How to Combat Age-Related Weight Gain

I have very bad news for you. I’m about to take away one of the major excuses for fat gain: age.

Last week, Dr. Jennifer Pearlman wrote a column for the Globe and Mail, titled “Is gaining weight inevitable as we age?”

Original source: here.

            I was very impressed. It gave a very holistic perspective of the causes of age-related fat gain (as opposed to just a rote explanation of “fat gain is caused by eating too much and not exercising enough.”) But it also left you hanging. It didn’t tell you what to do to prevent that or reverse that. So I will.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight. It’s actually normal and desirable to gain weight until about age 25 or 30. Although you finish growing sometime between 15 and 18, your bones and muscles continue to grow and get stronger until about 25-30. That’s not fat gain.

With that out of the way, let’s recap Dr. Pearlman’s reasons for age-related fat gain, and how to counteract each one.

Reason #1: Bad bacteria in the digestive system 

Yes, you have bacteria in your digestive system (to be accurate, only in your small and large intestines, but not your stomach). We call them by different names. There’s “probiotics”, there’s “flora”, and then there’s just “bugs.”

It gets even more complicated. There are “good” bugs and “bad” bugs. Without getting way too technical, if there is an imbalance between good and bad, you can gain body fat without really changing your nutrition.

So what do you do? Although this has to be individualized, the basics are kill the bad guys (not all of them, just enough of them), and multiply the good guys. One way to kill the bad guys is to minimize or eliminate sugar from your diet (that means anything that’s refined or processed), and take some oregano oil. One way to multiply the good guys is to eat fermented foods. Things like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and naato fit the bill. You can also take some high-quality probiotics (hint: “high quality” will NOT be found at Shoppers Drug Mart, Wal-Mart, Costco, Popeyes and GNC). And for the smart Alecs, yes, beer is fermented. And no, I’m not recommending it. Nice try.

Reason #2: environmental toxins 

There are certain toxins that go by the name of “obesogens.” Yes, they make you fat. Wait a minute. How do toxins make you fat? There’s one prominent theory of obesity that excess body fat develops as a reservoir for toxin storage. Because once toxins are stored in body fat, they are safer than if they are left floating around in the blood or going to the brain (which is primarily made of fat). So fat develops as a protective mechanism against toxins.

What can you do against it? For one thing, you should decrease your exposure to environmental toxins. Go to the website www.ewg.org, and check the products that you currently use and their level of toxicity.

The second thing you can do is support your organs of detoxification (that’s your liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, large intestine, and lymphatic system). How do you do that? Eat these foods: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, artichoke, apples, asparagus, beans and lentils, brazil nuts. Take these supplements: milk thistle, broccoli seed extract, NAC, selenomethionine.

Reason #3: Stress alters dietary decisions 

Absolutely! Have you noticed how you crave either sugar or salt when you’re stressed? What’s the solution? Quit your job, move to Hawaii, and spend all day swimming, working on your tan, and hula dancing. That will take care of that pesky stress.

But if you can’t do that, the next best thing is to simply take willpower out of the equation. Simply don’t have food that you know is bad for you in the house. Out of sight, out of mind. And as I mentioned in another newsletter, at work (and at home, for that matter), have a bowl full of veggies within arms’ reach at all times.

Granted, most of this advice is generic, but if you want something more personalized, apply for the FREE Dream Body MAP session. During the session, we’ll assess you on a more personal level, and give you personalized advice.

Short Summary 

• Reason #1 for age-related fat gain: bad bacteria in the digestive system.
  • What to do about it:
    • Eliminate sugars and refined/processed foods
    • Eat fermented foods
    • Supplement with high-quality probiotics
• Reason #2 for age-related fat gain: environmental toxins.
  • What to do about it:
    • Reduce the toxins in your environment.
    • Support the organs of detoxification by eating broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, artichoke, apples, asparagus, beans, lentils and Brazil nuts.
    • Support the organs of detoxification by supplementing with milk thistle, broccoli seed extract, NAC, selenomethionine.
• Reason #3 for age-related fat gain: stress
  • What to do about it:
    • Keep bad foods out of your house
    • Keep a bowl full of veggies within arms’ reach at all times