Proper diet and nutrition for men after 40 years

How to easily and quickly lose weight at home for a man

Before moving on to the main methods and methods of weight loss, you need to understand what causes the appearance of extra pounds.
In general, they are the same for both women and men, but there are also differences. The reasons for gaining excess weight can be divided into three large groups. The first is physiological, associated with disruption of metabolic processes in the body. These include:

1. Genetic predisposition. If both parents have some stage of obesity, then, with a probability of almost 70%, the child will also be overweight.
2. Endocrine diseases, such as Cushing's syndrome or hypothyroidism.
3. Age-related changes. As a person ages, physical activity decreases due to various health problems, and the metabolism is restructured: now the body requires fewer calories to maintain vital functions.

The second group of reasons is lifestyle. This category includes:

1. Eating disorder: snacking on the run, eating for company, on the occasion of a holiday, or simply out of boredom.
2. Social environment: each family has certain rules or foundations, as well as a group of colleagues or friends. Even meals in a certain circle are approximately the same. And, if a person tries to change his diet, switch to a different diet, he is faced with misunderstanding and criticism, which entail new problems.
3. Wrong eating habits: no breakfast, an abundance of fast food, huge portions, eating while watching TV.
4. Insufficient physical activity, sedentary lifestyle.
5. Disrupted daily routine, insufficient sleep.

The last group of reasons are psychological problems:

1. Stress.
2. Alexithymia is a person’s inability to recognize true emotions: fear, anxiety, anger, sadness. The most common consequence of alexithymia is emotional hunger, in which a person “eats” problems.
3. Sexual problems, lack of regular sex life.

It is very difficult to independently determine the reasons for the appearance of extra pounds, since, as usual, a person has several of them, and they are closely interconnected. That is why it is recommended to seek help from specialists (therapist, nutritionist, psychologist), undergo a comprehensive examination and establish the true reasons for weight gain.

Basic principles of proper nutrition for men

When creating proper nutrition for a man, you should be guided by the following principles:

1. A man initially needs more energy than a woman, since he is more active, and his professional activities often require greater physical expenditure. A man's food should be high in calories and due to his greater weight due to the presence of more developed muscle tissue. In addition, men's metabolism is faster than women's, which also affects the diet.

Important! The daily calorie content of food for men whose work does not involve heavy physical activity is up to 3500 kcal.

1. The basis of the energy value of the diet is carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are more beneficial for the body - cereals, grains, fruits and vegetables. Fats provide a lot of energy, but it is better if they are of plant origin (olives, nuts, avocados, sunflower seeds, vegetable oil). You shouldn’t think that little butter is a less healthy product; it’s just important to follow the norm when consuming it.
2. The male body requires more protein from food than the female body. With average physical activity, a man should consume at least 100 grams of protein food per day. Therefore, the menu should include lean chicken, veal, rabbit, as well as dairy products, leafy greens and nuts. Useful products for men's health: milk, yogurt, kefir, cheese, cottage cheese, peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts.
3. The diet includes foods that are good for men's health - these are the same protein products, as well as foods high in zinc, vitamin E, phosphorus and selenium. These substances improve testosterone production, which is important for potency and male reproductive health.

Attention! If there is a lack of zinc in the diet, a man faces impotence. Therefore, healthy foods for men: liver, red meat, squid, fish, eggs, oysters, shrimp, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, nuts and dark chocolate.

1. Don't skip breakfast. A full meal in the morning starts the work of the whole body. Otherwise, it will begin to accumulate fat for protection during critical moments of fasting. Lunch should be moderately filling. As for dinner, it is made as light as possible. We take our last meal a couple of hours before bedtime.
2. Be sure to drink enough fluids. It is useful to drink about 1.5 l/day. If a man wants to lose weight and is on a diet, then drinking clean water will help remove toxins from the body and improve metabolism.

Necessary components of weight loss

Once the true causes of weight gain have been established, an individual treatment plan is drawn up, which consists of several main points:

• Goal setting, determination of motivation. When a person knows why he needs to lose weight, the process goes much faster and easier.
• Determining the daily need for calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, preparing a diet.
• Finding the best type of physical activity that suits your health and level of physical fitness.
• Setting up a daily routine: meals by the hour, healthy sleep, special time for rest throughout the day.
• Support Group. This could be family, friends, acquaintances or special groups at weight loss centers.

Each point has its own characteristics; let’s look at the main points in more detail.

Purpose and motivation

In order not only to lose weight, but also to maintain the results achieved, it is important to set a clear goal and gradually work towards it. It is necessary to formulate tasks clearly in order to understand why a specific step is needed.

It is better to formulate the goal in writing, noting the following points:

• Decide on the time period during which you need to lose weight. It can be calculated using an online calculator. The main thing is to be realistic. The weight that has accumulated over the years will not go away in a few weeks.
• Calculate how many kilograms you need to lose. To do this, body mass index is determined using special online applications.
• Set additional goals: learn a new sport, run a marathon, swim a record distance, etc.

If a person has a clear goal, he follows it. And motivation helps him in this, for example, the desire to have a child, gain a healthy and strong body, and get rid of various diseases.

Motivation helps you move forward and overcome various limitations and difficulties.

Nutrition and diets

Many people know that in order to lose weight, it is important to adjust your diet, make it healthy, nutritious, and rich. General recommendations are as follows:

1. Remove “harmful” foods from your diet: fast food, processed foods, sugar, flour, sweets, fatty, highly salty, mayonnaise, sauces, alcohol.
2. Calculate the daily need for calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, keep daily calculations.
3. The basis of the diet should be lean meats, cereals, fruits, vegetables, berries, herbs, dairy or fermented milk products.
4. Do not forget to drink water at the rate of 30-35 ml per kilogram of weight.

It can be difficult for a man to create a menu on his own, calculate calories and dietary supplements. Ready-made menu options help him. You can order the development of an individual menu from a nutritionist. The specialist will create a competent set of products, focusing on the characteristics of the patient’s physical condition and tastes.

Another option is to turn to diets. The most common are the following:

• Low-carbohydrate diet: flour, confectionery products, sugar are excluded from the diet, and the basis of the menu is meat, cereals, and grains.
• Protein diet. Suitable for people who lead an active lifestyle and exercise regularly. The basis of the diet: meat, eggs, dairy or fermented milk products.
• Classic diet. There are no prohibited foods here, the emphasis is on maintaining the ratio of calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates.

All diets have a wide range of contraindications and are therefore not recommended without prior consultation with a specialist.

Workouts and activity

Along with proper nutrition, experts recommend adding physical activity to your daily routine. This will help reduce weight, maintain skin firmness and elasticity, and make the body healthier and stronger.

Systematic training:

• Improves health and has a beneficial effect on all body systems.
• Helps cope with stress, problems at work or at home.
• They increase self-esteem, strengthen faith in themselves and their own strengths, develop will and desire.
• They discipline and teach them to follow a schedule.
• They strengthen the muscle corset, make the body more elastic and the figure more toned.
• They relieve insomnia, speed up the process of falling asleep, and help you stick to your daily routine.
• Fighting chronic fatigue syndrome.

The main thing is to find something you like, your physical fitness, and your health. This could be regular walks or jogging, Nordic walking, yoga, stretching, Pilates, strength or functional training - the list is huge.

Mode

People have been talking about the benefits of sleep and daily routine since school. It is extremely important for the body to create a correct work and rest schedule.

Why is sleep so important? There are several reasons:

• sleep helps strengthen the immune system;
• lifts the mood;
• improves appearance;
• helps to better assimilate information;
• improves brain activity;
• Helps develop physical activity and endurance.

Lack of sleep impairs brain function, reduces concentration, efficiency, perseverance, and increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. It is optimal to go to bed between 23:00-00:00 and sleep for at least 7-8 hours. This time is enough for the body to fully recover.

Optimal healthy diet options for the week

Using healthy foods that should be taken as the basis for creating a diet, you can easily find the ideal nutrition formula for yourself.

If there is no need to lose weight, then protein and carbohydrates should be consumed in equal proportions. The amount of fatty foods is kept to a minimum: fat is acceptable in soups and salad dressings.

If you want to lose a couple of extra pounds, reduce carbohydrates and add more protein. And if your weight is normal, but you have hard physical work or intense training ahead, you need to increase the amount of carbohydrates.

The table shows a sample of an approximate diet. If you are reducing body weight, there may be more meals - 5-6. You can reduce them to 3-4, but 5 is the optimal number. This regimen will keep your metabolism normal.

How to lose excess weight quickly: ways to lose weight quickly

Every person wants the result to come as quickly as possible. Various methods are used - from strict diets to dubious drugs. Sports nutrition and dietary supplements are especially popular.

All supplements are different, some are safe for the body and are made mainly from natural ingredients. Others, on the contrary, can cause irreversible changes in the body. In any case, before starting treatment, you should consult with a specialist, since the list of contraindications can be impressive.

Let's take a closer look at ways to accelerate weight loss.

Fat burners

Fat burners are special food additives of plant or animal origin. They can be found on pharmacy counters or in professional sports nutrition stores.

There are several categories of fat burners:

1. Sports nutrition. Such supplements, as a rule, are of natural origin and consist of vitamins of various groups, herbal components, and caffeine. The purpose of such supplements is to increase the body’s endurance, build muscle mass, and reduce the percentage of fat. They only work in conjunction with training. This category includes: l-carnitine, creatine, protein, BCAA.
2. Pharmaceutical drugs that suppress appetite. Many of them are created on the basis of strong psychotropic substances that affect the cerebral cortex. In most European countries, such additives are prohibited.
3. Vitamin complexes designed to help the body on a diet, replenish the supply of missing micro- and macroelements, and speed up metabolic processes.

Each category of weight loss drugs has its own indications and contraindications for use, so before use you should consult a specialist. Elderly people over 60 years of age should be especially careful.

Express diets

Another way is express diets. These are special nutrition systems designed for 3-5 days, during which only certain foods are allowed. The most common are the following:

1. Kefir. During the diet, you are allowed to drink only low-fat kefir. But there are varieties in which it is combined with cottage cheese, apples, and boiled chicken breast.
2. Fruit or vegetable. Here the basis of the diet is plant foods. You can make salads, soups, stews.
3. Protein. During such fasting days, you are allowed to eat eggs, boiled chicken breast, and cottage cheese.

Express diets promise to get rid of 3-5 kg ​​of excess weight. But you should understand that the weight will return immediately after leaving the diet. Doctors are categorically against express diets, as they are dangerous to health and are not effective.

Monthly weight loss plan

The main thing when losing weight is gradualism. You shouldn’t immediately switch to express diets or grueling workouts; it’s better to consistently implement new correct habits. The monthly plan could be as follows:

The main thing is to focus on your own characteristics and well-being. If training is difficult, it is better to continue walking or practice leisurely walking. If you are unable to implement a new diet, it is better to seek help from a nutritionist.

When and what results to expect

Experts are convinced: the slower the weight loss process, the more sustainable the result will be. Proper nutrition combined with regular exercise is the only way to a healthy, slender body. It is also recommended to seek help from a specialist to receive qualified psychological assistance. Very often, the reasons for weight gain lie in the head: stress eating, self-doubt, complexes, various psycho-emotional traumas.

With a comprehensive, competent approach, the first results can be seen within 3-4 weeks. Of course, the weight will decrease smoothly, but at the same time it will be safe for the body. At the same time, the person will feel comfortable, and side effects of diets such as dizziness, weakness, and apathy will bypass him.

How long will it take a man over 40 to lose weight?

I don’t want to scare you, but you won’t be able to lose weight dramatically in a week. You didn't become fat overnight, right? Then it is foolish to believe that achieving the opposite effect will be faster.

To become the skinny girl on the cover of a magazine, you have to go the hard way. And this path may take more than one year.

But there is also good news. You will see the first results in the next couple of months. But for this you will need to take photographs and measurements so that you can compare them .

In general, be patient and go to the end, gritting your teeth. It's worth it. These enthusiastic glances of women over 40 will excite the blood and make the heart beat faster. This is why you started all this, right?

Expert recommendations

So, let's summarize. The key to successful weight loss is gradualism and a competent, rational, comprehensive approach. General recommendations from experts are as follows:

• eat frequently, every 2-3 hours in small portions;
• drink a glass of water every hour;
• keep a food diary, write down every food you eat: when counting calories, even one piece of candy can play a role;
• walk up to 10 thousand steps daily;
• exercise regularly;
• maintain a sleep schedule.

But the main thing is to set smart goals, determine your motivation, and find support from loved ones. This is the only way to lose weight forever.