Secret Weight Loss Tips for the Elderly

Elderly are prone to gaining weight easily due to a slowdown in the body's basal metabolic rate. It takes longer for the elderly to digest food as compared to the young.

Ageing leads to the lower secretion of certain digestive enzymes. Seniors also tend to be deficient in the micronutrient vitamin B12 unless on a supplement. Vitamin B12 requires acid in the stomach for absorption. And with age, the acid secretion decreases due to the withering of the acid-secreting cells. B12 is required to convert fat stores to energy, which is what helps one lose weight. Experts claim that lack of B12 leads to "stubborn fat".

Secret Tip 1: A Hypo-caloric diet with no more than 25 to 30 grams of fat per day.

1. Fat needs to be restricted in the diets of seniors as vigorous activity levels decrease and it becomes very difficult for the body to efficiently burn it. So the excess fat keeps depositing over a period of time. Elderly individuals have to watch out for the visible fat (ghee, oil used in cooking, cheese, paneer) and the invisible fats present in various processed foods. (Biscuits, bakery foods, dry snacks, dressings, sauces, and calories from alcohol also get converted to fat).
2. Excess fat leads to high LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, abdominal obesity which manifests as heart ailments, high blood pressure, vascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
3. A hypo-caloric diet is a must. Overall food intake should decrease gradually. Excess calories consumed in the form of any food, if not utilized ultimately get converted to fat. Lesser caloric intake results in storage fat being burned as fuel.
4. One should eat small serves of light foods (Fruits, green tea, juices, soups, coconut water, and buttermilk) in between big meals to prevent excessive caloric consumption at any time.
5. One should keep a check of the simple sugar and hidden fat content of the foods being consumed. Foods should be least greasy.
6. One should prefer to eat light simple meals with minimum sugars and fats. Cheese, paneer, whole pulses, pickles, papads, parathas, fast foods, restaurant foods, sweets, whole fat milk are all heavy to digest and caloric dense. It is essential to opt for light dals, pulaos, khichdi, idlis, dhoklas, phulkas, upma, green veggies, fruit stews, soups, toast, and oats keeping in mind the portion size. It is most essential to stop eating till three-fourth of the stomach is full.

Secret Tip 2: 25 to 30 grams of fiber consumption per day.

1. Fiber helps to lose weight because it slows emptying of the stomach and makes one feel full earlier.
2. High fiber foods are voluminous and filling and yet low on calories.
3. Fiber has the ability to absorb water and helps in easy progression of food through the digestive system.
4. Soluble fiber also helps to reduce bad cholesterol to a large extent.
5. Fiber in the form of oats, cooked broken wheat, additional bran, stewed apple, pears, guava, mashed bananas, soups, boiled veggies, fruit bowl, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, vegetable juices, and Aloe Vera juice should be regularly opted.

Secret Tip 3: 30 minutes of brisk walk per day.

1. Walking is the ideal aerobic exercise for good health, fitness and weight loss without dangers of any injuries.
2. A 30-to 40-minute brisk walk would burn approximately 200 to 350 kcal depending on the speed.
3. Strenuous exercise done in short span mainly burns carbohydrates to produce and does very little help to lose weight. Slow continuous, moderate activity like walking burns primarily fat stored in the body and is the best routine exercise.