Losing weight for men over 50 can be a real battle. Physiologically, things have changed a lot since we were in our 20s and 30s. And for guys over 50, it gets even harder with time commitments and hormonal changes.
You DON'T NEED to make this complicated. You don't need to spend $400 or more per month on meal replacements (think Isagenix) or other unsustainable crap.
What you DO need are 9 fundamental actions that should be part of any Minimalist weight-management program. And for those guys who are regular gym-goers, you cannot out-train a bad diet.
1. Chew Your Food
The first of 9 essentials for men over 50 to lose weight seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, next time you're eating something, stop and notice how much you actually chew. The vast majority of people take a bite, chew a couple of times, and then swallow. In fact, a lot of us are already loading up our forks with more and shoving them in our mouths before we've even finished chewing and swallowing the food we've already got.
Chewing more ensures that food is already being broken down for the stomach to deal with so your body will actually draw more nutrients than it would from partially chewed food. And because you're chewing more, you'll take longer to finish a meal, which translates to eating more slowly.
This makes action 2 even easier:
2. Eat Until 80% Full
"Why would I want to do that," you ask? Because your body doesn't respond immediately by giving you the feeling of "full," especially if you habitually eat too fast. Ever notice that 10 or 20 minutes after you finish eating, you feel over-stuffed?
That's because you didn't eat to 100% full, you ate to 110%.
Think about this: you may have seen or heard about the famous "Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest" held every year at Coney Island. How on earth can someone consume SEVENTY-SIX hotdogs in 10 minutes? Don't these people start feeling full well before that? Well, not exactly. Although this is an extreme example, the fact is that the faster you eat, the more you can eat. Your body's satiation signals simply can't catch up until after you've finished.
So if you're a thin person trying to gain weight (think bodybuilders or anyone training for a higher weight class), one strategy is to eat faster.
The two hormones that play a big role in appetite are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is secreted in the stomach and basically signals "hunger" to your brain. Ghrelin is high before a meal and low afterward. Leptin is secreted by fat tissue. Leptin sends a signal to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus that we have enough body fat so we can stop eating. Your body can take up to 20 minutes after eating to respond to these hormonal signals telling it that it's had enough.
Of course, it's a little more complicated than this, but this is the basic idea.
For guys in their 50s, we've been wolfing our food down like crazed hyenas for a long, long time. This habit can be a hard one to break. But you have to address this. So stop at 80%. Wait a few minutes. Believe me, you'll soon feel 100% full.
3. Eat NO LATER Than 7:30 pm
A lot of guys will eat a big meal after 8, 9, or even 10 pm. Then they go to bed a couple of hours later, or even worse, after 1 AM. And they can't figure out why they layer on body fat.
DO NOT go to bed soon after eating a big meal.
A full stomach when you go to bed will have several really negative effects that create a cascade of fat-building processes. Sleep is probably the single most neglected action when it comes to weight management, especially for men over 50 who want to lose weight.
If you're thinking "well, my work schedule means that I can't eat supper until after 8 pm. What do you expect me to do?"
This isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. Everybody has life issues to tweak when attempting weight loss. So, rather than giving up and just continuing to eat the big meal of the day at 9 or 10 pm and then having a crappy sleep, a compromise could be eating your big meal earlier in the day and then, after work, eating a smallish meal.
Another approach is to use intermittent fasting. For people with odd schedules, it can be a game-changer.
So, remember: solid, restful sleep is essential for successful weight management and weight loss, and, to ensure this, don't eat a big meal before bed.
4. Eat More High-Quality Protein
Typically, most people start their days with breakfast cereal, some juice/coffee, and maybe some toast and jam. Or worse, stopping at a Starbucks to get a Venti double-whipped disaster in a cup to go with a pastry.
A lot of people skip breakfast altogether. If you're having no problem managing your weight, then stick to what works. But it's a statistical fact that people who skip breakfast are 5 times more likely to be obese than the people who eat breakfast. There are a whole lot of factors that might be contributing to this, but that's a basic fact.
Something that you can start doing right away that is pretty low effort is to make any sort of protein the first thing you eat after waking up and make sure every meal throughout the rest of the day contains high-quality protein. Protein will make you feel more full, so you'll be less likely to eat a mid-morning coffee break sugary "snack." Plus, the thermic effect of food will help your body burn more calories.
If you're one of the many people who under-consume protein and can't seem to get enough in your regular diet, grass-fed whey protein powders are a great way to increase your protein intake. Click here to learn more.
5. Drink More Water
About 60-65% of an adult male's body is composed of water. Your brain and heart are made up of 73% water while the lungs are 83% water, and even your bones are about 31% water.
So, during any eight-hour period during the day, do you drink anything?
I'll guess that you have several cups of coffee or tea, or maybe a few glasses of water. But think about this: when you get up in the morning, you've gone roughly 6-9 hours without drinking ANYTHING. That means you're already in a state of dehydration when you wake up.
So do your body a favor and have a glass of water with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice first thing after you get up. Your body will absorb the water more readily and you'll get much-needed electrolytes. This will also make you less likely to overeat at breakfast or later in the morning.
Progress consists of the accumulation of small things, and a glass of lemon water with salt in the morning is the first small thing that you can build on during the rest of the day. Throughout the rest of the day, a typical adult male should consume somewhere around 3 litres (3.2 quarts) of water daily, and more if you're very physically active.
If you're not drinking enough water, losing or managing weight is going to be much harder to do.
6. Pause for 10 Minutes Before Snacking
Most people snack purely out of boredom. And once snacking becomes a habit, you may find it hard to tell the difference between snacking out of hunger and snacking because of boredom.
So if you're feeling peckish, don't head straight to the fridge or cupboard to satisfy that urge.
DO SOMETHING for 10 minutes to take your mind elsewhere.
It could be reading a book, doing something around your house, or going outside for a walk. If you are someone who works out, you could even do a 10-minute Tabata bodyweight workout in your living room. Or you could pause and reflect on the state of the world. That should be enough to ruin anyone's appetite.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure it takes your mind off of your stomach growling for at least 10 minutes.
If you're trying to lose or manage your weight, there's usually no real reason for between-meal snacks other than pure boredom.
7. Eat Less Processed Food
Everything else on this list is pretty low-hanging fruit. Now we come to a biggie that is a real obstacle for most people when it comes to losing weight: Processed food. You may not even recognize that much of the food you eat is processed. But if it comes in a package with a "Nutrition Facts" label, then it is probably/definitely processed.
"But I like Pop-Tarts. I like cookies."
That doesn't mean these hyper-palatable foods should be a regular part of your daily food intake. Processed foods are designed and produced in labs by food scientists, not because they're healthy, not because they're good for you, but to make them hyper-palatable so that you'll consume more.
That's why food scientists exist. That's the name of the game. Take a look at the labels and you're going to find a list of chemicals and additives that will make your head spin. And the most commonly added ingredient to most processed foods is some form of sugar.
It's the number-one ingredient that makes any food easier to over-consume. You might see high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, plain old sugar, glucose syrup, or even maltodextrin on a typical label.
How can you avoid these kinds of foods?
For starters, when you're grocery shopping, stick to the outer aisles of the supermarket. The inner aisles usually have most of the worst offenders when it comes to processed food, while the outer aisles tend to have the produce section, meat and fish, etc.
Watch out, especially for any packaged foods that have labels shouting "low fat!" or "low cholesterol!" It's almost a certainty that the food contained in that package is ultra-processed and easy to over-eat.
Lastly, don't rely on so-called "cheat days" or "cheat meals" to enable all-out bingeing on processed junk. What's a better option than cheat days? Flexible dieting.
8. Be More Physically Active
You don't have to run marathons or try to be a competitive powerlifter to make exercise an essential part of your weight loss plan.
But KNOW THIS. Without daily movement, managing weight is going to be a bigger struggle than it has to be. Exercise connects your mind to your body. Exercise will give you immediate feedback about any progress you make with weight loss. Exercise burns calories. Exercise ramps up your metabolic rate. Exercise can add years to your life.
We evolved to move, not sit on the couch.
If you infrequently exercise (once or twice a week?), then I'll ask you this: do you brush your teeth once or twice a week? Probably not. You recognize that to have a positive effect, it has to be done daily. The same goes for moving your body. Even if you haven't exercised in any form for a long time, it's possible to start now. Going for a daily walk is a good start. You DON'T need a gym membership to get started. In fact, you don't really need a gym membership at all. There are multiple effective ways to start training your body and enhancing weight loss right from home.
9. Get Better Quality Sleep
The last and underestimated cornerstone of any effective weight loss journey is restful and quality sleep.
When you aim to lose weight, especially if you are a man over 50, you shouldn't overlook the power of a good night's sleep. Recent research showcases a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and weight gain due to alterations in hunger hormones, metabolism, and appetite regulation. Poor sleep can kick your cravings into high gear, leading you to consume more calories than you typically would, thwarting your weight loss efforts.
This is probably the most overlooked of all 9 tips for men to lose weight. Everything else you do is only half as effective, or not at all, if you get lousy sleep.
Sleep quality is also paramount in maintaining your body's metabolic efficiency. During deep sleep stages, your body works on repairing muscles, consolidating memory, and regulating hormones related to growth and stress. Lack of sufficient sleep disrupts these essential processes, pushing your body into a state of stress.
This triggers the release of cortisol, the 'stress hormone,' which promotes fat storage, especially around the midsection — a common concern for men over 50.
Incorporating better sleep practices into your weight loss regime can help you manage your food intake better and make healthier food choices.
Research indicates that people who sleep adequately are less prone to snack impulsively and are better at managing portion control, both vital for weight loss. A well-rested body can fuel a more intense workout, leading to more efficient calorie burning.
So, to capitalize on your weight loss efforts and see significant results, it's crucial to prioritize quality sleep as a key element in your overall weight loss strategy.
(Want to see one client's journey to losing 50 lbs in 6 months? Read more HERE.)
Conclusion to Top 9 Expert Tips for Men to Lose Weight
If you can follow these 9 basics, you've given yourself a pretty good start without any overly complicated diet programs or extreme changes. You can take this a step further by joining my nutrition coaching program and getting the support you need to make life-altering changes.
There's no reason why you can't lose weight with the right approach and solid coaching.
And if you found this article helpful, share it with someone who might benefit from it!
Disclaimer: All information provided on this website is for informational purposes only. No information provided is to be construed as medical advice. If you have medical issues, always consult your doctor..