It’s not a secret that to lose weight is a challenge no matter what your age. It’s also probably not a surprise that things get harder as you get older.
A few points of clarification:
First, these are not hacks. These are not gimmicky and potentially hazardous means to an end (that end being weight loss). For our purposes, these tactics are variables we can place in a formula to garner real results.
Second, this blog is not meant to be an exhaustive and in depth look at these 12 things. Rather, this is meant to be an introduction on the types of levers and buttons you have available to you to lose weight.
Lastly, some of these may seem obvious. Well, if you’ve ever been someone who has said, “I know what to do, I am just not doing it…” These are for you!
Let’s dive in!
1. When Eating At A Restaurant
Have you ever been really hungry when you finally sat down at a restaurant? In that moment, did you make a great food decision?
My guess is most of the time, the answer to that question is a resounding, “no.” A simple solution? Decide what you’re going to have before you have to decide what you’re going to have.
There’s this newfangled thing the kids are using these days called smart phones with something called the internet. You can check out the menu ahead of time and decide on lunch or dinner before you’re even hungry!
This is the time better decisions can be made.
2. Cook More At Home
Same ballpark but different seat… you have total and complete control of things when you cook at home. Statistically speaking, people who cook their own meals tend to weigh less than their eating out counterparts. This is probably not a surprise to you.
A good starting point is to plan out a few meals for the week and then *BAM* there’s your grocery list!
3. The “Good Stuff”
Most initial nutrition conversations we have with people deal with the worry that we are going to be cutting this out, cutting that out, and not enjoying life. And when I say ‘life’ I mean food because you can’t lose weight any other way, right?
While there are circumstances where this might make sense, if we’re talking long-term habits and making those habits sticky, we’re probably not talking about cutting everything out. Rather, we are looking to add a bunch of stuff to it!
Try this experiment: eat a bunch of good stuff (fruits, veggies, protein) in your meals. How full would you be? If you were that full, how much of the bad stuff would you want to eat?
So… eat more good. It leaves less room for the bad.
4. Sugar Is Sugar Is Sugar
Added sugars are everywhere!
Your goal should be to keep added sugars to a minimum. You want enough of these to support what your activities and goals are but not enough to add bodyweight and body fat.
How do you know? Check out number 5!
5. If All Else [Nutritionally] Fails…
Hire yourself a certified nutritionist or a dietitian. What you want to be aware of is all nutritionists and dietitians are not created equal.
The most obvious differentiation is that a certified nutritionist, in our state [Nebraska], BY LAW CANNOT PRESCRIBE YOU A MEAL PLAN. Be weary of any nutritionist [certified or not] who is doing just this. Not only do they not understand this as law, this also brings into question whether they have the requisite education to be working with you in the first place.
However, this does beg the question, “what does a nutritionist do, then?” A good nutritionist will help answer questions and educate you, help you create best habits/practices, and help you design your eating to support your goals. Effectively everything except give you a meal plan.
And as habits are the basis for long-term winning, a certified nutritionist is a great way to get there!
Other things to be mindful of are:
- Are they trying to sell you lots of supplements?
– While supplements are important, they generally don’t form the bottom of the pyramid. Supplements should SUPPLEMENT your other habits - Do they ask questions?
– If you tell them you want to lose weight and they don’t ask any additional questions, this might be someone to avoid - Do you have special clinical considerations?
– Dietitians are qualified to work with someone with specific medical conditions and prescribe meal plans accordingly. Certified nutritionists are not
The point is to find someone you mesh with, who is not only educated but who’s outlook on things is similar to yours. Then, you can begin to ask the questions necessary to whittle down your candidates!
6. Get Bloodwork
I am not an expert on reading this stuff. However, I do know if you’re eating well, exercising regularly, and managing your sleep reasonably well and you’re not getting results?
Well… you might be missing one big [hormonal] piece to the puzzle.
As hormones dictate everything that happens in your body, you need to have a good account of what they’re telling your body to do. This also includes finding someone who is health minded (vs sickness minded) to interpret them for you.
You could ask your doctor these tests and sometimes they will run them. Sometimes they won’t.
There are also a number of companies who offer means of doing this ‘online.’ The best part is this is what they do.
7. Sleep
Most people are aware of at least some of the benefits of sleep. Others are probably aware of some of the devastating downsides to not getting enough sleep.
How important is sleep?
Well, if you want to hold body fat in really unhealthy places, if you want to feel sluggish, if you want to struggle to build muscle, if you want to have a hard time remembering things, and so on… then by all means, skip out on the quality and quantity of sleep you need.
A note about sleep trackers.
There are many different types [and companies] involved in sleep tracking accessories. The main reason I use one? I want to know what types of things negatively or positively affect the duration and quality of my sleep.
Whether you track your sleep or not, it would be hugely worthwhile to make sleeping a priority for yourself.
8. Supplements
There’s an overwhelmingly gigantic list of supplements out there for each and every thing you could ever [and potential never] want.
Let’s make it easy. Here are a few of the big ones you should consider starting for yourself:
- Multivitamin
- Look for separate am/pm formulations
- Look for men/women specific
- Look for something that is NOT a hard, compressed, caplet
- Fish Oil
- Smaller fish are better
- Krill oil is better than fish oil
- You could use gel caps or liquid
- Vitamin D
- This is so vitally important to your health and you need more of it than you think
- At our spot in the world, we get limited vitamin D from a VERY limited time of year. You need to supplement vitamin D [probably] year round
- Probiotics
- Help support good bacteria in your gut and reinforcing a robust immune system
9. Strength Training
If you are looking to improve your metabolism, your joint health, your bone density, your body composition (building muscle and burning fat), lose weight, and so many other things? You need to lift weights!
If you’re not strength training, I’m not sure what you are doing.
It is important to note that this is something which needs to be built properly and scaled up appropriately. If you have no experience when it comes to strength training, you do need to make sure you are seeking out the help of someone who does.
Which brings me to…
10. Hire A Personal Trainer
A personal trainer could be a really great addition to not only start off well, but to continue to challenge yourself so you don’t plateau, get frustrated, and stop. Something you don’t want to overlook is what makes a great trainer a great trainer.
- Your trainer needs to communicate
- What’s your history? Your past injuries? Your goals? Your schedule?
- What do you enjoy doing? What do you not enjoy doing?
- Your trainer should know movement
- Knowing how you hinge, squat, lunge, push, pull, rotate, etc. are important parts of keeping you safe and making your sessions effective
- Your trainer shouldn’t step outside their boundaries
- Unless they are a clinician of sorts (physical therapist, chiropractor, athletic trainer, etc), they shouldn’t try to diagnose a physical pain point or problem
- The phrase, “stay in your lane” comes to mind
- Your trainer needs to have a good grasp of nutrition
- While being a nutritionist or dietitian AND a trainer CAN come in the same package, this is not always the case
- However, they should be able to answer most of your nutrition questions or be willing to search out the answers
- Your trainer should help you build confidence
- Someone who puts you down as a means of trying to motivate you is not a good long term direction
Not all personal trainers are created equal. Find someone you like, someone you trust, and someone who will work with you to get you where you want to go.
11. Find An Activity You Love
I said activity.
Not seden-tivity.
Get it? Active? Sedentary?
If you love it, if it’s active, then it’s helping you move and helping you improve your health.
12. Partner Up Or Find A Community
When you are with someone who has the same basic goals and is moving in the same general direction, it is powerful.
The same is true in a group: if you’re in a group of people with the same basic purpose and moves towards health and fitness, you’re more likely to get where you want to go!
If you’re struggling to stay the course, your course, try to partner with someone who is working on themselves too. You can pick them up when they’re down. They can pick you up when you’re down.
The point is, pick each other up and keep going!
That’s It
There are your top 12 tactics to help you lose weight after 50!
You can do them all [though that would be a lot]. You can do some of them [which is more manageable]. The point is to start, however.
Seriously, pick something on this list and begin taking action today. Not tomorrow. Not next week or next month. Not on New Years Day.
Today.
If you need help beyond that, we have some amazing personal trainers and coaches who are here to help you lose weight [or wherever else your goals might take you]. You can click HERE to get yourself started with a conversation.
