OPTIMAL NUTRITION TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

By Jacqueline Fields M.D.

As you age, it becomes easier to gain weight and harder to lose it. Age really does matter with regards to

weight management, especially if you’re over the age of 40.

Many factors can play a role such as changes in physical activity level, diet, hormonal changes and

ultimately how your body stores fat.

Have no fear this new year, here are 10 tips to lose weight and feel great for people over 40.

Pam Bush our nutritionist is available for consults to help you optimize your habits!

We offer a weight loss protocol with medical food shakes, education on best diet practices and the

skinny shot which has B12 and MIC to help escalate fat loss.

1. Follow a Paleo/Mediterranean diet

The Paleo diet is the ancestral way to lose weight naturally without counting calories. This key is back to

the basics focusing on healthy, grass –fed meats, wild-caught fish, fresh vegetables, nuts, seeds and

seasonal fruits. This diet focuses on whole foods and eliminates processed foods and additives. The

Paleo diet emulates how the hunter-gatherers ate. The reason it works is because it gets rid of empty

calorie foods (foods that provide only calories and no nutrients) and replaces these foods with more

nutrient dense options. Nutrient dense foods are high in nutrients but lower in calories, which is the

shift that aids in weight loss. Additionally, the foods found on a Paleo diet are rich in vital nutrients

needed for weight loss and energy balance. This study confirmed weight loss in women on Paleo versus

the well-publicized Nordic Diet. I do encourage the plate is 70% plant based, 10% protein, 10% complex

carbs and 10% good fats. This ratio is the best!

2. Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern in which you cycle between periods of feasting and fasting. It

doesn’t specify which foods to eat but rather when to eat them. Intermittent fasting improves insulin

sensitivity (which declines with age) and as a result insulin drops and stored fat can be utilized.

Additionally, intermittent fasting naturally reduces caloric intake for individuals. Research has also found

that fasting can lower glucose and increase the fat-burning hormone, norepinephrine leading to

increased metabolism short-term.

3. Cook your meals at home

Cooking your meals by hand at home is an act of self-care and a tool to aid in weight loss. This is because

when you cook at home you control what goes into each meal. Home cooking means your meals can be

free from added sugars, salt and unhealthy fats. Cooking at home means you can select what you want

include (organic, fresh vegetables and healthy, grass-fed meats) and eliminate what you don’t want

(additives, gluten, and refined sugars). You can also use heart-healthy cooking oils when you’re making

your meals at home. One of the biggest factors holding people back from cooking at home is the belief

that they can’t make a good meal because they’ve forgotten how to cook. If you’re in need of some

home cooking inspiration, try our Mexican Paleo cookbook loaded with healthy recipes to get your

cooking started!

4. Become a mindful eater

When life gets busy it can be tempting to multitask during a meal. This eating behavior can lead to

overeating. By becoming a more mindful eating, your brain learns to better recognize it’s own hunger

and satiety cues to let you know when to start and stop eating. Mindful eating is a more thoughtful way

of eating that helps individuals make healthier food choices and better understand hunger cues. As a

result, it is a great tool for weight loss. Mindful eating includes focusing on the sight, smell, texture and

taste of foods. During mindful eating, there are no distractions like TV. One must chew slowly when

eating mindfully. There is a profound mind-gut connection and so when we employ mindful eating

habits it helps the brain to register satiety (the feeling of fullness) and activates the Parasympathetic

Nervous System (your “rest and digest” mode). Eat with others when possible.

5. Ditch the added sugar

Sugar provides empty calories to the body. Empty calories are calories without nutrients. If you drink

sweetened beverages, try replacing them with water or tea. In excess, sugar gets stored as fat on the

body, contributing to weight gain. Eating too much sugar is associated with weight gain along with a

host of chronic diseases like obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Heart Disease. Added sugar is vastly different

than natural sugar (like that found in fruits and vegetables). Added or refined sugars are added to

processed foods, juices and candies. It acts like a foreign ingredient and the body struggles to recognize

and break down this type of sugar. If your New Year’s goal is to lose weight, then it’s time to kick your

sugar habit.

6. Reduce alcoholic intake

Alcohol is another source of empty calories that plays a huge role in weight. Alcohol provides a large

number of calories but no nutrients. Anyone looking to shred stubborn pounds should skip that evening

glass of wine. Alcohol is also unique in that the body will always give it first priority with regards to

digestion. This means that, in excess, the body will break down alcohol first and since it contains calories

it will use it as energy first. The result is that the protein, fat and carbohydrates you ate at dinner all get

stored as fat. This further contributes to weight gain. Additionally, because alcohol is considered a toxin

it causes high levels of inflammation and impacts key organs like the liver, both of which can have

effects on weight. Lastly, alcohol can lead to increased food intake by triggering hunger signals in the

brain. Skip the alcohol!

7. Move your body more

Physical inactivity is a major factor in the development of weight gain. In fact, sitting is now labeled as

the new smoking due to its detrimental effects on weight and health. Lack of exercise can lead to weight

gain and obesity-related diseases like diabetes or hypertension. Low levels of physical activity are linked

to increased visceral fat (fat around the organs) like abdominal fat. Regular aerobic exercise, also known

as cardio, can help you to lose visceral fat. Aerobic activity (walking, hiking, biking) pair with a healthy

Paleo diet is the best way to lose stubborn visceral fat and keep it off. Yoga and gardening are another of

my favorites. Additionally, regular exercise can also undo heart damage (often linked to increased

weight) so get moving!

8. Stop stressing

It’s widely known that chronic stress makes you more likely to binge on unhealthy food like fast foods

and processed ones. When stress causes you to eat more it exacerbates weight gain by increasing caloric

intake. The stress hormone cortisol (released during times of stress) also triggers the storage of

abdominal fat. Additionally, on top of all of this, new research has found that stress makes it harder for

your body to break down stored fat. This is because stress stimulates the production of a protein called

betatrophin, which inhibits an enzyme that is needed for the breakdown of fat. In the study, levels of

betatrophin increased in mice that experienced both environmental and metabolic stressors. Stress

management is key for weight loss so find a relaxation technique that works for you.

We have excellent tools such as neurofeedback and alpha stim to help your brain with

stress/anxiety/depression/and insomnia.

9. Get better sleep

Individuals who don’t get enough good quality sleep are more likely to gain weight. Not getting enough

shuteye can have adverse effects not only on your health but your waistline. Sleep deficiency is linked to

weight gain. Lack of sleep can dysregulate the hunger hormones in our bodies. This causes the brain to

not receive the proper hunger and satiety signals. Therefore, appetite, weight control and energy

metabolism all become impacted. Sleep deprivation also slows down your metabolism, leading to

weight gain. Check out our tips for better sleep.

10. Heal your gut

Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria. Leaky Gut Syndrome can lead to an imbalance of the good and

bad bacteria, which can increase one’s risk for weight gain. Healing leaky gut syndrome and restoring

the balance of good microbes in the gut is essential to protecting the gut barrier, lowering inflammation

and preventing weight gain. One study found that when mice were given prebiotic fibers to increase

Bifidobacteria then weight gain and insulin resistance both decreased. Additionally, a review article

published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology in 2017 revealed that gut microbial populations may have

the potential to regulate appetite control in their hosts by affecting how much of each appetitive

hormone (leptin, ghrelin, etc.) are produced. Essentially, the microbes can influence how hungry or full

you feel! In fact, research has shown that simply restoring gut bacteria by taking probiotics with multiple

strains can aid in weight loss. We carry ultraflora control which has a bifido species called B420 shown to

specifically help with weight loss.

References:

Zauner et al., 2000: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292

Zhang et al., 2016: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388198115001997

Cani et al., 2007: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17823788

Fetissov et al., 2017: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27616451/

Zhang et al., 2015: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27149163