As my fellow boomers and I age, our health has come into sharp focus. When I started my healthy living website, Ageless, 12 years ago, I felt I was almost alone in beating the drum for wellness, but now I find myself in a sea of influencers, health enthusiasts and biohackers.
People my age are realising that we're responsible for our own health and health span – the amount of life where you remain healthy. As a result, many more people are embracing exercise and are more conscious of what they eat.
They're also staying on top of weight gain, which is something that creeps up on both men and women as we hit midlife.
Diet culture in midlife
If you're a woman over the age of 40, chances are you've been on a diet. Probably multiple diets. I know I have. Whilst I always try to eat well and don't count calories, hormones and the menopause can make weight gain a reality for many of us. If you add health issues into the mix, it can make it even harder to lose weight.
© Getty ImagesBut there's more to weight loss than dieting. Whilst a diet full of protein, healthy fats and minimal sugars and junk food is vital, there are other tactics that can help to halt weight gain in its tracks – I'm referring to the small ways you can help to stop fat being laid down and slow down weight gain.
I must stress that it's always better to eat as healthily as possible, but if that's not feasible for any reason, here's what to do.
My top tactics for losing weight – without dieting
1. No fizzy drinks
In my mind, nothing will make you gain weight faster while undermining your health at the same time than fizzy drinks.
If you consume many a day and find cutting them out totally too hard, go slow and start by cutting down. If you can't give them up, then keep them as a once-a-week treat.
Never have more than one fizzy drink per day. This also applies to the sugar-free versions. They make you hungrier and are also bad for your health. They will not help you lose weight.
2. No snacking
Keep to three meals a day with four or five hours between meals. This way, your body will use fat as energy. Snacking stops the fat-burning process from happening, and constant grazing causes food to be stored as fat in your body.
© Getty Images3. Take a 10-minute walk after a meal
A short walk after a carb-heavy meal will help to increase fat burning by stopping the glucose in the food from being converted into fat. If you don’t feel like a walk, do 30 squats or lunges instead.
4. Weight training
This helps store glucose/sugar in muscles instead of converting it into fat. Increasing your muscle mass also increases your metabolism and your ability to burn fat. It means you’ll be able to eat more carbs without gaining weight.
© Getty Images5. Eat more fibre
The fibre in fruit and vegetables slows down the absorption of sugar and carbs in your gut and helps keep blood sugar levels stable. It helps to keep you full and lowers cravings. If you eat the vegetables on your plate first, before any carbs, less fat will be lain down.
And that's it! Five small things that will make a difference. I realise there's still some effort required here, but it's a lot less daunting than having to give up all your favourite foods in one go. A person who is put off by depriving themselves of the foods they love and that bring them pleasure may well be more open to applying these tactics. If all these tactics are too much, apply the ones that are doable as a starting point.
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By embracing all or any of these rules, healthy eating is much more likely to follow. At the very least, there will be less fat accumulated in the body and weight gain will be minimised.
These tiny little steps could be the leap that someone needs to start embracing their health more fully.
