Getting older means gaining weight, right? Not necessarily! Nowhere is it written that a person has to gain weight just because he or she is over 45. There are still many people in their fifties and beyond who weigh the same thing today that they did back in their twenties and thirties.
What is so special about their bodies that they can avoid that middle-aged weight gain? Do they have secret good genes? What do they know that everyone else doesn’t know?
The bad news is that there is no magic answer as to why some people put on those extra pounds and others avoid that increase. For some, the answer is genetic, or may lie in the fact that they exercise, eat right, and get plenty of sleep.
There are some steps that you can take right now to help you lose fat if you are over 45 years of age:
- Watch what you eat: gorging on sugar-laden donuts, candy bars, French fries, pizza, and pasta covered in cheese sauce will only clog your arteries and add circumference to your middle. Change your diet by increasing the consumptions of heart-healthy fats like olive and coconut oil, fresh vegetables and fruits, and lean protein choices.
- Get up and move: you do not need to go to the gym, although that is always an excellent option. You can swim, dance around in your living room to your favorite music, walk up and down steps – anything at all to get your heart rate up. Also, increase lean muscle by engaging in weight-bearing exercise. Grab a few cans from your cupboard and “lift weights.”
- Get plenty of rest: your body needs sleep in order to produce fat-burning hormones. If you get less than 7 hours of sleep a night, you are probably hormone deficient.
- Reduce your stress levels: stress induces the secretion of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol zaps energy from the body, decreasing the amount of growth hormone that is produced, and stimulates Ghrelin, the hunger hormone. You will then respond by eating more and gaining more weight.
Create Your Own Program of Nutrition
You can create your own program of nutrition by choosing foods that you like that are also healthy. Here are some important pointers to remember:
- Go for color – a colorful plate will look appetizing and provide a wide array of crucial vitamins and antioxidants. Choose from the following list of possible options:
- Berries – all kinds
- Peppers – red, green, yellow, orange (if you don’t think you like them, try the brighter colors, they are sweeter in taste)
- Squash – yellow, zucchini, spaghetti, acorn, butternut
- Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, beets
- Leafy greens – including spinach and kale
- Apples
- Sweet potatoes and yams – make your own chips in the oven, as well
- Citrus fruits
- Plums, peaches, and pears
- Get plenty of heart-healthy fats in your diet:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocado
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Nut butters – no additives
- Choose lean protein options:
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Poultry
- Lean cuts of grass fed beef
- Veal
- Buffalo or bison
- Legumes
- Choose the best types of carbohydrates:
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Brown rice, quinoa, or black bean pasta
- Eliminate or greatly reduce the following:
- Sugar
- White or refined flour
- Fried and fatty foods
The Paleo and Mediterranean diets are great places to begin to put together a healthy nutritional plan.
Breaking Bad Habits
We all have bad habits. It is just that some of these habits are worse than others when it comes to health and weight. If you spend the majority of the day sitting down, get up for 5 minutes every hour and move. Stretch, exercise, jog in place, breathe deeply.
Do not fall into the trap of going home each night and planting yourself in front of the television, unless of course you are exercising at the same time. Join a group, develop a hobby, do something to change up your life a bit.
Stop eating after 8 pm. Drink only water after this time. Make your largest meals of the day breakfast and lunch. Do not go to sleep with a full stomach. These steps will all help break bad habits and boost your metabolism for fat burning and weight loss.
Use Supplements for Getting in Better Condition and Good Shape
The use of proper supplements can help get you in better condition and good shape. Both growth hormone and testosterone play a role in the body’s metabolic functioning. If either or both of these hormone levels are low, the metabolism will not properly convert food into fuel. Instead, what is consumed will be transformed into fat, stored away in fat cells for future use. This equals weight gain.
A blood test performed by a hormone replacement therapy specialists of a professional clinic can help determine if you are dealing with a deficiency that is causing your weight gain. If so, you can expect to lose unwanted fat by embarking on the appropriate hormone therapy.
Both human growth hormone and testosterone therapies are safe to use when prescribed by a specialist to combat and reverse their deficiencies. To learn more, contact us for further information and a free consultation.
