Overweight/obesity in older adults is a cause of a variety of chronic diseases, or obesity itself is a manifestation of illness in older adults. There is a saying: "As soon as the body is blessed, the disease will come to the door." There is a lot of truth to that.
Studies have found that overweight/obesity in the elderly will lead to endocrine and metabolic disorders, in addition to the incidence of coronary heart disease and hypertension is higher than that of normal weight, it will also increase the incidence of dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, gout, etc.; Asthma, vision loss, acne, sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease, dementia, etc.
Lifestyle and dietary changes are important factors that contribute to weight gain in older adults. In addition, reduced activity is also one of the factors that contribute to weight gain in older adults.
The scientific approach to obesity prevention is to maintain a balance between dietary calories and those burned by activity. The main purpose of weight loss in obese elderly people is to prevent and control various diseases associated with weight gain. Weight loss must start with a diet adjustment.
Dietary nutrition guidance
The principle of losing weight through diet for obese people is to reduce the calorie intake from food while not lacking nutrients such as protein, various vitamins and minerals. Here are the key points for the elderly in the process of losing weight:
Reduce the intake of polished rice and refined noodles, and replace a certain amount of grains with potatoes
Cereals are the highest calorie food eaten by Chinese, so the elderly who lose weight should reduce their intake of cereals. In addition, coarse grains such as corn, whole wheat flour, brown rice, sorghum flour, buckwheat, oats, millet, adzuki beans, mung beans and other coarse grains should account for at least 50% of the cereals.
One way to do this is to replace some grains with potato foods such as taro, potatoes, yams, and sweet potatoes with a strong sense of satiety. Four servings of potatoes or sweet potatoes are roughly equivalent to one serving of cereal by weight.
Eat more vegetables
Vegetables are very filling and provide a variety of minerals and vitamins that the body needs. Elderly people who are losing weight should eat more vegetables, up to more than 500 grams a day. Celery (do not discard leaves), radish, spinach, carrots, mushrooms, kelp, cucumbers, winter melons, bamboo shoots, etc., are all good for weight loss.
Control your meat intake
There is not much meat to eat. The intake of animal food for obese elderly people should not exceed 125 grams a day. Many elderly people like to eat pork, pork is a high-fat, high-calorie meat, people who lose weight should try to eat as little as possible, especially to avoid eating braised pork, steamed pork, pork knuckle in sauce, etc. During weight loss, the elderly can replace pork with skinless chicken, fish and shrimp.
Eat less cooking oil
Obese elderly people should not eat more than 15 grams of oil per day during weight loss. Therefore, the method of cooking food should be more steaming, boiling and stewing, and less frying, frying and frying should be used. The oil and calorie content of fried dough sticks, french fries, fried meat skewers, fried Lantern Festival, fried cakes, fried eggplant boxes, fried lotus root boxes, fried spring rolls, etc. can exceed one or even several times the food itself, and the obese elderly should be cautious about eating or not eating. In addition, staple foods with high oil content, such as flower rolls, fried rice, shortbreads, and mille-feuille, should also be eaten as little or no as possible by obese elderly people.
Reduce salt intake
The elderly should not consume more than 5 grams of salt a day, and avoid salted duck eggs, sauced beef, pickles and other foods with high salt content.
Eat fruit in moderation
Fruits are rich in vitamins and also have a strong sense of satiety, and the elderly who are losing weight can eat 150~250 grams of fruits a day. Because the sugar in fruits can also provide calories, the obese elderly should give priority to fresh fruits with a sugar content of less than 9%, such as strawberries, pears, peaches, etc., followed by fruits with a sugar content of 10%~14%, and carefully choose and eat less fruits with a sugar content of more than 15%.
Avoid alcohol
Alcohol is a pure calorie food, and beer, liquor, and wine will increase calorie intake, so the elderly should avoid alcohol when losing weight.
Eat seven or eight minutes full
Eat regularly every day, have a balanced meal, do not overeat, do not eat and drink, and develop the habit of eating seven or eight minutes full at every meal.
Limit your sugar intake
Obese older people should eat less or no sweets.
Change your eating habits
Adjusting your eating habits can help you lose weight. For example, older people who skip breakfast should eat breakfast, and older people who have the habit of drinking soup or fruit after a meal should drink soup or eat fruit before meals.
Tips
Obese older people lose weight at a rate that should not be pursued at a fast pace. The normal rate of weight loss in young and middle-aged obese people is 0.5kg of weight loss in a week. The elderly can not follow this standard, and the standard for obese elderly people to lose weight should be about 0.5kg in 1~2 months. Therefore, the weight loss plan for the elderly should be based on the "quarter" as a unit, and a step-by-step approach should be adopted, and it is enough to lose 6~12 pounds a year.
Losing weight in older adults is not about losing as little weight as possible. It has been suggested that obese older adults should lower their weight to the upper limit of their standard weight or slightly higher, i.e., a BMI value of around 25.0.
Weight loss in obese older adults is best done under the guidance of doctors and dietitians. Professionals will help older people develop a realistic weight loss plan and identify the specific causes of obesity, and give personalized guidance.
If the obese elderly use exercise to lose weight, they must do what they can, and they must carefully choose the exercise program and decide the exercise time according to their physical strength and health status. Generally speaking, the weight loss exercise program that older people with better health can choose to do is to walk briskly or swim in a swimming pool.
Weight loss measures taken by obese older adults should focus on correcting unhealthy lifestyle habits. For example, eating more stir-fried vegetables instead of stewed vegetables, eating fried dough sticks at breakfast instead of eating steamed buns or flatbread, eating sweets instead of sweets, eating less vegetables at dinner instead eating more vegetables at dinner, getting used to sitting down and watching TV immediately after meals instead of taking a walk after meals, and eating fast instead of chewing slowly. If you stick to it for a long time, you will slowly lose weight.
Content Sources:
People's Medical Publishing House published "How to Eat for the Elderly"
Authors:
Liu Zheng, Dalian Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Dalian Geriatric Hospital, Li Xuejuan
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