Metabolism Can Slow as You Age

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Maintaining a healthy weight may require you to have a better understanding of how the balance of nutrition and activity effects your body. If you are overweight or obese, it can be more complicated than simply consuming fewer calories.

There is more to the science of weight loss and the ongoing art of weight management than meets the eye. In fact, the science suggests that a person’s body may react in surprising ways when he or she suddenly tries to lose weight.

A stressful event, like the death of a loved one, can lead to malnutrition where weight loss was unintentional. Although science-related changes to weight may need treatment, your body will naturally try to adjust to sudden changes in weight.

Aim to Reboot Your Eating Habits

Whether you are struggling to lose weight and keep it off or just aiming to reboot your personal eating habits, the weight loss strategies discussed below can be helpful for slimming down, such as:

1) Only Eat When Hungry – Letting natural hunger signals be your guide is considered to be a very effective weight loss strategy. So, learning the difference between emotion or boredom eating and true hunger cues is essential.

2) Avoid Liquid Calories – Looking for unexpected reasons why your weight loss efforts aren’t working? Take an accurate count of the liquid calories you are consuming every day. Over consumption of healthy drinks can result in a higher than expected caloric cost.

3) Boost Satiety with Foods - Leptin resistance is a condition that causes the body to not respond properly to satiety signals. This can leave you feeling hungry soon after eating a meal. Try boosting satiety with filling foods like lean proteins and healthy sources of fiber.

4) Be a More Active Adult – Losing and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan. Moreover, as you age your metabolism can slow down, so older adults must become more active while consuming fewer calories.

For sustainable weight loss, both nutritionists and exercise scientists recommend aiming to lose one to three pounds a week at the most. It is important to commit to building the new habits by giving yourself enough time for consistent behavioral changes.

Learn About the Science Behind Your Plan

Before you jump into a non-personalized weight loss plan, invest the time to learn as much about the science of weight loss as you can. Never assume that a popular online diet is right for you. Understand what’s behind the plan that you are considering. Compelling new research suggests the idea that diet alone should be adequate for anyone to shed unwanted pounds should be replaced by personalized programs that fully support the science of healthy weight loss.

For centuries, men and women have embraced highly flawed diet plans being marketed as a one-size-fits-all plan for anyone to lose weight and keep it off, even for the most difficult-to-treat cases of being overweight or obese. Exercise may not be the key for losing weight quickly but it can play a vital role in long-term weight loss by reducing stress, increasing productivity, and lowering your risk for chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.