How to Lose Weight in Your 50s and 60s
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Jan 24, 2019
- 3 min read
Introduction:
Decreased basal metabolic rate, weight gain and increase d energy intake are common as we are in the middle age. Women and men need to have healthy eating patterns and exercise to stay fit and protect their health from chronic diseases.
Tips for Losing Weight in Your 50s and Beyond
1. Know your numbers. You need to know your BMI but other measure are really important and they really matters when it comes to weight loss.
Waist Circumference: Your waistline may get bigger, even though you are not gaining weight and this is due to hormonal changes that can change the way you carry weight on your body. Women tend to see weight gain in their idle and men in their belly.
Body Fat Percentage: Your body composition is likely to change as you get older. Lower testosterone levels in both men and women cause a decrease in muscle mass as we age. So even if your weight stays the same you might feel and look more “fatty” if you’ve lost muscle and gained fat.
2. Evaluate your family health history. Evaluate family history for belly fat and related conditions is the beginning toward changing yourself.
3. Become your own personal health expert. Understanding weight loss benefits is very important. Once you notice this you will start changing your lifestyle and contact with your doctor to get the best advice.
4. Manage your eating habits. In order to lose weight you need to evaluate your eating habits, as decreased intake of desserts, sweets and fried food is linked with health benefits and weight loss.
5. Boost your daily activity level. Keep moving and don’t stop your activities. You can burn more calories without exercise by increasing your non-exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT. Simple daily chores and activities boost your NEAT and contribute to a healthier metabolism.
6. Evaluate your lifestyle and interests.
To lose the weight, you don't necessarily need to give up your hobbies, but you may want to make simple adjustments to change your energy balance. For example, if you like to travel, choose an active vacation instead of a food-cantered cruise. If you like to cook, invest in a healthy cooking class.
7. Watch your alcohol intake. Evaluate alcohol intake as calories add up quickly especially in the belly area. Unhealthy choices are ordered always with drinks.
8. Balance your workouts. It’s great if you do any exercise on a daily basis. But as we age, a balanced workout program becomes more important.
Strength Training: Do resistance or strength training exercises to build and maintain muscle and to keep your metabolism healthy. Studies have shown that resistance (strength) training has specific benefits for us as we age.
Aerobic training: Do cardiovascular activity on a regular basis to offset the decrease in metabolism that comes with age and to improve your heart health.
Flexibility training: Do stretching exercises to increase the range of motion in your joints. This helps your body stay limber and comfortable through activities of daily living.
9. Eat enough protein. In order to repair muscles you need to increase protein intake as 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
10. Do functional stability training. Nothing makes you look old faster than a hunched posture and a shuffle-style walk. Keep a strong, stable, youthful-looking body by adding functional training exercises to your daily routine.
Simple stability exercises take just minutes to perform but help to improve your balance, your posture and your appearance.
11. Stay connected with active friends. You need social support to stick to your daily routine and exercise. Meet new friends at the gym, connect with the community at church or organize a few neighbours for workouts or healthy recipe exchanges.
It is recommended to make two-three changes per month. Positive thinking is really important as we aged. Love yourself even you become older. Healthy lifestyle and eating patterns are the key toward healthy mind.
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