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Concern #3: You are not building muscle.

With your current routine, you are likely losing muscle mass. You want to maintain and preferably increase your lean body tissue. This will combat the decrease in metabolism that often accompanies both dieting and aging. You’ve got to begin some resistance training.

Get yourself some dumbbells and use them, along with body-weight exercises such as squats and lunges, for 15-20 minutes, three times per week, not on consecutive days. To begin, you’ll need dumbbells that range from 5 to 10 pounds. Within two months or so, as you get stronger, you should be purchasing weights up to 15 or 20 pounds. Start with a basic, beginner weight training routine. You can get fancy if you want later on.

I hope this helps. As you approach weight loss, don’t sabotage yourself by using techniques that lead to a slower metabolism (other than the slowing that comes from simply having a smaller body). Those would include dramatic calorie reduction and the absence of strength training from your workout routine. Keep your muscle mass up, keep your activity level up, keep your body guessing and adapting, and cut your calorie intake only modestly.

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