10 Powerful Tips to Lose Weight After 50

These 10 powerful tips to lose weight after 50 will help you eat confidently, feel great, and enjoy food again without diet or deprivation.

In this post, you’ll learn how to:

• Rebuild your relationship with food
• Reset your hormones naturally
• Eat without guilt or obsession
• Create calm and consistency around meals

Losing weight after 50 can feel impossible but it’s not. You don’t need another diet, detox, or 30-day challenge. You need a way of eating that supports your hormones, your emotions, and your energy and one that fits your life, not one that takes it over.

These 10 powerful tips to lose weight after 50 are not about restriction or rules. They’re about creating balance, eating real food, and trusting your body again.

I’m over 50, and I live without food drama. I don’t count calories or obsess over the scale. I eat when I’m hungry, I stop when I’m satisfied, and I enjoy my food. That freedom didn’t come from dieting, it came from understanding how my body works now.

If you’re tired of doing everything “right” and still not seeing results, this post is for you. I’ll show you what actually changes after 50, how to work with your body instead of against it, and how to create lasting peace with food

You don’t have to diet again. In fact, you will know that you never have to diet again. These powerful tips will teach you how to manage your physical cravings, emotions, and mindset so you can navigate each stage of your life successfully.

These 10 tips are the foundation of how I eat and how my successful weight loss clients learn to eat to begin their journey of healthy weight loss. 

With a foundation in counseling and years of experience as a life coach, my focus is on helping women understand their bodies and feel alive again. What I share here is inspired by both personal experience and research from trusted sources such as The Obesity Code, The Diabetes Code The Big Fat Surprise, and Fast, Feast, Repeat.

The Problem with Dieting

One of the problems with most diets is that you go from zero to 100 in one day and are expected to keep up the pace until you reach your goal.

You have to eat foods you don’t usually eat. Limit foods you like. Deprive yourself. The scale is the judge of whether you are good or bad. 

Even worse, if you hit a plateau or don’t lose a certain amount of weight every week, you are told YOU are doing something wrong. The solution is usually to eat less or deprive yourself more!

It’s no wonder when faced with a complete diet overhaul and restrictive eating, your body, mind, and very soul rebels!

We are not meant to live and eat this way. I offer something better that addresses the core issues, that is safe, will fit your life, and leave you feeling nourished and confident instead of miserable and deprived.

My way is based on loving your self instead of trying to hate yourself into losing weight.

Everyone says it’s harder to lose weight when you are older and you may have given up hope that you can ever lose the weight you’ve put on in the past few years.

What I can tell you is that it is possible to lose weight after 50 but it’s not going to be like it was when you were younger and could exercise more or diet and the weight would come off.

What I’ve learned from working with real women is that while possible, it also requires a change in how you eat, what you eat, and the TIMING of your eating. Most of all it requires a change in how you think about what you eat.

My clients are able to eat food they like, eat enough at meals they don’t get hangry, and best of all, able to eliminate problem eating and binging!

I don’t binge or over-snack. The following is how I got here and how I guide my clients. The thing my clients love the most about not dieting is the confidence and peace they develop through the process.

No matter what anyone says there is no magic or easy way of dieting. Women seem addicted to losing weight at any cost, even their long-term health. I see this as a real problem.

I will say this over and over. Thin does not equal healthy. Our health is comprised of so many things and losing weight is not a magic bullet that gives you health.

In fact, many diets and medications can screw up your digestive system and metabolism. And worse, 95% of people that lose weight via a diet gain it back. Diets aren’t sustainable.

That being said, eating a sound diet that focuses on nutrition is never a bad thing. While food may feel like the enemy at times, food is an essential, important, and enjoyable part of life.

Feeling great in your body is also an essential, important, and enjoyable part of life.

My aim is to help you not just lose weight but to find peace with your body and food. I write for women over 50 and I want you to have your best chance at feeling great for many more years!

The Truth About Weight Loss After 50

I teach women that they can lose weight, without a diet, eating food they like. This is a process that is built on what really works and is designed to give women long-term success.

This is not a quick fix and it may take weeks or months for your body to respond. Through coaching, I help women develop the skills needed to change how they eat, to appreciate their unique bodies, and to find peace with food–often for the first times in their lives.

Also by your 50s, many women have health problems that can make losing weight even slower. You may have lost muscle mass.

Your hormones and blood sugar levels may be out of whack. Many women are also dealing with thyroid and/or autoimmune issues.

Strict diets can make many of these conditions worse.

We’re all well-versed in diet talk. Diet talk is all the things that are accepted as true but can be detrimental.

Here are some examples of diet talk:

It can be about WHO you are: unmotivated, lazy, lack of willpower. Diet talk also provides a lot of misinformation.

• Information that is simplified such as eat less, exercise more
• General pronouncements on food groups such as carbs or fat are bad
• Quick starts, not going off the plan for a period of time, restrictive or strict eating, one-size fits all plans
• Simply untrue things such as having fat on your body is unhealthy or that thin equals being healthy, or that losing weight makes you healthier

Here’s something to think about. Even at the highest level of science and medicine, there are still a lot of competing opinions. In fact, if you read a lot of diet books, you will see completely different opinions on what works.

Most diets will work at first, if you follow them. However, it can feel impossible to get started, follow, and do for the rest of your life.

To have long-term success, you have to eat now, the way you want to eat forever. Except for about 5% of people who lose weight, everyone eventually goes back to their own way of eating.

Also, keep in mind that the diet industry is huge money. You, buying into diet mentality keeps other people making money but it doesn’t help you love your body or eat in a healthy way.

What is Healthy Eating?

Everyone has their own version of healthy eating. For a long time I ate only whole grains. Then I avoided whole grains.

In my early fifties, I thought my green smoothies were the key. I avoided added sugars, added fiber and vitamins.

Every time I thought I had found healthy eating, I ended up changing my definition of healthy eating at a later time.

These days, I like to keep things simple. To me, healthy eating is concentrating most of the time on eating real food: protein, carbohydrates in their natural form, and nutritional fats.

Healthy eating also includes eating not-so-healthy foods at times. You can incorporate special or favorite treats into your diet. I always encourage my clients to plan for these.

Healthy eating is eating that makes your body and mind feel great. Your body will let you know what is healthy for you.

The most perfect eating plan is useless if you can’t stick to it. In my experience most people struggle to stick to eating plans. The result is that they feel more shame and guilt around their eating because of this.

I offer shame and guilt free eating. When women learn to eat in a healthy way for them, they feel empowered and confident.

This is healthy!

Where These Tips to Lose Weight Come From

After 10 years of writing about weight loss for women over 50 and six years of life coaching women, I am putting my favorite 10 tips to lose weight after 50 in the order I use with my clients.

I believe more than ever that what I eat is important and so you’ll see that I stress setting up your healthy eating habits before you try to lose weight.

It is widely known and validated that diets don’t work for the long-term. You could be handed a diet plan that is perfect nutritionally for you and it would still be difficult to stick to. There is no magic diet that will be easy to do.

Let’s face it. Another diet to fail at is not what you need right now. A diet will always let you down eventually. Having solid eating habits is yours to keep forever!

Sara Garska

To really make changes, you have to address all the things: your physical requirements, your emotional needs, and the power of your mind.

Four years ago, I wrote my most popular post, 7 Powerful Tips to Lose Weight After 50. I update it often to keep it current. However, I decided that it had so much information in it that a new post made more sense.

These are the tips that have grown from my real work with real women.

• These are the tips that I use every day
• These are the tips that are research-based
• These are the tips that are sustainable. Since you aren’t on a diet; there is nothing to quit

What if you could just live? Eat food. Live your amazing passionate life?

That’s what I want for you. And if you want to lose weight, I want to help with that too!

I’m a realist too. I know that you also want to take care of your body. For so long, we’ve been fed the LIE that being thin = being healthy.

My friends, those are two different things. Being thin is a label. Being healthy is a state of being.

You don’t have to wait until you are thin to be healthy. The changes you make to your nutrition and emotions are healthy. You will feel better!

My mission is to reduce the pain that comes from hating your body and being obsessed with food, while teaching you ways to eat that are aligned with your overall goals.

How to Get the Most from 10 Tips to Lose Weight After 50

I’ve put these tips in a specific order, so that you can understand the whole process. I know you have weight loss goals and I want to decrease the chances that you give up before you get the results you want.

The first three tips create the foundation for everything else. Diets always say do this and don’t do that without taking into account what you are doing.

You probably don’t need to change everything.

From experience working with women, most women have the general right idea and just need a boost. While you may need to eat fewer calories, it’s also possible you need to adjust your food intake in other ways.

There are usually just a few places that need tweaked and two of them will probably surprise you. (Eat more and eat more fat).

Some are things you might have thought are fads yet are actually backed up by current research. (Limit sugar and processed foods and time-restricted eating).

I also point out the tips that will help you see results faster. In addition, I give you tips to make those changes almost painless.

Ready to go?

Sara’s Tips to Lose Weight After 50

Getting started

• How to set a clear intention to lose weight after 50
• Track what you eat to understand your habits
• How to stabilize your eating habits after 50

Tips to Help Your Body Lose Fat

• Cut back on sugar and processed foods for better results
• Why eating full meals (not snacks) supports weight loss
• Best meal timing for women over 50
• How to eat carbs wisely after 50

Lifestyle changes that make it all easier

• Eat more at meals
• Eat more healthy fat and oils
• How to plan for special occasions
• How to use hunger as a guideline
• The best exercises for weight loss after 50

I know you are eager to get started! But hear me out. You have tried so many things over the past few decades. You may be going through menopause and not know what to do.

This time, I want you to feel great about what you are about to do. I really want you to be intentional about the process and be able to make it work for you.

This isn’t about eating more spinach, broccoli, and lean protein. My goal is to help you with shifting your mindset and creating new habits.

How to Set a Clear Intention to Lose Weight After 50

Don’t laugh. I know you want to lose weight. Usually though, it is just that—a want. You want it but you haven’t really set the intention. Setting the intention means that this is what you are going to do.

Another thing is that a lot of you are HOPING to lose weight! There’s a huge difference between hoping and having an intention.

There is no time limit. It doesn’t have to be a certain number of pounds per month. When you have time limits or speed of weight loss, it is so easy to give up.

Here’s the truth. It’s probably going to take longer than you hope. That’s not a bad thing though. When you take your time to do it right, you don’t have a diet to go off of. You are consistently building better habits.

And you’ll be getting so many benefits as you go. You’ll have more energy, feel better, and gain confidence.

By setting the intention, you are telling your brain, that you not only want to lose weight, you intend to lose weight.

What I mean by intention is that you’ll remember your intention even on days that seem less than perfect, when you don’t see the results you want, or you just want to give up for any reason.

No single event is going to derail you. You won’t get off-track because there is no actual track.

Here is how you go from hoping to having an intention. Intention means you are going to stick with this until you figure out what works for you no matter how long it takes.

It doesn’t mean you intend to be miserable living on low-calorie or low-fat food. You don’t have to eat foods you don’t like.

A good intention to have is, “I’m going to figure out what works for me.”

Track What You Eat to Understand Your Habits

Write down what you eat or drink. This is hands-down the one habit that can change everything for you.

You don’t have to count calories, macros, or points; you are simply writing down the foods you eat and when. This allows you to see patterns.

This is not for punishment! It is simply to collect some data. No need to change anything for the first week or two. Just write down what you are already doing.

No one ever realizes their eating patterns until they start writing them down. You easily forget the little bites and licks here and there. Whole meals or snacks get erased from memory.

For example, you may feel like you are eating healthy because you are having oatmeal and berries in the morning. Yogurt and more fruit for a snack. Lunch might be a salad with chicken if you have time to eat. Dinner might be brown rice, some lean protein, followed by a small piece of chocolate.

At least that’s the way you remember it. But when you start writing it down, you may see the fast food you ate on days you didn’t pack a lunch. You’ll see the soda or drinks.

When I first started having women write down what they ate, I did it because it allowed me to see what was really going on.

Then I noticed that when women quit writing their food down, they lost their focus. In addition, their weight loss would stop or they would begin gaining again.

Writing down what you eat doesn’t have to be fancy. You can jot it down in a notebook, in an app, or in a document or note on your computer.

This way you can see exactly what you are eating at your meals. What snacks are you eating? What are the times that feel the most problematic?

In the next section, I’ll talk about areas to address but you have to know, really know what you are doing right now.

Not what you think you should do. Not what you want to do. But what are you doing, day in and day out.

It is much easier to do this process if you have honestly do this one thing. If you skip over it, you’ll miss the most important part of this process.

Here’s the thing. No matter how you are eating, there is a foundation in there somewhere. This is, what are you already doing right. In addition, you’ll be looking for all the rest.

• When do you do the most emotional eating of the day?
• What are your foods you can’t resist?
• What foods give you the most comfort?
• When do you snack?
• How much sugar are you eating?

This allows you to have a laser focus on any change that makes sense. You aren’t shooting in the dark trying crazy things.

How to Stabilize Your Eating Habits After 50

Most diets just jump right to cutting things out. I recommend dealing with problem-eating first. This post can help with overeating and binging.

If you have times of the day where your eating feels out of control, work on that first. If you are addicted to any kind of soda that probably needs to go.

Hormonal changes play a part in how your body uses and stores fat. Your hormones like such as insulin, ghrelin, and leptin play a huge part in gaining or losing weight.

Many of our modern habits such as high carb snacks throughout the day can really affect your metabolism and lead to weight gain, while also depriving you of essential nutrients.

Please don’t skip this! You binge and overeat for a reason. A diet will not help you if you don’t address the reason you can’t control part of your eating.

Stabilizing your eating will usually stabilize your weight. You will stop gaining.

If you have been on a slow consistent journey of gaining weight; not gaining weight is an improvement. Not gaining weight IS progress! It’s not something to fear. 

This is incredibly important. Allowing yourself to maintain weight will be very helpful on vacations and over holidays. And of course, when you want to actually maintain your weight.

This is an essential skill. If you don’t learn it during the process, you will not have if when you are happy with your weight.

This means:

• If you are out-of-control eating at times, work on that first.
• If you aren’t eating actual meals, start eating meals.
• If you snack often, that’s a great place to start.

Ideally, you will get to the place where you are eating two or three meals that include protein, health fats, and nutritious carbohydrates.

It is very possible that you will lose weight as you adopt these changes. But it is more important to make regular meals a priority.

Building a foundation of enough food is something I can’t over emphasize enough.

You want to change your brain before you change your actions.

Cut Back on Sugar and Ultra Processed Foods for Better Results

Of all the foods you eat that are nonessential, sugar and ultra processed foods are the most problematic.

One, they are crazy addictive. They mess with your brain. However, they are incredibly bad for our bodies when we eat too much.

Here’s the bottom line. These foods, even in modest quantities can keep you stuck or gaining weight forever because they raise your insulin and when you eat them too often you always have glucose in your blood.

And that is what causes fat gain.

After years of consumption, most women have some level of insulin resistance. Your body literally cannot remove enough glucose from your bloodstream and instead stores it as fat.

Concurrent with weight gain; it also is a major contributor to inflammation.

All of my clients report that they feel so much better simply by removing sugar and junk food from their diets.

Most of my clients also allow themselves some types of these foods on occasion. But to change your body inside and out, you have to take a realistic look at sugar and understand that large amounts are detrimental.

This one can feel so hard to do if you feel like you are addicted to a particular treat that is a part of your self-comfort.

Yet, it is entirely possible. Everyone I work with is not only able to quit overeating sugar, they don’t even miss it.

Here’s how this works.

You eat plenty at your meals, especially in the beginning. You want to rule out hunger as a reason to eat sugar.

As you cut back on sugar and ultra-processed foods, you’ll get your tastebuds back and healthier foods will taste better.

When you feel the craving for the food, check in with yourself. Are you hungry? If the answer is no, then ask yourself, “What am I hungry for?”

Sit with the craving for a couple of minutes. Then check in and see if you still want it.

If you are hungry, then have a non-sweet snack, like a boiled egg or two, nuts, cheese, protein, veggies and dip, olives, or avocado. If I am hungry between meals, I like to do a mini meal with protein and fat.

This takes care of the hunger without creating more cravings.

If you are eating sweets 7 days a week, anything less is progress and something to celebrate.

Why Eating Full Meals (Not Snacks) Supports Weight Loss

Most people don’t need snacks if they eat enough at their meals. I believe our incessant snacking is because of the marketing of snack foods and it contributes to overeating and weight gain.

When you eat around the clock, your body is always trying to digest food.

I also believe snacking is a product of our low-fat craze. When you don’t eat fat and you eat lots of processed food; you ARE always hungry. It’s a never-ending cycle.

Advice for not snacking is the same as not eating sugar and processed foods. Eat enough at your meals. Eat food you enjoy at your meals.

If you want to have a snack, check in and see if you are hungry. If you are, eat something like I recommended above. If not, see what it is you want.

Being hungry between meals might mean you aren’t eating enough at your meals. When you finish eating a meal, ideally you will feel satisfied and not overly full.

After a few hours, you will gradually get hungry and that is how you know it’s almost time to eat. Feeling crazy hungry just a couple of hours after you eat means you need to either eat more or eat different kinds of food.

Eating protein, complex carbs, and good fats will help make meals more satisfying and make it easier to resist snacks.

Best Meal Timing for Women Over 50

I believe that the foundation for healthy eating and weight loss is to start eating real meals again. Most women eat too little at their meals and eat too many snacks.

In addition, women tend to eat all day long or they eat little during the day and pig out after work. Sometimes women just don’t eat enough period. All of these situations can cause weight gain.

I stick to two meals a day, snack rarely, and never eat at night.

I believe that this alone has been a contributing factor in maintaining my weight for years.

It’s really not a big deal. If I have my last meal by 7PM, then I don’t eat until 7AM. 12 hours is effortless.

For the record, everyone fasts while they sleep! That gives you a good break from eating so your body can completely digest your food and your blood sugar can return to normal.

There’s a lot of good research-backed reasons to not eat for a period of time. This can also help regulate your insulin response.

I usually eat a small lunch and dinner.

Fasting is also beneficial if you are pre-diabetic or have insuslin resistance. It is considered safe for most people. However, if you are being treated by a doctor for something, work with your doctor.

Aim for not eating at night after your last meal. Make sure to eat enough protein, vegetables, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied (not stuffed) after you eat.

Sometimes, we have become so insulin resistant, it might require longer fasting times every day to reverse that. Longer fasts such as 18 – 20 hours a day are generally safe. But if you are being treated for a health condition, always check with your doctor first.

If you are interested in longer intermittent fasts, I recommend either: Fast, Feast, Repeat or Delay Don’t Deny.

How to Eat Carbs Smartly After 50

Carbs are an entire nutrient group. Personally, I don’t feel great when I don’t eat enough carbohydrates. And I do include some at each meal.

Some people track their carbs. An extremely low carb diet, such as keto might recommend as few as 20 grams of carbohydrates a day.

There may be some medically reasons for that; but in general, that is very restrictive and not necessary for most people. When I eat that low, I don’t have as much energy, and I don’t sleep as well.

That being said, If I eat too many ultra processed carbs, I can start seeing changes in my shape and in my face. I look and feel puffier.

Figuring out the right amount is unique to you and your body.

Let’s talk about carbs

Many types of foods fall into the carbohydrate family.

• Grains: wheat, corn, rice (these can be whole grains or flour used for many products)
• Grain flour-based products: bread, pasta, tortillas
• Sugars: sugar, honey, maple syrup
• legumes, beans, lentils
• Fruit
• Vegetables

You can see that while they are all carbohydrates; they can be very different. Here is what 15 grams of carbohydrates looks like in some common foods.

• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1 piece of bread
• ¼ cup of granola
• 1 small apple
• 1/3 cup of cooked pasta
• 1/3 cup of cooked beans
• 1/3 cup of cooked rice
• 1 cup raw vegetables (can vary)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 5 vanilla wafers
• ½ bagel

You are going to get much better saity from complex carbs such as starchy vegetables such as potatoes or from beans. The fill you up, give you fiber and taste delicious.

However even a small sugary treat, while providing the carbs do not fill you or provide any other benefit. The other day, I was eating a little candy bar and it had 11 grams of carbohydrates! For two bites.

Carbohydrates are also in foods that have proteins as well such as milk, beans, and nuts.

Among vegetables, there are many that have extremely low amounts of carbohydrates. These are your leafy greens, lettuces, green beans, zucchini, and cucumbers.

These are typically considered foods you can have as much as you want.

Other vegetables have a higher carb count. These include corn, carrots, winter squash, beets, and potatoes. Some people avoid these because they are higher in carbs but I encourage you to include them. They’ll help you enjoy your food and fill you up.

They offer so much nutrition. I almost always include a serving of one of these with my meals. Most people are not overweight because they eat too many vegetables!

Fruits are also a great source of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient. As you can see, there is so much variety but not all carbs add nutrition.

Okay, there are people that will argue about this. What is different about eating 30 grams of potato chips versus eating a whole potato?

Well, here’s the big difference. The potato chips were created in a laboratory to taste as delicious as possible, to make it hard to stop eating, and to create more cravings in the future.

For me, once I’m eating chips it is hard to stop! Plus they don’t have the same nutrition as an actual potato.

I love baked potatoes, but I rarely sit around distracted by craving one.

One of the reasons I suggest everyone eat more real food is because real food doesn’t mess with your brain as much.

Those foods from the snack aisle or from the drive through are literally made to mess up your brain and override your hunger.

One of the things that is important to me, is to eat as many foods that are nutritious as possible. I can eat treats, but I know they aren’t really providing anything essential.

I don’t count my grams of carbs in a day. I eat a mix of high and low carb vegetables and fruits daily. That being said, I have clients that do track carbs and can still lose weight eating around 100 grams of carbs a day.

I occasionally have things that are rice or corn based. I avoid almost all junk food and fast food. Most rarely I will have bread, pizza, or pasta.

My rule of thumb is to avoid as many processed foods as possible and eat as much real food as possible.

I also wrote a post about carbs back in 2016. Apparently at that time, I was only eating fruit and vegetable carbs! I eat more variety now but it’s fun to see how many times I mention the word banana.

Why Eating More at Meals Can Help You Lose Weight

Almost every person that I work with needs to eat more real food at their meals.

What I often see is meals that include insufficient protein, vegetables, and healthy fats.

Here’s my favorite template for a meal. I learned it in Whole30 and adapted for my use. It’s also super simple and offers ENDLESS variety.

• Protein: 4 – 6 ounces or about the size of your palm
• Vegetables: as many low carb ones as you want, a small serving of higher carb vegetable or fruit
• Healthy fats or oils, 1–2 Tablespoons at EACH meal: olive oil, coconut oil, butter/ghee, avocado oil, nuts, olives, avocados. This is in addition to what you use to cook your food.

That might sound really restrictive. Here’s the thing. I can’t eat as much as I did when I was younger, so ideally every bite needs to count.

I’m a real person though, so I eat pretty much all the foods. I just limit how often I eat the ones that are not great for my body or mind.

I also want to remind you that eating can be pleasurable. When you change how you think about food, you can absolutely find pleasure in eating and I highly recommend you do that.

Healthy Fats Every Woman Over 50 Should Eat

For a long time, most of us were afraid to eat fat and oils because for a few decades we’ve been told that they are bad for us. However, fat and oils are one of the three macro nutrients and we all need them as part of a healthy diet.

Fats also help with flavor and satiety and make eating much more pleasurable. That all being said, this isn’t me telling you to eat unlimited amounts of high fat foods such as pizza or cookies. These while having fat, don’t add much nutrition.

Instead use fats and oils to cook with and season your food with. Use fats and oils as a cooking medium and as a dressing.

Oils to add or try

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Butter/ghee
• Avocado oil
• Avocados
• Canned coconut milk

I first wrote about eating healthy fats in 2016. I believe that not only has this helped me maintain my weight but has also supported my skin. Read Eat More Fat to Lose Weight here.

How to Use Hunger Cues to Guide Your Eating

I used to be afraid of being hungry and carried snacks around all the time.

Once I learned to eat more fat and enough at meals, that was no longer a problem. However, I was still eating on a timetable rather than based on hunger.

Your hunger is truly a gift. It is how your body was designed. Hunger is there to tell you it is now time to eat.

Modern food though, overrides our natural hunger cues (hormone-based) and gives us cravings instead. Also, modern foods can leave us hungry way too soon.

Using hunger is simple but takes practice.

Don’t eat until you feel hungry. Stop eating when you are full.

The beauty of waiting to eat until you are hungry is that it is much easier to tell when you are satisfied.

This is so good for your body!

Hunger becomes something pleasurable as well. It’s the signal that your body is ready to process more food. It feels great to get that signal.

My clients tell me that they enjoy hunger now because it’s a signal that their body is working properly.

As you practice, you’ll also want to pay attention to when you feel comfortable. This is usually just a little under being “full.” In the beginning, don’t stress about it. Check in with yourself to see how you feel.

I think it’s better to be a little too full than leave the table wanting more. As you get more comfortable paying attention to hunger and fullness it will be easier.

This skill is will also pay off when you are eating a treat like a piece of cake or pizza. You really can trust yourself if you know you’ll stop when you feel satisfied.

You can always remind yourself that nothing is totally off limits.

Just a little note here about wasting food. Food you eat when you are not hungry is no less wasted than food you throw away. I’d rather have it in the trash than stored in my body as fat.

How to Handle Holidays and Travel Without Losing Progress

Holidays, family get-togethers, and vacations do not have to be a problem. Yet, we often think they are going to mess things us.

First of all, think proactively about the occasion coming up.

I always recommend aiming to not gain weight. Plan to have the foods you truly enjoy. I promise if you allow yourself to have the ones you really want AND pay attention to your hunger and fullness, you will do fine.

My clients usually make a loose plan of how they will handle special occasions, conferences, vacations, and holidays.

They plan for what they want to eat. They plan to skip the less satisfying foods. They plan how to connect with other people. Look at the overall picture and come up with a game plan that feels good to you.

These situations do not have to be an excuse to eat everything in sight.

Your enjoyment comes from so many other things than food. Focus on that part. The people, the sights, the learning, the fun can all be enjoyed without worrying about food.

The Best Exercise for Weight Loss After 50

You don’t need high-intensity endurance workouts to support your efforts to lose weight. But physical activity is a great addition to all your efforts.

Strength training, cardio, interval training, and stretching are all your friends. Any kind of movement that you enjoy can be helpful and boost your weight loss efforts.

Your exercise routine is up to you. I find that a mix of consistent cardio workouts, such as walking outside are essential. I aim for 40 minutes each time, three or four times a week.

In addition, I love to use resistance training and workouts that include yoga, pilates, and barre in them.

I am a huge fan of gentle workouts because they also help reduce stress. And most important I feel better! One thing I love about my gentle workouts is that I feel more connected to my body and I can feel the parts that are being used.

For the past six months, I have been doing strength training and wow what a difference that made in my body. As a woman over 50, strength training is really important to preserve your muscles and bone density.

Walking more is also a great place to start. I notice a huge difference in my waist circumference when I’m walking on a regular basis versus when I’m not.

How to Use My Best Tips to Lose Weight After 50

If you are here, you’ve read them through. Keep in mind that putting them into practice can take weeks. Maybe months.

I work one-on-one with women to help them navigate this process. The reason having a life coach helps is because you can know the steps but it can feel scary to eat more and change the way you eat.

It is a game changer to take care of your body instead of trying to hate it into losing weight!

This isn’t a race or even a marathon. This is simply life without being obsessed by food and what you eat.

Creating peace around food takes time and compassion for yourself.

If you bypass the foundation work, you are simply doing another diet. It’s the mindset work that teaches you how to relate to food in a healthy way.

Being a person that just eats, is one of the best feelings in the world. No longer fearing food feels amazing. Eating foods that you enjoy is one of the great joys of life.

Give yourself tons of love, compassion, kindness, and time. Losing weight is great but peace and calm around food is a gift too.

Losing weight after 50 isn’t about perfection; it’s about consistency, compassion, and the willingness to keep going.

Your body still knows how to respond to care and nourishment. You just have to learn how to listen again.

These 10 tips are your roadmap to a new way of living, one that doesn’t revolve around diets, guilt, or willpower. When you eat in a way that supports your body, you’ll feel the shift not just on the scale but in your energy, mood, and confidence.

If you’re ready to stop dieting and start truly caring for yourself, I can help.
Schedule your free coaching consult and let’s create a peaceful, powerful relationship with food and your body — one that lasts for life.

FAQs

1. Is it really possible to lose weight after 50?

Yes, it’s absolutely possible — but it’s different than when you were younger. Hormones, metabolism, and stress all play a part. The key is eating real food, stabilizing blood sugar, and working with your body’s natural rhythms instead of fighting them.

2. What’s the best diet for women over 50?

The best “diet” is one that you can sustain; one based on real, whole foods, consistent meals, and enough protein and healthy fat to feel satisfied. My approach helps you stop dieting altogether and create healthy habits that last.

3. How long does it take to lose weight after 50?

It depends on your health, hormones, and habits. But when you stop restricting and start stabilizing your eating, your body naturally begins to reset. The goal is long-term progress, not fast loss followed by rebound weight gain.

4. Can I lose weight without counting calories?

Yes. When you eat balanced meals with enough protein and fat, your hunger hormones regulate naturally. Counting calories can create stress and stress hormones make weight loss harder.

5. What if I’ve tried everything and nothing works?

That’s exactly why I coach women through this process. You’re not doing it all wrong, you just need a new approach that takes your stage of life, hormones, and emotions into account.