The 3 F.A.T. Rules for the Middle-Aged

Odds are that if you're a male over age 35, you'll gain an average of one pound each year until you hit retirement age. That number is even higher for ladies. However, there's something you can do about it. Follow the following three F.A.T. rules for the middle-aged for gradual fat loss instead of gradual weight gain.

Middle-Age F.A.T. Rule #1:Watch the Frequency

Even though people often do so, it's a good idea to NOT go cold turkey from less healthy foods you enjoy. Completely turning your diet upside down will make it tougher to stick to your better eating habits and make them a part of your lifestyle. The next time you do your grocery shopping, make a point to choose only one option for fatty, sweet or salty foods that you usually fall victim to. For instance, if you're a salty snack lover then you probably have a section in your cabinet dedicated to these types of foods; microwave popcorn, Doritos, regular potato chips, BBQ flavored chips, etc. On your next grocery trip, choose only one salty snack. You can't eat what's not with you. Once you run out of that item, you'll have to eat whatever else is there.

Increase the frequency of your meals while decreasing the amount of food you eat at one sitting. This helps you limit cravings by regulating your blood glucose levels and preventing you from getting too hungry. Have breakfast within two hours of waking up. Then have a morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, then dinner. Space meals and snacks no more than three to four hours apart.  Drink lots of non-caffeinated fluids between meals and you'll find that you're less hungry than usual.

Middle-Age F.A.T. Rule #2: Amounts

While you're at the grocery store, you can also tackle F.A.T. rule #2. The trick is to not only decrease the number of selections of unhealthy foods, but to replace them with something else. You don't need to stop snacking, you need to snack on something else most of the time. Replace crunchy snacks with something else crunchy, salty snacks with something else salty and so on. This is important because we tend to want a certain flavor or consistency of food at any given time. Cold, crunchy pickles offer low-cal satisfaction for a salty food craving. However, if nothing will satisfy your craving except the exact item you want, then have it. Just portion out less of it.

Portion Before You Sit

Never eat from the container or the bag. For example, if you're having ice cream, eat from a measuring cup. Fill it with 1/2 cup of ice cream, put the container away, then sit down and eat. Take a glass of water with you to drink when you're done. In 10 or 15 minutes, you'll probably find that your craving has been satisfied. If not, try eating a small healthy meal instead of going for more ice cream. Chances are that you're hungry for real food but your brain is interpreting it as a junk food craving.

Middle-Age F.A.T. Rule #3: Type

Try the low-fat, low-cal or low-sugar versions of foods you like. Gradually step down to these alternatives if you need to. For example, if you like dairy products, don't go from full-fat to skim right off the bat. Step down to 2%, then 1% then skim. Buy two types at the same time and mix them until you get used to the taste if it helps you transition without noticing a difference. The same is true for brown and white rice. Mix half and half until you enjoy the taste, then switch to 100% brown rice.

Remember that if you gradually step down over time, you won't notice the difference and you'll come to enjoy and prefer the taste of less salty, sweet and fatty foods. I used to be a certified soda addict. After slowly switching to sugar-free drinks peach-flavored iced tea, drinking soda is not as enjoyable as it used to be. Soda will taste more like syrup after you've taken a break from it.


What Else You Can Do to Fight Fat In Middle-Age

Researchers used tracked over 2,500 healthy men and women for 20 years, taking note of their exercise habits and how much weight they gained as they transitioned from young adulthood to middle-age.

As might be expected, they put on weight as the years went by. But men who were active during this transition gained 5.7 pounds less than those who were more sedentary - and women lost 13.4 fewer pounds over the 20 year period when they were active. Both sexes gained less in their waistline too – the classic sign of middle-age spread. 

What's Working Against You: Muscle & Hormones

Middle-age weight gain comes from decreasing growth hormone and a slow decrease in muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so loss of muscle tissue reduces metabolism. Many people become less active as they get older so they mistakenly think that gradual muscle loss is inevitable but it's not.

What this means for you? You might not be able to totally avoid weight gain in middle age since even the most active people gained small amounts of weight over the 20 year study, but you can limit the amount by doing at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity. 

The best kind of exercise to reduce middle-age spread? This study didn’t address that issue, but the key is to do what you like. Experiment until you find something you love and you'll do it often enough to make see results. A combination of aerobic and resistance training effectively burns fat and preserves lean body mass, which benefits metabolism. Add intervals of high-intensity activity sessions to increase growth hormones and prevent plateaus. A plateau occurs when your body gets so efficient that you burn fewer calories in response to the same exercise.