How to Lose Weight After 60

Exercise

Lace up your sneakers. The Center for Disease Control suggests that adults over the age of 60 perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week and up to 300 minutes for even greater health benefits. The easiest way to fulfill the minimum requirement, especially if you don’t know how to start a workout routine, is to get in a 30-minute brisk walk at least five days a week. As you become more fit, engage in other fat-burning activities such as swimming, dancing or cycling.

Start lifting weights at least two days a week. Use 5-, 7- and 10-lb. dumbbells at home to increase your muscle mass, which will increase your ability to burn fat. Start with the smallest weight and do up to 12 reps each of strength-building exercises that will work your arms, chest, shoulders and upper back such as the biceps curl, overhead press and triceps kickbacks. Increase the size of your dumbbell when the smaller weights no longer fatigue your muscles and add another set or two of 12 reps per exercise. Use your body weight to perform squats and lunges that will work the powerful muscles of your legs and glutes.

Losing weight at any age can be a burdensome activity and if you don’t have to go it alone or believe you’d do better with encouragement, then join activities with groups of people who have the same goals. Nab a workout buddy or join a gym for extra incentive. You can also check out the local yoga studio and see if they have classes tailored for your age group. Recreation centers offer a variety of activities, such as Tai Chi, pickleball or water aerobics.

Diet

Trim the fat. All the exercise in the world won’t help you lose weight the way you want without modifying or tweaking your diet. Eat less red meat and eat more chicken and pork to lower the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Make prodigious use of your grill and oven rather than your stove-top to cook your lower-fat fare.

Indulge in lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. When cooking vegetables, use non-stick pans coated with a little rub or spray of olive oil -- or use the grill for variety.

Snack healthily. Indulge in low-fat yogurts, nuts and seeds between meals to keep up your energy.

Eat smaller portions, but never skip a meal. Not only is skipping a meal tempting you to over-indulge later, but it will cause your metabolism to slow down and lose all the gains you’re achieving through exercise.