THERE’S NO IDEAL time to begin a weight loss journey. Weight loss might be more difficult the older you get, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort. Losing weight after 50 is tough—but certainly not impossible.
There are always benefits to maintaining a healthy weight, regardless of age. Decreasing your body fat and increasing your muscle mass will help improve daily functioning, decrease blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and other diseases, improve energy levels, improve mood, and boost confidence. Losing weight isn’t an easy process, regardless of age—but attempting to lose fat later in life may present a few extra challenges.
One factor that may inhibit the ability to quickly shed pounds is the effect of aging on our metabolism. It begins to slow down as we get older, says Kate Ingram, M.P.H., R.D.. Our muscle mass deteriorates overtime—a natural process known as sarcopenia. It lowers about 3 to 8 percent per decade, according to the National Library of Medicine. Our muscles require more energy, and more calories, to survive. When that muscle mass starts to diminish, our bodies, in turn, burn less calories overall. “It can be harder to create the calorie deficit necessary for weight loss.”
Plus, hormonal changes can affect appetite and fat distribution, often favoring abdominal fat gain. As Ingram says, reduced physical activity, changes in dietary habits, and the potential for emotional factors like stress or emotional eating can also contribute to weight gain. Health conditions and medications may cause complications, too.
Plus, life gets in the way sometimes. “Between work obligations, family life, and responsibilities, commute time sitting in the car, etc. there isn’t as much free time left for exercise and physical activity,” says Lauren Zimmerman, M.S., R.D.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get the ball rolling on weight loss when you’re older. With a balanced diet, regular exercise, proper medical guidance, and a patient, sustainable approach, weight loss is still possible and beneficial after the age of 50, says Ingram. Keep reading for dietitians’ top 22 strategies to lose weight in your fifties—and beyond.
1. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
To lose weight, one approach is to take in fewer calories than you expend. Instead of focusing on what to eat less of, let’s talk about what to eat more of. First up, fruits and vegetables. In a study from Harvard, people who increased their intake of fruits and vegetables lost weight, especially if they ate more berries, apples, pears, soy, or cauliflower. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories but rich in important vitamins and minerals that you need more of as you age, including fiber, which can keep you full between meals, says Katherine L. Tucker, Ph.D., professor of nutritional epidemiology and director of the Center for Population Health at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
She recommends piling vegetables over half your plate at every meal. Keep frozen vegetables in your freezer so you never run out (here’s the best way to freeze extra veggies yourself), and get creative with your salads by adding olives, cheese, or sliced oranges to make them more interesting. Check out our favorite breakfast salads—yes, breakfast salads—for more inspiration (sweet potato, spinach, and an egg is definitely breakfast!). Holly F. Lofton, M.D., director of the Medical Weight Management Program at NYU Langone Health, recommends “easy” vegetables: “Try ones you can just wash, cook, and eat, like asparagus and broccoli,” she says. Of course, you don’t even have to cook baby carrots.
A few easy ways to sneak veggies into your diet: Add some spinach, carrots, beets, or squash to smoothies. Blend some up to add to spaghetti sauces or soups. Take some veggie chips and use them as a dip for hummus or salsa (which are also veggies!).
2. Use Beans as a Base
Beans are packed with filling fiber and protein, and as they travel through your digestive system, their roughage and resistant starch feeds the good bacteria in your gut, says Tucker. These bacteria in turn create short-chain fatty acids, which are helpful in protecting your metabolism. A study review from Canada shows that people who ate a serving of legumes every day as part of a weight-loss effort lost a couple of pounds in an average of six weeks. Try making beans or lentils in an Instant Pot, which allows you to stew legumes with vegetables and other flavorful components and make enough for the whole family. You can even puree them to add to soups, stews, and even mac and cheese without changing the flavor or texture that much. Expand your repertoire by trying new types of beans—discover your healthiest choices here.
3. Befriend Your Bathroom Scale
Weigh yourself each morning so you notice right away if the number is trending up instead of down. “If you gain weight, and if you focus on it early and it’s only a few pounds, you can lose it quickly, but if you let it stay, basically it reprograms your body at a higher weight and it makes it hard to lose because you get hungry,” Tucker says. If you want to lose weight over 50, it’s especially useful to jump on any gain right away.
4. Or, Ditch the Scale
That doesn’t mean weighing yourself daily or weekly is for everyone.
“As we age, metabolism tends to decrease, muscle mass may decline, and hormonal fluctuations can impact weight distribution,” says Marine Melamed, R.D.. It’s normal to experience some weight fluctuations. “Accepting these changes is the first step towards achieving realistic weight loss goals.”
For this reason, instead of focusing on the number on the scale, consider how energized you feel throughout the day, the healthy food choices you make, how your clothing feels like it fits, your body composition, and body measurements. According to Melamed, those parameters can help you evaluate your progress in a healthier and more positive way if you’re the kind of person that places a ton of pressure on the number on the scale.
5. Focus on Your Food
Between 15 conference calls, appointments with your accountant, and all the other obligations facing the modern 50-something man, you might not be giving your meals the respect they deserve. “People on the go tend to overeat,” says Bettina Mittendorfer, Ph.D., a research associate professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, but eating slowly and mindfully can help your weight-loss efforts.
Instead of shoveling in lunch between meetings, plate your food, take a seat, and chew slowly so that you enjoy each bite. Adding crunchy elements to your meal, such as sliced jicama or cabbage, can also help you slow down and eat less. It may also help to choose foods that require the use of utensils. One more thing: Use Netflix as an after-dinner treat. Eating in front of the TV is associated with weight gain, according to research published in the journal Obesity.
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Traveling is another danger zone for mindless eating, especially if you’re one of those people who eats when food is presented to you, says Dr. Lofton. She recommends that you carry with you something easy that you usually eat once a day—so pack your standard breakfast or something easy and nutritious for lunch. (See how one guy who drove 15,000 miles in 4 months stayed healthy.) “This creates some structure when you’re in situations where you don’t have as much control over meals,” she says.
6. Track it, Too
Speaking of focusing on food, tracking what you eat might help you realize where exactly these spare calories are sneaking in.
“This can be done via a food tracking app,” Mary Wirtz, M.S., R.D., board certified sports dietitian, ticking off a few options such as My Fitness Pal, Calorie King, or
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