Getting older can feel like an uphill battle—especially when it comes to weight loss. That added flab starts to feel more stubborn, and even your best efforts can’t help you chip away at the unwanted padding. But cracking 40, 50 and beyond doesn’t mean learning to live with a dad bod. You can still lose weight, and you’re not at as much of a disadvantage as you think.
In reality, your metabolism doesn’t tend to slow down significantly until you start working through your 60s. And, even then, you’ll only experience a 1% decrease in your metabolic rate per year. So, yes, by the time you hit your 90s, your metabolic rate will be around 26% slower than it was in your youth, your metabolism will be firing on all cylinders for the majority of your life.
Bottom line: you don’t need to rewind the clock, you just need to rethink your habits. One major issue with getting older is that your list of responsibilities will turn into a skyscraper of duties. From juggling parental tasks, a hefty work schedule, grocery runs and the mandatory amount of DIY necessary to keep your pad in top shape, there seems to be little room to start tweaking your diet and exercise routine.
No fear; our list of quick fixes will get you back on track and torching calories in record time.
1. Turn On the Burn at Breakfast
Fact: breakfast is the most skipped meal. Reality: foregoing your first feast could be why you’re packing on the pounds. One recent study found that ditching the most important meal of the day can lead to weight gain. Why? There are plenty of theories, but feeling satiated from the first hour will make you less likely to snack on calorie-loaded morsels in between your meals—or binge on bountiful takeaways at lunch. (In other words, it’ll help you lose weight) Skipping this meal could also ramp up your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association.
READ MORE: Dead Simple Healthy Eating Habits to Help You Lose Weight & Feel Better Right Now
A high-protein breakfast can do even more for your weight-loss goals. Try some our macro-maximising feasts HERE.
2. Save the Sprints for the Tarmac
When you’re in a rush, we don’t blame you for chomping through your meals in a few bites. However, this breakneck pace at the dinner table could be why you’re struggling to lose weight. Research has found that eating at a slow or moderate pace will help you feel satiated, regardless of how much you’re eating. In other words, try making a mountain of a molehill (read: salad) and you’ll feel more satisfied than wolfing down a burger and fries.
3. Just Add Fibre
Plant-based carbs are a surefire way to hit the brakes on your cravings. The reason? They help ramp up that all-important feeling of satiety. So if you’re depriving yourself of fruits, veggies and pulses, you’re not only missing out on important nutrients, but you could be trying to diet on “hard mode” and will hurt your ability to lose weight. Supper shouldn’t feel like a “Souls-like”.
4. Sidestep the Soda
A nice refreshing cool drink can be incredibly satisfying, but sipping on these calorie-dense beverages often isn’t worth the price of admission. And most of us are knocking back more sugar-laced sippers than we think. There’s a reason the local soft drink market is expected to grow by almost 7% by 2028. You could try subbing in “low” or “no” sugar variants of your favourite cool drink or wean yourself onto the healthiest hydration available: plain, old, reliable water.
If you—like plenty of other guys—aren’t the biggest fan of this simple hydration option, try a few of these tips to ramp up your intake:
If You Dislike the Taste, Try This
First off, if you’re in Cape Town—the water tastes great, so just keep sipping until you have an epiphany. But we get it, if you’ve become accustomed to sweet fizzy beverages, your tap servings probably aren’t hitting the spot. A slice of lemon and some ice can be a game-changer when it comes to flavour, or you could get fancy with it and invest in a fruit-infuser bottle like this one. Simply stash your favourite fruits in the filter and let it percolate. The result: hydration with a hint of flavour that’ll help you steer clear of those diet-destroying bottled beverages.
If You Just Keep Forgetting, Try This
It sounds odd, but many guys just simply forget to top up their hydration levels. While your body is supposed to give you the signal that it’s time to start sipping, it’s possible to mistake this message for a call to chow on more food. After all, adequate hydration is a research-backed remedy for weight loss. Fortunately, there are plenty of apps that’ll remind you to pour yourself a glass. Water Llama, for example, will notify you with constant reminders and lets you track your intake. Think of it as a gamified approach to getting liquid. Alternatively, if you want something in clear sight, try this water bottle featuring markings and timings that’ll remind you to knock back your daily requirements.
5. Schedule Regular Weigh-Ins
Maybe you’re in the habit of avoiding the scale, but that sort of “out of mind, out of sight” thinking will lead you to pack on some denial-fuelled kilos. While daily fluctuations of a few hundred grams are to be expected, weighing in every morning will help you spot an upward trend before it turns into a heavy lifestyle. This habit can give you the info you need to tweak your meals or rethink your workouts, and it’s a reminder of the real cost a few “cheat” meals can have on your progress. There’s no better motivator than naked truths.
6. Remix Your Workouts
By the time you clock 40, you’re probably committed to a particular exercise routine already. Whether it’s racking up steps on the tarmac or shifting tin in the gym, those habits might be set in stone. However, if you’re not getting results, it may be worth retooling your approach. One study found that those who did a mix of cardio and resistance training during their sessions were able to carve away body fat and gain muscle.
READ MORE: Build Real Strength in Record Time with HIIT Workouts
Having tunnel vision for just one discipline can mean you’ll miss out on the benefits of other workouts. For example, lifting weights can help you build muscle which, in turn, can lead to more calorie-burn as the bigger your muscles, the more fuel you’ll need to power your body. Not sure where to start? Try high-intensity interval training. This mixed bag of moves will spark both your drivetrain and cardio engine to give you the best of both worlds.
7. Get Into the “Fast” Lane
Intermittent fasting might seem like an Instagram-born fad, but there’s a secret power to this time-trial taster. (Yes, those success stories on your “explore” page are probably real.) Your typical fasting plan will see you limiting your meals to a specific block of time during the day. For example, you might block out an 8-hour, meal-free window in your day and slowly up the prescription to as much as 16-hours depending on your goals. The approach works because you don’t have to second guess your meal choices as you’re unlikely to be able to knock back a surplus of calories during this small window. But, if you couple intermittent fasting with a healthy menu and some of the tips listed here, you can seriously ramp up your weight-loss.
8. Sleep Your Way to Slim
Your resting hours are just as important as your reps when it comes to dropping weight. Research has found that those who don’t get enough sleep tend to eat more calories and are more likely to crave high-calorie bites. Thankfully, getting those eight hours can immediately nix the cravings by keeping your hormone levels balanced.
Can’t get no sleep? Try this:
- Set a consistent bedtime and stick to it. Most smartphones let you program in a regular bedtime hour, giving you a reminder to hit the hay.
- Don’t eat a heavy meal in the hour before your bedtime. This sudden influx of calories could make it harder to fall asleep.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine at night. While you may be accustomed to enjoying a daily brew (of either kind), sipping on these beverages too close to your bedtime hours will wreak havoc with your nighttime routine.
- Put away your phone. Once you’ve gotten the signal to tuck in, you should stash your phone away somewhere where it isn’t in arm’s reach. Not only can the blue light emitted from your screen make it tough to get shuteye, but browsing the news or scrolling through Reddit can be overly stimulating.
9. Don Your Chef’s Hat
The proliferation of quick-and-easy eats (read: Mr. Delivery and co.) means many of us are foregoing time over the hob for a tap-and-go meal. However, those order-ins could be delivering a payload of problems to your doorstep. Problem is, you don’t know exactly what’s going into creating your regular orders. While some companies are candid about their ingredients, even a basic wrap could be packing far more calories than you might expect.
A DIY approach will give you full control over every macro, so you’ll know exactly what you’re feasting on. “When we take the time to prepare the food we eat, there is a sense of ownership there, taking control of our health and that results in a more meaningful meal where we know what is in the food,” registered dietitian Lauren Zimmerman told Men’s Health.
Need some quick-and-easy healthy recipes? Try these built-for-winter super soups.
10. Keep Drinking Coffee
Forget all the early-2000s slander against our favourite cuppa—coffee has serious weight-loss potential. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, starting your day with a steaming brew (hold the sugar) could help spike your metabolic rate by 10% or more.
READ MORE: Can Drinking Coffee Help You Lose Weight?
11. Start Tracking Everything
More admin? In this economy??? We promise, keeping tabs on your meals is not as hard as you think, and in the long run, your day-to-day analysis will make lightwork of tipping the scales in the right direction. There are a plethora of apps available that will help you count the calories and macros in every morsel, so you’ll never be left guessing on where you stand on your TDE. Not convinced? One study found that those who kept daily food records (like journals or simple spreadsheets) were able to lose twice as much weight as those who skipped the bookkeeping.
12. Get Active
If you’re a couch potato and a potato fiend, your bad habits are getting in the way of your weight-loss goals. However, you don’t need to go from couch to crushing sets in the gym to start melting off in the flab. Even just making time for a few short walks every week will pay off for your health and start trimming inches off your waistline.
Now, be warned—physical activity is not a magic bullet for losing weight. But it’s a step in the right direction. Just a 15-minute walk can notch you a 100-calorie deficit for the day. Mutliply that across the week and you’ll be down 700. That’s 700 fewer calories to worry about for minimal effort that will only double-down on your efforts at the dinner table.
13. Set Reasonable Goals
If you’re approaching your weight-loss journey in the hopes of unearthing washboard abs in the span of just 4 weeks, you’re likely to kill your motivation. Weight loss—that sticks—means developing habits that you can stick to for the rest of your life. One effective approach is incorporating one new habit every week. For example, for this week, make it your mission to ditch the cool drinks; in the next, start ramping up your physical activity with daily walks and the following week, delete the delivery apps and start cooking everything from scratch. Your transformation will feel manageable and the good deeds will start to add up to a noticeable change on the scale.
14. Don’t Give Up
Setbacks are part of the process. If you find yourself diverting from the script—i.e., your cheat meal turned into a cheat feast—don’t dwell on your missteps. The goal here is to recalibrate and move on. Having compassion for yourself, and celebrating your successes, is the key to turning a diet into a real transformation.
