Midlife weight gain often comes as a shock to most people because they can’t understand why they have suddenly started to put on weight, even when they haven’t changed their diet or exercise routine. Most people think that this weight gain is their “fault”, and they feel frustrated when their efforts to lose weight don’t seem to produce any noticeable results. Midlife weight gain is not your fault because it is not driven by your actions. Midlife is a time of great change when your metabolism slows down, your hormone levels change, and your muscle mass starts to drop. The combination of these three factors drastically increases the risk of weight gain. Even if you were able to lose weight easily when you were younger, you will find that weight loss during midlife is often an uphill battle. The good news is that midlife weight loss is not impossible, but you will need to change your approach.
Meal Timing Strategies that Support Midlife Weight Loss
A lot of teens and young adults find that they are able to shed a few excess pounds with very little effort, mainly because they have a faster metabolism. When you get older, your metabolism slows down, which means that your body does not expend as many calories as before. This is especially important if you are menopausal as you are more likely to gain belly fat, which can increase your risk of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and even certain cancers. Everyone knows that diet plays a crucial role in weight loss but at this stage in life, your meal timings are also a factor. Timing your meals and snacks right is just one of the many ways to beat menopausal belly fat and support midlife weight loss. Here are a few ways to time your meals and snacks:
Have Most of your Calories Earlier in the Day
Many of us are used to having a light breakfast and lunch with a heavier dinner. One of the main reasons we do this is because our light daytime meals ensure that we do not feel sluggish while working. However, there are several problems with this eating pattern, as studies show that people who eat late at night tend to put on extra weight. Even if you are eating a healthy but large meal, it can still contribute to weight gain as it will reduce the quality of your sleep, which in turn causes more food cravings the following day. The best way to change your eating patterns is to slowly change the portion sizes of your meals and snacks so that your last meal and snack are small and will not interfere with your sleep. Ideally, your last meal should be early evening as this will line up better with your circadian rhythms, which favor glucose handling during the day compared to the night.
Try Time-restricted Eating
Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a simple and low-friction strategy that focuses on the timings of meals. When following TRE, you will eat all your snacks and meals within a consistent daily window and fast for the remaining hours of the day. You can start with a 12-hour window and then move to a 10 or even 8-hour window, depending on what works best for you. TRE will help to prevent unnecessary snacking and can even help to reduce fat while preserving muscle mass. Using TRE along with a healthy diet and daily exercise routine will help to boost your weight loss efforts. If you are on medications for diabetes or if you have any other health condition, you should clear this with your doctor before you start.
Adopt Regular Meal Timings
Circadian rhythms are the body’s natural 24-hour internal clock that regulates many of our biological processes. While the circadian rhythm is generally mentioned only with regard to sleep, it also plays a significant role in our eating habits and weight loss, especially as we age. This is because the circadian rhythms also affect the production of hormones like ghrelin, which triggers hunger and leptin, which signals fullness. Research shows that meal timings are a decisive factor in fat accumulation and mobilization, so following regular meal timings will go a long way in helping you lose weight.
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