Dieting Over 50: Is There A Difference?

Dieting Over 50: Is There A Difference?

If you’re someone who’s beyond the age of 50 who is looking to lose some body fat, you might start to wonder if there should be a difference in the approach you use versus the approach of someone who is younger.

After all, your body is different now than when you were in your twenties, so it only stands to reason that you may need to use a different type of diet.

So what differences should someone over 50 take note of? What alternations will best help you see success?

Let’s go over the main things that you should know so that you can get right on track to progress.

Alterations To Your Calorie Intake

The very first thing that you will likely want to do is use a slightly lower calorie intake at this point in your life.  Now, there is the common saying that the metabolism naturally slows with age.  While this is true, it’s not for the reason many people believe.

The primary reason why your metabolism will decrease as you get older is because you’re losing lean muscle tissue.  If you’re someone who has been active for the last 20 years, then you likely don’t need to use a reduced calorie intake as you will have more lean muscle tissue.

If you haven’t been exercising though, then a slightly lower calorie diet is in order.  Try starting at around 10 or 11 calories per pound of body weight.

At this point in your life you may not be quite as physically active overall either as you were when you were younger, so that will also factor into your total daily calorie burn.

Accounting For Nutritional Deficiencies

Another adjustment that you should make is accounting for nutritional deficiencies.  Those who are older will want to really make sure that they are taking in enough calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

This will help ensure that they maintain strong bones and high energy levels.  In addition to that, make sure that you’re taking in a very high quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables daily on whatever diet you choose as these will help to protect against some of the common diseases that can develop as the years go on.

Adding Extra Protein

Finally, the last thing that you should adjust on your diet protocol is your protein intake.  Many older individuals are not getting enough protein total, so it’s important that you bump up your intake.

Additionally, since you aren’t quite as active as you were when you were younger, having more protein in the diet will help to further safeguard against lean muscle tissue loss, so will help to keep your metabolism higher long term.

Remember to add plenty of low fat dairy sources of protein in particular such as Greek yogurt, skim milk, and low-fat cottage cheese as these are both high in protein and high in calcium, so will really help you along your way.

So there you have everything that you need to know about dieting past 50.  While the general approach should still be quite similar, making these few additional changes would be well worth your while.