Why We Gain Weight As We Age

Why is it that despite sticking to the same diet that kept us thin when we were younger, we now have a body that is fat and overweight? Yet seemingly we haven't changed much in our diet? What has gone wrong?

The answer lies in our metabolism. Metabolism is the way in which muscles use up calories or energy. Up to 80% of calories are burned by muscular activity. For the majority of people the most active use of muscles is between the age of 2 - 35 years old. This is when we are most interested in and motivated to perform various athletic endeavours like tennis, basketball, football, ice hockey etc. Post 35 and the muscular activity dwindles due to various factors, like lack of interest in sports, work commitments, stress, injury or medical conditons and raising a family.

Many people can attest to the fact that they have significant weight gain in their 30's although some may find themselves there a lot earlier. But why is it that we gain a lot of weight even though our diet may be quite healthy? This answer lies with our activity and our ability to burn calories. As we use our muscles less and less, we lose muscle capacity. At first it is just shrinkage of the muscle fiber. Later we start to lose muscle cells.

Coupled with this is the fact that when we place strain on our muscles through physical activity, we burn more calories because the muscle needs them for growth and also for energy. A double whammy of sorts. When we stop being so physical we do not require the calories for either muscle growth or energy, and therefore the body turns those calories to fat, for later use in case you require energy in the future. Losing your muscle cells is a result of your body recognizing the fact that you do not need your muscle power for strenuous activity and therefore discards the unnecessary muscle tissue. That is why we lose our muscle tone, and pack on the fat.

So it is pretty easy to see why we can put on a lot of weight as we age. Fortunately this trend can be reversed. The simple fact is we can reverse this by adding exercise, (especially weight bearing exercise), and following a calorie restricted diet plan to bring our weight in check and toning our bodies and getting back into shape.

Are you a victim of weight gain as you get older. Read some testimonials of people who have reversed this trend here!

Get Your Metabolic Motor Running

Metabolic rate. You hear it all the time. But what does it mean?

Metabolic rate is essentially the speed at which we use energy and burn calories, or the rate at which your body's motor is running.
"Basal metabolism" is the metabolic rate or caloric expenditure needed to maintain basal body functions such as your heart beating, breathing, muscle tone, etc. It's the rate your "motor" would run even if you stayed in bed and did nothing all day.
Basal metabolism can account for up to 75 percent of the calories burned daily basis and is a minimum of 1200 calories for the majority of people, but can more than 2000 in others. This is dependant mostly on sex, weight and height.
The good news is that there are a number of ways that you can really boost up your metabolism. The more you're able to incorporate into your life, the more you'll boost the number of calories burned in a day. If you can be more efficient at burning calories, the easier it becomes dropping those extra pounds you want to get rid of.
So to get your motor running follow these tips to rev up your metabolic motor.

1. Always eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast sends the message to your body that you're "starving" because you haven't had food in 8 or more hours. As a protective mechanism, your metabolism slows down. Food fuels your metabolism.
2. Never eat less than 1,200 calories (5016 kJ) per day. Fewer calories are usually not enough to support your basal metabolism, so they slow your metabolism.
3. Snack frequently. Carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, and grains fuel your metabolism. Also, snacking prevents you from becoming too hungry. The hungrier you are, the less control you have over what - and how much - you eat.
4. Eat more carbohydrates (food from plants), and less fat (food from animals and other food with added fat). Carbohydrates boost your metabolism and have fewer calories per gram than fat.
5. Do some type of aerobic exercise -- walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, aerobic dancing, etc. - on a daily basis and preferably in the morning. Our bodies were designed to be active on a daily basis, not just once or twice a week. When we are, our metabolism soars. In addition to your regular aerobic exercise, take a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk at lunch or in the evening. This serves to boost your metabolism even more.
6. Tone your muscles with weight training three days per week. Toned muscles send your metabolism through the roof.
7. Look for situations to be active. Park as far from the shop as you can rather than looking for the closest parking spot. Use the stairs rather than the lift. Look for the "hard" way to do things.
8. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol depresses your metabolism and stimulates your appetite.
9. Avoid quick fixes. People who try quick-fix weight loss usually end up devastating their metabolism. There are NO quick fixes.
10. Get started today. You'll feel better and your metabolism will be in super-charged shape.

Lose Weight Smartly With The Top 10 Ways To Reduce The Amount of Calories Per Day

There are two only ways to lose weight – burn more calories than you eat or eat less of them. That sounds very simple right? So why is it so difficult to lose the weight?

Well, with these top 10, easy-to-follow tips we help you to reduce the amount of calories per day painlessly, so there are no more excuses...

1. Change to lower calorie varieties of the foods you would normally eat.
Switching from full cream or whole milk to low fat or skimmed milk will save you around 56 calories and 6.5g fat a day if you use about 1/2 a pint a day. Over the course of 12 months, this minor change can save you 5lbs of body fat! Just think of the other changes you could make – yoghurt, margarine, crisps, mayonnaise, salad dressing and even garlic bread all have lower calorie versions. However always remember that fat free doesn't mean calorie free! Lots of reduced fat products have extra sugar added to maintain the taste and texture we enjoy, so it is advisable to read the nutrition labels carefully to make sure the lower fat version isn't actually higher in calories or worse more unhealthy than the original product!

2. Snacking smartly.
Plan in advance what you eat in between meals. Do not leave it to chance and end up attacking what is in the nearest vending machine! Take your own snacks with you! Choose low fat, low calorie snacks, like cereal and milk, crackers and breads, popcorn, rice cakes, wholegrain cereal bars, veggie sticks, dried, tinned or fresh fruit and low fat yoghurts.

3. Eat breakfast.
Perhaps it sounds strange to say ‘eat to lose weight', research has indicated that eating breakfast prevents excessive eating throughout the day. Choose low glycemic foods with lots of fiber. It's also a great way to kick-start your metabolism to start burning calories from early in the day!


4. Watch how you cook.
Reduce or cut out entirely fried foods and use the minimum of oil when you griddle, when you sauté or stir-fry. Don't say goodbye to your favorite meals - simply cook them in the oven instead of in fat! Boiling, steaming and grilling are low fat ways to cook.

5. Choose leaner cuts of meat.
Limit your purchases of processed meats like bacon, sausages and sausage-type luncheon meats like pepperoni or salami if you want to cut calories. These processed foods contain additives that push up the cloric values. Rather choose the leanest cuts of meat that you can afford and always remove the skin and fat from poultry. Choosing white meat whenever possible is healthier than red meat.

6. Add a smarter starter.
Start your meal with a large salad or a bowl of vegetable-packed soup to fill you up and prevent over-eating at the dinner table.This will help you eat less which is good for you.


7. Reduce your portion sizesby one third.
Try cutting down by a third. You more than likely don’t need those extra calories and you definitely don’t need to feel quite so full. It helps to try to eat a little more slowly so that you will begin to feel full as you eat. In the beginning this will take a bit of getting used to but you will get used to it! Obviously, whatever calories you save depends on what you are actually eating, but over time this could save you pounds.


8. If You are eating out you don’t have to finish what’s on your plate.
Cancel your membership to the clean plate club, especially when you are eating out or having take aways. Restaurants and fast food joints always serve way too much food. It needn't be necessary to waste half your meal - doggie bags are a great way to enjoy two fair-sized meals instead of pigging out on one portion.

9. Be more food aware.
Start by reading food labels. Sometimes it is difficult to know which foods loaded with calories and it’s easy to get caught out with clever marketing by food manufacturers. Read articles about food and nutrition in the newspapers, magazines and on the internet. You can’t cut calorie intake without nutrition know-how.


10. Watch your drinks.
Youwill be amazed how drinks can add to your daily intake of calories. Take a typical day, a glass of orange juice atbreakfast (72 calories in 200ml), a cup of coffee with sugar at break time (20 calories), a can of coke in the afternoon (129 calories) and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner (approximately 200 calories). This is not exactly excessive but the total is around 420 calories! If you consider that most people need to be under 2000 calories per day then this can be significant. Watch the serving sizes when drinking juice or milk and try to stick to water as much as possible. Try gradually reducing or giving up sugar in your tea and coffee and switching to low sugar drinks for a week. It will make a big difference to your calorie intake.