Britons may find that when they reach middle age, they gain weight more easily than they did in their 20s and 30s.
According to a registered dietician, it’s possible to avoid the “midlife spread” – unwanted abdominal fat – with a few key diet habits. Britons have been told that the main reasons for this are overconsuming empty calorie foods or having huge portion sizes.
Registered dietician and founder of Harley St at Home: Menopause, Nigel Denby, spoke exclusively to GB News about how Britons can ditch stubborn fat.
He advised: “Savvy snacking mid-morning and mid-afternoon will manage hunger and help avoid overconsuming the empty calorie foods or having huge portion sizes which the two main reasons for the midlife spread.”
Avoid overconsuming the empty calorie foods
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Incorporate fruits and veggies into your snacks, for example, apple slices and peanut butter, banana on toast, or red pepper and hummus. For a healthy granola-esque mix, pair almonds with dried apricots.
Alternatively, whip up some avocado on toast – make sure it’s wholegrain – or boil a protein-packed egg.
For Britons looking for more snack ideas, a doctor shared his top weight-loss-friendly nibbles.
According to dietician Nigel, the worst foods for weight loss – or the “empty calorie” ones – are “essentially anything that doesn’t bring any nutritional value to the table”.
He said: “For weight loss, imagine your plate is divided into four quarters. Fill one quarter with carbohydrates, one quarter with protein, and the rest of the plate with fruit, vegetables, or salad.
“Now imagine the entire plate of food fitting into your cupped hands – if you have excess, take some off.”
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‘Savvy snacking mid-morning and mid-afternoon will manage hunger’
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The dietician and menopause expert also provided specific advice for women in menopause who want to lose weight.
Nigel said: “Women in menopause have to understand that through the loss of oestrogen, their body and metabolism have changed. The diets they used in their 30s will no longer work for the body they have in their 40s and 50s.
“In midlife, they will not lose weight through diet alone – they have to include strength exercise in order to build new muscle tissue and reverse the slow down in their metabolism.
“They also need to turn their backs on the nutritional nonsense, fads, and gimmicks and finally embrace a lifelong lifestyle plan to take them into their 60s, 70s, and 80s. No intermittent fasting, keto, or glucose monitoring – this is the time to look at the habits that have built up over a lifetime.”
In other weight loss news, Britons have been told the ideal distance to walk each day for “effective” weight loss and to burn belly fat.
