Are You Over 60 and Unhappy with Your Weight?

If you are happy, you might still want to read this for healthy eating ideas.

If you aren’t happy, I hope you read this to learn how to eat your way to your ideal weight without dieting.

According to the Journal of Global Health Reports, 78.4% of men and 68.6% of women aged 60 years and older are classified as overweight.

Being overweight as a senior, statistically, is normal. But is it necessary?

Many women experience weight gain in perimenopause and menopause. Similarly, it is common for men to develop an expanded belly in their later years.

Does this have to happen?

 Yes, your metabolism slows.

You may, in fact, have slowed and be less interested in vigorous exercise.

You may come from a family of people who put on weight, particularly with age.

Hormonal changes may contribute to putting on a few pounds; hormones don't explain gaining more than 20.

If all of that is true, why is it so common for people to put on pounds in their later years?

It is actually the same reason you might have in your younger years.  

The most significant factor is your lifestyle, including how you eat, exercise, sleep, and engage in activities.

I am 67 and weigh what I weighed when I was thirty. I was heavier when I was perimenopausal by about 15 pounds.

My Mom is 89 and weighs what I weigh. I suspect she was thinner at 30, and she has gone up and down about 10 pounds over the years.

When I was about thirty-two, I met an older woman who told me she had gained 10 pounds for every decade. Long before I became a fitness professional, I thought to myself, not me.

It is your choice. I honor that. Eating healthy has more benefits than weight management. You’ll get the nutrition you need to fuel your life and avoid diseases.

I believe you should weigh what you want to weigh. If you have gained 20 or more pounds since your 30s and are happy with your weight, that's okay.

For people with osteoarthritis, having extra weight is more burdensome on their joints.

If you have gained more or less weight and are unhappy, consider making changes.  

Do not diet. Diets are notorious for yo-yo losses and gains. Changes to your lifestyle allow you to lose weight as you gain health sustainably.

Food first.

When you are ready to make changes, keep a three-day diary of everything that you ate. If you bite it, write it. Don’t skip a thing. Keep an accurate record of what you ate for two weekdays and one weekend day.

Have faith. An important rule in your move toward better choices is no deprivation.

Eat what you want, even if it is less healthy. Enjoy a smaller portion to get a taste. We’ll get more specific as we go. But remember, life and food are meant to be enjoyed.

Take a look at your three-day record of what you ate. Circle everything that is a favorite. Make a box around everything you suspect is bad. It is okay if something has a circle and a box. Make a triangle around protein items.

Take a fresh sheet of paper or turn the page in your journal. Let’s outline what you plan to eat going forward. We’ll focus first on every day and then add special occasions.

I’ll share food choices. I recommend not counting calories, as that gets annoying. I’m not big on measuring, either. I do believe in portion control. There are some handy measures with your hands that are useful to remember. If you make a fist, the whole is equal to about a cup, and the finger part of the fist is half a cup. Now, these are averages, and people have different-sized hands.

Graphic by https://diabetescw.co.uk/

There are three macronutrients that make up your consumption: proteins, carbs, and fats.

Every day, your ambition is to enjoy protein for every meal and snack.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults between the ages of 18 and 50 consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. As you get over 60, it is recommended that you eat 1.0-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to support muscle mass and strength as well as bone health.  Protein is particularly helpful in weight loss because it makes you feel more full. It is okay to increase your protein intake beyond these recommendations. A 2018 study, Protein Intake and Functional Integrity in Aging: The Framingham Heart Study Offspring, found that: “higher protein intake was beneficially associated with maintenance of physical function in middle-aged, high-functioning US adults over the span of two decades.” This association was particularly evident in women. 

If you would like a complete list of food choices, contact me. I’ll share some examples here. A single egg weighs 6 grams, an 8-ounce steak weighs 58 grams, and three ounces of tofu weighs around 10 grams. Favor leaner, lower-fat options. Plant-based is a good choice, but watch out for the more processed options.

In addition to including protein for breakfast - super key - lunch, and dinner. Include protein when you have a snack. This is my best SNACK HACK. I am a fan of potato chips. I can eat a lot of them. When I want potato chips, I grab some hummus. The protein in the bean dip will fill me up sooner than the empty calories of the chips. I get the taste of the chips in a reasonable portion. Other snack suggestions include fruit and cheese, peanut butter with apple slices, or a protein smoothie.

No matter what you have heard, carbs are not bad. There are some less healthy choices, but as a rule, carbs give you energy.

The simplest thing to do is eat fresh and avoid processed foods.

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and limit choices from the aisles.

Fill one-half or more of each plate or bowl of food with veggies and fruits. Feature all the colors of the rainbow in your choices. Yes, a potato is a vegetable, but you’ll get more minerals and vitamins from spinach.

Enjoy whole grains.

If you eat protein at every meal and snack and eliminate processed foods, the odds are you will lose weight painlessly and for good.

The final macronutrient is fats. You might run screaming from the notion of eating fat, but the truth is your body needs it.

According to Harvard, yeah, that Harvard, "Your body needs a regular intake of fat," says Vasanti Malik, a research scientist with the Department of Nutrition at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "Fat helps give your body energy, protects your organs, supports cell growth, controls cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps your body absorb vital nutrients. When you focus too much on cutting out all fat, you can deprive your body of what it needs most."

There are good, less good, and bad fats. By now, you likely know to avoid trans fats.

Healthy fats include Avocado, Peanut butter, Nuts, Seeds, Olive, and other plant oils. (Note: coconut oil some people say is healthy, but it is more saturated) and Salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, trout

Butter is a less good fat that I happen to enjoy. I will put butter on bread occasionally. Again, I do not believe in deprivation.

As you go through your day, notice when you are hungry. Did your meal contain enough protein? Consider a protein-rich snack. Also, notice when you get hungry. Are you bored? Are you tired? Check to see if you are thirsty. Sometimes, we don’t realize we are thirsty and not hungry. 

Enjoy chips, pie, cake, or a cookie. Pair with protein when that is an option. Yes, ice cream is a protein. Take a right-sized portion. 

Intermittent fasting is fine if that works for your schedule. At a minimum, it is beneficial to stop eating after dinner and not eat again until breakfast.

Whatever you have chosen to eat, no judgment. If you went overboard, there is always tomorrow. Be good to you.

Movement is second. Weight loss is supported by a regular exercise habit, including 20-60 minutes of cardio three to six times per week and two to three strength training sessions per week. Rest on the seventh day.

Sleep is third. A good night's sleep balances your hunger hormones, supporting your weight loss efforts.

I am someone who can put on weight; I wouldn’t describe myself as naturally thin. I also love to exercise and am quite active. I eat healthy food 80% of the time and what I want the other 20%. If my weight creeps up a few pounds, I cut back on the less healthy foods. I make sure I get a good night’s sleep.

Find what works for you. Send me any questions. andrea@mighty.fit