In your 30s
Shave 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. So, if your weight holds steady at 2,000 calories a day, cut back to 1,500 calories a day to drop 10 pounds in 10 weeks.
Your diet do’s (and don’ts):
Don’t splurge with the kids. “Maybe you eat cookies every time your child does,” says Bernadette Latson, RD, an associate professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. By cutting these calories, she explains, you’ll lose.
It helps you keep weight and eating top of mind, says Howard J. Eisenson, MD, director of the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina, and co-author of The Duke Diet.
Halve the hunger. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that when people ate apples 15 minutes before lunch, they took in 190 fewer calories than when they didn’t.
In your 40s
To adapt to your slowing metabolism, cut 4 percent of your daily calories. (So if you’ve maintained your 30s weight at 2,000 calories daily, shave 80 calories off now.) To lose a pound a week, cut 500 more.
Your diet do’s (and don’ts):
Sweat the small stuff. “Skip chips at lunch and cut 100 calories,” Latson says. Replace soda with water, cut 100 more.
Break out the breakfast. “Make it a third of your calories,” Latson says. Combine lean proteins with high-fiber carbs to keep you satisfied all morning long.
Stick with your knitting. “When you’re stressed, you have a ‘hunger’ for something soothing,” Eisenson says. Try other ways to unwind, from knitting to meditating.
In your 50s
Your metabolism’s still dipping. Shave another 75 off your daily calories to maintain. Cut 500 calories a day to lose a pound weekly.
Your diet do’s (and don’ts):
Sip the bubbly. “Drink wine with seltzer so you can have volume without all the calories,” says Deborah Clegg, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Obesity Research Center at the University of Cincinnati.
Celebrate soy. Work in two servings of soy a day. Swapping equal amounts of soy for the milk or meat you usually eat can help you lose weight, according to research recently published in the journal Obesity Reviews.
Eat by the clock. Try to eat meals at regular times. “If you surprise your body with an unscheduled meal, your glucose and insulin rise higher than normal, leading to the storage of extra calories as fat,” Clegg says.
By Dorothy Foltz-Gray
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Comments (10)
hi, im 30 years old and i look like a dump i want to know how to at least lose 20 pounds by eating the right way if you can please email me back that would be great
thanks
I hear you…I’m 33 and I feel worse than ever!!!!!
I’m 28, big boy, about 300 lbs, 6′4″ giant….its hard to lose weight ladies, but I stay healthy by eating right, drinking water, limit my alcohol, no fast fried food and have sex a few times a week for at least one hour. Its tough, but hang in there. So far I lost 34 lbs and still going…..
After several years of following the advice to eat soy, I read an article entitled “The Dark Side of Soy” which highlighted that soy causes excessive inflammation in some individuals, especially highly refined soy products. Since I’d been battling thyroid inflammation, I stopped eating soy. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m now 65, haven’t had thyroid problems since I dropped the soy, feel fabulous, and have my former high energy level. BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT RECOMMENDING SOY. ITS NOT FOR EVERYONE. READ ABOUT THE NEGATIVES OF SOY. A GOOD DIET THAT EMPHASIZES FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WILL DO AS MUCH FOR YOU AS ALL THESE SOY PRODUCTS–WHICH MOSTLY FATTEN THE WALLETS OF AGRIBUSINESS.
I want to know if your articles can be reprinted in our local free community health magazine.
thank you
Ok –so according to this I need to consume 869 calories a day (I’m short)… is that healthy?
I,m been having health problems with in the last 2 years, doctors answers are to take this medicine, try this one beause this one is not working, recently I had persistant vertigo, was out of work for 6 weeks, now they tell me that my cholesterol is high, they want me to take more medication for that , I said I would like to find out a way for this problem with natural stuff. thanks.
it IS possible to lose weight just by eating better. When we were younger my husband and I ate out a LOT and when money got tight and we started cooking at home, not even strictly “healthy” foods, I lost about 10lbs without even trying.
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I NEED YOUR HELP. I’M 56 AND HAVE THAT TUBE AROUND THE MIDDLE THAT I’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE. I LIKE TO LOSE 15 TO 20 LBS. I DO EXCERISE (WALK) 4 TO 5 DAYS OF WEEK. CAN’T SEEM TO FIND ANYTHING THAT WORKS. CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY GOOD ADVICE.
I’m 31 and have never looked like I do and I really feel bad since I have gained so much weight. I would love to lose about 40 pounds because I have 2 beautiful children that need me. Could you please help me get this weight off. Please email me back.
Thank you