How to Help Your Aging Mom Lose Weight
By Jeremy Grant
Healthy Eating Tips and Nutrition Advice for Seniors
Struggling with weight gain is common, and it does not matter how young or old you are. In your 20s, you thought you could eat just about anything you wanted, but those unhealthy fats, sugars, cholesterol and carbohydrates take up long term residence in your body. By the time you reach your 50s, 60s, and beyond, you might think losing weight will never happen. In reality, age is not the defining factor for weight loss. Determination and perseverance make all the difference. Sometimes, having a partner helps you succeed, and Mom can be the perfect one.
As a senior, Mom’s diet requirements are different. Her body may not enjoy food like in her younger years. She may find herself gorging at times, and if she is sedentary, her weight will increase, threatening her overall health. Ask Mom to join you in getting your respective health under control, so both of you can keep enjoying a fun, fulfilling lifestyle. When you cannot be around to help her, a trained caregiver from Home Instead can help her eat a healthy, well-balanced senior diet.
5 Suggestions to Attain a Healthy Senior Diet and Lose Weight
Help Mom lose weight and feel great with these suggestions:
- Focus on fat loss: The last thing that the elderly needs to lose is muscle, organ tissue, or bone mass. That leaves excess fat on the chopping block. An increase in protein within a senior’s diet can prevent losing too much muscle and bone mass.
- Keep hydrated: Water is a significant factor in digestion and metabolism. Consuming enough water keeps your loved one from overeating at meals because our bodies can sometimes mistake thirst for hunger.
- Control portions: As we age, our bodies do not need the same number of calories as in our younger years. Cooking for seniors should include practicing portion control. Use smaller plates to help give the sense of a full plate.
- Get moving: Why not take Mom to a water aerobics class or a yoga studio? You can spend time together while gaining flexibility and increasing your strength. Even small stretches daily can help improve her ability to bend down to tie her shoes again.
- Encourage each other: Making any change comes with its own set of ups and downs. Agree to do your best to lift each other up. It is easy to let old mind sets stop both of you in your quest to improve your health. She might think that gaining weight is just part of getting old. That is not the case. It is indeed, mind over matter.
Bring in Help for Healthy Eating and Living for Your Senior
Ramp up the accountability! Help your senior parent take back their health and enjoy a fun, fulfilling life when you hire a trained home caregiver from Home Instead Kitchener-Waterloo, ON. We support the elderly and their families with a variety of services. Whether they need companionship services, personal care, cooked meals, or 24-hour care, we can help your parent stay independent and healthy.
Call us at (519) 571-1665 to schedule a no-obligation, in-home consultation. Learn more about the compassionate, quality senior care we deliver, every day, to families in Kitchener-Waterloo, Breslau, Conestogo, Elmira, St Jacobs, and surrounding areas.