Things You Need to Know to Maintain a Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is a worthwhile goal at any age. As you get older, it can get more complicated.
You may not be burning calories like you were when you were younger, but you can still lose extra pounds.
The golden rules of weight loss still apply:
— You burn more calories than you eat or drink.
— Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, beans, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products; and keep meat and poultry lean.
— Limit empty calories, such as sugars and foods with little or no nutritional value.
— Avoid Trendy diets because the results don't last.
There are a few other things you should do if you are over 60 and want to lose weight.
1. Stay strong
You lose muscle mass as you age. Make up for that by doing strength training. You can use weight machines in a gym, lighter weights that you hold in your hands, or your own body weight for resistance such as in yoga or Pilates. Maintaining muscle mass is key to burning more calories, says Joanna Li, RD, a nutritionist at Foodtrainers in New York.
2. Eat more protein
Because you are at risk of losing muscle mass, make sure that your dieting include approximately one gram of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. “The protein It also keeps you full longer, so it helps with weight-loss efforts,” Li says. She recommends wild salmon, whole eggs, organic whey protein powder, and grass-fed beef.
3. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Drink plenty of water. Sometimes thirst masquerades as hunger. As you age, you may not notice when you're thirsty, Li says. She says she should drink 64 ounces of water a day. You can drink it or get some of it from foods that are naturally rich in water, such as cucumbers and tomatoes. If you're not sure if you're getting enough water, check your urine: it should be pale yellow.
4. Outsmart your metabolism
Eat more small meals and snacks, and don't go more than 3 hours without eating. “Because his metabolism it's already slow, if you're dying of hunger, it just gets slower,” Li says. You may need fewer calories than when you were younger. Ask your doctor or registered dietitian about that. “If you're eating the same way you did when you were 25, it'll definitely increase,” Li says.
Source: www.webmd.com
