Weight Management Strategies for Midlife: Addressing the challenges of weight loss after 30 with diet adjustments, lifestyle changes, and the role of supplements.
Staying lean and strong is a challenge for many of us after age 30. Generally speaking, most of us will recover slower, struggle to build muscle, and find it easier to put on fat. But, does this have to be this case?
Yes, and no.
After age 30, hormone levels begin to fluctuate, collagen production declines, and other key metabolic machinery isn’t running as efficiently as it did during the prior three decades. However, this doesn’t mean you’re doomed to live out the rest of your days being soft and pudgy.
In fact, you can (and should) stay lean the older you get, not only for aesthetics but for your overall health and longevity. Weight gain, particularly belly fat, is associated with several adverse conditions, including hyperglycemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.[1]
With that in mind, here are 5 weight management strategies for midlife.
Top 5 Weight Management Strategies for Midlife
#1 Prep More of Your Food Than You Order Out
After 30, many of us have kids (or are giving serious consideration to having them) as well as being more experienced/serious in our career. Both of these placed increased demands on our time, which means we need to cut back on other things since there are only so many hours in the day.
One of the things that goes by the wayside in the name of convenience is meal prep. We start to rely more on ordering takeout and dining at restaurants than cooking and eating at home. While this may be more convenient, it comes with two major drawbacks -- it’s more expensive to order food from restaurants and it contains more calories (and usually less protein, fiber, and micronutrients) than home-cooking.
Don’t get us wrong, we love dining out as much as the next person, but over weeks and months, those high-calorie meals will lead to added pounds, typically in the form of fat.
Your first line of defense for weight management after 30 begins with your diet. Typical western diets are notorious for their high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods while being woefully deficient in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. By cooking your own food, you control what goes into your meals as well as the portion sizes. This allows you to more easily track your macros and stay on point with your fitness and physique goals.
Meal prep doesn’t have to be complicated or take up a lot of time. Just 2-3 hours on a weekend (or weeknight) is enough to cook an entire week’s worth of lunches and dinners. If you’re looking for more meal prep tips and tricks, click here.
#2 Stay Physically Active
Another key contributing factor to weight gain after 30 has to do with declining physical activity levels. The same factors that impacted (family, career, etc.) your diet also have similar effects on your commitment to fitness.
Basically, there are only so many hours in the day, and you have a finite amount of time, energy, and motivation. At some point, something(s) is/are going to go by the wayside (and it’s usually working out and eating clean).
However, staying physically active is key to weight management after 30. For starters, exercise helps burn calories and increase daily energy expenditure. Second, certain types of exercise (e.g. resistance training) helps to build and maintain muscle, which is essential the older we get. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body burns each day, even at rest. Plus, having more lean muscle improves resilience as well as your body’s ability to handle/store glucose, which supports cardiometabolic health.
All of this is to say that even when life happens and you’re really crushed for time, you can’t let your fitness be the first (or second) thing to go. It is vital to your health and longevity.
Similar to what we said regarding meal prep, you don’t have to live in the gym to build muscle, lose fat, or support a healthy metabolism. Three to four 30-minute workouts per week is more than enough to build lean, functional muscle and keep fat gain at bay. We understand that getting up for early AM workouts or grinding out a hard resistance training session after a full day at the office is challenging (we deal with it too!). On those days, having a serving of pre workout, such as 1UP Pre Men or 1UP Pre Women, can do wonders to shake off the cobwebs, boost motivation and enthusiasm, and improve workout performance. For those of you training in the evening or late at night, you may want to consider our Stim-Free Pre Workout option so that you’re sleep isn’t affected.
If you need help figuring out the right training program for your goals and lifestyle, download the 1UP Fitness App where we provide customized training and nutrition tracking for FREE!
#3 Get Enough Sleep
Sleep, as you likely have been told, is critical. When we sleep our bodies do the brunt of the repair and recovery work we need to perform at our best, mentally and physically. During sleep is when the body also gets rid of a lot of the metabolic waste that accumulates during the day, including plaques that build up in the brain and can lead to cognitive decline.[2]
Unfortunately, millions of individuals (both over and under age 30) regularly get less than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Not getting enough quality sleep can sabotage your health and fitness goals in a number of ways, including:
- Reduced protein synthesis (which limits muscle recovery and growth)
- Increases cortisol (stress)
- Reduces feelings of satiety
- Increases feelings of hunger
- Lowers mood and feelings of well-being
- Increases feelings of irritation
- Disrupts hormone production
- Encourages fat gain
- Reduced motivation to exercise
To help you get the necessary amount of sleep each night, consider some of these tips:
- Daily physical activity
- Sunlight exposure within 30-60 minutes of waking
- Limiting/avoiding caffeine intake after 3PM
- Avoiding blue light at least 2 hours before bed (blue light suppresses melatonin)
- Limiting/avoiding alcohol before bed
- Maintain a consistent bedtime
- Establish a bedtime ritual (this helps to calm the CNS and allow you to get to sleep when it’s bedtime)
- Avoid acute stressors before bed (emails, texts, social media, etc.)
For added sleep support, you may want to consider certain supplements that have also been shown to help reduce feelings of stress, promote calmness, and improve sleep quality and duration. We’ve scoured through the research and brought those ingredients together in our best-selling natural sleep aids -- Beauty Dream PM & Recharge PM. These contain natural, non-habit forming ingredients that help you achieve deeper sleep without feeling groggy in the morning.
#4 Prioritize Protein at Mealtime & Snack Time
Protein is pretty amazing. It is simultaneously a muscle-building food and a fat loss food, making it ideal for weight management after 30.
The reasons for this are many, but to keep things simple. Protein supplies your body with the “raw materials” (essential amino acids,EAAs) it needs to repair and build muscle tissue. It also keeps you feeling full between meals and requires your body to burn more calories to digest it than either carbs or fats.
Basically, protein should be the foundation of your meals and snacks each day.
High-quality (complete) protein sources like chicken, fish, shellfish, lean beef, eggs (egg white protein), wild game, or dairy (including whey protein) are your best options.
For individuals wanting to incorporate more plant-based options into their diets, opt for a combination of foods, such as beans and rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and whole grains so that you can get sufficient amounts of all the EAAs. You may also want to consider supplementing with a vegan protein powder, if you’re having trouble getting enough total protein.
#5 Don’t Forget Fiber
Research shows a strong link between higher fiber intakes and slimmer waist lines.[3] In fact, one study noted that for every 10 grams of soluble fiber intake, individuals had a 3.7% lower risk of gaining weight.[4]
The problem is that the vast majority of Americans don’t even get half of their recommended intake of dietary fiber each day![5,6] In case you were wondering, current recommendations for fiber intake for adults, per the latest Dietary Guidelines, is between 25-38 grams per day (or roughly 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories of food eaten).
Foods high in fiber tend to be more filling and contain fewer calories, which is a great 1-2 punch for helping you maintain body weight and prevent fat gain. Fiber-rich foods also help slow the speed of digestion, which promotes a steady release of energy into the bloodstream so you’re less likely to experience blood sugar/insulin spikes and crashes, which can wreak havoc on energy levels and ultimately leave you feeling hungry. Lastly, fiber also supports gut health, which is now known to support weight management and overall health.
Fiber-rich foods include fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. For added support reaching your daily fiber goals, have a serving of 1UP Fiber Plus which supplies EIGHT grams of fiber split between five grams soluble fiber and three grams insoluble fiber from a mixture of three all-natural sources including:
- Psyllium husk
- Inulin
- Golden flaxseed
1UP Fiber Plus also includes vitamin C and heat-stable probiotics to nourish and support gut health.
Takeaway
A number of factors, including aging, reduced physical activity, and poor nutrition choices, make it harder to avoid unwanted fat gain after 30. While we can’t turn back time, we do have the power to effect drastic lifestyle changes, including eating quality foods and staying physically active (ideally with a mix of cardio and resistance training).
Use the strategies above to avoid fat gain and stay lean and strong. If you have any other questions, we’re always here to help!
Join our exclusive Facebook group where you can ask questions and get support from experienced coaches and other goal-oriented individuals.
References
- Kapoor E, Collazo-Clavell ML, Faubion SS. Weight Gain in Women at Midlife: A Concise Review of the Pathophysiology and Strategies for Management. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017 Oct;92(10):1552-1558. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.08.004. PMID: 28982486.
- Shokri-Kojori E, Wang GJ, Weirs CE, Demiral SB, Guo M, Kim SW, Lindgren E, Ramirez V, Zehra A, Freeman C, Miller G, Manza P, Srivastava T, De Santi S, Tomasi D, Benveniste H, Volkow ND. 𝛃-amyloid accumulation in the human brain after one night of sleep deprivation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Apr 24;115(17):4483-4488. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1721694115. Epub 2018 Apr 9. PMID: 29632177; PMCID: PMC5924922.
- Shay CM, Van Horn L, Stamler J, et al. Food and nutrient intakes and their associations with lower BMI in middle-aged US adults: the International Study of Macro-/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP). Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(3):483–491. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.025056
- Hairston KG, Vitolins MZ, Norris JM, Anderson AM, Hanley AJ, Wagenknecht LE. Lifestyle factors and 5-year abdominal fat accumulation in a minority cohort: the IRAS Family Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20(2):421–427. doi:10.1038/oby.2011.171
- King, D. E., Mainous, A. G. 3rd, & Lambourne, C. A. (2012). Trends in dietary fiber intake in the United States, 1999-2008. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(5), 642–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2012.01.019
- "Appendix 7. Nutritional Goals for Age-Sex Groups Based on Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines Recommendations - 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines." Home of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion - Health.gov.
