For women over the age of 40, losing weight can become incredibly difficult due to a hormonal flux and a lifetime of poor eating habits and sedentary behaviors.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of MedicineDieters and weight gainers are not only going back to their old eating habits, they are fighting their own hormones, making it a struggle every step of the way.
Barone Gibbs, an assistant professor in the department of health and physical activity at the University of Pittsburgh, explains that “not only does motivation drop after you start to lose weight, but there are physiological changes, including a decrease in resting metabolic rate. Appetite-related hormones increase. Researchers studying the brain are now finding that you have enhanced rewards and increased motivation to eat when you’ve lost weight.”
However, just because it can be difficult to lose weight doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel now and start chewing on chocolate. By making small changes to your current lifestyle and focusing on establishing healthy eating habits, you will slowly but surely lose those extra pounds.
eat more to lose more
More fruits and vegetables, that is.
While it may seem counterintuitive to eat more to lose more, focusing on which foods you can add to your diet may give you better results than foods you should give up entirely.
Barone Gibbs notes, “Eating fruits and vegetables may not make a huge difference in calorie intake, but that small change can add up and give you better results in the long run, because it’s not as hard as giving up French fries.” forever.”
How many servings would you like for a day? In one study, people who ate two servings of fruits and vegetables a day (than what they previously ate) lost three pounds and managed to keep the weight off four years later.
While this may not seem like much at first, every little conquest takes you one step further to reach your goal.
Don’t skip meals
Skinny teens can get away with “forgetting” to eat from time to time, but studies have shown that skipping meals will actually sabotage your weight loss goals rather than speed up your results.
In a study involving more than 123 sedentary postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 to 75, women who skipped meals lost 8 pounds. less than women who ate regularly.
The researchers found that those who skipped meals were more likely to overeat when the next meal arrived, more than making up for the calorie deficit.
In addition, “we also believe that skipping meals could be clustered with other behaviors,” says Dr. Anne McTiernan, director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, “for example, a lack of time and effort spent planning and preparing meals can lead to a person skipping meals and/or eating more out of the home.”
Keep track of your calories
Although you don’t need to keep track of every calorie you put into your mouth, having a basic understanding of when, why, and how much you eat each day can give you more control over your eating habits.
Studies have shown that women who keep food diaries consistently lost an average of 6 lbs. more than women who just looked at their portions and made their best guess.
Because?
Because women who tracked their calories took responsibility for everything they ate, guiding dieters toward healthy eating habits and providing a little extra motivation to make healthier choices about their diet.
additional tips
Sometimes it can be difficult to control your appetite, even if you are eating the recommended number of calories per day and doing everything you can to eat a healthy diet.
Fortunately, some diet pills can help balance your hormone levels so you can take charge of your weight loss results instead of listening to your stomach 24/7.
Some women’s diet pills are more effective than others, of course, so you’ll want to be sure to do your research before trying the supplement for yourself.