Once you reach 40, managing weight can become a lot trickier.\u00a0 Even if your diet and exercise levels haven\u2019t changed, you may find yourself getting a little heavier every year.\u00a0 These seven simple tips will help forty somethings lose weight without fuss or frustration.<\/p>\n
Losing weight is never easy and the older we get, the harder it becomes.\u00a0 Even though you may be eating the same things and exercising as much as you did in your twenties and thirties, you may find that your weight is creeping up.\u00a0 Hormonal and metabolic changes can lead to unwanted weight gain, while changes in your sleep cycle and energy levels can make it tough to shed those extra pounds.\u00a0 These simple tips will take some of the pain out of weight loss in your middle years.<\/p>\n
Doctor\u2019s Advice\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Tips number one: see your doctor. Doctors are an underused resource for people looking to slim down. Most medical professionals, well aware of the health benefits of weight loss, are only too happy to help and support patients who come to them asking for advice on losing weight.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting that diet and exercise programs can come with hidden risks. Damage to joints, nutritional insufficiency, and an overloaded cardiopulmonary system are just some of the potential issues.\u00a0 You can very easily overdo it in your eagerness for self-improvement.\u00a0 You doctor can assist you in determining a realistic goal and help you make safe, healthy diet and exercise plans to achieve it.<\/p>\n Sleep off Those Pounds<\/strong><\/p>\n Tips number two: sleep off those pounds. Getting on top of your sleep debt can be the first step to addressing your weight gain.\u00a0 It may seem counterintuitive \u2013 after all, snoozing under the covers hardly seems like the way to burn excess calories.<\/p>\n Insufficient sleep, however, is one of the worst offenders when it comes to weight gain.\u00a0 It lowers energy levels, making you less able to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle; raises stress, which can cause weight gain and may trigger \u201ccomfort eating\u201d; and slows down your metabolism.\u00a0 The average person needs between seven and nine hours of sleep but most of us get far less. Cut down on late-night TV and internet use and try to get to bed a little earlier.\u00a0 Your waistline will thank you.<\/p>\n Exercise Creatively<\/strong><\/p>\n Tip number three: exercise creatively.\u00a0 If you can\u2019t afford to join a gym \u2013 or of you have a gym membership but struggle to attend regularly \u2013 don\u2019t despair.\u00a0 Instead, look for other ways you can get the workout you need. Goodbye to yo-yo Diets<\/strong><\/p>\n Tips number four: say goodbye to yo-yo diets.\u00a0 While the cycle of crash weight loss and the inevitable rapid regain is more or less sustainable in your teens and twenties, the damage builds up over the years.\u00a0 By the time you reach your forties, your metabolism may be permanently affected by this kind of unhealthy practice. You\u2019ll find yourself even heavier than you were when you started.<\/p>\n Instead, choose realistic goals and make sustainable changes to your diet.\u00a0 After you reach your goal weight, don\u2019t just dive back into your old eating habits. Instead, plan to have a transition phase where you gradually increase the amount you eat while monitoring your weight to make sure you\u2019re no just piling the pounds back on.<\/p>\n Tip number five: slow down with Oigong or Tai Chi.\u00a0 Energy levels can often decline as we get older; \u201cfeeling the burn\u201d become less and less appealing. If leaping around in Lycra just isn\u2019t your thing, these ancient Chinese systems may be the answer.<\/p>\n Avoid Sugar and Sugar Substitutes<\/strong><\/p>\n Tip number six: avoid sugar and sugar substitutes.\u00a0 While we all know the havoc that refined sugars can wreak on our waistlines, recent research suggest that sugar substitutes are just as bad.\u00a0 People who choose diet sodas and low-calorie sweeteners for their tea and coffee have been found to carry just as much additional weight as their sugar-craving counterparts. Go Full Fat<\/strong><\/p>\n Tip number seven: go full fat. This is practically a heresy to those of us who grew up in the 70s, 80s and 90s.\u00a0 Everything we were taught about nutrition and weight loss held that fat was our mortal enemy.\u00a0 When selecting choose, yogurt, spreads and prepared foods like cakes or muffins, many of us have got used to looking for the low-fat version every time we shop.\u00a0 That\u2019s the healthy choice, right?<\/p>\n Well, maybe not. Like so much received wisdom around food, the ideas that eating a low-fat diet is crucial to losing weight has been significantly debunked in recent years.\u00a0 Small amounts of fat are vital for good health; many vitamins and other nutrients are fat soluble, meaning that your body can\u2019t absorb them properly without lipids.\u00a0 Fat is also satiating, making you feel full and curbing your appetite.\u00a0 In addition, low-fat foods are often made with extra sugar or other high-calorie ingredients to replace the missing fat, making them just as unhealthy and likely to contribute to weight gain as the full-fat versions. Go ahead and savour that creamy Greek yogurt or silver of sharp cheese \u2013 just in moderation.<\/p>\n Weight loss after 40 doesn\u2019t have to be a distant dream or a grueling nightmare.\u00a0 With some creativity and a few smart lifestyle choices, you can stay trim and look forward to a happy, healthy, long life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Once you reach 40, managing weight can become a lot trickier.\u00a0 Even if your diet and exercise levels haven\u2019t changed, you may find yourself getting a little heavier every year.\u00a0 These seven simple tips will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1250,222,1131],"tags":[20,1035,2320,13,2321,172],"class_list":["post-9322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-tips","category-diet-tools","category-diets-tips","tag-diets","tag-diets-that-work","tag-help-losing-weight","tag-lose-weight","tag-weight-loss-over-40","tag-weight-loss-plans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shrinktheplanet-weightloss.com\/weightloss-diets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nYou don\u2019t need acres of space or dozens of fancy gadgets.\u00a0 There are plenty of exercises that you can do at home, using household items or no equipment at all.\u00a0 Find exercise programs tips online and videos and make these the basis of your workout. Make small changes to your daily routine: take the stairs instead of the elevator (even if you just get out a floor early, the extra calories you burn can add up), choose a parking space that\u2019s further from the store or your building, or get off the bus or subway one stop early if you take public transport.\u00a0 Go for walks around your neighborhood and visit nearby parks. If the weather is bad or you don\u2019t feel comfortable walking outdoors alone, try local shopping malls.\u00a0 If you visit at the right time, you can avoid the crowds and enjoy a morning or evening stroll, whatever the weather.\u00a0 It\u2019s worth enquiring about the best time to visit \u2013 some malls offer special hours for people who simply want to walk around.<\/p>\n
\nThe reasons are complex \u2013 partly it seems that we unconsciously compensate for the lower calories in diet products by consuming more food, but there are other factors (such as the production of excess insulin and the disruption of blood sugar).\u00a0 The bottom line is that both sugar and lower-calorie substitutes are bad news for weight control.\u00a0 Try to wean yourself off sweet foods and drinks by eating naturally sweet fruit and vegetables, cutting down the sweetener in tea and coffee, and diluting sodas with water. Your tastes will quickly adjust, and you\u2019ll find yourself craving sweet things less and less.<\/p>\n