If you want to lose weight you need to eat less.

 

Because I have managed to keep my weight in check despite Covid, people ask me - "What's your secret?"

I tell them the truth. 

I hardly eat anything at all. 

In fact, I have been astonished by how little I need to eat to keep from gaining weight now that I am over 60.

But research tells us that at age 50, assuming that you have the same activity level as you did at 20 (fat chance) you still need to eat 200 fewer calories a day in order to prevent weight gain.

After age 60, it's 400-500 calories less.  (Weiss, 2018)

Despite what you might have heard, exercise while good for you in so many ways, doesn't really help with weight loss.  It takes two hours of exercise to burn off a hamburger.  And in many cases exercise will stimulate hunger.

So, as Weight Watchers has taught for years, the secret to weight loss is portion control and behavior modification.

Recently I lunched with a friend, who asked that half her lunch be boxed, and then turned to me and said: "See I eat small portions."

She's missing the point.  Portion size is not an absolute. 

If you want to lose weight and you aren't, you need to eat less than you are currently eating.   Even if like me, you end up eating almost nothing at all.

 

Weiss, S. (2018, December 18)  Why is it so hard for women over 50 to lose weight?  nch.org Retrieved July 28, 2021, from  https://www.nch.org/news/why-is-it-so-hard-for-women-over-50-to-lose-weight/