Losing weight in your middle age may be much easier than you think; sometimes it only takes a change in your diet plan to see the results.
But as a man, do you invest in eating healthy?
For lean body mass, ensure you combine an exercise routine with the recommended weight-loss diet plan.
A healthy diet plan is crucial for your weight loss journey.
Surprisingly, you may not even require stepping into the gym to shed off the excess calories!
Beyond just losing weight, a weight-loss diet improves your overall lifestyle and is sustainable. Choosing the correct diet needs adequate planning and commitment.
A diet for losing weight can reduce calorie intake, decrease appetite, and lower the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes.
The 3 major points covered by this article are:
- Typical weight-loss diet plans.
- Benefits of a weight-loss diet.
- Nutrition tips for a weight-loss diet.
Types of Weight-Loss Diet for Men
There are several types of foods to lose excess calories.
A healthy diet is important for losing weight, says Jamie Feit, a registered dietitian and founder of Jamie Feit Nutrition.
Some of the standard weight-loss diet plans are:
1. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Plan
The DASH diet plan is rich in sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The program treats or prevents clinical hypertension.
The diet plan can lower your blood pressure within just two weeks of intake. DASH diet reduces the low-density lipoprotein, a risk factor in stroke and heart diseases.
To get an effective DASH diet, you need to
- Reduce intake of saturated/trans fats and cholesterol.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Cut back on sweet, sugary meals.
- Increase whole grain intake and limit the number of processed meals.
DASH diet involves the number of servings. Depending on the calories needed, the servings vary in various food groups. Below are the recommended daily servings.
| Food groups | Daily servings |
| Vegetables | 4-5 |
| Fruits | 4-5 |
| Grains | 6-8 |
| Low-fat/fat-free dairy products | 2-3 |
| Nuts, seeds, and legumes | 4-5 |
| Fats and oils | 2-3 |
| Lean meats, poultry, and fish | Two or less |
| Sweets | Less than five servings per week |
Finally, the DASH diet can improve your mental health by lowering stress and depression.
2. The Mediterranean Diet Plan
Arguably, the Mediterranean diet is the most popular diet plan because of its high flexibility. It is common in Greece, Italy, Spain, and other Mediterranean countries.
The diet has several health benefits, like reducing inflammation, lowering the risk of chronic infection, and increasing weight loss
The Mediterranean diet includes:
- Olive oils
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Lentils
- Whole grains
- Herbs and spices
- Moderate amounts of seafood, fish, and poultry
The diet limits the number of various intakes, like processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and trans-fat.
But where is wine? You may be wondering.
Include wine in moderate amounts, as high alcohol consumption poses a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
3. The MIND Diet
Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) combines Mediterranean and DASH diets.
The MIND diet focuses on your brain’s well-being. It keeps your brain healthy and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The diet includes several foods with varying servings per day, as shown below.
| Food type | Servings |
| Whole grains | 3 or more per day |
| Poultry | 2 or more per week |
| Green leafy vegetables | 1 per day |
| Other vegetables | 2 per day |
| Nuts | 5 or more per week |
| Fish/ Seafood | 1 per day |
| Beans | 4 or more per week |
For an effective plan, avoid or limit certain foods like:
- Red meat
- Cheese
- Butter/ margarine
- Pastries and sweets
4. Plant-based and Flexitarian Diets
Plant-based diets substitute animal products for plants.
These diets ensure you don’t consume animal products for health, environmental, or ethical purposes.
The most common plant-based diets are vegetarianism and veganism.
Vegetarians don’t consume any animal meat. Contrastingly, vegans are a group of vegetarians who don’t eat both animal flesh and dairy products from the animals.
A flexitarian diet allows the consumption of animal products under strict moderation. Some even argue that a flexitarian diet is a lifestyle choice. It involves:
- Reducing the level of sugar intake.
- High consumption of vegetables and fruits.
- Consumption of plant proteins while limiting animal-based products.
Some of the health benefits of a plant-based and flexitarian diet are:
- They are richer in certain nutrients, like vitamins and minerals. Plant compounds predominantly contain vitamins A, E, and C.
Minerals such as potassium and magnesium are common in whole grains and vegetables.
- The diet is effective in losing weight. Plant-based diets contain moderate amounts of saturated fat and high fiber intake.
With fewer calories present, consuming these products reduces excess weight.
- A plant-based diet lowers the risk of diabetes and other chronic heart complications. Vegan diets allow low sugar intake, preventing type 2 diabetes.
Select plant-based products that are substitutes for animal proteins and dairy include:
- Peas
- Whole grains.
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Nuts
- Seeds
Nutrition Tips for an Effective Weight-Loss Diet for Men Above 40
While a change in diet is vital for your weight loss journey, nutritionists recommend various tips to actualize your goals. The weight loss journey is a dedicated step that requires discipline and determination.
To get the best out of your weight-loss diet plan, follow these guidelines
1.Get Active
Combining a healthy diet plan and an effective exercise routine helps you burn excess calories faster.
Moderate to intense workout programs daily lower the risk of heart diseases and blood pressure
Cycling, swimming, jogging or even yoga
2. Don’t Skip Meals
Skipping meals is not a healthy thing to do, contrary to what some people think. You deprive the body of vital nutrients, especially during breakfast, which is the most important meal.
Frequent meals stabilize your metabolism and give you the energy to burn excess calories
3. Avoid Processed Meals
Despite their convenience and easy availability, processed meals contain high sugar and fat levels.
With processed meals, you are at risk of gaining more weight and suffering from diseases like diabetes.
4. Increase fruits and vegetable intake
Since they contain high amounts of fiber with fewer calories and fats, fruits and vegetables have a higher nutritional value.
There are also essential nutrients and vitamins in high amounts.
5. Reduce your alcohol consumption
Excessive consumption of alcohol gives your body excess calories and fats. High alcohol amounts are a risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
6. Use Smaller Plates
Smaller plates help control the portions of food you take. The reduced servings from smaller vessels ensure you only take the recommended calories.
7. Stay hydrated before meals
Drink water 1-2 hours before taking your meals. It helps in the metabolism process; hence, the body can effectively burn excess calories.
8. Plan Ahead
An effective weight loss journey needs adequate planning for your diet. Make a list of your meals and dedicate your journey to following the plan.
9. Read food labels
Check the food labels to ensure you choose the correct type that is healthy. Read the calorie information to take a low-calorie diet.
Food labels also give you the expiration dates. Check always to take fresh food.
In Summary
Weight loss diets reduce your sugar and fat intake. You quickly lessen the excess weight with fewer calories and increased fiber and vitamins.
Before choosing any diet pattern, plan and list what you want to achieve. An effective diet plan is sustainable and has several other health benefits.
To get the best results, follow the recommended nutrition tips. It is never too late to start dieting.