Senior Summer Slimdown

May 25, 2011 by

People of ALL ages think that the best way to lose weight is to eat less. Especially seniors! They figure because they are less active, the should eat less to accomodate for the less activity in their lives. That is true…to a point.

Your body is like a car…if you drive down the road with the gas light on, your car will run out and gas, and eventually your car will start sputtering, and then stop driving. You don’t want that to happen to your body, do you? You won’t drop dead…what happens is your body starts to store everything you eat as fat.   It begins to hibernate…to store all your food as fat..just in case!

Most people are less active as they age. And that’s ok! But the key to a healthy body is to eat every 2-3 hours.  And make sure you’re getting the right mix of protein, complex carbohydrates and veggies! Stay away from the sugars…have them every now and then, but too much sugar only zaps your energy levels.

Every 2-3 hours? But I’m not hungry that often! You know why you’re not hungry? Because you’re not eating enough, you’re basically hibernating. Your metabolism actually slows down, because it doesn’t know when it’s going to get food next. So it slows down to preserve what energy you have. If you start eating more often, SURPRISE, you will start getting hungrier. Your metabolism will speed up and you will find yourself feeling hungrier.  And when your metabolism speeds up, you will slimdown.

The absolute MINIMUM amount of calories your body needs is 10% your body weight. For example, if you weigh 157 lbs, you would need to eat 1570 calories for your body to function properly. If you weigh 133 lbs, you would need to eat 1330 calories. 185 lbs = 1850 calories. YES, that much!

So remember, graze…eat every 2-3 hours. And make sure you’re eating 10-12%. 10-12% depending on your activity levels and your goals. If you want to lose weight, stay towards the 10%…if you want to maintain your bodyweight stay towards the 12%.

Remember, your body is a car. You don’t want it breaking down prematurely. Eat more to speed up your metabolism, and therefore slimdown.

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Filed Under: Senior's Health
About Rachel Ettinger

Rachel has been competing in the NPC for 7 years. In the last 3 years, she's competed in 9 NPC Bikini competitions across the US. She holds the following certifications: ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, ISSA Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, and Adult CRP & AED. She believes that every family can easily live a healthy lifestyle and looks forward to contributing to your health and success! You can visit Rachel at www.bodytechbyrachel.com.