is life post menopause girls, really! If you are really struggling though with perimenopause issues….DO go see a really good naturopath for some help. I wish I’d known in my 30’s and 40’s what I learned from my NP in my 50’s!
Less is definitely more Jennifer! I don’t know where anyone is getting the idea that I am beating myself up psychologically. I am very content and happy at where I am at this stage of the game. More so than I ever was in my 20’s or 30’s. I just enjoyed eating a lot this past winter and am trimming it down to look better this summer.
Physically, I train 3 to 4 days a week and recover on the others which seems to be working very well. As far as vehicles go, I like something with a little more metal–I’m more in line with a Hummer:)
Hi there Paula, I totally appreciate where you are coming from approaching 41 myself, I have already begun to feel the beginnings of menopause. But you may want to consider the “less is more mantra”. I have been a NASM CPT for many years as well as a Paul Chek practitioner for 10 of those years. We have to stop beating ourselves up, our hormonal structures are different then mens’. I remember Paul saying men are ‘tonka trucks’ and women are Ferrari’s when it comes to hormones. So stop beating yourself up psychologically and physically and you may be able to handle the stick shift of the Ferrari!
All the best to you
Jennifer
I like that analogy of the Hummer:) Good luck!!
Paula, you look absolutely amazing! And this statement is coming from a 19 yr old 🙂
I’m glad that I can stay thin (not too skinny) and healthy even in my late 40’s or early 50’s without having to worry about menopause (when I get there, lol). Thanks Paula for posting this.
Youth is so refreshing, thanks Erica!
Kate, 12% is not a body fat that I will maintain for any length of time. I am going there for a competition we are doing. During the summer months I keep my bodyfat around 15% and usually around 18% in the winter. During my competitive years I always had a normal menstrual cycle unless I got below 10% which I do not feel is healthy for a woman.
Most women have no problem carrying enough fat on their hips and thighs. IMo 24% is too high; I usually rx 16-20% for the average woman. I have several fit and healthy clients that have had no problems getting prego on this. We actually have one client now who had had 3 miscarriages on a SAD diet prior to joining us, switched to primal nutrition, dropped 15 lbs of fat and now is a happy mom to be well along the way.
But you are correct, you need to eat to support the child you are carrying; that is a differnet and wonderful stage of a woman’s life. To your health!
I am concerned about the “12% body fat” part. I know you are post-menopausal so obviously child bearing isn’t an issue. But I believe I have read that women who ARE in the child-bearing years do need to carry more weight (around their hips and thighs, mostly) and be closer to 24% body fat. I know when I lost weight and got down to around 112 (I’m 5’3″) I did not even get my period normally! (This was during the GAPS diet/detox.) Then, on WAP, I slowly gained weight, 1 – 2 lbs. per month, until my weight settled in around 125. Only as I approached this weight were things “normal” again. I am quite sure my body fat is much higher than 12%, too. But I am 26 and pregnant now, so I need it.
I just wanted women who are younger and perhaps in a different stage of life to know that maybe what is ideal for you, is not necessarily ideal for them.