Like a fine wine, we get better with age. But weight loss is something that gets more difficult with every birthday. You might have easily kept your body in balance when you were younger by going to the gym and eating relatively healthy. But it gets a bit more complicated once you’re over 50.
Let’s start with the obvious. After 50, you’ve likely gone through menopause or are currently making the transition. And that has direct ramifications for your waistline. You’ll likely see a re-distribution of weight from your thighs and buttocks to your stomach due to postmenopausal shifts in estrogen.
But you’ll also likely find that you not only gain weight more easily, but that it’s more difficult to take off. And this can leave many over 50 women feeling lost and frustrated. You may wonder why what you did to stay trim your whole life isn’t working anymore.
So today we’re going to address just that question. If you’re over 50 and feeling lost and stuck with weight loss, take a deep breath. Because we’re going to dive deep into what causes this postmenopausal phenomena. And get to the bottom of how successful weight loss may need to be different now that you’re a little older.
Here are the essential tips for weight loss for women over 50
Make reducing stress a priority
You may not think of stress as affecting your waistline. But it’s a factor for people of all ages. And after menopause, excess stress can really help you pack on the pounds.
When you’re stressed, you release high levels of the hormone cortisol. This is fine for your body in short bursts only. Ongoing high levels of cortisol are problematic. Because cortisol directly interacts with weight loss hormones like insulin and leptin.
Disruption to weight loss hormones can make you pack on the pounds. And during and after menopause, your hormonal balance is already much more precarious. So over 50 women who want to lose weight can benefit from things like writing in a gratitude journal or meditation to reduce stress.
Consider some kind of detoxification
Over a lifetime, we’re exposed to an amazing number of chemicals and toxins. Even newborn babies are born with a multitude of chemicals in their umbilical cord blood. And these toxins build up over time, and eventually disrupt weight loss.
This is because when there’s lots of toxicity and inflammation, weight loss becomes harder. Toxicity creates a state of bodily inflammation. And inflammatory markers are another thing that directly disrupt the proper functioning of your weight loss hormones.
Your body protects itself from toxicity by storing dangerous toxins in your fat. That way they’re not circulating in your bloodstream. But as you lose fat, those toxins are released from the fat and dumped back into the bloodstream, causing inflammation.
For this reason, you may find yourself hitting a weight loss plateau after a few weeks of successful weight loss. Or you might not be able to get the scale to budge at all. So detoxing through herbs and vegetables can help the body get back into balance for weight loss.
You have to focus more on building muscle
You start losing muscle as young as 30. And you start losing bone density at about 40. And this muscle and bone loss really speeds up around the time of menopause.The only way you can make up either of these is through exercise.
You need a good amount of muscle to maintain a healthy weight. Muscles help you burn calories all day, not just when you’re exercising. So if you start to lose muscle, you’ll need to consume less and less calories just to maintain your weight. And this makes you especially vulnerable to weight gain.
It’s still important to get good amounts of cardio exercise. This is good for your heart and also helps you burn calories. But you want at least a couple days a week of toning and shaping. And this becomes really essential if you’re over 50.
Choose your carbohydrates carefully
Carbohydrates are not the enemy. High-fiber carbohydrates like vegetables and fruit are essential for successful weight loss. But choose your carbohydrates carefully.
It’s important to keep processed carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and chips to smaller portions if you’re over 50. These carbs cause a large surge in blood sugar when eaten. And this causes a large insulin response.
When there is a repeated large insulin response, you can experience hormonal disruption. And again, menopause is also a time of hormonal change. So put these together, and it’s going to be very difficult to lose weight.
Choose fruits, vegetables, and small amounts of whole grains. These are the best carbs for you weight loss diet. And keep the rest of the carbs as occasional treats.
Get the best sleep possible
Sleep can go haywire for women over 50. Either you’re waking up from night sweats, or you’re having generally disruptive sleep. Or maybe you’re having trouble falling asleep in the first place. The bottom line is that sleep deprivation is really damaging to weight loss.
Sleep deprivation causes increased cravings for many comfort foods. And like many other things on this list, sleep deprivation disrupts hormone balance. Which makes it difficult to shed the pounds.
But don’t let lack of sleep stress you out. This will just make your sleep problems worse. Just understand that this can be part of your weight gain problem. And know that if you can improve your sleep, you’ll likely help yourself lose weight.
Final Thoughts
Losing weight when you’re over 50 is different than losing weight when you’re younger. You have to pay attention to things that you could ignore in your earlier days. But if you persist, you’re very likely to be successful.
So don’t get frustrated if your weight isn’t melting off the way it used to. You may have to work a little more creatively. But there is hope for lasting weight loss over 50.
About Author
