If you’re losing the battle of the bulge as you get older, take heart. Weight control is hard. You really have to work at it, but research has identified techniques that increase your odds of success, says Penny Gordon-Larsen, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and immediate past president of the Obesity Society.
Here are a few winning strategies:
1. Take a hike.
The evidence is strong on the importance of regular physical activity for weight control. In one study, Gordon-Larsen and colleagues followed 5,000 young adults, 18 to 30, for 15 years. Overall, participants gained an average of two pounds a year over that period, but those who walked four hours a week or more only gained about a pound a year, she says. People who walked even more, gained less and were more likely to maintain their weight.
There’s lots of scientific evidence that “the more people exercise, the more likely they are to maintain their weight,” Gordon-Larsen says. “Walking is a really good way to do that. You should try to reach 10,000 steps a day for weight maintenance.” That’s about five miles a day. A mile is about 2,000 to 2,500 steps, depending on stride length. It may sound like a lot but it can be done in short bouts throughout the day. Most experts recommend brisk walking, not strolling — it’s walking like you are late for the bus.
To boost your weight-control efforts even more, try to take 10,000 steps daily along with doing some more structured, purposeful exercise such as playing basketball, swimming, weight training, jogging or using the elliptical, says Gordon-Larsen, who works out for 50 minutes a day and walks 10,000 steps.
2. Clean up the kitchen.
It’s important to get rid of the tempting foods in your house and at your office, says Angela Ginn-Meadow, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. As the senior education coordinator at University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, she works with patients on weight loss and other health issues. She tells dieters that they have to be the gatekeeper of what comes into their homes. Love chips? Don’t bring them in the house. If sweets are your weakness, don’t keep them around.
She encourages patients to make sure they eat enough protein (chicken, lean meat, beans, eggs, nuts, nut butters) to preserve their lean muscle mass and increase their satiety.
[See: 8 Healthy Ways to Gain Weight.]
3. Make simple changes.
Many people could cut out hundreds of calories a day by eliminating or cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages and drinking water, tea or other sugar-free beverages instead, Gordon-Larsen says.
Researchers at Cornell University found some common-sense solutions for healthier eating at home. Their studies show that people are more likely to eat healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, if those foods are in plain view on a shelf in the refrigerator or in a bowl on the counter.
They found people consume more when they’re eating from bigger packages than smaller ones. So it may help to buy single-serving portions or repackage bigger boxes of foods into smaller portions.
4. Monitor your food intake.
Being aware of what you’re consuming is key to success in weight-loss and maintenance, says Ginn-Meadow. Some of her clients track their intake with photos or apps. Others do it the old-fashioned way: writing down what they’ve eaten. That lets them see what works well and what needs to be changed. This is especially important when you’re trying to lose weight or improve your eating habits, she says.
[See: 10 Healthy Habits of the ‘Naturally Thin’.]
5. Weigh in.
Research shows that people who have lost weight are more likely to keep it off if they weigh themselves regularly. Ginn-Meadow tells patients to weigh themselves weekly. She suggests that they allow themselves a “five pound cushion from their goal weight.” If they are close to the upper limit, then it’s time to get back on track.
6. Get serious about strength training.
Resistance training helps your body maintain lean muscle mass which is metabolically active. “If you let your muscles atrophy, your metabolism slows down,” says John M. Jakicic, director of the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. You don’t have to be a professional body builder to help preserve your muscle mass. You can lift weights several times a week at home, at the gym or local fitness center. Or you can use resistance bands or do exercises such as sit-ups, lunges, squats, push-ups and pull-ups, he says. Depending on how much and what you do, you can preserve and possibly gain strength and function, which means you’ll be able to be more physically active in other ways, Jakicic says.
7. Don’t just stand there.
Increasingly, health experts are warning about the danger of sitting disease, a term coined to describe the hours many people spend glued to their sofas or chairs, watching TV, working at their desks or sitting in their cars. Jakicic, who is studying this issue, says the calories burned when people sit or stand are similar. So it’s important to move when you get up from your chair or desk. That may be as simple as pacing when on the phone or marching in place while watching TV.
[See: The 10 Best Exercises You Can Do for the Rest of Your Life.]
8. Sleep it off.
Scientific evidence shows that people who don’t get enough sleep have increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of a satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. Although sleep needs vary between people, most adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night for good health. Sometimes people need to establish better sleep habits as part of their weight-control plan, Ginn-Meadow says.
9. Work with the pros.
If you’re gaining weight despite your best efforts, then get help from an obesity medicine specialist, health coach, registered dietitian, personal trainer or behavioral weight-loss program. Some people may want to consider taking one of the anti-obesity medications to boost their loss, Gordon-Larsen says.
Weight control “is not one-size fits all,” she says. “You have to find the right mix of exercise and healthful eating habits that work for you, and that may take some trial and error.”
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