Losing weight properly is a difficult task by itself for anyone, let alone someone in their 70’s. We would all like to look better and feel healthier. There are definite benefits to losing weight if you are in the overweight category. There’s less pressure on your joints, less inflammation, better bowel movements, and better organ function just to name a few. So, what is the best way to eat to lose weight?
There is a lot of confusion that has been created in the fitness space regarding diet. How you eat to lose weight jumps around to polar opposites depending on where you land in your search. What and how you eat to lose weight should be a simple process. By following these easy rules anyone should be able to lose the weight that they want.
- Plan ahead
- Aim for whole minimally processed foods
- Keep your plates easily identifiable
- Make your food delicious
Plan ahead
Planning ahead is without a doubt the one single thing that will give you the most results. If I could have you take only one thing out of this article this would be it. Planning ahead is such a crucial step, and allow me to take you through 2 very real scenarios that I have dealt with many times and I’m sure you have too.
Scenario 1 – Lunch time is coming up and you are hungry, because you skipped out on breakfast and opted to just drink some coffee. You open the fridge and there is food there, but nothing that really speaks to you or is easy to slap together for a quick lunch. Cabinets also have ingredients but nothing that could easily come together for a meal. Well that leaves just one option, drive-thru.
Scenario 2 – Dinner time is fast approaching. You have meat in the freezer but nothing is defrosted yet, because you have no idea what you are making. You seem to be missing a couple ingredients out of your go-to recipes and running to the store to get them seems like a bit of a hassle. Searching for recipes just magnifies the problem by feeding your indecisiveness. Now it’s time to figure out a restaurant or your go-to pizza delivery.
Both scenarios could have been easily avoidable if we had just planned ahead. Whenever I ask new clients for a list of 5 things they would like to change about their behaviors around their diet, almost all 5 can be solved by planning ahead.
Create a menu
Having your meals already decided makes everything easier so try creating a menu for the week. If you have your lunch and dinner already decided then you can make better decisions. Scrambling to find something only forces us to fall onto the easiest solution, go out and buy food. Which at this point you might be so hungry that your inhibitions to find something healthier might be out the window.
Planning ahead can help with other situations such as celebrations. If you know that you will be going out to a restaurant for dinner one night, then you can plan your meals around that dinner. If your family likes all-you-can-eat sushi like mine then at least you are aware that you might be eating a lot. This means that you can work in a lighter lunch, such as a salad with some chicken to offset dinner. (Bonus tip – I recommend eating lunch. Walking into a restaurant starving makes it very difficult to make smarter healthier choices.) You can also check out the menu ahead of time to see if there are other healthier options available that you find appetizing.
Aim for whole minimally processed foods
Processed foods are modified to be as palatable as possible. This is why a lot of people can basically polish off an entire family size bag of chips by themselves. However, put an entire baked potato in front of that same person with nothing on it and they will have a hard time eating the whole potato. This is why eating minimally processed foods is so effective. Processed foods are so hyperpalatable that we can easily overconsume that food without realizing it.
Honestly, I could tell almost anyone that their diet is to eat as much food as they want, as long as it comes from minimally processed sources. And, I can almost guarantee that they will eat less calories than if they ate processed food. Which means that eating whole minimally processed foods will lead to weight loss even in your 70’s.
So while shopping for your groceries try to make sure that you stick to the outside areas of the store. Your cart should primarily consist of vegetables, fruits, and meats (beans, legumes, and tofu for the vegan). Typical carbohydrate sources are rice and potatoes.
Bonus tip #2 – frozen fruits and veggies are okay to buy as well. These products are typically picked and flash frozen at peak ripeness which ensures better nutrient quality. Frozen fruits are almost amazing at using for smoothies. This way you don’t get that watered down taste from adding ice.
Keep your plate easily identifiable
I have been guilty of doing this for many years because this is how I was raised. I’m talking about stacking your food. By piling your food on top of each other it becomes more difficult to see exactly how much of what you are eating. By separating your food into different sections it becomes easier to see exactly how much of what you are eating. So if your goal is to incorporate more veggies into your meal, then creating a section where half of your plate is veggies is ideal. This way you can see that your carbs cover 25% and your protein covers the last 25%.
If your goal is more protein to maintain or build muscle then increase that portion of your plate. It is no secret that more protein and more vegetables helps with losing weight. Visually seeing your targeted macros on your plate ensures that you are consuming adequate amounts.
Make some delicious food!
Just because you are on a diet doesn’t mean that your food has to be bland and extremely boring. In fact, bland food is probably one of the causes that sends you into insanity forcing you to binge something like a big ole’ fat juicy burger with fries and a thick milkshake afterward for dessert.
Healthy doesn’t mean boring. Try to find different and new ways to cook your food so that you can really enjoy your meals. When you have something delicious waiting for you there is no reason why you have to go out of your way to find something else in a restaurant. By keeping your meals new and exciting you are more likely to stick to your diet. No more boiled breast, steamed broccoli, and white rice. *Gag*
One of my personal favorite meal preps is a grilled boneless skinless chicken thigh with a type of Hawaiian marinade like huli-huli. I like tossing a variety of veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots in the oven. Toss them in a little olive oil or avocado, season with a vegetable seasoning, and roast them for 5-10 minutes. I’ll throw in kimchee for some added healthy bacteria, and I’m Japanese so my go to carb is white rice. (Bonus tip – Grilled meats reheat really well, they stay super juicy and tender)
To stay consistent keep it simple
As you can see this is not complicated, but it can also become very complicated. I have found recipes out there for meal preps that have a thousand steps and use ingredients like scallops, which at the time I had absolutely no idea how to cook. (I do know how to cook scallops now and they are awesome)
So keep it simple! Figure out what proteins you are going to make first, then decide on your vegetables. Then you can decide on the carbohydrate that you would like to eat. BOOM! You have your menu for the week! Now mix and match things around to keep it fun and interesting. Try different seasonings, marinades, cooking techniques, and other cuisines from around the globe.
I’m not saying you have to meal prep. All I am saying is that by having everything planned out it becomes a hundred times easier to stay consistent for your goal. I need you to take a moment and remember a day that you had a lot of stuff to do. Maybe something like cooking for a holiday, or just a crazy list of things you had to do within a day. Now think of another day where you had stuff to do but didn’t create a plan or itinerary of when and how it was all gonna get done. Which day did you get more accomplished?
Plan, plan, plan! If something doesn’t work then adjust your plan and try again. It’s easier to find your way to a destination when you have the directions laid out for you. Take all the guess work out of your day and have answers ready to take action. You will get results if you are able to stay consistent.
