Lose weight after 55 years. Be sexually active

At any age, most modern women strive to look attractive to strangers and themselves (which is important). Satisfaction with your appearance is a prevention of low self-esteem, bad mood and, as a result, accelerated aging. At 50 years old, it is especially important to pay attention to your appearance.

[—ATOC—]
[—TAG:h2—]

A woman should always take care of herself. But with each added year, you need to review the care process, as well as more carefully analyze external changes. Not everyone understands why at fifty it is so important to pay attention to yourself, because the “best” is already behind you (this is about youth).

In fact, age is not a barrier to looking attractive. In addition, 50 is not a critical year; there are still a lot of opportunities and impressions ahead with which you can saturate your life. There is no need to turn into a granny prematurely. But it is very important to increase attention to yourself. After all, women after 50 years are characterized by significant changes in the body, which are manifested in external changes. Moreover, it is by external changes that one can monitor the state of health and notice its deterioration in time.

It is especially important for women to monitor their weight. First of all, this is an aesthetic aspect; extra pounds lead to a worsening mood and a decrease in a woman’s self-esteem. But the worst thing is that excess weight has a bad effect on health, leading to the development of cardiovascular diseases, problems with joints, the musculoskeletal system, the gastrointestinal tract and the female reproductive system.

✔ Re-evaluation of nutrition

The main diet for women after 50 years is proper nutrition. If the lady has not had time to switch to it throughout her life, then now is the time when it’s definitely time. Women over 55 years old should introduce foods rich in vitamins, minerals, micro- and macroelements, fiber, and proteins into their diet.

The following foods should predominate in the diet:

Sea fish, seafood,
Lean meat: veal, chicken, turkey, rabbit,
Liver,
Fermented milk products, cottage cheese, yogurt,
Eggs,
Legumes,
Fruits,
Vegetables,
Greenery.

You should eat regularly, in small portions. It is very important to avoid overeating and starvation. A daily diet for women after 50 also involves giving up some foods that are not only unhealthy, but also dangerous to health and lead to rapid weight gain.

Forbidden foods include:

Floury and sweet,
Fatty food,
Roast,
Smoked meats,
Sausages,
Semi-finished products
Canned food,
Fast food.

Properly structured nutrition is the best diet after 50 years, with which you can protect the body from weight gain and unwanted fat deposits.

✔ Losing extra pounds

If, for various reasons, weight has been gained, then more effective methods should be chosen to lose weight after 50 years. They are based on two aspects: dietary nutrition and sports (physical activity).

Neglecting one of these points makes it impossible to successfully complete the weight loss process.

You shouldn’t wonder how to quickly lose weight after 50 years, because a quick loss of volume will not benefit the female body. On the contrary, any express diet for weight loss is contraindicated for women over 50 years of age. It promotes dehydration, rapid aging of the skin, and the appearance of wrinkles.

✔ Effective diets

Nutritionists offer different diets for weight loss that allow you to get rid of extra pounds, with minimal threat to the health of the female body. A diet for losing weight after 50 must be low-calorie. You should eat food per day that contains fewer calories than the body consumes per day. This is due to the fact that a 50-year-old body processes everything more slowly; metabolism has significantly reduced its rate compared to thirty years. Everything that does not have time to transform into energy is deposited on the hips, waist, and arms.

Lately, a diet for the lazy has been in great demand, with positive reviews. A loss of up to 10 kilograms is predicted in 2 weeks. The basic principle is that you can eat anything, in any quantity. The only condition is to drink 2 glasses of water 20 minutes before each meal. It is also important that after 50, to lose weight using this method, you cannot drink liquid during meals and two parts after it. So those who like to end their meal with tea and dessert will either have to change their habit or choose a different method. Mostly the diet for the lazy has positive reviews. True, it is allowed only once a year.

An effective diet after 55 years for women, which is based on water intake, is useful because it does not prohibit foods, each of which has its own benefits for the body. This is more common with mono-ingredient menus. Simply being saturated with water, the body will not want to eat the usual portion, but will limit itself to a small amount of food.

✔ Cabbage menu

To lose weight after 55 years, you can try the cabbage diet.

It involves eating only this product for a week (maximum two). Salads, stews, a la cabbage rolls, pancakes - only cabbage. You can dilute the diet with eggs, kefir, carrots and other healthy, but low-calorie foods. Green tea is also allowed.

A noticeable weight loss is promised, but losing weight does not take long. It's better to limit yourself to one week. Then you can try another type of nutrition if the result is not completely satisfactory.

✔ Japanese menu

You can lose weight quickly and significantly, taking into account Eastern traditions.

Japanese diets for women over 50 are among the most effective. The main principle is the introduction of seafood into the diet, which should form its base. This diet for weight loss for women over 50 years old can improve the condition of the skin, increase its elasticity, and normalize the iodine content in the body. After all, seafood is rich in Omega-3 acids, which every girl and mature woman needs. In addition, you can noticeably lose weight (up to 8 kg per week).

When choosing an effective method, you should first study reviews after 50 years, so as not to subject your body to unnecessary tests.

But it should be remembered that fashion for women over 50 years old for skinny or plump parameters is not an indicator of health. The main thing is that a woman feels good and can easily move, work, have fun, and travel.

As a woman ages, metabolic processes slow down, hormonal changes occur, and physical activity decreases. All this leads to the formation of subcutaneous fat deposits and, as a result, excess weight. Fat is deposited not only on the stomach and legs, but also on internal organs, vessel walls, etc. As a result, a host of concomitant age-related diseases arise, and the risk of heart attack and stroke increases. The problem is especially acute during menopause.

It is then that many begin to look for effective methods on how to lose weight after 50 years for a woman and at the same time maintain health.

Causes of excess weight

Before looking for ways to get rid of kilograms very quickly, you should understand why they accumulate. In this way, the cause of the problem can be identified and eliminated, rather than unsuccessfully struggling with its consequences.

Excess weight is formed due to certain factors:

Low physical activity. This is one of the main reasons. Most women lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary work, caring for children and loved ones, etc. All this leads to the fact that the body simply has nowhere to spend the calories it receives from food. As a result, they are deposited as fat on various parts of the body and internal organs. A slow metabolism makes the problem worse.
Hormonal drugs. During menopause from hot flashes and other manifestations of menopause, many women are prescribed hormonal medications by their doctors. It is generally accepted that they also leave an imprint on the figure. In fact, the opinions of experts regarding this differ significantly. According to many modern doctors, hormones do not harm your figure. In fact, no thorough research has been carried out on this issue.
Stress. Nervous tension leads to the formation of fat deposits. In this way, the body stores itself in case of critical situations.
Bad habits. Alcohol and nicotine are harmful to the body and negatively affect the figure. Nicotine narrows the walls of blood vessels, as a result of which their blood circulation is disrupted, which complicates the process of destruction of subcutaneous fat and its subsequent removal from the body.
Dream. Lack of sleep also causes excess weight.
Nutrition. Abuse of fast food, chips, seeds, fried, flour, salted, smoked, canned and other foods that are harmful to consume even in youth, invariably contribute to the formation of fat on the sides.

Also, the reasons why excess weight is formed are various diseases.

What to focus on

Before looking for ways to quickly lose weight after 50 years, a woman should very carefully reconsider her diet and lifestyle.

It is important to add physical activity at least in a minimal amount. You should also focus on your health status. Excess weight can be a symptom of a dangerous disease.

Excuses that prevent you from losing weight

Particular attention must be paid to the psychological aspects of the problem. There are a number of excuses that prevent a fat woman from getting rid of extra pounds:

Starting Monday I start a new life. In fact, such Mondays pass one after another, and the person continues to lie on the couch and eat kilos.
Lack of time. To keep your figure in shape, it is enough to devote 30-40 minutes a day to yourself. You can squat or bend even while standing at the stove.
Lack of money. You can do exercises and exercises at home. Dumbbells are replaced with bottles of water, the mat is replaced with a regular mat or blanket, etc.

It is also commonly believed that proper nutrition is expensive. This is just a myth. It is much more expensive to eat burgers and chips, washed down with cola. A piece of boiled or baked fish with vegetables will bring much more benefits to the body, while the cost of the dish will be several times less than a high-calorie roll with carcinogens.

Before you begin to implement the task of losing kilograms, you should consult with your doctor. Age and excess weight leave their mark not only on appearance, but also on health in general. Therefore, before trying to get rid of kilograms, you need to visit an endocrinologist, therapist, cardiologist, and also undergo a comprehensive examination.

It is important to understand that losing weight is a very big stress for the body, especially when an overweight woman is trying to quickly lose weight and torments the body with various diets and newfangled methods.

If after changing your diet and introducing physical activity into your lifestyle, your health condition has deteriorated significantly, you should seek help from a doctor.

Lifestyle

When talking about how a woman can lose weight at 55, you should first of all pay attention to lifestyle. In this case, it is better to take the advice of experts:

When working sedentarily, it is recommended to take a five-minute break once an hour during which you perform simple exercises. This can be bending, squatting, swinging your arms, etc. This way, blood circulation is normalized, stagnation in the pelvis, swelling and other unpleasant consequences are prevented.
You can walk from and to work. Thanks to this, the body and all its cells are saturated with oxygen, metabolic processes are improved, and subcutaneous fat deposits are burned.
To speed up your metabolism, you can garden. Digging your garden plot, replanting plants, weeding and other activities help you lose weight, burn excess calories and improve blood circulation. At the same time, working in the fresh air helps supply cells with oxygen.

Instead of lying on the couch, it is much more effective to ride a bike, swim, or play sports. It is important to change your usual lifestyle.

Nutrition

To lose weight, the next step is to review your diet. It is necessary to eat food correctly. In this case, it is better to follow certain tips:

In adulthood, the body does not need huge amounts of food. Moreover, it faces difficulties in digesting it. The serving size should be 250-280 grams or 2 female fists folded together.
You need to eat 5-6 times a day. The last meal should be no later than 3 hours before going to bed. Otherwise, the body will not have time to digest the food, and it will be deposited as fat on the sides. In addition, in the morning a woman will experience heaviness in the stomach and general malaise.
In the diet of a mature woman, the amount of fresh vegetables and fruits should be 60% of the total. It is important to understand that any heat treatment leads to the loss of beneficial substances from the fruit, so it is advisable to consume them raw. Meat, cereals and other dishes are eaten fresh. Heating foods leads to loss of nutrients.
Your daily diet should contain vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fiber.
You should eat carbohydrates for breakfast, which provide the body with energy. For this you can use various cereals. The exception is semolina. Dishes are prepared in water with a minimum amount of salt and oil.
Dishes should be steamed, boiled, baked. You can also use a grill. Frying should be completely avoided. This cooking method increases the calorie content of the dish, accumulates cholesterol and carcinogens, which lead to the development of cancer.
There must be a complete and irrevocable refusal from baked goods, white bread, buns, cakes and pastries. Such products do not benefit the body at any age.
It is advisable to replace animal fats with vegetable fats. The best option is olive oil. You can add it to salads, cook with it, and simply drink a tablespoon a day to normalize intestinal function and remove waste and toxins.
You will have to give up strong meat broths. Soups are boiled in secondary broth.
The diet should exclude sugary carbonated drinks, fast foods and similar foods. From them a person begins to gain weight. Apart from harm, such products do nothing.
Milk at this age is prohibited. It forms mucus in the body and does not bring any benefit. Instead, fermented milk products and cheeses are used.
The diet should include lean meat and fish, preferably sea.
As a snack the use of nuts and dried fruits is allowed.
Fresh fruits can only be eaten in the first half of the day. They are rich in sucrose, which tends to turn into fat deposits in the body.
The amount of salt in the diet should be minimal. It is advisable to replace it with soy sauce. You can also sometimes use fish sauce. However, it has a specific aroma.

It is allowed to drink a glass of dry wine once a week. Additionally, vitamin complexes should be used.

Simple tips like these will help you lose weight gradually and not suddenly. The result will not be long in coming. This is evidenced by real stories of people whose personal experience and photos confirm the effectiveness of this approach.

Revision of diet

In adulthood, getting rid of extra pounds without controlling the amount of food consumed is impossible. To burn fat, the body must receive fewer calories than it burns during the day.

In this case, we can proceed from standard indicators. So, for example, with a sedentary lifestyle, a woman spends no more than 1500 kcal per day. With minimal activity - about 1700 kcal. With an active lifestyle – 2000 kcal or more. Based on this, the daily diet is compiled.

Drinking regime

You need to drink about two liters of fresh still water per day. The main amount is consumed in the first half of the day. In this way, the occurrence of edema can be avoided. 2 liters does not include soups, tea, coffee, etc. We are talking exclusively about water.

After waking up, you should drink a glass of warm water. You can additionally add lemon juice to it. This will improve metabolism and prepare the gastrointestinal tract for food intake.

During active training, it is important to constantly drink water. This also applies to tides. At such moments, the body sweats and loses fluid. It is important to restore balance in a timely manner.

During physical activity, subcutaneous fat is destroyed, and water helps remove its remnants. This is the main reason why you should drink a lot. This ensures maximum efficiency of the training process.

Diet

The use of traditional diets in adulthood should be abandoned. Such methods always cause stress to the body, which can result in serious health problems. In addition, the effect of diets is short-term. After their abrupt cessation, the kilograms return again, taking with them a few more new ones.

Real stories of overweight people, in which they share personal experiences of how they tried to lose weight using various modern mono-diets, and also show photos, once again confirm the futility and danger of such methods.

It is much more effective to adhere to a properly balanced diet. It must completely replace all previous systems and diets. For women over 50, proper nutrition should become the norm. They stick to it for the rest of their lives.

Exercises

To increase efficiency, you should add sports to your daily life. Every day in the morning it is recommended to do exercises at home.

With a sedentary lifestyle, exercises are additionally performed in between work or traditional household chores.

When performing any exercise, it is important to breathe properly. Holding your breath is prohibited. Proper breathing helps provide cells and tissues with oxygen and helps you lose weight.

Aerobics and other physical activity

To speed up the process of burning fat, you should use aerobic exercise or, as they are also called, cardio. They are the most effective and provide quick results. This category includes race walking, fitness, swimming, running, orbital steps, and cycling.

When performing such exercises, almost all muscle groups work. As a result, blood circulation improves and fat deposits are burned.

30 minutes of such intense exercise burns 600 calories. You can lose over a thousand calories in an hour.

Strength exercises

Strength training is used to give the body a beautiful shape, burn calories and increase muscle mass. You don't have to lift a heavy barbell to do this. Moreover, this is not recommended. Significant weight puts stress on the back, bones, and joints.

Special exercises

After 50 years, the most problematic areas for women are the stomach, sides and legs. It is in these areas that they would like to get rid of fat and the so-called “orange peel”, or cellulite. Separate exercises have been developed specifically for these zones, which allow you to quickly restore tone and shape.

Slimming belly

The most problematic area is the stomach. This is the hardest part to get rid of. However, throwing all your energy into doing exercises only for this area is futile. Results can only be achieved with an integrated approach.

To get rid of belly fat, you can do the following exercises at home:

Leg lift. It is advisable to perform the exercise on a horizontal bar or wall bars. The body should be in an upright position. Next, the legs are raised at an angle of 90 degrees. The exercise is repeated 10 times. The minimum number of approaches is 3. If there is no horizontal bar, the exercise can be performed lying on your back.
Lifting the body. This is a standard abdominal exercise. When performing it, you need to take a position - lying on the floor on your back. Legs are bent at the knees. The body rises towards the legs. It is important to ensure that your lower back does not leave the floor while lifting. 10 times, 3 approaches.
Plank. The position resembles the position a person takes when doing push-ups. There is no need to bend your arms while performing the exercise. You need to stay in this position as much as possible. You should start with 1 minute. The exercise not only tightens the stomach, but also strengthens the back muscles.

You can do crunches for the obliques. The exercises are similar to lifting the body. When performed, a rotation of the body in one direction or the other is added.

The main thing is to perform all the exercises correctly and without haste.

Slimming legs

To eliminate cellulite and tighten the skin on the legs, perform the following exercises:

Lunges forward and backward on the right and left leg. Each exercise is performed 10 times. 3 approaches.
Squats. You can start with 3 sets of 50 reps. Next, you can additionally add dumbbells or a barbell. This way you can achieve greater efficiency.
Swing your legs. In a standing position, support on one leg. The second one is pulled back and comes back. You should start with 10 times in 3 approaches on each leg.

An orbit track and an exercise bike also help tighten your legs.

results

By combining proper nutrition and exercise, you can achieve noticeable results and lose pounds in just a few months. On average, at this age, normal weight loss is 1 kilogram per week.

It is unlikely that you will be able to lose weight quickly. In this case, drastic weight loss is not necessary, as it can lead to health problems. It is much better for a woman’s body to lose kilograms gradually.

You can lose weight at any age. The main thing is to start taking care of yourself, to approach the issue comprehensively and wisely. In this case, the result will not be long in coming.

Real stories (video)

You can learn more about how to lose weight after fifty to fifty-five years and hear stories of people with personal experience and photos from the video:

Aging is a complex of changes that occur as a result of time factors. This is a slow process of accumulation of age-related changes that manifest themselves at all levels - cellular, tissue, molecular.
Aging is a general biological pattern. It is characterized by a weakening of the functional ability of all body systems.

Changes also occur in the digestive system: the gastric mucosa becomes thinner, the cells become less differentiated, and this leads to a decrease in the secretory and motor function of the stomach. The acidity of gastric juice also decreases, this affects the state of the intestinal microflora; putrefactive microbes begin to predominate in it.
The number of active enzymes in the pancreas decreases. The development of aging processes is also influenced by excess weight. An important factor in maintaining the normal state and performance of the body in old age is nutrition. If it is balanced according to age, then it has a significant impact on the development of aging processes in the body.

Therefore, you should properly organize your diet, taking into account the reduced capabilities of the digestive system. The first dietary requirement for older people is moderation. The second condition for proper nutrition of older people is ensuring high biological nutritional value. And the third - enrichment of nutrition with anti-sclerotic substances, which are contained in some foods.

In old age, the processes of formation of body tissues are completed, so the need for protein is much less than before. In addition, in old age there is a reduction in intense physical work, and this is also the basis for reducing the protein norm. But at the same time, older people still have a need to regenerate worn-out cells, and this requires protein. Animal proteins should make up about fifty-five percent of the total protein.

As for fats, they also need to be limited. After all, abundant fat consumption affects the development of the atherosclerotic process. And large amounts of fat can be very difficult for a weakened digestive system to digest. First of all, animal fats should be limited.
You can use both butter and vegetable oil. However, you should not often consume large amounts of vegetable oil, as this negatively affects digestion.

The amount of carbohydrates consumed on average exceeds the amount of protein. With little physical activity, the amount of carbohydrates should be reduced. This is necessary, since excess sugar adversely affects the activity of beneficial intestinal microflora. Therefore, you need to reduce easily digestible carbohydrates and consume more complex carbohydrates.
Vitamins can slow down the aging process, so older people need a balanced vitamin supply. Vitamins have a normalizing effect on the state of the vascular and nervous systems and inhibit the development of the sclerotic process.

Vitamin C is one of the most essential vitamins in old age. Since it is this vitamin that stabilizes the balance between cholesterol biosynthesis and its utilization. In addition, vitamin C increases the body's reactivity. However, excessive consumption of vitamin C adversely affects the functioning of the pancreas, so this vitamin should not be abused.
Vitamin P is also necessary for older people, as it is able to reduce blood pressure with increased hypertension. Vitamins that inhibit the development of the atherosclerotic process include choline, folic acid, pantothenic acid, B6, B12, and vitamin F.

Minerals in the diet of older people are needed to a lesser extent than in middle age. Since at this age there is an accumulation of minerals in the body. For example, salt deposits in the walls of blood vessels and joints. However, there are also cases of osteoporosis associated with salt deficiency. Therefore, you need to be very careful when consuming minerals.

The most important elements in the diet of older people are calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine.

The norm for calcium in old age is 800 mg per day. Magnesium intake per day should be 400 mg. With a lack of this mineral, the calcium content in the walls of blood vessels increases. Potassium increases heart contractions, promotes the removal of water and sodium chloride from the body. Iodine is involved in the process of phosphorus-calcium metabolism, and this is very important in old age.

Nutrition advice for older people combines recommendations that are necessary for people at any age, and specific recommendations specifically for the body of an elderly person. Please note that the need for calories in old age decreases, so it is necessary to reduce the calorie content of food from fats and light carbohydrates.

The basic principles of nutrition in old age are:

Limiting the consumption of animal fat - butter, cream, fatty meats, fish caviar, offal. Eating food without added fat: boiled, stewed, baked, or steamed.

Limiting salt and sugar - sugar can be consumed up to fifty grams per day (in drinks, sweets), salt - up to five grams (in meat and fish dishes).

Drinking low-fat fermented milk drinks enriched with probiotics.

Enrichment of the diet with polyunsaturated fatty acids. Acids are found in fatty fish and vegetable oils.

Consumption of foods that are sources of vitamin C: currants, blueberries, oranges, gooseberries, rosehip decoction, grapefruit, lemon.

Consumption of foods with a high content of magnesium and potassium salts - carrots, nuts, milk, potatoes, dried apricots, millet, rice, cabbage, beets, prunes.

Eating foods rich in dietary fiber - vegetables, berries, fruits, whole grain bread, bran bread.

Consumption of foods with a high content of B vitamins - bran, legumes, cereals, dairy products, bread, fish.

Small and frequent meals.

For normal functioning of the body, it is necessary to regularly consume the following foods.

Fermented milk drinks - kefir, fermented baked milk, yogurt. These drinks are an excellent source of calcium, vitamin B2 and protein.

Cereals – oatmeal and other cereals contain dietary soluble fiber. Eating oatmeal regularly will help lower your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Other cereals are no less useful. It is advisable to use them once or twice a day.

Legumes should be consumed at least three times a week. Peas, lentils, and beans are a good source of protein; in addition, they contain phytoestrogens, which reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and diseases of the cardiovascular system. However, if you have kidney and joint diseases, gout, then these products are contraindicated.

At least three times a week you should eat fatty fish - herring, sardines, mackerel. The fat contained in fish ensures the normal functioning of the heart, strengthens the immune system, and normalizes cholesterol metabolism. Fish is a source of protein, zinc, iron, vitamins A and D.

You should definitely eat greens, because dill, parsley, cilantro are sources of vitamin C and folic acid. It is best to eat greens fresh, at least twice a day.

Fruits and berries are also necessary for older people; they contain a lot of dietary fiber and biologically active compounds. They are able to protect the body from malignant neoplasms, and blood vessels from cholesterol.

You should eat nuts and seeds every day, as they contain polyunsaturated acids, vitamins, and protein.
Don't forget about vegetables. They are good and healthy in raw, boiled or stewed form.

Sample menu for older people.

Breakfast
Omelette, oatmeal porridge with milk, tea with milk.

Lunch.
Baked apple, fresh fruit or berries.

Dinner.
Carrot salad with sour cream, cabbage soup, boiled fish with mashed potatoes, compote.

Afternoon snack.
Rose hip decoction.

Dinner.
Curd pudding, cabbage rolls stuffed with vegetables, tea.

For the night.
Kefir.
During the day you can eat 300g bread, 30g sugar, 10g butter

It has now been proven that moderation in diet by reducing the consumption of sweets and fatty foods and increasing the diet of whole grain bread, dairy products, fish, and cereals increases life expectancy. It’s worth adjusting your menu a little and trying to avoid many diseases in this way. And, of course, do not forget about moderate physical activity.

(Photo illustrations: HannaMonika (photo 1), Zaneta Baranowska (photo 2), Olinchuk (photo 3), Shutterstock.com)

55 years is the age of elegance; if you take good care of yourself, a woman is quite capable of looking young, fresh, and charming. Unfortunately, gray hair, wrinkles and weight often interfere with this. And if the first two enemies of female beauty are more or less easy to defeat with the help of a good hairdresser and cosmetologist, then dealing with excess weight requires a lot of effort, both physical and volitional: proper nutrition and exercise, as a rule, are not easy.

The matter is complicated by the fact that losing extra pounds at 55 is more difficult than at a younger age. At twenty years old, it seems that weight is not gained, at thirty it is gained, but is easily lost, at forty it is lost, albeit with some difficulty, but at the age of 50 it is already difficult to get rid of extra pounds. And it seems that the diet has not changed, the daily routine is still the same, but for some reason the weight is increasing.

However, everything is easily explained. At the age of 55, many women have already entered menopause. And menopause is not just the cessation of reproductive function in a woman: it is significant changes in the hormonal background of the body. As a result, the metabolic process slows down, which is why problems with excess weight arise.

Why is it still necessary to lose weight after 55 years?

Of course, you can let the situation with excess weight take its course, but it is worth keeping in mind that maintaining yourself at the optimal weight for a given age category is not only beauty, but also good health. The fact is that excess weight is always a potential threat to health, especially at an age when all sorts of diseases tend to “catch up” with us. That’s why losing weight after 55 years is difficult, but necessary. If you have doubts about whether you should lose weight, you need to prioritize your health: it is undeniably important, and beauty will follow on its own.

What are the dangers of being overweight for a woman after 55 years of age? Let's list the main negative consequences.

Difficulty walking: shortness of breath, swelling, pain, fatigue in the legs. The consequence is the development of varicose veins, the appearance of spurs on the heels, and difficulties with choosing shoes.
High blood pressure: Blood vessels become clogged with cholesterol. The consequence is, at best, maintaining normal blood pressure with medications, and in the worst case, a hypertensive crisis or stroke.
Exacerbation of previously existing diseases, addition of new ones: due to natural changes associated with age, it becomes more difficult for the body to withstand an aggressive environment. The consequence is a potentially significant deterioration in health, which is increasing.

All these problems force sensible women over 50-55 years old to reconsider their views on nutrition and start eating the right foods in optimal quantities.

Diet after 55 years: general principles

Before you start practicing proper nutrition and thinking about the menu, you need to learn a number of general principles that will allow you to set the right direction in creating a dietary table.

Meals should be fractional and in small portions. The optimal number of meals is 5-6 times a day. This ensures proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract: the stomach is not overloaded, the intestines do not become exhausted under the weight of the task assigned to it.
Portions should be no more than 250-300 grams.
Breakfast should be a mandatory meal. Those who believe that without eating breakfast they can ensure a slim figure are fundamentally wrong: breakfast should fill you with energy and give you strength for the whole day. That is why it is recommended to include in it products containing complex carbohydrates (primarily porridge - with water or low-fat milk).
The last meal should take place two to three hours before bedtime. Night trips to the kitchen to the refrigerator are strictly prohibited.

Eating fresh foods is encouraged. So fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs are valuable sources of vitamins and microelements. Of course, this recommendation does not speak in favor of a raw food diet in general - it is better not to experiment with this at the age of 55 years and older.
Thermal processing of food should be carried out correctly. It is better to avoid frying meat or vegetables until they get a crispy golden brown crust. Preference is given to boiled, stewed foods, steaming, and baking with a minimum of fat. By the way, it's delicious too.
About fats, since they were mentioned. There is an opinion that fats are evil. In fact, fats, like proteins and carbohydrates, are vital. For example, some vitamins - A, D, E, K - dissolve in fats, and only in them. But these vitamins are responsible for the beauty of skin, hair, and nails. In addition, fats are a source of energy for the body, thermoregulation, and a guarantee of the correct location of organs and systems. So fats should also be included in the menu of women after 55 years. The question is which fats and in what quantities.

Protein should be an essential element of nutrition. Lean meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, as well as sources of vegetable protein - legumes, soybeans, dried fruits - must be included in the dietary table.
The menu must include foods rich in calcium, for example, hard cheese and cottage cheese.
It is better to minimize foods containing simple carbohydrates (white bread, pastries).
You should not overuse table salt, as it tends to retain fluid in the body. You can reduce the amount of salt by using seasonings that improve metabolism: it is recommended to use turmeric, ginger, cardamom, and basil. But it is better to exclude pepper from the menu, since spicy food can cause menopausal hot flashes and sweating in a woman.

It is recommended to drink two liters of pure still water per day.
You should limit yourself to alcohol, although from time to time treat yourself to a glass of red wine, which can be good for both health and mood.
Low-calorie diets and fasting are strictly contraindicated for women of this age.
The diet will become more effective if it is supplemented with physical activity indicated for this age category. For example, multi-kilometer cross-country runs (and cardio exercise in general) will most likely cause harm to your health, while calm yoga or race walking, on the contrary, will most likely improve your health and help you lose weight. In general, a woman should set herself up for not the fastest, but confident loss of excess weight. 0.5 kg - 1 kg per week is an excellent result for a woman over 55 years of age.

What products should be banned or restricted?

A diet plan can be not only healthy, but also tasty. However, it is better to refrain from eating a number of familiar foods. Occasionally, perhaps, it will be possible to allow yourself something from the list below, but not everything, very rarely and only with confidence that a relapse will not occur due to excessive consumption of unhealthy foods. So, you should limit yourself to:

Baked goods, white bread, sweet pastries;
Sweets and sugar (an exception can be made for marshmallows and marmalade, but you shouldn’t get carried away with them either);
Fatty and fried foods;
Smoked meats and sausages;
Canned;
Semi-finished products;

Fast food (burgers, chips, salted nuts, etc.);
Carbonated drinks (especially sweet ones);
Strong alcohol (including sweet);
Salty food - it retains fluid in the body;
Spicy food - it adversely affects the condition of a woman during menopause;
Beef, pork, lamb - this meat is difficult to digest after the age of 55 and creates additional stress on the liver and pancreas.

Of course, it’s difficult to break eating habits, even if they are inherently harmful, but the results are worth it. However, the diet is effective only when it is followed against a positive emotional background.

Negative emotions caused by food restrictions can make you angry and irritating. That is why sometimes, for example, a couple of slices of dark chocolate and a banana, eaten with pleasure, do more good than harm, although a banana contains easily digestible carbohydrates, and chocolate is sweet. The main thing is not to turn this into a habit.

Is mono-diets possible after 55 years?

55 years is not the age when you are allowed to embark on bold experiments in the field of healthy eating. Mono-diets are a popular, one might even say fashionable, trend in dietetics. The benefits and harms of them are a topic for another discussion. Within the framework of this article, it is only appropriate to say that at the age of 55 years and older you should not get carried away with mono-diets, because in fact we are talking about monotonous food, and a varied but balanced diet will help maintain health at this age. In addition, we must take into account that each diet has its own contraindications, and by the age of 55, a woman often has such “baggage” as diseases of the blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and pancreas.

Strict restrictions, which include mono-diets, can cause serious harm. So, you should definitely say “no” to all strict diets, and let the “yes” be assigned to a balanced diet with calorie counting.

Diets for women after 55 years from a nutritionist: how to lose weight without harm to health

Below are examples of menus for women 55 years old. They take into account the need for fractional nutrition.

The menus are balanced and allow a woman to satisfy her daily need for proteins, fats and carbohydrates without excesses that are harmful to health and beauty. Portions should be 250-300 g, no more.

Menu 1

Monday

Oatmeal with water and dried fruits;
Grape;
Vegetable soup (broccoli, carrots, zucchini);
Kefir 1% fat;
The vinaigrette;
Yogurt, apple.

Tuesday

Two boiled eggs (poached eggs are possible), toast with butter;
Pear;
Pink salmon fillet with vegetable salad;
Green tea, two dry cookies;
Zucchini pancakes with a spoonful of low-fat sour cream;
Kefir 1% fat.

Wednesday

Wheat porridge;
Veal meatball soup;
A glass of juice, crackers;
Grated carrot salad;
Vegetable juice with pulp (beets, tomatoes, celery, dill and parsley in a blender).

Thursday

Cottage cheese casserole with the addition of dried fruits;
Banana;
Vegetable soup (potatoes, white cabbage, zucchini, green peas, tomatoes, carrots) with the addition of fresh herbs (green onions, parsley, dill);
Green tea, marshmallows;
Seaweed salad with carrots, fish cutlet;
Low-fat yogurt.

Friday

Omelette of two steamed eggs;
Nectarine;
Beetroot soup in vegetable broth (beets, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, onions) with the addition of a spoonful of low-fat sour cream and fresh herbs;
Multifruit juice, nuts;
Stewed green beans with carrots, steamed veal cutlet;
Low-fat fermented baked milk.

Saturday

Rice and millet porridge with low-fat milk;
Orange;
Buckwheat soup (potatoes, carrots, onions, buckwheat);
Tomato juice;
Veal baked with vegetables;
Curdled milk.

Sunday

Hercules flakes with dried fruits;
Peach;
Chicken broth soup with broccoli (potatoes, broccoli, green peas, onions, carrots) with the addition of fresh dill;
Tea whitened with milk, two cookies;
Fish zrazy with stewed vegetables;
Low-fat fermented baked milk.

Menu 2

Monday

Oatmeal with low-fat milk;
Corn grits porridge, steamed chicken breast;
Tea with milk, dried bread;
Boiled rice, steamed pike perch;
Kefir 1% fat.

Tuesday

Buckwheat porridge;
Pear;
Stuffed cabbage rolls stuffed with veal and vegetables;
Peach juice;
Cauliflower with egg;
Low-fat fermented baked milk.

Ideal weight:

for women 150-155 cm tall, the ideal weight is 55.9-57.6 kg;
for women 155-160 cm tall, the ideal weight is 59-64.5 kg;
for women 160-165 cm tall, the ideal weight is 64.6-65.8 kg;
for women with a height of 165-170 cm, the ideal weight is from 71.4-74.8 kg;
for women 170-175 cm tall, the ideal weight is 75-79.4 kg;
for women 175-180 cm tall, the ideal weight is 78-81.6 kg;
for women 180-185 cm tall, the ideal weight is 82.9-87.4 kg;
for women 185-190 cm tall, the ideal weight is 92-95.6 kg.

Pulse:

in a calm state, a woman’s pulse should be from 60 to 85 beats per minute;
During physical activity, the heart rate can vary from 120 to 170 beats per minute.

Remember: The pulse is the push of blood in the vessels during the contraction of the heart, producing vibrations in the walls of the blood vessels; Pulse rate is measured by the number of pulse beats per minute.

The norm is:

upper blood pressure 120-130,
lower blood pressure 80-90.

Remember: Use a stopwatch to measure your heart rate. It is better to feel the arterial pulse on the wrist, near the base of the thumb. It is better to try to feel the pulse with four fingers, the fifth finger should be used as a support. Place your fingers on your wrist, press the area with your fingers so as to feel the pulse on the radial artery. Calculate your heart rate for one minute. The pulse can be measured with three fingers on the neck or on the wrist. Measure your pulse for 6 seconds, multiply the number of beats by 10. You can also measure your pulse for ten seconds and multiply the result by six.

2. Eat right

It is especially important for you to eat right. This means that there is a need to choose foods that have a low glycemic index. In general, low-glycemic foods can have a beneficial effect on health, prevent an increase in cholesterol in the blood, and support blood vessels.
Try to eat more fish. A fish diet will inhibit the formation of hunger hormones, which are activated in the body at your age.
Flaxseed oil is indicated for you. The healthy fat of this remedy will improve thyroid function.
In a situation where, even if you follow a diet, you gain weight, you cannot get rid of the feeling of cold, and mood swings become frequent, it makes sense to visit a doctor to check the functioning of your thyroid gland.
Choose a balanced diet. Women of this age have a higher risk of developing not only osteoporosis, but also heart disease. A proper diet will help prevent cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. Remember that foods that contain large amounts of salt and animal fat contribute to increased calcium consumption.
It is important to include enough carbohydrates, vegetables, less fat, and more calcium in your diet.
Your daily calorie intake is 2000:

breakfast – 600 calories,
lunch – 700 calories,
dinner – 600 calories,
snacks between meals - 100 calories.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Try to drink decaffeinated tea and coffee. Excess caffeine causes the kidneys to remove calcium from the body, which contributes to thinning bones in women your age.
Try to eat 4-5 times a day, preferably at the same time.
Drink at least two liters of water per day.

Determine your daily calorie intake, taking into account your weight, age, your physical activity, height.

To determine the daily calorie intake for women using a special formula, you need to perform the following steps:

the first step is to multiply height (in centimeters) by 1.8;
second action - weight (in kilograms) multiplied by 9.6;
third action - age multiplied by 4.7;
fourth action - 655 plus the result of the first action plus the result of the second action minus the result of the third action; the result obtained can be perceived as your individual metabolic level (IML);
multiply your individual metabolic level by your activity coefficient, this is the daily calorie intake shown to you.

3. Don't forget about physical activity

Regular exercise is recommended for you. You can choose, for example, brisk walking. It will improve health, help fight fatigue, and increase vitality.
Exercise can slow down gradually increasing weakness. Regular exercise will help fight osteoporosis, a process of bone loss that affects many women in menopause.
Bone tissue will be stronger as a result of exercise, regardless of age.

Remember: Strength exercises are useful for you, but they should be aimed at strengthening bone tissue, but swimming is not one of these exercises.

4. Be sure to get enough sleep

Your sleep should be complete. You need to sleep at least six hours. This is the minimum needed for overnight restoration of skin cells. When the cells don't have time to regenerate, you wake up with a rumpled face and clearly defined wrinkles.
Try to watch the position in which you sleep. If you prefer to press your chin to your chest while sleeping, this will cause unsightly folds on your neck and a double (third) chin.

Remember: the habit of sleeping on one side all the time will do a disservice: more wrinkles will form on this side of the face, and the nasolabial fold will become more noticeable. It is better to lie on your back with your chin raised.

5. Remember about prevention

Hormone therapy is indicated for you. Doctors may recommend that you take hormones to replace the loss of estrogen that occurs during menopause. Hormonal therapy eliminates or reduces the intensity of hot flashes and vaginal pain.
You should not use hormone therapy if you have been diagnosed with breast or uterine cancer; blood clots in the lower extremities, ovarian cancer, blood clots in the lungs, pelvis, if you suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder inflammation or gallstones; uterine fibroids.

Remember: Effective hormonal therapy will help prevent heart disease and help prevent osteoporosis, but you should discuss absolutely all indications and contraindications (the doctor will definitely explain all the advantages and disadvantages) of hormonal therapy with your doctor.

6. Visit your mammologist and gynecologist regularly

You are advised to consult a mammologist every 6 months.
Be sure to undergo an ultrasound examination and perform breast palpation yourself.
Examine your mammary glands yourself once a month.
Visit your gynecologist once a year.

Remember: Breast cancer shows age dependence. In women over 55 years of age, cancer is more common than in younger women; there is no need to self-medicate.

7. Visit your dentist regularly

Twice a day (in the morning after breakfast and at night), thoroughly clean your gums, teeth, and tongue for three minutes. After eating, use a toothpick, mouthwash, and dental floss (for hard-to-reach areas).
Once every six months, try to undergo a preventive examination with a dentist.
It is important to brush your teeth after every meal, no matter how small. If you don't have a brush and toothpaste at hand, use a toothpick (dental floss).
Be sure to have your teeth professionally cleaned once every six months. Using specialized equipment and materials, your dentist will help remove deposits from your teeth.
You need to be careful when choosing a toothbrush and toothpaste. Choose toothpaste depending on your needs and financial capabilities.
If you have sensitive teeth that react to the taste of food and temperature changes, you will need special pastes containing potassium nitrate and strontium chloride. This will reduce tooth sensitivity.
To combat tartar, use pastes with triclosan, zinc citrate, and pyrophosphates. These elements can protect the oral cavity from bacteria. Choose a toothbrush with soft bristles, this will avoid injury to the gums and enamel. Do not forget that every three months the brush needs to be replaced with a new one.

Remember: toothpaste for everyday use should contain fluoride. This element will protect your teeth from the influence of harmful microbes and strengthen the enamel.

8. Control your emotional state

Most likely, you rarely experience attacks of rage; rather, a prolonged state of melancholy is more typical for you.
Don’t isolate yourself, try to define a certain social circle that is pleasant to you.

Remember: At this age, stress is contraindicated for you, which can provoke pressure surges, which is why at your age you should strictly monitor your emotions and maintain positive thinking as much as possible.

9. Be sexually active

Age is not a reason to forget about sex. You may experience a decrease in sexual desire, but it may also happen that your sex life during and after menopause remains virtually unchanged.
The only downside may be a decrease in the level of vaginal moisture. But this problem can be easily solved with the help of lubricants.
Give love more time. Hormonal changes in the body that are caused by menopause often cause the vaginal mucosa to produce less mucus and become thinner. As a result, sexual intercourse can be quite painful.
Take these circumstances into account, remember the lack of lubrication and take longer to prepare for sexual intercourse.
It won’t be a big sin if you find other ways to sexually satisfy your partner other than sexual intercourse itself.
Try using special ointments or creams. As a last resort, you can use ordinary vegetable oil or a cold, odorless moisturizer.
The pharmacy may recommend an ointment that closely resembles natural lubricant.

Remember: You should not use Vaseline as an artificial lubricant; it is too greasy and sticky for that.

10. Take care of your skin and hair

It is very important for you to take proper care of your skin and hair. Hormonal changes are occurring in your body. The skin gradually becomes dehydrated, loses its elasticity, and its ability to produce collagen decreases. The contours of the face have become more blurred, the skin has become flabby. Wrinkles around the lips and nose are more clearly defined, normal skin pigmentation is disrupted, and the complexion has become somewhat uneven. So you need special care products.
Try to apply a rich moisturizer to your face twice in the morning and evening.
Use a firming serum with a high content of retinol, a cream that has a lifting effect.
Products containing wheat germ oil or vitamin C help whiten the skin.
Make an anti-wrinkle mask. This mask will help you against spots on your face and wrinkles. Mix one protein with two teaspoons of honey and apply the mask for twenty-five minutes. Rinse off the mixture with warm water.
Dilute one tablespoon of wheat flour with fresh green strong tea to the consistency of thick sour cream. Add one yolk, mix everything and apply to your face for twenty minutes. Wash off the mask with boiled warm water and apply nourishing cream to the skin.
Makeup requirements. At your age, makeup is necessary to highlight your assets. Apply the concealer to the area under the eyes so as not to cover the entire face with foundation. It is better to use this product as needed.

Remember: Don’t forget about your eyebrows, give them a clear line, point them slightly upward. You can disguise the lack of eyebrow hairs using eye shadow and a pencil.