Best Diet To Lose Weight After 50

There's no reason you can't look as fit and fabulous at 50 as you did at 40—Kelly Ripa, Taraji P. Henson, and Jennifer Lopez, who are all in their 50s, are living proof. But losing weight after 50 isn’t an easy process. Even stars with personal trainers and nutrition coaches have to work a little harder to lose the pounds once they hit this milestone age.

One of the main reasons you'll have to put in extra effort: Your body composition changes as you age. You lose muscle mass at an average rate of 3 to 5% for every 10 years after age 35, and this can impact the way you burn fat. “Your body goes into its aging stage as it leaves the growing one, ” says Luiza Petre, M.D., a New York City-based weight loss and management specialist and assistant clinical professor of cardiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “When this happens, your body doesn’t need as much energy as it used to, ” she explains.

But there’s more to losing weight after 50 than that. And yes, it’s 100% possible to drop pounds after you hit the mid-century mark. Here’s what you need to know—and how to make it happen.

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The older you get, the more muscle you may lose and muscle burns more calories than fat does, ” she says. “That is why as we get older it is very important to stay active, strength and resistant train, and consume protein with all meals.”

Of course, your body may be showing the signs of wear and tear a little more than it did in the past. All those years of playing sports, running after your kids, and walking up and down stairs can take their toll. You may notice that your joints are a little stiffer and your muscles are a little sorer than they were a few decades ago. Then, there's the issue of your ever-evolving metabolism.

According to the American Council on Exercise, your resting metabolic rate, a.k.a. your body's ability to burn calories while sitting on the sofa doing nothing, decreases by about 1 to 2% per decade due to muscle mass loss and increased fat mass. Our diets usually don't change enough to account for this metabolic adjustment, meaning weight can creep up slowly but surely with every birthday.

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“There are a number of roadblocks people in their 50s will face when trying to lose weight, ” says Brian Durbin, a NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer. “But once you know what they are—and how to work around them—it's easy to be successful at dropping pounds.”

One of the best things you can do at any age is shake up your routine and try something new. Follow these tips—courtesy of some of the world’s best weight-loss experts, dietitians, and personal trainers—to help you drop the pounds, and keep them off for good.

First stop after you celebrate the big 5-0 should be your doctor's office. She can assess your current state of health, address any health problems that may be affecting your weight (like pre-diabetes or sleep apnea), and help you come up a plan for diet and exercise, says Dr. Petre. She may even be able to recommend a physical therapist or personal trainer for you.

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While you’re in the office, ask her to look at all the prescription meds that you take. “There are myriad commonly used medications that promote weight gain, including diabetes medication, antidepressants, and high blood pressure medications, ” says M. Daniela Hurtado, M.D., Ph.D., a consultant in endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at Mayo Clinic. “Many primary care providers forget about this! But there are medications for these common disorders that can be weight-neutral and even promote weight loss.”

Your metabolism changes with time and, if you’ve had to modify your exercise routine as well, the amount of calories you need can be drastically different now than it was a few decades ago.

A good place to start is The National Institutes of Health’s Body Weight Planner. This handy tool lets you enter in your height, age, current weight, physical activity level, and goal weight and gives you a calculation of how many calories you’ll need to eat on a regular basis to hit your goal in a set period of time. You can choose the time frame you’re after to be a little more aggressive with your weight loss or less aggressive.

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In case you’re not familiar with them, nutrient dense foods are “foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals but not too many calories, ” Gans says. Think: fruits and veggies, 100% whole grains, nuts and seeds, seafood, low-fat dairy, and eggs.

“It is also very important to include adequate protein, ” Gans says. “Protein helps to build and repair muscle.” Filling your plate with these quality ingredients will help you feel fuller, longer—and help you shed pounds.

“As with any age you should limit your added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat, ” Gans says. That doesn’t mean you can’t have these foods ever and hit your weight loss goals, it’s just a good idea to have less of them. “Foods such as baked goods, candy, overly-processed meats, deep-fried foods should be only enjoyed on occasion, ” Gans says.

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Cocktails, wine, and spirits can add extra calories to your day without filling you up. “No matter the age, if you are looking to lose weight you be mindful of the calories in your cocktail or wine glass—they do have a way of sneaking up on you, ” Gans says.

If cutting out booze entirely just isn’t going to happen, Gans suggests putting a cap on how much you have on a regular basis. “Try and keep to no more than one serving of an alcoholic beverage per day without any added sugars and watch those portions, ” she says. Just a reminder: A serving is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of a distilled spirit.

This is where things get complicated because most times the culprit isn't hormones, says Dr. Hurtado. However, she notes, if your physical exam shows signs of hormone abnormalities, it's a good idea to get your hormone levels checked. That’s because as we age, progesterone, testosterone, and other hormones decline, which may set the body up for storing fat instead of losing weight, says Jennifer Burns, N.M.D., a naturopathic physician in Phoenix. If they’re out of whack, taking the steps to get your thyroid, adrenal glands, and other hormone levels back into balance can go a long way toward helping people in their 50s lose weight, says Burns.

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Agrees, adding that she believes the hormone to focus on is testosterone—especially for women over 50 who are trying to get fit. “There is ample discussion in the medical community about the effects of estrogen loss, but few people are aware of the importance of sufficient testosterone levels, which can help a woman slim down, ” says Dr. Meraglia. In fact, research shows that balanced testosterone levels reduce blood glucose levels, which may help promote weight loss and shrink belly fat.

Declaring that you’re going to lose 20 pounds before your beach vacation next month is unrealistic, not to mention unhealthy. “Be honest with yourself. How do you feel? How healthy are you? Making life changes takes courage and mental fortitude, ” says Dr. Petre. Break up big goals into smaller, more achievable ones. Focusing on how you're feeling and the positive changes you're making to your lifestyle, instead of the number on the scale, will help you stay motivated to reach your goals. “Triumphs make your courage grow, ” she adds. “Small achievements amount to large goals achieved.”

There are dozens of different eating plans buzzing around the internet, each claiming to help you shed the pounds without feeling deprived (some of best diets for weight loss in 2020 are the Mediterranean Diet, the DASH Diet, and WW Freestyle). If you’re not sure which one works best for your lifestyle, talk to a registered dietitian, who can break down the pros and cons and help you choose one that fits your nutritional needs and goals. An R.D. will also give you ideas on how to resolve road blocks that may get in the way of your goals, like emotional/stress eating, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, and meal-prep fatigue. “Calorie restriction is the most important aspect of any weight-loss program, but the amount of calories should be individualized, ” says Dr. Hurtado. “This individualization is accomplished by considering multiple parameters such as sex, height, weight, age, and level of activity. Accountability is also important so tracking calories is a great tool that has been shown to help with weight loss and weight maintenance in research studies.” These days, smartphone apps make calorie-tracking much easier than it used to be.

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At 50, you’ve been around the block enough times to know that fad diets don’t work. “No crazy fasts, cleanses, cutting out fats, or complex carbohydrates or proteins, ” says Jillian Michaels, health and wellness expert and author of

. Instead, consider following a medically supervised, clinically