If you’re someone who’s beyond the age of
50 who is looking to lose some body fat, you might start to wonder if there
should be a difference in the approach you use versus the approach of someone
who is younger.
After all, your body is different now than
when you were in your twenties, so it only stands to reason that you may need
to use a different type of diet.
So what differences should someone over 50
take note of? What alternations will best help you see success?
Let’s go over the main things that you
should know so that you can get right on track to progress.
Alterations
To Your Calorie Intake
The very first thing that you will likely
want to do is use a slightly lower calorie intake at this point in your life. Now, there is the common saying that the
metabolism naturally slows with age.
While this is true, it’s not for the reason many people believe.
The primary reason why your metabolism will
decrease as you get older is because you’re losing lean muscle tissue. If you’re someone who has been active for the
last 20 years, then you likely don’t need to use a reduced calorie intake as
you will have more lean muscle tissue.
If you haven’t been exercising though, then
a slightly lower calorie diet is in order.
Try starting at around 10 or 11 calories per pound of body weight.
At this point in your life you may not be
quite as physically active overall either as you were when you were younger, so
that will also factor into your total daily calorie burn.
Accounting
For Nutritional Deficiencies
Another adjustment that you should make is
accounting for nutritional deficiencies.
Those who are older will want to really make sure that they are taking
in enough calcium, iron, and B vitamins.
This will help ensure that they maintain
strong bones and high energy levels. In
addition to that, make sure that you’re taking in a very high quantity of fresh
fruits and vegetables daily on whatever diet you choose as these will help to
protect against some of the common diseases that can develop as the years go
on.
Adding
Extra Protein
Finally, the last thing that you should
adjust on your diet protocol is your protein intake. Many older individuals are not getting enough
protein total, so it’s important that you bump up your intake.
Additionally, since you aren’t quite as
active as you were when you were younger, having more protein in the diet will
help to further safeguard against lean muscle tissue loss, so will help to keep
your metabolism higher long term.
Remember to add plenty of low fat dairy
sources of protein in particular such as Greek yogurt, skim milk, and low-fat
cottage cheese as these are both high in protein and high in calcium, so will
really help you along your way.
So there you have everything that you need
to know about dieting past 50. While the
general approach should still be quite similar, making these few additional
changes would be well worth your while.
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