If you watch any late night infomercial or glance at a fitness magazine, you'll notice that there is an abundance of diets, supplements and workout programs to help you lose weight. However, many of these solutions can be hard on your body and entail intense exercise. For these reasons, they aren't appropriate for seniors. Fortunately, there are a number of effective techniques for seniors to lose weight. Before beginning any diet or exercise plan, be sure to consult your doctor.
Eat Filling Foods
In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis. You can do this either by increasing calorie-burning through exercise, or reducing your calorie intake. According to the website Family Doctor, creating a deficit of 3500 calories will result in the loss of one pound of fat. If you want to lose one pound per week, try to eat 500 fewer calories than you burn each day.
To create this deficit without feeling hungry all the time, try to eat filling foods. The Mayo Clinic suggests eating foods such as vegetables, lean protein, fruit and dairy. These foods are low in calories but can help you feel full. Eating foods high in fiber can help you feel full as well.
Consume More Calories From Protein
Protein is important for building muscles, but it also has benefits for dieters. According to research from the "Journal of American Clinical Nutrition," prioritizing protein in your diet can have significant advantages. The research found that high protein diets can increase feelings of satiety, meaning you can stay full on fewer calories. In addition, protein creates a high thermic effect, meaning your body burns more calories digesting this nutrient than carbohydrates or fat.
Water Aerobics
Aerobic exercise is an effective weight loss method, but it has several issues that may make it unsuitable for seniors. First, aerobic programs tend to provide high-intensity workouts, which can be hard for seniors to perform. Additionally, the quick movements and hard impacts of aerobics may damage joints.
For these reasons, water aerobics are a more appropriate workout. Performing aerobics in water slows movement and reduces impact on joints. Even with these characteristics, water aerobics can still burn a significant amount of calories. According to the Mayo Clinic, water aerobics can burn between 292 and 436 calories per hour, depending on your weight.
Walking
Whether on a treadmill or outside, walking can be an effective weight-loss strategy for seniors. This activity is low impact and low intensity, and can be performed without any special equipment. Walking can be done year-round and is unlikely to raise blood pressure significantly or damage joints. While not the most efficient calorie-burning exercise, it can still be effective. According to the calorie calculator at NutriStrategy.com, walking at 3 miles per hour can burn up to 300 calories per hour, depending on your weight. Walking uphill at 3.5 miles per hour can burn around 500 calories per hour.
References
- Family Doctor: What It Takes To Lose Weight
- Mayo Clinic: Energy Density and Weight Loss: Feel Full on Fewer Calories
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; The Effects of High Protein Diets on Thermogenesis, Satiety and Weight Loss: A Critical Review; Thomas L. Halton and Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD; October 2004
- Mayo Clinic: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in One Hour
- NutriStrategy: Calories Burned During Exercise
Member Comments