Nine easy ways for men to lose weight after age 50



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If you have more and more trouble losing weight since you had the big 5-0, you can not imagine anything. "As you get older, your metabolism starts to slow down, and a lot of your metabolism works, as well as your organs and your absorption – everything becomes a little less effective," says Katherine L Tucker, Ph.D. Nutritional Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Population Health of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. You now need fewer calories than ever to maintain your body mass, not to mention reduce it.

Plus, as you get older, the quality of muscle starts to change, from muscle fibers to a combination of fat and muscle in the muscle fiber, says Stephen Anton, PhD, Associate Professor and Chief of Staff. Division of Clinical Research. at the Department of Aging and Geriatrics Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida. "After 50 years, the process of infiltration of fat in the muscles accelerates," he explains. The result? You can feel more easily tired. Your metabolism begins to slow down and you lose muscle mass, making it more difficult to prevent fat from accumulating.

You can still lose weight, but you will have to make a more deliberate effort than before. Here are some simple ways to lose weight.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

To lose weight, you must obviously absorb fewer calories than you spend. But instead of focusing on what to eat less from, let's talk about what to eat more of. First, fruits and vegetables. In one study at Harvard, people who consumed more fruits and vegetables lost weight, especially if they ate more berries, apples, pears, soy or cauliflower. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories but rich in the essential vitamins and minerals you need as you get older, including fiber, which can keep you satiated between meals, says Tucker. She recommends stacking the vegetables on half of your plate with each meal. Keep frozen vegetables in the freezer so you never run out of time and be creative with your salads by adding olives, cheese or slices of oranges to make them more palatable. Discover our favorite breakfast salads–Yes, breakfast salads – for more inspiration.

Buy an instant jar and prepare bean stews

Beans are full of fiber and protein, and when they move through your digestive system, their fiber and starch-resistant starch nourishes the good bacteria in your gut, Tucker says. These bacteria in turn create short-chain fatty acids, useful for protecting your metabolism. A study done in Canada shows that people who ate a portion of legumes every day as part of a weight loss effort lost a few pounds in just six weeks on average. Try making beans or lentils in an Instant Pot, which will allow you to cook legumes with vegetables and other tasty ingredients and do enough for the whole family. Discover more ways to make one of our favorite beans garbanzo.

Befriend your scale

Weigh yourself each morning so that you immediately notice if the number tends to increase instead of decreasing. "If you put on weight, and you focus on it very early and you weigh only a few pounds, you can lose it quickly, but if you let it stay, you reprogram your body with a higher weight and you'll have it's hard to lose because you're hungry, "says Tucker. Learn more about the benefits of weigh yourself daily.

Concentrate on your food

Between karate lessons for your children, appointments with your accountant and all the other obligations faced by the modern middle-aged man, you may not give your meals the respect they deserve. deserve. Bettina Mittendorfer, Ph.D., associate professor of medical research at Washington University in St. Louis, said, "People on the move tend to overeat," but eating slowly and with awareness can help you lose weight. weight. Instead of eating in your car on the way to work or shoveling your lunch between meetings, put your food on a plate, grab a seat and chew slowly so you can enjoy every bite. Adding crisp elements to your meal, like jicama or sliced ​​cabbage, can also help you slow down and eat less. One more thing: see if the next episode of the hottest show on Netflix can wait after dinner. (Tip: it can.) Eating in front of the TV is associated with weight gain, according to research published in the newspaper Obesity.

Stop drinking sugar

Drinks and sugary foods bring you calories – about 150 calories in a Pepsi can, for example – but they will not satisfy your appetite. "A soda falls quickly," says Mittendorfer. "Eat the equivalent in a salad and you'll stay full longer." (You would have to eat more kale than you can bear to reach 150 calories.) Among the benefits: People who stop drinking soda and other sugary sugars the drinks take less weight over time that those who do it, a review of the study from Australia suggests.

Mix your workout sessions

If you've been looking at one type of exercise so far, it's time to mix it up. In a recent study From the University of Illinois at Chicago and Iowa State University, seniors who did 30 minutes of aerobics and 30 minutes of resistance training three days a week reduced their body fat and muscle . (They also showed improvements in blood pressure and cardiorespiratory fitness, important improvements for an aging heart.)

Resistance training is especially effective at helping you build muscle, which burns more calories than fat, and aerobic exercise is especially effective at helping you lose fat, says author Elizabeth Schroeder, doctoral candidate. "Together, they bring about a favorable change in body composition and the increase in strength and fitness with aging leads to a better quality of life and the maintenance of independence," she says. .

For strength, "focus on the legs and larger muscle groups of the upper body with compound lifts, such as squats, deadlifts, bench press and push-ups," Anton explains. "These lifts involve more muscle groups than isolated lifts and generally result in a greater increase in muscle gains while stimulating fat metabolism." (And see our resistance training for beginners.) For aerobics, find what you love, whether it's running, cycling, swimming or even walking.

(Check best cardio workout sessions that do not work.) Even better: Interval trainingwhich combines periods of intense work followed by periods of lighter activity. If you have not worked for a long time, consult a personal trainer to assess your mobility and where to start.

Pick up a new sport

Playing mic games with your friends is not only fun: it's like a powerful workout and one therapy session at a time. "Sports like football, basketball and ultimate Frisbee would be ideal, [they] would burn a lot of calories and the high intensity requirements would increase the amount of fat burned in the next 24 to 48 hours, "says Anton. The friendships you have can also help. "In general, this social support strengthens people's support for healthy lifestyle changes," says Anton. In one study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, seniors who were dieting and playing football lost more fat than those who followed this diet alone.

Try intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting may seem intense, but it simply means that you eat methodically for a certain period of the day instead of eating whenever you want. By limiting your food intake at certain times of the day, you can encourage your body to give up the use of glucose as energy to use ketones, which are derived from fats, Anton explains.

You can start by spending only eight or nine hours, without sleeping, without eating. So from 8pm to 6am you do not eat. Pretty simple, no? Then you can train gradually for 12 hours without eating. "Some good male friends and family members who have intermittently fasted have touted the benefits in terms of reducing belly fat and improving energy levels," Anton says. This type of eating behavior is not suitable for everyone, talk to your doctor first.

Start a yoga practice

Yoga can help you improve and maintain your mobility with aging, and its calming effect can be beneficial when trying to lose weight, says Anton. Yoga alone probably will not help you achieve your weight loss goals, but it can be a useful habit in tandem with others. Researchers In China, elderly people who practiced yoga for one year lost about one centimeter of their waist, an essential marker of belly fat.

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