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Are you experiencing age-related weight gain? It’s normal to experience fluctuations in your weight due to changes in your metabolism. Here are three simple tips on maintaining a healthy diet as you age.
Tip #1: Exercise portion control
Portion control is a question of identifying the right serving size and amount for your needs – and saying that this is enough.
The serving size is a standardized amount of food, such as a cup or ounce, which serves as a reference for selecting and comparing different foods. However, it does not necessarily reflect the amount of food you actually consume, as that depends on the portion you take. Portion sizes may surpass the recommended serving sizes, and it’s important to manage your portion sizes to avoid weight gain.
Strategies for portion control include ordering smaller appetizers, sharing entrees, or saving leftovers for another meal. You can also wait 20 minutes before going for seconds, as it takes a while for your stomach to signal your brain that you’re full.
Tip #2: Minimize emotional eating
Have regular meals and remove any snack temptations around you so you won’t cave too easily into cravings when you’re stressed or bored.
One way of doing this is by identifying what your trigger may be. It varies from person to person, but stress-eating is an emotional crutch that provides temporary relief, but stress-eating by itself can also be a trigger. This can lead to an unhealthy cycle of eating and distress.
Start curbing this slowly. Keeping a food diary has proven to be an effective self-control method, as it keeps you aware of what you’ve eaten throughout the day. Another approach is to manage your stress. Exercise is an excellent way of getting this done.
One important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t punish yourself for giving in to your stress cravings. This can lead to excessive calorie deprivation, leading to other issues.
Tip #3: Cut down on sugar & salt intake
Salt is an antidiuretic, which naturally causes the body to retain more water. But a high salt diet can also indirectly lead to weight gain simply because the food items with the most salt tend to be the most processed.
The same can be said of sugary foods. It’s easier to reach for a processed sweet than a fruit, which means we tend to get the carbohydrates but not the minerals and the fiber that should come with it.
Foods high in sugar and salt also tend to fill you up less–but they’re not low on calories. Unfortunately, it’s easy to fill up on these high calories, and with age-related metabolic slowdown, many of these might just get stored as fat.
Limit your consumption of sauces and gravy as they can be hidden sources of sugar and salt. If you have a sweet tooth, consider plain yogurt or fruits instead for dessert.
Over time, tiny changes can yield notable improvements in your overall health. What’s important is being consistent with these habits!
Although these tips are general guidelines you can follow, your overall health is nevertheless highly personal. Should you have specific concerns, call our doctors through Maxicare’s 24/7 Teleconsult hotline.
References:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-eating-nutrition-and-diet/maintaining-healthy-weight
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047342
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-salt-makes-you-fat#salt-weight
https://www.ahaphysicianforum.org/health/understanding-the-impact-of-sugar-on-weight-gain/
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