How many times have you heard someone say: “I could eat anything until I turned 25, now all I have to do is look at a laksa and I pack on the kilos”?
It’s true that your metabolism begins to slow down after your twenties, but do you really need to change your eating habits with each decade to keep your weight in check and stay healthy?
As we go through adulthood, women meet with many life stages, from being a swinging single, to settling down and having babies, and then menopause. Each event can result in eating poorly, or not being physically active enough, both of which can affect your weight.
The fast-paced twenties
According to food coach Judy Davie, the trouble can start in your twenties when you leave home and enter the workforce for the first time. “Many young people exercise less than they did at school or university, but they still eat the same amount of food, which can lead to weight gain,” she explained.
Living away from home can also result in partying hard, skipping meals, and relying more on convenience foods. “Many of these foods are highly processed, high glycemic index carbohydrates which are quick to convert to body fat when the energy intake exceeds output,” Davie said.
There are several simple solutions, however. Eating a healthy breakfast and incorporating exercise into each day can have real results. “You can also choose white wine spritzers over beer or sugary drinks as they have less kilojoules,” Davie said. “Snack on raw unsalted nuts during the day and, if you buy a takeaway, reduce the amount of carbs at night by opting for salads and stir fries.”
Enter the comfort zone
The next challenge many women can face in their twenties and thirties is becoming part of a cozy couple, and then welcoming the patter of tiny feet. Good nutrition during pregnancy is essential to keep a developing baby and its mother healthy, and it’s a time when there are extra demands on the body for nutrients, such as protein, iron, folate and iodine.
According to the dietitian Julie Gilbert, it’s perfectly normal to gain 10-15kg with a baby or 15-20kg with twins during pregnancy. “Probably the main challenge is that most women think they’ve got to ‘eat for two’,” she said. “But you should not focus on the quantity, but the quality, of what you’re eating. Eat a wide variety of foods, and remember that the more weight you gain above the norm, the harder it will be to lose later.”
Post-birth, Gilbert said challenges can include keeping up with the needs of a new baby, meeting your nutritional needs if you’re breastfeeding, and turning to takeaway foods instead of taking the time to prepare healthy meals at home. “I used to cook a healthy dinner in the morning,” Gilbert said. “That way there was a nutritious meal waiting at the end of the day. Some meals can also be cooked in double quantities, such as stir-fries and pasta bakes, so half can be put in the freezer. And when it comes to exercise, you can walk or run with your baby’s stroller.”
Fighting fit and forty
In your forties, the metabolism truly starts to slow down and weight gain can creep up on you. Dr Elizabeth Farrell, a consultant gynaecologist and Director of the Jean Hailes Foundation in Australia, said that subtle changes to body shape also happen at this age, regardless of what you eat or what exercise you do. “You’re approaching perimenopause, which brings changes in hormonal secretions including less estrogen production,” she explained. “As a result, your hormone picture becomes more ‘male-like’, bringing with it a thickness around the belly.”
Dr Farrell suggested taking stock of your diet and exercise habits. “Eat a low-fat, high-fibre diet with adequate protein and carbohydrates, but remember that what you used to eat when you were younger may now be too much, so you may need to reduce the amount,” she said.
Fifty and fabulous
In the fifties, most women most women will enter menopause, causing even more changes to body shape, and slowing the metabolism down further. This is also the age to be more aware of exercise and calcium intake, to prevent osteoporosis.
“The best sources of dietary calcium include yoghurt, cheese, milk fortified with calcium, and salmon with bones in it,” Gilbert said. “Other good sources are almonds, broccoli, and baked beans. With dairy products you can also choose low fat varieties to avoid any additional weight gain.”
Gilbert says the key to maintaining a healthy weight at any age, however, is eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise. “Also be aware that the rate of weight loss decreases with age,” she said. “So change your expectations, and don't be too hard on yourself."