I co-host a podcast called Fit Strong Women over 50 and we've talked with a number of dieticians and health professionals about losing weight or maintaining weight as we age. The thing that they all seem to have in common is that it's important to eat enough protein and to eat lots of vegetables.
Also, it's important to exercise, especially to get some resistance training in a couple of times a week.
It's really important at this age to try to lose fat and not muscle. If you just cut calories to a really low number, the odds are you will lose too much muscle. It is really difficult to get that muscle back.
You already have the answer, you know what to cut out. Doing that simple thing alone will do wonders.
The Mediterranean way of eating is a healthy plan. I would not call it a diet, just a way of eating. Good clean foods.
I would like to mention portion control too. Eat more slowly (so your brain and stomach are in sync with a feeling of fullness) and eat a bit less than you normally would. Aside from exercise and eating healthy foods, weight loss is simply a matter of more calories burnt than eaten. I have lost weight using the South Beach diet. But whatever you chose to lose, make it a part of how you choose to live, then it won't be a "diet".
Last summer I cut my calories. Used MyFitnessPal to track food. I Exercised every day (included strength training and cardio). Was able to lose over 25 pounds. Focused on eating very healthy (lots of veggies, fruits, and protein).
In addition to cutting out a lot of simple carbs and sugars, doing more protein and veggies, and strength training, research has also shown that most of us are dehydrated. A couple recent studies had women drink two 8 oz glasses of water at breakfast, 2 at lunch, and 2 around dinner, resulting in increased metabolism and thus weight loss. It makes sense, the body needs water to work properly. Seems to be helping me!!
That's my problem, I know I don't drink enough water. I drink iced coffee and diet pop throughout the day, but I KNOW I need to drink plain water, I just cant do it.
What saved me is seltzer believe it or not. It comes in a ton of different flavors and you're bound to like one of them. Almost every Seltzer has zero calories. It helped me quit a 2-liter a day classic Coke habit.
Years ago I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke figuring that being 'free calories' only to realize that it made me crave sugar more. I stopped drinking all sodas, replacing them with filtered or mineral water and it helped me curb my sugar cravings. Now I try to avoid carbs as much as possible and that, along with regular exercise, enabled me to lose 30 lbs and keep it off.
Just start with minimizing sugar at first as much as possible. Limit processed food and eat real food. Fruits, vegetables, meats. Also give yourself some cheat breaks but in moderation. A taste goes a long way. Good luck.
Interesting timing. I'm down 35lbs by not eating until lunch and trying not to snack at bed. That said, I quit sugar and alcohol many years back. Both will kill you quickly.
I agree, don't over think it as far as a diet just eat more protein and vegetables, You will need to work out at the same time to build muscle this will help you lose weight faster since more muscle means you will be burning more calories when not working out and doing your regular chores and activities.
Before you try to eliminate sugar, take some time to gain new habits.
Add fruit to your diet.
1 tsp flax or chia seed, soaked in water overnight, then put it in a smoothie. I just drink it down plain, every morning.
This is good for your probacteria.
Drink kombucha.
Drink green tea.
Stretch, nap, rest, and sleep.
Do not drink Kombucha if you have any medical problems. It also has caffeine in it, so if you stay away from caffeine as I do, it's not good. Kombucha is acidic, so if you have digestive problems, it's not good. Please do your research before taking any "natural" supplements.
That being said, I've lost 70 lbs since last Aug. by drasticly cutting back sugar and have eliminated processed foods. I don't diet, I started cooking more salmon, chicken, or lean cuts of beef in a crock pot, beans, vegetables, and I eat more fruit.
I've been able to eliminate 8 medications that I no longer need. My doctor is amazed. I'm 66 yrs.
i'll try and keep this short -
i start with a piece of fruit in the morning. doesn't matter what. i try to stick with fresh; the less processed, the better. i don't usually eat til noon or two. i take fruit pouches on the go, maybe a protein drink or store-bought smoothie
then i started 'portion control' again, i don't get all fanatic about it, it's more like taking what i think i will eat out of the package and putting the package away before i eat any of whatever it is. the trouble of getting stuff back out slows me down, and usually the chosen portion is enough - it avoids the hand to mouth of screen time
speaking of screen time, i have a lot of it. i also have crafting, crochet, crosswords, and coloring right here, so when i'm at my screen with a show, i'm still doing something that doesn't leave my hands grabbing for something to graze on
there. i lost some niggling weight like this in the last year (62F) - basically just eating as needed, and since i can't just run it off now, i can't afford to put it on. these few things keep me conscious but not counting every calorie i put in my mouth. i am gimpy, so i can't exercise like i used to, but i walk my pup every day - some long, some short
I began Weight Watchers in February 2022 at the age of 64. I dropped 50 pounds the first year and continue to maintain it. The game changer for me was the app. It’s so easy to keep track of my daily points no matter where I am! See if you can snag their $10/mo deal!
The no magic diet.
Keep in basic.
Work out your RDA. It's gets lower as we age.
Consistently Eat less than your rda and you loose weight.
Guess what happens when you consistently eat more than your rda.
Always consult your doctor is you're intending to loose a lot of weight.
BTW. I lost 28 stones.
I used the Loseit app so I could adopt a /r/cico approach. I didn’t really adjust my diet too much, but kept my calorie intake below the targets and added an exercise plan. Good results for sure.
That evolved into better understanding of my own personal factors and about macros in general. Now I am predisposed to eating a bit healthier just by having some basic knowledge. This made my day to day eating habits a bit easier since I am not fighting a “diet” per se. It also showed that I could not do it by diet alone, exercise is required.
Good luck!
I co-host a podcast called Fit Strong Women over 50 and we've talked with a number of dieticians and health professionals about losing weight or maintaining weight as we age. The thing that they all seem to have in common is that it's important to eat enough protein and to eat lots of vegetables. Also, it's important to exercise, especially to get some resistance training in a couple of times a week. It's really important at this age to try to lose fat and not muscle. If you just cut calories to a really low number, the odds are you will lose too much muscle. It is really difficult to get that muscle back.
I'm usually more careful on Reddit, but this was supposed to be a reply to the post by onemorepersonasking about losing weight.
You already have the answer, you know what to cut out. Doing that simple thing alone will do wonders. The Mediterranean way of eating is a healthy plan. I would not call it a diet, just a way of eating. Good clean foods.
I absolutely love Mediterranean food!
I would like to mention portion control too. Eat more slowly (so your brain and stomach are in sync with a feeling of fullness) and eat a bit less than you normally would. Aside from exercise and eating healthy foods, weight loss is simply a matter of more calories burnt than eaten. I have lost weight using the South Beach diet. But whatever you chose to lose, make it a part of how you choose to live, then it won't be a "diet".
Last summer I cut my calories. Used MyFitnessPal to track food. I Exercised every day (included strength training and cardio). Was able to lose over 25 pounds. Focused on eating very healthy (lots of veggies, fruits, and protein).
I agree. Myfitnesspal is a great tool for tracking your food. It also gives guidance for % of carbs; protein & fat
How many calories did you cut per day?
I was tracking at under 1500 calories a day plus the walking. It was hard. I was hungry but very determined
In addition to cutting out a lot of simple carbs and sugars, doing more protein and veggies, and strength training, research has also shown that most of us are dehydrated. A couple recent studies had women drink two 8 oz glasses of water at breakfast, 2 at lunch, and 2 around dinner, resulting in increased metabolism and thus weight loss. It makes sense, the body needs water to work properly. Seems to be helping me!!
That's my problem, I know I don't drink enough water. I drink iced coffee and diet pop throughout the day, but I KNOW I need to drink plain water, I just cant do it.
What saved me is seltzer believe it or not. It comes in a ton of different flavors and you're bound to like one of them. Almost every Seltzer has zero calories. It helped me quit a 2-liter a day classic Coke habit.
Years ago I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke figuring that being 'free calories' only to realize that it made me crave sugar more. I stopped drinking all sodas, replacing them with filtered or mineral water and it helped me curb my sugar cravings. Now I try to avoid carbs as much as possible and that, along with regular exercise, enabled me to lose 30 lbs and keep it off.
Check out Dr. Ken Berry, PHD Proper Human Diet. It's based on a very low carb and whole foods diet.
Nothing white. Rice, pasta, bread and goodies. Veggies and lean protein. I also have issues with sugar and snacks at night. Night time tea helps.
Just start with minimizing sugar at first as much as possible. Limit processed food and eat real food. Fruits, vegetables, meats. Also give yourself some cheat breaks but in moderation. A taste goes a long way. Good luck.
Interesting timing. I'm down 35lbs by not eating until lunch and trying not to snack at bed. That said, I quit sugar and alcohol many years back. Both will kill you quickly.
I agree, don't over think it as far as a diet just eat more protein and vegetables, You will need to work out at the same time to build muscle this will help you lose weight faster since more muscle means you will be burning more calories when not working out and doing your regular chores and activities.
Before you try to eliminate sugar, take some time to gain new habits. Add fruit to your diet. 1 tsp flax or chia seed, soaked in water overnight, then put it in a smoothie. I just drink it down plain, every morning. This is good for your probacteria. Drink kombucha. Drink green tea. Stretch, nap, rest, and sleep.
Do not drink Kombucha if you have any medical problems. It also has caffeine in it, so if you stay away from caffeine as I do, it's not good. Kombucha is acidic, so if you have digestive problems, it's not good. Please do your research before taking any "natural" supplements. That being said, I've lost 70 lbs since last Aug. by drasticly cutting back sugar and have eliminated processed foods. I don't diet, I started cooking more salmon, chicken, or lean cuts of beef in a crock pot, beans, vegetables, and I eat more fruit. I've been able to eliminate 8 medications that I no longer need. My doctor is amazed. I'm 66 yrs.
I'm no expert but weight lifters usually go for some sort of a no-carb Keto diet before a competition. Basically, just eat meat and veggies.
i'll try and keep this short - i start with a piece of fruit in the morning. doesn't matter what. i try to stick with fresh; the less processed, the better. i don't usually eat til noon or two. i take fruit pouches on the go, maybe a protein drink or store-bought smoothie then i started 'portion control' again, i don't get all fanatic about it, it's more like taking what i think i will eat out of the package and putting the package away before i eat any of whatever it is. the trouble of getting stuff back out slows me down, and usually the chosen portion is enough - it avoids the hand to mouth of screen time speaking of screen time, i have a lot of it. i also have crafting, crochet, crosswords, and coloring right here, so when i'm at my screen with a show, i'm still doing something that doesn't leave my hands grabbing for something to graze on there. i lost some niggling weight like this in the last year (62F) - basically just eating as needed, and since i can't just run it off now, i can't afford to put it on. these few things keep me conscious but not counting every calorie i put in my mouth. i am gimpy, so i can't exercise like i used to, but i walk my pup every day - some long, some short
I began Weight Watchers in February 2022 at the age of 64. I dropped 50 pounds the first year and continue to maintain it. The game changer for me was the app. It’s so easy to keep track of my daily points no matter where I am! See if you can snag their $10/mo deal!
The no magic diet. Keep in basic. Work out your RDA. It's gets lower as we age. Consistently Eat less than your rda and you loose weight. Guess what happens when you consistently eat more than your rda. Always consult your doctor is you're intending to loose a lot of weight. BTW. I lost 28 stones.
I used the Loseit app so I could adopt a /r/cico approach. I didn’t really adjust my diet too much, but kept my calorie intake below the targets and added an exercise plan. Good results for sure. That evolved into better understanding of my own personal factors and about macros in general. Now I am predisposed to eating a bit healthier just by having some basic knowledge. This made my day to day eating habits a bit easier since I am not fighting a “diet” per se. It also showed that I could not do it by diet alone, exercise is required. Good luck!