Weight Management Over 45

Managing your weight is hard enough when you were in your early 20s. Now that you are past 40, it seems impossible. Your body is not the way it used to be and you are having a hard time fitting into the clothes that you wore several years ago. The workout plan that seemed to work perfectly ten years ago now fails to melt away those unwanted pounds.

If it’s any consolation, most people over 45 have this same type of problem. Some even encounter it earlier, during their late 30s. In any case, it is harder to manage your weight at this stage of your life, but you also need it more than ever. Weight management is a must as we approach middle age in order to avoid the chances of being obese and to reduce the chances of getting diseases which readily strike middle-age people.

The increasing difficulty in losing weight as one ages can be attributed to the fact that the muscle mass and metabolic rate of your body lessens or diminishes once you hit the big 4-0. Also, people in this age group usually resort to crash diets in order to lose weight. They also tend to exercise less compared to their younger years. This wreaks havoc on the body’s metabolism.

But this does not mean that you cannot achieve effective weight management in middle age. This practical guide will help you keep the extra pounds off and have a healthier body.

Do not rely on the scales alone This is a common mistake when distinguishing muscle from fat in your body. Surprisingly, women who are in the normal weight range can actually have low muscle percentage and higher body fat percentage. This can lead to increased weight gain over time since the less muscle that a person has the fewer the calories she will be able to burn. Now if you belong to this group, you have to increase the amount of exercise that you do to increase your muscle mass, or modify your diet plan to fix this problem.

Do not even attempt to crash diet For some, crash dieting is the easiest solution to lose weight. What they do not know is that it will bring back the weight faster and in increased amounts. Taking away too many calories in your diet will prompt your body to go into starvation mode. This will lead to a drastic drop in the metabolic rate.

Do allow the pounds to drop slowly One of the most common mistakes committed by middle-aged people is to hasten the process of shedding the extra pounds. Accept that fact that at this age, losing weight is definitely slower, unless you are genetically gifted to stay slim for life. Make sure to choose a diet plan that will suit this purpose. Lean protein is essential to your diet, so make sure to load up on lean beef, fish, eggs and chicken during your meals. Vegetarians will choose to substitute other sources of protein. You can drink lots of milk, but make sure that it is skimmed, fat-free milk. Avoid full-cream and soy milk. Cut off flavored-carbohydrate drinks from your diet as well.

Add strength-training moves to your exercise routine Some people make the mistake of focusing only on cardio routines and forget to include strength-training moves. Although cardio exercises can make you lose weight, it will not challenge the muscles like strength-training moves do. This is essential to build muscle mass in your body and burn more calories in the process.

It is also important that you do the same type of exercises repeatedly. Decide on the type of exercises that you enjoy doing and can benefit your body. Fix the speed and frequency of each exercise and do them regularly. Sticking to the same type of exercises makes you adapt more easily to the routine and burn more calories effectively. Of course, you have to track your results. If you have been doing a set for a long time and you are not getting favorable results, then it is time for you to modify your routine.

Do not skip breakfast While some skip breakfast because they are in a hurry during their mornings, some prefer not to eat in the morning so they can cut on calories. This is a bad idea. Not eating in the morning will cause increased appetites at lunchtime. You do not have to eat heavy meals in the morning if you don’t want to. A light breakfast or bread and cereals will do. This is perfectly fine compared to not eating anything at all.

Do Get enough sleep You tend to have more and stronger food cravings when you are sleep-deprived. When you do not have enough sleep, the appetite-stimulating hormone called ghrelin increases and can lead to uncontrollable food cravings, usually for pasta, chips, candies and cookies. Also, less sleep leads to more stress. When you are stressed, the levels of the stress hormone cortisol increase dramatically, which can trigger cravings for high-carb, high-fat foods.

Do Do yoga Yoga is useful not only for improving one’s flexibility and strength, it is also an effective way for middle-aged people to drop the extra pounds. According to a study conducted by researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, middle-age people from 45 to 55 years old who are on regular yoga practices lose an average of five pounds over the course of a decade. This is in comparison to those who do not practice regular yoga within a 10-year period. Yoga promotes weight loss by encouraging regular exercise habits and healthier eating habits. It teaches a person to exercise self-discipline when it comes to maintaining their weight. Another theory formed by the researchers is that yoga allows one to develop a healthier response towards stress, which lessens the chances of one turning to food binging. This is very important for middle-aged people. Lowering the stress hormones decreases insulin levels, which is essential for lowering the chances of obesity. For middle-aged persons who have not practiced yoga before, it is recommended that they go through gentle yoga first before going to the more demanding levels.