Old Enough to Know Better

It’s a mind thing, not an age thing. If you think you are too old to do something, then you are. 

Take the Lock Off the Fridge Door

Annoyed by a slow and steady kilo creep, one day you are tipped over the edge by a casual comment or the glimpse of yourself in a shop window. This one small action is all it takes to shock you into action and off you go, declaring all out war on the fridge. Suddenly you discover a hitherto undiscovered steely resolve to cut down on your food intake and push through each day eating as little as you can possibly manage for a few weeks/months or however long it takes to shift the unwanted kilos. Not a fun prospect you think, but entirely necessary if you are going to achieve your aim of turning back the tide of physical expansion. Recognise this scenario?

Before it gets to this, we can tell you that yes, severely slashing calories will almost definitely see the numbers on the scales go down, but here’s the bit you probably don’t know; the lost weight includes fluids and precious muscle which you really don’t want to lose on the way to your sleek new body ideal.

There are also a few rather unpleasant potential side effects of strict calorie restriction, one of which is the tendency of a starving body to shift toward a higher percentage of body fat, which increases the risk for Type 2 Diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Unless medically supervised it is not wise to cut calories below 1,200 per day, otherwise your energy will flag and you will find it a struggle to maintain your daily activities, leading to constant feelings of hunger and loss of concentration. The side effects may also land you in hot water with work colleagues and family who will have to put up with your irritability and vagueness....read "Hangry'’.

Building muscle will increase your metabolism slightly, even when inactive (bonus), but building muscle alone isn’t the answer to fat loss. It won't ‘replace fat’ as is often commonly thought so your approach needs to be much more holistic in order to achieve long term sustainable weight loss goals. 

The only sustainable way to lose weight is to eat regularly and eat a well balanced, nutritious diet with plenty of sleep and regular exercise. Also keep in mind that when you lose weight quickly, you are at risk of putting it back on -- with more fat and less muscle -- especially if you're over 50. Be warned!