Lose Weight More Easily And Sleep Better With These Diet Tips Even When Youâ€™re Over 50

Trying to lose weight over 50 can be difficult at best. For women, lower estrogen levels make it harder while for men lower testosterone levels can be the culprit. With one-third of the population obese, overweight is a problem for many Americans. Of the one-third who are overweight, 40 percent are between the ages of 40 – 59 while 35 percent of those who are overweight are over the age of 60. Obesity becomes a bigger problem as adults grow older because it can lead to many health problems like type 2 diabetes.

Next Avenue reported that there were several things that adults over 50 can do to make it easier for them to lose weight ^[1]. Dr. Brian Quebbemann, a bariatric surgeon and founder of the N.E.W. Program in Newport Beach, California, said that there were several factors that contributed to the difficulty for those over 50 who were trying to lose weight.

"After 50, hormones play a very important role in the development of excess body fat. These changes in hormones can have a significant and rapid effect on our weight. Hormone changes naturally occur as both men and women age. Unfortunately, for both sexes, these changes can result in us putting on extra pounds."

Make this smoothie if you want to lose weight https://t.co/0ypoWKXk8Y pic.twitter.com/GI6LCf2pLq ^[2]^[3]

— POPSUGAR Fitness (@POPSUGARFitness) March 27, 2016 ^[4]

As previously reported in The Inquisitr, there are several things dieters can do to make weight loss ^[5] easier that are backed by science. These include drinking 16 ounces of water 30 minutes before meals. For those in the study who drank water before meals, they lost almost 10 pounds without making any other changes within their diets. A diet rich in fish oil also made a difference because fish oil improved gut bacteria and helped dieters metabolize calories better.

For adults over 50 trying to lose weight, understanding that weight gain is not inevitable is crucial. Healthy lifestyle strategies can result in better overall health while contributing to weight control. Exercise is beneficial to anyone who wants to lose weight, but it's especially beneficial to adults over 50 because it helps them to maintain muscle mass. A pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat, so the more muscle mass a person has the better.

5 ways to lose weight overnight and get rid of bloating: https://t.co/4lciHAEC1O pic.twitter.com/02v5JSq3mi ^[6]^[7]

— Eat This, Not That! (@EatThisNotThat) March 27, 2016 ^[8]

Other things that adults over 50 can do are getting tested for insulin resistance. Watch for rapid accumulation of abdominal fat and elevated blood sugar, two things that can occur when adults age. Drink lots of water and avoid eating late at night. Ultimately it's about the amount of calories taken in, so it's important to watch the total number of calories. For men, having their testosterone levels tested can determine any problems related to testosterone levels.

Tech Times reported that a high-protein diet ^[9] can help with losing weight. A new study from Purdue University showed that middle-aged adults who were obese and ate a high-protein diet slept better too. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition and funded by the National Dairy Council, National Institutes of Health, Beef Checkoff, National Pork Board, and Purdue Ingestive Behavior Research Center in affiliation with the American Society for Nutrition.

18 Ways to Maximize Your Workout and Lose Weight Faster https://t.co/D1DFagysGy pic.twitter.com/mxnbSZfExU ^[10]^[11]

— Harper's Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) March 27, 2016 ^[12]

Dr. Wayne Campbell, a professor of nutrition science, said that the study took a different approach to the study of weight loss, protein in the diet, and sleep.

"Most research looks at the effects of sleep on diet and weight control, and our research flipped that question to ask what are the effects of weight loss and diet — specifically the amount of protein – on sleep."

The diet the 14 study subjects used to lose weight included pork, beef, legumes, soy and milk protein. Study participants were given 1.76 pounds or 3.3 pounds of protein to consume for each kilogram of body weight. For those who consumed the higher amount of protein, they saw an improved quality in their sleep over the course of the study.

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