Losing weight at any age can be difficult, but as your body changes with age, losing weight becomes even more difficult. However, maintaining a healthy weight is important to your overall well-being at any age and especially as you get older. If you are overweight and want to lose it despite challenges such as a lowered metabolism, you can adopt a suitable diet and exercise to help you reach your desired weight.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Eat a Balanced Diet
Step 1. Eat healthy food regularly
Eating a healthy, balanced and regular diet can help you lose weight and burn fat. Foods that are moderate in fat, complex carbohydrates, and highly nutritious, for example, are very good for your general health.
- Stick to a nutritional menu of roughly 1,200-1,500 calories per day, depending on how active you are.
- You will get the right nutrition if you combine foods from the five food groups every day. The five food groups are: fruit, vegetables, nuts, protein, and dairy products.
- You need 1-1, 5 cups of fruit per day. You can get it by eating fresh fruit such as papaya, banana, or orange, or drinking juice made from 100% fresh fruit. Make sure you choose a variety of fruits so that you get a variety of nutritional intake and do not process these fruits. For example, eating a cup of fresh oranges is much healthier than eating oranges on a cake.
- You need 2.5-3 cups of vegetables daily. You can get this by eating vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, or chilies, or drinking juices made from 100% vegetables. Make sure to choose a variety of vegetables so that you get a variety of nutritional intake.
- Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber, which you need more and more as you age 60. Fiber not only allows you to have regular bowel movements, but also helps protect you from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and improves skin. Fiber also helps with weight loss.
- You need about 142-227 grams of grains per day, half of which should be whole grains. You can get whole grains and whole grains from foods such as broken-down rice, whole-grain pasta or bread, oatmeal, or whole grains. Oats contain important B vitamins for you, which can help with slow digestion.
- You need 142-185 grams of protein daily. You can get protein from lean meats including beef, pork, or poultry; cooked beans; egg; peanut butter; or nuts and seeds. Protein also helps build and maintain muscle.
- You need 2-3 cups, or 355 ml, of dairy products per day. You can get dairy products from cheese, yogurt, milk, soy milk, or even ice cream. Dairy products help and maintain the strength of bones and muscles that weaken with age.
- Do not consume too much sodium, which is usually contained in processed foods. Your taste buds will decrease as you age, and you may want to add salt to your food. Try using alternative seasonings such as garlic or herbs to help reduce salt intake and make your body retain more fluids than it needs.
Step 2. Avoid unhealthy foods
If you are trying to lose weight, you should avoid eating unhealthy or junk food, which is high in fat and calories. Potato chips, cassava chips, pizza, burgers, cakes, and ice cream will not help you lose weight.
- Stay away from carbohydrates in the form of flour and processed products such as bread, biscuits, pasta, rice, cereals, and baked goods. Getting rid of these foods will really help you lose weight. These foods can make your blood sugar levels spike and make or trigger diabetes.
- See the hidden sugar content in the foods you choose. Because your taste buds decrease over time, it can be difficult to detect how much sugar is in your food, which can cause you to gain weight. Be sure to read the packaging and look for terms that indicate sugar such as corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, or maltose.
Step 3. Make changes to your diet gradually
Even if you're passionate about improving what you eat, it's a good idea to gradually make changes to your overall diet. This will help you to keep eating healthy.
You can slowly replace processed foods. For example, if you eat white rice with every meal, replace it with brown rice and then slowly add more vegetables and less rice
Step 4. Plan your meal
Planning your meals ahead of time will help avoid falling back into unhealthy habits. It also helps ensure that you get plenty of nutrients and even saves money.
For example, plan your breakfast to help start the day off right. If you don't have a lunch meeting, bringing a healthy lunch and unprocessed food can help you avoid buying unhealthy fast food. If you have a lunch appointment, order the least processed and most natural foods on the menu, such as salads
Step 5. You may occasionally be absent (cheating)
Nobody is perfect and sometimes you want to indulge in unhealthy food. You may occasionally take a break to enjoy unhealthy foods or foods that are not usually on your meal plan.
- There is growing evidence that the occasional and conscious absence of eating healthy foods will help you stick to your diet in the long run because you're not denying anything at all.
- Never mock yourself or let your mistakes or days off ruin all your healthy habits. The setback is natural.
Step 6. Eat healthy at a restaurant
Eating out helps you stay social and stimulates your mind after age 60. But it can also cause a major setback to many dieting efforts due to the consumption of highly processed, high-fat, and calorie foods. Consciously avoiding certain foods and making good choices at restaurants when friends can help you strengthen healthy eating habits, continue your weight loss efforts, and stay sharp.
- Avoid unhealthy traps such as breads, fried foods, or foods with heavy sauces such as fettucine alfredo.
- Salads or steamed vegetables and steaks are great choices and less processed foods.
- Avoid buffets, which are often full of unhealthy and processed food options and make you overeat.
- Eat fresh fruit for dessert because it is healthier.
Method 2 of 3: Regular Exercise
Step 1. Understand the benefits of regular exercise
Exercise can help anyone become and feel healthy. But exercise also helps you lose excess weight. Exercise can help maintain fitness and lose weight.
- Exercise can prevent excessive weight gain.
- Exercise can minimize problems due to aging such as reduced muscle and bone strength, stress, and even sleep problems.
- Exercise can increase energy and help you sleep.
Step 2. Warm up and cool down as part of an exercise session
Whenever you exercise, make sure you warm up beforehand and take time to cool down after you're done. This will prepare the body for exercise and stabilize temperature and blood pressure.
- Warm up with low-impact activities and light exercise, such as walking for 5-10 minutes.
- Cool down with a light impact activity such as jogging or walking for 5-10 minutes.
- You need to keep your body well hydrated during exercise. Make sure to drink at least 2 liters per day to stay hydrated and add 240 ml of water every hour of activity.
Step 3. Get into cardiovascular exercise
Doing low-impact, moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise can help maintain fitness as well as aid weight loss. Discuss plans to do cardio with your doctor and a certified fitness instructor before starting.
- People over 60 can get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise throughout the week or most days during the week. If you can't afford 30 minutes of exercise, divide it into 15 minutes per session.
- If you are very active, you may be able to do this exercise regularly with your doctor's approval and if you feel comfortable.
- If you are just starting out or need to do light activities, walking and swimming are excellent choices.
- You can do any kind of cardio to help you lose weight. In addition to walking and swimming, you can also run, row, bike, or use an elliptical machine (or commonly known as an elliptical trainer).
Step 4. Do strength-building exercises
In addition to cardiovascular exercise, strength training can help you lose weight. It also helps to get rid of age-related diseases like osteoporosis and prevents you from getting injured because weight training can build bones and muscles.
- Before you start a strength training program, consult with your doctor and perhaps even a professional trainer, who will make the best plan for your abilities and needs.
- Focus on exercises that strengthen your overall body and especially suit your needs as you age. For example, strengthening the legs will help support the weight of the body.
- If you're too heavy, resistance bands can have a similar muscle-building effect for people over 60.
Step 5. Practice yoga or Pilates regularly
Try doing yoga or pilates, either in the studio or using an online workout guide. These light-impact activities can help strengthen and stretch your muscles as well as help you relax.
There are many variations of yoga and pilates exercises through video examples. You can purchase a DVD, which provides basic tutoring sessions that you can take part in. You can also look online for yoga practice videos or yoga courses that can guide you through the different stages of a yoga and pilates session
Step 6. Listen to your body
If you decide to exercise for weight loss, listen to your body during any activity. This can help you identify if you're tired, need a drink, or are experiencing signs of a more serious problem.
- Take a break if you feel the need. If one day you feel tired or don't feel like exercising, take a break. Remember that rest is an important part of staying healthy and losing weight. You may feel like you don't have much energy as you get older.
- Stop exercising if you have dizziness, headache, worsening shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations or a fast, irregular heartbeat.
Method 3 of 3: Consult a Medical Expert and Fitness Instructor
Step 1. Talk to your doctor about your fitness habits and plans
If you want to lose weight at the age of 60 or older, first discuss with your doctor whether it is safe or not to continue your activity during this time or if you need to increase it. There may be some environments that are not suitable as a place to carry out certain activities.
- Exercise in general is good for you. Your doctor may advise you not to exercise if you have heart and lung problems or high blood pressure.
- Talk to your doctor about the type of exercise you need to do to make sure it's safe for you. Your doctor may suggest that you see a professional fitness instructor to help you find the best and safest exercise for you.
- Feelings of loneliness and depression can affect your appetite and food. If you experience any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor about the most appropriate treatment for both the condition and weight loss.
- Certain medications can alter your taste buds, making you more likely to consume more sugar or salt, causing you to gain weight again. Talk to your doctor if you suspect a medication you are taking is making you gain weight.
Step 2. Consult an authorized dietitian
Even if you don't need a special diet, you will need to adjust your diet to lose weight and stay healthy because digestion and metabolism slow down as you age. Consult a certified dietitian to discuss your specific dietary needs and how you can get all the best vitamins and nutrients needed to maintain your health and fitness.
- Your metabolism slows every year after age 40. Therefore, you may gain weight if you continue to eat the same amount.
- Your digestion also slows as you age and you may find it difficult to process vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients such as folic acid.
- If you are retired, you may find it difficult to find healthy food because of a limited budget. A dietitian can help you make wise and healthy choices without breaking the bank.
- Your local doctor or hospital can recommend a certified dietitian to help you meet your dietary needs and fitness goals.
Step 3. Consult an authorized fitness instructor
If you exercise regularly and want to continue this activity to lose weight, consult an authorized fitness instructor after you have your doctor's approval. He or she can help you plan exercises that can help you lose weight.
- A common cause of injury in people over the age of 60 is a fall. Exercising strengthens bones and muscles, and helps keep you from falling and preventing muscle tears or fractures.
- Even moderate-intensity exercise can help you prevent and control chronic health problems common to older people, including diabetes.
- Research shows that exercise can also help maintain or improve brain function, which declines as we age.
- An authorized fitness instructor can help you stay in shape and lose weight even if you've never exercised before. Getting or getting fitter as you age can help you stay healthy and get rid of age-related diseases such as osteoporosis or diabetes.
- An authorized fitness instructor will tell you that you can continue with any exercise as long as you feel fine and comfortable and approved by your doctor.
