Healthy diet for every day

To lose weight after 50 years, you don’t even need to completely give up your favorite sweets and baked goods. For you - recommendations from Margarita Koroleva and Elena Malysheva on how to permanently get rid of extra pounds.

Author: Kristina Lobanovskaya, doctor, practicing nutritionist Article updated: 04/07/2021

The need to lose excess weight in women over 50 is dictated not only by the desire to look young and attractive, but also by the desire to improve their health. At this age, every extra kilogram increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is important to take care of yourself and adhere to a special nutritional system that will help not only get rid of fat ballast, but also strengthen the body. The task is complicated by the fact that women's metabolism slows down sharply at this stage of life, making it incredibly difficult to lose accumulated fat.

The desire to lose weight after 50 years is also a banal concern for health. The older a person is, the more dangerous fat deposits are for him. Joints suffer, limbs swell, blood pressure rises, and blood sugar levels rise. You can get rid of all this if you normalize your weight and lose the kilograms accumulated over many years.

How to lose weight at 50 years old

The primary task is to tune in to proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and realize that this is not some temporary promotion for a period of 2, 4, 10 weeks. This should become the rule of life - an active lifestyle, proper nutrition and regular visits to the doctor. Only with this approach to her health will a woman get rid of excess weight and prevent it from returning.

It is during this period of age that hormonal changes in the female body often occur—menopause. This leads to an unstable emotional background, irritability, apathy, and increased fatigue. Changes in hormonal levels lead to a deterioration in metabolism, which provokes weight gain. There is no reason to panic - if you get down to business wisely, then at any age you can get rid of extra pounds and look perfect.

Another difficulty is that with age, the skin loses its elasticity, so after losing weight it is difficult to get yourself in order - it seems that the skin is hanging and this makes it look very unpresentable. This is another reason to lose weight gradually, so as not to provoke the appearance of unsightly folds.

Diet rules after 50

1. The weight comes off slowly and reluctantly - you will have to put in much more effort than in your youth.
2. The diet should be aimed at slow but steady weight loss.
3. Low-calorie diets that involve fasting and monotonous food are prohibited.
4. It is necessary to take vitamins, micro- and macroelements, and monitor the balance of BJUs in food. Carbohydrates should be 30-35%, proteins - 15-20%.
5. It is important to regularly engage in light fitness, Pilates or a daily walk in the fresh air.
6. You will have to work on your way of thinking, get rid of negative emotions and focus on the result - a positive emotional background will speed up weight loss.
7. The main enemy of a figure is overeating. Eat slowly to feel full earlier.
8. It is important to control blood sugar levels, body temperature, and pressure. If there are sudden changes in these indicators, be sure to consult a doctor.
9. The most comfortable and safe weight loss after 50 is no more than 0.5-1 kg per week. This is a long process that involves careful and persistent work on yourself.
10. Sometimes you can treat yourself to your favorite foods, even if they fall into the forbidden category. For example, a banana and a couple of slices of chocolate are an excellent remedy for depression and fatigue.

Prohibited Products

The choice of products for weight loss is dictated not so much by diet as by the principles of healthy eating. During your recovery (and preferably for life), you will have to give up fast food, smoked meats, and salty foods. The latter attract fluid, which leads to the formation of edema and, accordingly, to even more weight. Carbonated drinks, strong and sweet alcohol are prohibited. You will have to forget about spicy food, which whets the appetite and causes “hot flashes” in a woman during menopause. It is very important to permanently remove baked goods, sweets and confectionery from your diet - they are rich in fast carbohydrates, which are instantly digested and easily settle on the sides. You will have to limit the amount of meat (pork, beef, lamb) - it turns out to be too heavy for digestion, creating a load on the liver, pancreas and the entire gastrointestinal tract.

Features of diet preparation

1. The basis of nutrition is plant foods. Every day you need to eat vegetables, fruits, herbs - they should be 50-60% in the diet.
2. Particular attention is paid to the balance of vitamins B, A, E, PP and polyunsaturated fatty acids in food - it is necessary to choose food rich in these elements.
3. It is important to eat fractionally - often and in small portions. In this case, a lot of energy is spent on digestion, and the size of the stomach decreases.
4. Avoid drinking tea or any drinks after meals. It is advisable to drink 30-40 minutes after eating.
5. The main sources of protein are seafood, lean fish, rabbit, poultry (chicken, turkey) and veal.
6. The serving size should not exceed 250-300 grams.

Sports component

In women after 50, physical activity drops sharply. This is primarily due to age-related changes. And here very often ladies find themselves in a vicious circle: by not playing sports due to their health status, they get better, which leads to even bigger problems. Therefore, you cannot refuse physical activity. You just need to choose it in such a way that it is beneficial for the body and does not lead to unnecessary stress. To do this, you should consult a doctor and contact a competent trainer who will draw up an individual training program taking into account your age and health status.

For physical exercise, preference is given to walking, moderate exercise, Pilates and yoga. If you have never done it before, you should approach cardio exercises very carefully only after a full examination and consultation with a doctor.

Proper nutrition in old age

What happens to the body in old age, the nutrition “pyramid” or what foods an elderly person should eat, what diet is optimal - we tell you in this article.

This appeal is not just to older people, but to their children in the first place. It is very important to understand the processes that occur in the human body. When a person crosses the threshold of 60-65 years, certain changes begin. They are not only external, but also internal. The metabolic process slows down, it takes more time to digest food, physical activity decreases, and the amount of energy that a person ate before is no longer needed. At this age people are often left alone. Children live separately, there is no longer the need to cook a lot, cook deliciously, decorate something in order to please your son or grandson. For yourself, soup, a sandwich and a cup of tea are enough.

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This is exactly what gradually leads to energy deficiency, which occurs in old age. There is such a wonderful expression: we are what we eat. It has long been known that by changing a certain eating style, you can change the processes that occur inside the body. There is a fairly important area - nutrition in old age, or gerodietics, as it is called. This is the direction of medicine that allows you to slow down the rate of aging or prevent pathological aging processes.

For older people, the traditional food pyramid, which is used by most nutritionists around the world, has been slightly modified. The main idea that is included in this nutrition pyramid for an elderly person: this is, firstly, that the energy balance is somewhat reduced, an elderly person needs about 1200–1600 kcal per day, and at the base of this nutrition pyramid there is another layer which is called water, or liquid.

According to all recommendations, an elderly person should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Like any flower, our body also requires watering, and if we constantly do not consume liquid or do not consume enough of it, then our roses will wither, our cells will shrink a little, the transport of substances will be disrupted, and the metabolism will also change not for the better.

Carbohydrates are the main component of energy metabolism. It is very important to eat anywhere from 6 to 11 servings. What it is? This is, for example, 3 slices of bread, 2 potatoes, a bowl of porridge, half a glass of pasta. A regular diet that anyone can easily afford during the day.

Next, which is very important, are proteins. In old age, you need to eat enough protein, because it is a transporter of medicines - these little trains that carry medicines. If there is not enough protein, then drugs do not travel through the body as efficiently and, accordingly, there is no such effect from treatment. You need to eat about 120-150 grams of protein - this is fish, poultry, beef, and about 2-3 servings of dairy products - this is a glass of milk or kefir, about 6 tablespoons of cottage cheese or cheese. This will be enough to maintain your protein metabolism at a normal level.

In old age, and not only in old age, fats occupy the very top of the nutrition pyramid, and an elderly person does not need them in large quantities. We have already talked about atherosclerosis, about the risks that exist, so it is very important that an elderly person who still consumes fats changes his view of vegetable fats. For example, it is better to make a salad not with mayonnaise or full-fat sour cream, but with olive or sunflower oil. Because fats in large quantities are not needed in old age. Moreover, if the food is fatty, it often leads to the development of a disease such as atherosclerosis.

Minerals and vitamins are very important, everything that supports metabolism. Therefore, you definitely need to eat vegetables and fruits (at least 2-3 servings). This is, for example, one banana, one apple during the day, one carrot, one tomato, one cucumber. It is quite affordable, anyone can afford it.

If a person takes any supplements, vitamins (because vitamin D is needed, vitamin B12 is necessary in old age), then one should definitely consult with a doctor about the choice of these food supplements, multivitamins and those containing minerals. It is important to understand the composition of these supplements, and it is important not to overdose.

It is difficult to answer unequivocally the question of what diet is optimal for an elderly person, because it all depends on the diseases that he may have. Optimally, this is still a Mediterranean diet: a large amount of vegetables, salads, cucumbers, tomatoes. All those carbohydrates and minerals are contained there, as well as a fairly large amount of fish or poultry, meat, salads, usually seasoned with vegetable oil. A small, modest glass of wine is also usually included in the Mediterranean diet. This is not to say that alcohol is contraindicated in old age. As at any other age, you can use it, it’s a matter of quantity. An elderly person can easily afford one glass of red wine with dinner.

What else is important in catering? Surprisingly, physical activity is very important, because with age the processes slow down somewhat, and in the absence of physical activity they slow down even more. What is good for old age? In principle, any type of physical activity that is available for health reasons and strength. These include walking, swimming, water aerobics, Nordic walking, dancing, tennis, whatever pleases you. It could even be just working in the garden, or walking, for example, in the country. All this contributes to the fact that digestion is most active.

In old age, you should try not to eat large amounts of food at once. It is better to eat little by little, but at least 5-6 times. The optimal meal for an elderly person is 5 times a day. The very process of cooking in old age often becomes a problem if a person has Alzheimer's disease, for example, or some manifestations of senile dementia. If you have arthritis, there is osteoporosis, when it is simply physically impossible to cut, grate and cook something for yourself. But even active older people do not always prepare their own food correctly, and are often content with some kind of semi-finished products. Of course, depression, the condition of the oral cavity, poorly restored teeth - all this affects the processes of food digestion.

We want to appeal to those people who are now 30–40 years old and who have elderly relatives. Please pay attention to how they eat, it is really very important. This allows you to prevent a large number of diseases. Try to provide them with the right foods, at least for a week. On the weekend, go to the store, buy and put food in the refrigerator for them, from which they can cook for themselves. Please control their appetite. If you notice that your appetite is decreasing, pay attention to this and consult a doctor, because this may be the cause of some kind of disease.

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Try to organize family dinners, get-togethers at least 2 times a month, maybe take the person to a restaurant. The positive emotions that a person experiences while communicating over food are actually very important in order to form the right attitude towards nutrition. If you do not live together, then please call your parents more often, ask how they are doing, what they ate for lunch today. This will be an additional incentive for them to cook something, eat something, because they will definitely need to share this information with you. Believe me, this is very important for them.

Pay attention to how they eat. If they have any metabolic diseases, such as obesity or diabetes, of course, an individual diet is needed. The doctor you contact will definitely do this.

You can make an appointment with a doctor by phone or online.

But, one way or another, at any age, try to eat right so that you live long, actively, so that you have fewer health-related problems. We wish you health and happiness.

Menu

Everyone’s health and contraindications are different - it’s optimal if a diet plan for weight loss is developed by a nutritionist, assessing your health, the functioning of your internal organs, and chronic diseases. However, once you understand the principles of healthy eating and know the characteristics of your body, you can independently create a comfortable menu for yourself from food prepared at home. But this does not cancel regular visits to specialists to monitor your condition.

For 7 days

If you are not planning to radically change your lifestyle, but want to get in shape before a holiday or vacation, then this diet menu for women over 50 will help you lose 2-3 extra pounds in a week. Provided that you increase your physical activity and do not neglect walking in the fresh air.

Monday:

• oatmeal and green tea, apples;
• vegetable soup and salad, tea;
• low-fat yogurt;
• potatoes and vinaigrette;
• low-fat kefir, apple.

Tuesday:

• a portion of cottage cheese, tea, pears or apples;
• piece of fish, grilled vegetables;
• fruit mix;
• omelette, citrus;
• yogurt.

Wednesday:

• rice porridge with milk, juice, grapes;
• chicken cutlets, creamy cabbage soup;
• curdled milk;
• zucchini pancakes, cucumbers and tomatoes;
• green tea.

Thursday:

• oatmeal with berries, coffee with milk, cheesecakes;
• a portion of chicken breast, lettuce with cucumbers;
• tomato juice;
• potatoes with fish balls;
• apple.

Friday:

• cottage cheese and raisin casserole, tea, 2 eggs;
• mackerel, grilled vegetables;
• fermented baked milk;
• buckwheat porridge, seafood salad;
• banana.

Saturday:

• seaweed salad with carrots, several nuts, orange and compote;
• chicken soup, a piece of cheese;
• tea with honey;
• portion of grilled beef, steamed vegetables;
• juice from vegetables.

Sunday:

• beet-garlic salad, tea, plums;
• potatoes with green peas, steamed hake;
• Apple juice;
• fish soup and stewed vegetables;
• kefir.

For a month

When planning to reconsider your attitude towards healthy eating and completely change your diet, take a step towards a healthy lifestyle. In this case, it is recommended to follow the diet for a long time, if possible, throughout your life. You can create a menu yourself, guided by the principles of nutrition for women over 50. We offer different meal options that you can combine at your discretion, trying to make your diet varied and healthy.

Breakfast

1. Oatmeal in water with dried fruits or milk and honey.
2. Low-fat cottage cheese with berries and sour cream.
3. Scrambled eggs and cheese sandwich.
4. Fruit slices with sour cream.
5. Cottage cheese casserole.
6. Buckwheat porridge with berries.

Lunches

1. Buckwheat porridge with vegetables.
2. Vegetable soup and a piece of bread.
3. Corn porridge with chicken breast.
4. Boiled potatoes with cucumbers and tomatoes.
5. Grilled fish with vegetables.
6. Vegetarian cabbage rolls.

Afternoons

1. A glass of fruit or vegetable juice.
2. Kefir or fermented baked milk.
3. Low-fat yogurt.
4. Fruit of choice: apple, pear or orange.

Dinners

1. Boiled fish and vegetable salad.
2. 1 potato and baked vegetables.
3. Vegetable stew.
4. Rice with vinaigrette.
5. Roasted cauliflower and tomatoes.
6. Buckwheat porridge and chicken cutlet.

If you stick to this menu for quite a long time, then small indulgences are allowed in the form of an additional piece of bread, fruit or a serving of vegetables. A glass of dry red wine is allowed no more than once a week.

30-50 years

At this age, not all people are able to follow the principles of proper nutrition, and this is often due to the fast pace of life and heavy workload. By the age of 50, the rate of metabolic processes slows down significantly, and the body’s resistance to stress weakens.

That is why proper nutrition for men and women after 30 years of age should be balanced, and a healthy diet for every day should be compiled taking into account the characteristics of the body. The menu must include foods containing proteins, iron, calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants. The basis of the diet should be 3 vitamins: C (cabbage, parsley, citrus fruits), E (vegetable oil), beta-carotene (broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, carrots).

After 35 years, muscle mass decreases by 1% every year, and the body spends less energy during a sedentary lifestyle, which indicates that the calorie content of meals should also decrease. At this age, losing weight is no longer so easy, and if the weight goes away, then the muscle mass goes with it. Therefore, you should devote time to physical activity (for example, do aerobics 4 times a week for 40 minutes). Following the recommendations for proper nutrition, a woman over 40 years old can lose up to 2 kilograms in 2 weeks.

Nutrition in adulthood may look like this:

• Breakfast: 1 kiwi/freshly squeezed juice, oatmeal with milk/100 ml kefir, tea or coffee;
• Lunch: fish fillet/smoked chicken breast/veal liver, raw vegetables/green salad/green beans;
• Snack at 17:00: 1 tomato/100 ml kefir/150 g low-fat cottage cheese;
• Dinner: vegetable soup/vegetable salad, tofu/boiled chicken.

Quitting the diet

It is very important to maintain self-control when leaving the diet for women after 50. There is no need to joyfully pounce on the foods in which you have limited yourself. It is ideal if your approach to preparing a diet remains unchanged: healthy and not too high-calorie dishes will be a priority. Try to follow all aspects of PP after losing weight, then you won’t have to lose weight anymore - your figure will remain toned without much effort. To get out of the diet, gradually increase portion sizes until the average daily calorie content of foods is 1.5-1.6 thousand kilocalories.

Reviews and results of losing weight

Anna, 52 years old

For my 50th birthday, I gave myself a holiday in a sanatorium, where I met my love. We decided to get married, but first I decided to get myself in order and lose 10 extra pounds. It took me 3 whole months, but now I look better, and I’ve been a happy wife for a year now. I lost weight without any special diets - I simply adhered to the principles of proper nutrition: I excluded bread, pastries, and all sorts of my favorite smoked foods and sweets. At first it was very difficult, but now I’ve gotten used to it and quite calmly walk past the stalls with pizzas and pies. I go in for sports, feel great and enjoy the new perspectives that life gives me!! Girls, lose weight and be happy! At 50, life is just beginning!

Marina, 54 years old

Over the course of my life, I have tried to lose weight more or less successfully several times, but the weight comes back and apparently this is my karma. But at 50, I retired and decided to radically change my life. Today my weight is 65 kg with a height of 168 - in 2 years of active weight loss I lost 18 kg!!! Now I am in ideal shape for myself, in which I feel energetic and confident. I lost weight with the help of Elena Malysheva’s program - I bought sets of ready-made meals, and then cooked them myself according to the recommendations. Now I’m so used to eating right that even when visiting, I only eat healthy and low-calorie dishes. And I look better than I did at 40, when I was tired of life and sickly fat.

Reviews from doctors and specialists (with video)

Anton Ovsyannikov, nutritionist

When women over 50 come to me, I prescribe them a full examination to identify all hidden pathologies of the body. The diet for women over 50 is prescribed taking into account the state of health - this factor cannot be neglected, otherwise losing weight will result in the development of chronic diseases. Mindlessly losing weight at this age by choosing any diet you like is categorically not recommended. Particularly dangerous is sudden weight loss associated with fasting and a critical reduction in calorie intake. You need to lose excess weight gradually, combining a diet with light physical activity. At the same time, I recommend taking multivitamin complexes, which help get rid of accumulated kilograms without stress and decreased immunity. There is not and cannot be a universal recipe for losing weight after 50 years. Therefore, dear women, contact specialists so that later, for the rest of your life, you do not have to correct the consequences of your desire to be slim.

Nutrition rules for women after 50

Changes in the female body that occur after 50 years are associated with hormonal changes. The synthesis of sex hormones that ensure reproductive function declines, and menopause occurs.

Adipose tissue acts as a store of hormones; as a result, hormonal imbalance leads to an increase in fat deposits. At the same time, along with excess weight gain, health problems also appear:

• blood pressure increases,
• the risk of stroke and heart attack increases significantly,
• Diabetes mellitus can make itself felt,
• joints begin to ache.

Nutritional features of women during menopause

With menopause, especially early menopause, a healthy lifestyle should become more than just words. It is based on a healthy, balanced diet, the calorie content of which is strictly controlled.

Unfortunately, the diet of a 50-year-old woman with the onset of menopause turns out to have quite a lot of food restrictions. In this case, it is necessary to control and limit the use of:

• muffins, sweet pastries, flour dishes;
• fatty meat, smoked meats, sausages;
• sweets - candies, chocolate, marshmallows;
• strong tea and strong coffee.

In addition, it is worth remembering that metabolic processes in the body slow down, and fluid is retained in the tissues, causing swelling. Therefore, salty foods should be eaten in the first half of the day and not overused.

Healthy diet for a woman over 50

Close attention should be paid to alcohol, including low-alcohol drinks. Instead of foods rich in fats and cholesterol, you should give preference to healthy foods. For example:

• fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits, berries;
• nuts and legumes;
• dietary meat - rabbit, chicken, turkey;
• fish, especially white fish;
• seafood;
• cereals and products made from them, bran and flax seeds should be added to food;
• baking with whole grain flour instead of white baked goods;
• dried fruits;
• Replace butter with vegetable oil as much as possible;
• drink about two liters of clean water per day.

It is worth switching to fractional meals: small portions, but often, every 2 hours, including snacks in the form of vegetables, fruits, salads.

This is not about forgetting about sweets, meat or fatty fish, mayonnaise, but their consumption should be limited.