Learning to control your weight after you turn 40 is no more difficult than counting calories. After 40 years, it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight or even to stabilize it.  This is due in large part to the fact that your metabolism has slowed significantly from what it was in your 20’s and even your 30’s.  How to control your weight after forty presents a real problem for many people – especially women.

Here are several ways to help yourself to stay in shape that start simply with eating right:

1. Avoid drinks loaded with sugar, especially sugar-sweetened soft drinks. There are 10 teaspoons of sugar in only 1 bottle of Coca Cola. Other soft drinks are even worse. Face the reality? You’ll really putting 10 teaspoons of sugar in your mouth? Many of you will say, “Certainly not, I can’t stop drinking soda!”.  Then you should say the same thing to a can of sugary soda. Get rid of them.  Once you stop drinking them for a few days, you’ll wonder why you thought you needed them so much anyway.  As for soft drinks such as “light” or “diet”, they are not healthier at all. Know they contain aspartame, a sweetener that is far from innocent. The stevia (a sweetener without calories that represents the future for many beverage manufacturers) could possibly improve the situation slightly, but soft drinks containing stevia are not yet present in the mass market.
2. Eat more protein at all meals.  This will make you feel fuller longer. This also means that you will have less desire to snack. People who eat more protein find it easier to lose weight and keep it stabilized. Good foods that are rich in protein such as tuna, chicken, turkey, and cheese are great ways to add protein to your diet.  Foods that contain protein but are still unhealthy, such as a hamburger with all the trimmings should be avoided. Do you see the pattern? The magic is in lean protein.  When buying meats, check the labels.  You’ll find the same meats that you love also come in “lean” packages and really taste no different.
3. You can eat soup at every meal. In fact, some nutrition experts strongly advise to serve soup before commencing the main meal. Soups without fat and salt are best. Do not eat creamy soups (velvety) like velvety chicken, velvety mushrooms, etc. Your stomach will feel more full and more satisfied with broth and you’ll eat less during the main meal.
4. Drinks based on vegetables will help you control calories, satisfying your appetite. Some studies have found that people who drink at least one large glass (25ml) of vegetable juice per day is 4 times more likely to lose weight.
5. If you had not noticed, the sizes of food portions served in restaurants are out of control. When eating out, share food with your partner, and then ask the waiter to pack some to go. At home, serve yourself from the skillet (placed on the stove) and avoid placing any food on the table where you’ll want more. If you cook at home, try to prepare your food by reducing the quantities of ingredients by half.
6. Drink a large glass of water with a hint of lemon thirty minutes before each meal to chase away hunger. It is both simple and effective.

These are just 6 simple steps that you can try in order to control your calories in your quest to stay fit.  These tips alone should help you on your mission, and this does not even take into consideration any Exercise that you should be doing.  Put all of the pieces of the puzzle together, and you’ll be well on your way to losing weight and staying “fit for life”!

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