# Weight Loss Tips for Us Seniors



## SeaBreeze (Oct 24, 2014)

Here are some weight loss tips from my old TurboJam (by Chalene Johnson) booklet.  Please add any tips you might have for losing weight. 


  1. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following a workout and will likely cause you to actually crave healthy foods.

2. Distract yourself when you have a very strong craving. Cravings usually disappear after 2 minutes. Don't sit in front of the fridge negotiating with yourself. Instead, walk away and focus your attention elsewhere. And if you have a few food items which are simply too much to resist, toss them!

3. Think "W.I.W.M." When you really crave something unhealthy, finish the phrase: "What I Want More is..." Is it the piece of chocolate cake, or a body of which I'm proud? *Nothing tastes as good as fit feels!*

4. As hard as it may seem to lose weight, it's more stressful, depressing, frustrating, embarrassing, and even life-threatening to remain overweight.

5. The large majority of people who struggle with late night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. Try to be consistent.

6. Change your nighttime schedule. Make it your goal to go to sleep with an empty stomach. You'll wake up feeling thin and rested.

7. Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after dinner. Water open all night."

8. Brush your teeth right after dinner to get the taste of food out of your mouth and to make the statement: "I'm done eating!"

9. Eat without engaging in any other stimulating activity, i.e. no reading, TV, or sitting at the computer. Savor the food and you'll be more conscious of portions.

10. Move more and move quicker. A slow metabolism is rarely the culprit for the inability to lose weight. Rather, fit people tend to move more and move quickly. When they need something, they jump up and get it themselves.

 So take the stairs, take a walk, do some gardening, start your spring cleaning. Be an active person every hour of the day. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. And climbing two steps at a time is great for toning the glutes.

11. When shopping for food, try whole food markets as they stock very few of those tempting, unhealthy junk foods we find in most mainstream grocery stores.

 When you do go shopping at a regular grocery store, as a rule of thumb the aisles are filled with processed foods while the most whole foods are found around the perimeter. That's how you avoid packaged items that contain hydrogenated oil, trans fat, shortening, animal fat and mega-calories.


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## Ameriscot (Oct 25, 2014)

Good tips.  I workout faithfully and very hard, but 80-90% of weight loss and maintenance is what we put in our mouths. 

I spread my food out throughout the day - fruit mid-afternoon, a big salad about an hour before dinner.  My 'diets' are basically healthy food only less calories than when I'm maintaining.  

My big issue is that I go into a holiday mode when we travel, which is often, and I eat/drink all the things I rarely allow myself at home.  So I travel-gain, home-lose, travel-gain.  A very bad thing and needs to stop! And it will with the next trip.

I've read tips from people who keep weight off for years which is only about 5% of people who lose a lot of weight.  What they have in common is:
They work out a LOT.
They eat healthy most of the time but allow themselves occasional treats.


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## Debby (Oct 25, 2014)

I think a big factor is just dropping the sugar in as many forms as you can think of (which includes bread and pasta!)

I went without coffee for about a year and my weight was consistently good.  I was happy.

Then I started drinking one coffee a day, scant tsp of sugar, still good.  But then I started having a second cup of coffee in the afternoon and about the same time, the teaspoon of sugar got fuller and rounder and suddenly one day I noticed that I was getting a little 'thicker'.  So I cut waaaay back and I gotta say, I'm almost positive it's making a difference.  One always wonders of course if it's ones imagination or is it real, but I'm pretty sure.  So even small amounts make a difference in my opinion.


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## tnthomas (Oct 25, 2014)

Thanks for starting this thread.     I lost 50 lb.s since Jan. 2012 just doing portion control plus avoiding salt-sugar-fat and doing lots of cardio.   I looked like a concentration camp survivor, so started adding more food and weight routine.  I have gained back 16 lb.s but I think that most of that gain is muscle.    I need to do better, have to manage dropping about 25 lb.s and increase muscle mass.


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## SeaBreeze (Oct 25, 2014)

Congratulations on your weight loss Tnthomas, I never had the problem of looking like a concentration camp survivor!   You must be dedicated to getting in shape, and yes, diet along with adequate exercise is key.

I understand that increasing muscle mass speeds up the metabolism also.  My goals are much simpler, just to lose enough weight to remain healthy in my old age.


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## Ameriscot (Oct 26, 2014)

Congrats Thomas!  

I've worked out and dieted on and off since I was 40. At 59 I was my heaviest and got extra motivated with my 60th birthday looming. Health and fitness were main motivators but there was vanity as well. Lost 40 pounds. I workout faithfully, but as I said I gain/lose with holidays. Gained on our recent trip to US and need to lose about 8 pounds now having lost 7 already.

It's been 3 years since my original 40 lb loss and so far I haven't gained to anywhere near that original peak weight.


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