Article 38: Controlling Weight Through Moderation – Dietary Principles for Weight Loss in Middle-Aged Men

Control your weight by eating in moderation

It's common for people over 30 to gain weight in daily life. This is because as people reach middle age, their metabolism slows down, their body's need for nutrients decreases, and they become less active. Over time, excess calories are converted into fat and stored, naturally leading to weight gain.

To date, the most widely accepted and effective methods for weight loss remain diet control and increased physical activity. When it comes to diet control, we should adhere to the following dietary principles.

★ Maintain a balanced diet.

When controlling total energy intake, it is important to rationally arrange the proportions of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein should account for 15% to 20% of total energy, and a completely vegetarian diet is not conducive to health. Limit fat intake, making it 20% to 25% of total energy. Carbohydrates should mainly come from grains, with an appropriate daily intake of 150% to 250 grams, accounting for 40% to 55% of total energy.

Ensuring an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals is crucial, as a deficiency in these micronutrients can lead to obesity. A sufficient amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, is also essential in the diet.

Limit spicy and stimulating foods and seasonings, such as chili peppers, mustard, coffee, and curry, as these can stimulate increased gastric acid secretion, making people feel hungrier and increasing their appetite.

★ Control fat intake

Limit fat intake by controlling the amount of cooking oil used, approximately 10-20 grams per day, and also by controlling the intake of foods rich in oil. Fat intake should be kept within the recommended dietary intake range for middle-aged men.

Because excess sugar is converted into fat in the body, it is necessary to control the intake of sucrose, maltose, fructose, candied fruit, and desserts, and try to avoid eating these kinds of foods.

In addition, cooking methods should use steaming, boiling, stewing, mixing, poaching, and braising as much as possible, while avoiding frying, deep-frying, and stir-frying.

★ Develop good eating habits

Eat three meals a day at regular times and in appropriate portions. Breakfast is a must, and dinner should be light.

Many people skip breakfast to lose weight, but eating a good breakfast is actually beneficial for weight loss. A survey found that people who habitually eat breakfast every day are successful weight losers. Among them, 78% of people insist on eating breakfast every day, and 90% eat it at least 5 times a week. These people have lost at least 14 kilograms of weight in a year.

It is especially important to avoid high-fat foods at dinner. Medical research has found that if you eat high-fat foods during dinner or a late-night snack and then go to sleep immediately, the fat content in your blood will rise sharply, while this phenomenon does not occur at breakfast and lunch.

★ Cultivate good habits at the dinner table

First, change the habit of drinking soup after meals. The correct order of eating should be to drink soup first, then eat vegetables, and leave meat and rice for last.

Secondly, avoid being a "food waste bin." When cooking, it's best to increase the variety of dishes and reduce the quantity. Many people have experienced times of food and clothing scarcity, and they are always reluctant to throw away leftovers. Over time, even a small stomach can turn into a big appetite.

Third, avoid wolfing down your food; instead, eat slowly and in small bites. It takes about 10 minutes for the satiety signal to reach the brain, during which time a person can consume a significant amount of food. To coordinate the brain and stomach, chew your food thoroughly and slowly.

★ Quit lifestyle habits that lead to weight gain

First, change your way of resting. Many middle-aged people relax by lounging on the sofa after dinner watching TV and chatting, and unknowingly eating various snacks from the coffee table.

Secondly, don't take your anger out on food. When people are in a bad mood, they often overeat as a way to vent, but don't make it a habit. Eating may not change your mood; instead, it can create a vicious cycle and cause your figure to gradually become out of shape.

Third, don't neglect exercise. Although it's easy to gain weight around the belly, this area is also the hardest to lose. This fat, located in the abdominal cavity, is visceral fat. Its accumulation increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and various other metabolic diseases; therefore, it is known as "dangerous fat."

Five ways to control weight

1. Eat more foods rich in fiber

Adding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your meals provides a wealth of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and anti-aging nutrients. Therefore, increasing fiber intake also means reducing fat consumption. While there are many high-fiber food options available, the easiest way to get 5 grams of fiber is with some oatmeal.

2. Eat a moderate amount of white meat

Red meat, such as steak, may increase the risk of cancer, including prostate cancer. However, white meat (fish, chicken, etc.) has anti-cancer properties; eating fish 2-4 times a week can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 50%.

3. Drink as little alcohol as possible.

Alcohol is a high-calorie beverage; one gram of alcohol produces 7 kilocalories, second only to fat. While beer has an alcohol content of only about 3%, it also contains 11% sugar, and the calories in one bottle of beer are equivalent to those in 100 grams of grain. Drinking more alcohol is equivalent to eating more food, and the excess energy will be stored as fat.

4. Ensure proper control over the "entry point" of oils.

After the meat is cooked, remove the fat from the surface and skim off the oil floating on the broth. When stir-frying vegetables, use an appropriate amount of cooking oil; the idea that "the more oil you use, the more fragrant the dish will be" is incorrect.

5. Try cooking.

Cooking can decrease the appetite of the person doing the cooking, while the person not cooking often has a good appetite. If men want to control their food intake, they might try cooking a couple of meals themselves. After all, weight loss leads to a decrease in blood pressure and blood lipids.