I have been going to the gym three days a week for over 20 years. Imagine my dismay when a British study found that adult runners still gain weight as they get older and recommended even more exercise to keep pounds off. Do you have extra time for more exercise?
Several factors explain why our weight tends to go up with each decade. Metabolism slows down so an older body burns fewer calories. Most of us are less active, causing our muscles-the biggest calorie burners in the body-to get smaller. Sometimes we lack the energy to push ourselves to exercise. And we forget that a 50+-year-old body needs less food than a 30-year-old body.
Here are a few tips that may help you lessen waistline creep:
• Trim your portion sizes, suggests JoAnn Hattner, R.D., a nutrition consultant in the San Francisco Bay area. "Cook smaller quantities, use smaller plates and get accustomed to eating less."
• Buy smaller packages. The bigger the package, the more you'll eat, say researchers at Cornell.
• Fill out your plate with fruits and vegetables and cut back on higher-calorie main and side dishes.
• Start the day with a bowl of Whole Grain Total. It has just 100 calories per 3/4-cup serving. You can top it with fruit and skim milk or mix it with low-fat yogurt. People who eat plenty of foods made from whole grains tend to have healthier body weight and to gain less weight as they get older.
• "Plan snacks in your schedule and bring them with you, so that you don't find yourself hungry and standing in front of the vending machine," says Hattner.
• Train your eyes to recognize the portion sizes by playing our "Guess the Portion" game. You may need to review portions every month or so to help prevent portion size from expanding.
Mindy Hermann, MBA, R.D., is a nutrition writer for women's, health and fitness magazines. She is the co-author of "Change One" and the American Medical Association's "Family Health Cookbook."
