10 Tips to Help Over-50's Lose Body Fat! 

According to everything I’ve read, intermittent fasting works not just by limiting meals/calories, but by reducing the number of insulin spikes per day and overall reducing insulin resistance, which is what causes the majority of excess weight over 50.

1. Avoid ultra processed foods 2. Stay away from high sugar 3. The quality of food is more important than how much you eat. 4. Fasting helps in many ways, it changes the way your body burns energy and reduces insulin resistance.

As a health care professional this information was not new to me, but I found the organization of the content and the simplified explanation of the science behind each of your tips to be exceptional! Great job and thank you for sharing.

A good rule of thumb for older people that are exercising moderately (so as not to create stress which causes weight gain) to cause a slight caloric deficit is to take your current weight and add a zero to determine your calories. So, if you weigh 180 pounds, you should eat 1800 calories to be in a slight caloric deficit. Don’t go lower as this also causes stress and makes it harder to lose weight. Appreciate that you mention common sense ways to lose weights. Thank you for that.

A brilliant and motivating Physiotherapist! - I try to follow his many instructions (activity do) at least 4/5 times a week - am Australian, 73 year female who still who fixes fences, keep paddocks clear, cut timber with bush saw and care for my horse.

Thank you for your videos. I've found them very helpful and inspirational! Following your advice I am enjoying more satisfying workouts, an increase in muscle mass and losing weight. And I'm 73 years old. Love your vids!!

Tracking your weight helps you stay focused and connected to your process. It shouldn't be scary. Nobody's looking over your shoulder. But it really does help. I do it first thing in the morning. I wake up, go to the toilet, and weigh myself. This reminds me early in the morning that I am on a fat loss journey, and this helps me stay focused all day long. It turns it into a little game- making the needle of my scales move.

I haven;t owned a bathroom scale for over 40 years now. It was a tyrant, even in the days before I put on some serious weight. The weight gain was entirely due to a back problem which forced me to stop doing thrice weekly modern dance classes. The back problem soon necessitated several major surgeries, causing me to go into serious clinical depression. I flat lined emotionally, due to the happy pill cocktail I had to go on to counter the depression. So, I I simply started eating rubbish and got no exercise for about 2 years , so I gained masses of extra weight. I have so far gotten rid of about 50% of the extra, but then got stuck. Now I do intermittent fasting, but on a keto plan. This works really well for me - suits my age, lifestyle and I have energy again. The community I live in makes walking safe, and I have also started doing some chair pilates, while also following some of your core strength exercises. It all works for me, and that is all that matters.

Great content and most of which I know and follow. I'm 76 and do a resistance/cardio/stretch class weekly. I fast from 5pm through to 8am, just because it suits our meal pattern. I don't eat between meals, not feeling hungry is a good thing and yes, water does help fill the hole. I walk and exercise in a heated pool as well. Of course housework is a workout as well.

I am in 50s sports inj massage therapist. I enjoy watching your videos as i find very helpful. I apply your tips both for me and to help my clients . Great job 👏 thank you

I am a registered dietitian nutritionist and protein is important but you must consider pre existing conditions. Diet must be individualized depending upon current health conditions.

Thank you. This was great advice. I lost about 33 pounds over a 2 -year period. I engaged in intermittent fasting, weighed everyday, and had a health coach. I was encouraged to do intermittent fasting when a friend shared that the intermittent fasting window needed to be at least 10 hours and up to 15 hours. Previously, I thought the fasting window had to be 16 hours. I found that with my work schedule at the time that I could do a minimum of ten hours during the week and up to 15 on weekends. Initially, I thought weighing everyday would be detrimental, but I was able to see what things resulted in weight gain, weight stability, or weight loss. Having the coach was additional accountability. Before I started the intermittent fasting, I was eating more sensibly and not eating out and had already begun to lose weight. Over time, I learned that eating at home was better for me in every way and eating out seemed to always lead to weight gain. My recent physical therapy has helped me to lose weight as well. I wish I had known the importance of resistance training and eating protein - even though I didn't deprive myself of protein, because now I see hollows in the cheekbone area of my face that makes me almost wish I hadn't lost the weight, because I look less youthful. I know, however, that internally the weight loss is better for me.

Hi Will…excellent tableau of choices given in a convincingly sincere and succinct manner that reinforces one’s willingness to participate with the program…your sparklingly telegenic presentation of life enhancing facts which preserve a desired quality of life to those of us in the senior community is a true testament of the golden value of your character Will…grateful regards for including the occasional option of an “over intake reward” that compensates for studiously maintaining the dreary sacrificial effort…use only chopsticks if you falter…❤️

You are so informative and helpful.Thank You.

Thank you for the motivational advice and practical guidance. Your presentation is captivating 🎉

Very interesting and helpful thank you for sharing!

Thank you Will, Love you very clear and Encouraging Videos 👏👏👏👏❤

Didn’t mention getting sufficient sleep. Making sure I’m hydrated and getting 8 hours of sleep usually helps me as much as or more than all of these other tips automatically.

Well explained, simple and easy to follow

Thank you so much I found your video very helpful.

Great advice. Many thanks

Perfect! This fellow knows what he talking about. A valuable resource even for advanced trainers.

Thank you so much!

All good advice. However I would replace item 2: which focuses on calorie restriction and concentrate on eliminating my sugar intake and cutting back as much as possible my carbohydrate input (i.e starches, bread, pasta, rice & potatoes). Also use your vegetable intake to provide the essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs. A medical friend summed it up as "doing without all the nice things". I never bothered counting my calories but by following these points I managed to lose 10kg over about 5-6 weeks without feeling as hungry as a calorie restrictive diet would have made me.

Love this video Will

Thank you very much. You explained very well and I enjoy listening your explanations. I am grateful for your excellent explanations on your youtube channel.❤

I find the learning curve for my fitness pal app to difficult. I ❤️ your channel.

Excellent . I’d add adequate sleep too 😀

Thank You! I love these tips and will implement them!

I have just ordered you book and look forward to receiving it, thank you for your videos, I've been doing your exercises and feel great. I have lost a lot of weight quite effortlessly and have maintained my slim weight on a whole food plant lifestyle, eating fruit, veggies, grains, legumes, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes and minimally processed food. I can eat a lot of delicious food and all my cravings have stopped. I no longer count calories, I do glance at the nutritional info (but I rarely buy food with a label!) Instead I have familiarised myself with the concept of calorie density, i.e. I have an idea of how many calories are in each food group, the best chart is Chef AJ's calorie density chart, which gives calories per pound of veggies, fruit, grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, oils and animal products too. Eating the right food is far more helpful than exercise for losing weight. Of course exercise is amazing and brilliant for so many things but it can also increases appetite and if it's not enjoyable it is not sustainable. I am never hungry on a whole food plant "diet" and I am a volume eater so I get to eat a lot, delicious porridge oats, soups, salads, beans, falafel, tofu, mushrooms, lots of fruit, potatoes, sweet potatoes, they're all so delicious but I don't use oil and I eat nuts and seeds and avocado in moderation. I am full of good nutrients and I'm never hungry so food has stopped becoming an obsession. I would really encourage people to try this way of eating for at least 10 days and see how you feel. Dr McDougall has a free online programme if you're interested. Can I just say that I don't like the word diet, it should be a lifestyle that you sustain and it should not be boring! You can eat large, low-calorie, healthy, nutritious and delicious food that you will enjoy and hopefully go on eating for life, not just a short time. Your taste buds change every few weeks and will adapt to your new way of eating, just be a little patient for a couple of weeks. Personally I love my food so much I don't do cheat days because they tease the taste buds into reverting to eating junk food which I used to do. They would trigger a lot of people into falling off the healthy eating wagon and reawaken cravings. I have genuinely lost interest in doughnuts, processed food, vegan meat and burgers (all processed, high calorie and not very healthy). I eat simply and intend to carry on eating this delicious food for life. The wonderful thing is that when you eat whole foods (that grow in a field!) your cravings will stop over time, there's not need to have cheat meals to satisfy cravings because when your body is nourished and you eat enough food, you will not have any cravings. This may sound too good to be true but I would encourage people to really try this way of eating and see for themselves how well it works. It especially helps people who want to overcome binge-eating/starvation yo-yo patterns.

Thank you for this video. Very important. Hard to maneuver through life when we are too large 😁😍

Thanks for this! And, I bought your books for extra help.

Great Information! THANK YOU! 💪💪💪

Thanks Will💯🙏🙏👍

I track carbs not cal and lost 20 kg.

Thank you Will Harlow. Exceptional information presented clearly and with knowledge. Aussie viewer here.

Super GREAT video. Thank You.

Probably like many of the positive comments below, thanks so much for these tips. Truth be told, I'm quite familiar with most of them but having fallen off the wagon more times than I care to remember, this was just the kick up the a*rse I needed to get me back on track. Your presentation was first class and I'm ready to face the weight loss/fitness challenge thingie again. I'm off to Amazon to get your book...

thank you, appreciate.

Great content!

Very sensible😊

I find it rather amusing that you say to track your weight daily. I do that in fact twice a day just to keep myself in check and yet a friend keeps telling me that weighting myself is self-defeating. I prefer to weight myself in the morning, as you suggest prior to making my beverage, then I start my day very near to what you have suggested. Thank you for allowing me to know that I am doing everything within my ability to get the weight off. Hopefully within two years I will get to where I wantg to be.

Thank u !

Never thought about averaging the weekly numbers. Good idea.

Great advice, especially about the protein gram requirements.

Some knew but others like the cheap meal will help with sustaining the fest habits most of the time. also vigorous exercise (cardio) has helped me and was told my doctor it is good for my heart and lungs. I do resistance training too but that tends to hurt my joints more. I am 57 and won't stop moving because it helps.

It seems to me this calculation calories in / calories out has been rejected since a long time. Most importantly, one first would need to get nourishing food. Eliminate sugar & carbs the most possible. Eat lots of vegetables. And yes, you're right, intermittent fasting is great.

Your videos are clear and the exercises you provide require only basic equipment. I've only been watching your channel for a short time, but already I'm recommending them to family and friends. Thanks for posting! One question about counting calories: it's quite simple for packaged food. How do I do that with homemade food? Things like stew or cake.

EXCELLENT explanation skills❤

I am appreciatiating the videos on HT Physio as I am plannning to introduce regular stretching exercises. Healthy diet and exercise comes down to changing bad habits for good ones. Keep it simple such as make up your mind not to buy unhealthy food and drink when out shopping. If it isn't avaiable at home then you can't have any. Don't get too obsessed with calorie counting.

I can't say enough about the importance of tracking. Every time I have lost weight, I've been tracking; every time I stop, even when I think I am making decent choices, I gain weight. I HATE doing it but it's the only thing that works for me! As we age, we just lose that "margin of error" that we once had when we were younger, more active, and had a bit higher metabolism. All that being said- move, move, move. I discovered just today that a 45 minute walk burns 80 more calories for me than a 30 minute indoor cycling session, at least they way I do it. Hmm...

Cut out sugar, cut the carbs (they're just sugar strung together) to the bone, and you don't need to count calories. In fact, counting calories is old-style, 1970's era, Ansel-Keyes-level twaddle. Don't eat anything from the supermarket that you couldn't make, yourself, in your own kitchen.

I agree with everything you said except daily weighing. If you are on a weight loss program of any kind you will hit a plateau at some point. It can last up to a month, and it's very discouraging. I weigh once a month and always have positive weight loss. My problem is always after the weight is off, i go back to my old habits. Losing weight is simple...eat less..move more!

Intermittent fasting done well allows me to eat more of less food, feeling satisfied. I like his warning. Keeping a cheat meal every long while, fills my muscles with energy.

You omitted two important things. One is the importance of sleep. When you’re young, you can get away with 6 hours of sleep. But I think after the age of 40, 7-8 hours of sleep is a must. You can eat a healthy diet, exercise, and avoid alcohol. But if you’re not getting enough sleep, you’ll have a much harder time losing fat. Second is food quality, which is far more important than calories. Alcohol is damaging to the body. But so is sugar, trans fats, and for many people, gluten. Again, you can get away with these things when you’re young. But when you’re older, the body is far less forgiving.

I'll be 72 next month. I started the Zoe Intermittent Fasting study (it was free) 25th October 2022. My timings have easily evolved to consuming calories within a 6 to 7 hour period, & no calories for the rest of the time (this means no milk in beverages!). So I switched to 2 meals a day, usually ending by 7 pm, cut out snacking between meals, & no evening alcohol after my 6 pm meal. I weigh weekly or fortnightly as my weight varies by 1 or 2 pounds in that time. No significant weight loss for 1st 3 months, then I gradually lost over a stone. Even better I took 3 inches off my belly (measured 2 inches about navel). I tend to end eating with a small handful of mixed nuts. This has worked for me, & I feel so much better, I was a bit low after having a slipped disc 3 years ago & being told about a new reality - I've taken control. I've also returned to playing table tennis after a break of 48 years - 2 or 3 bouts of 2.5 hours!

what is the app tracking calories? thank you!!!

I’m 66 and have been focusing on my diet for the last two years. 30 year plan based on my family longevity. Love your channel. Just tried to order your spiral bound book and not available in Canada :(

I have to comment about protein, this seems to be a real concern for people, I am often asked "Where do you get your protein?!" I get it from my whole plant food, we don't need a lot of protein and hardly anyone suffers from deficiency, it seems to be a bit of an obsession in the health world. It's far more important to get enough fibre, which very few people do on an animal-based diet as animal products contain no fibre whatsoever. Beans and other legumes are a great source of protein and if you introduce them gradually into your diet you'll have no problem with passing wind as your microbiome will adapt to it.

You'd be surprised how many kcals you can intake, even if you are doing OMAD. Ditch the scales for the reflection of the mirror and how your clothes fit esp around the waist.

Just came across your

I like your sciatica videos, but calories in / calories out is overly simplistic; hormones control what happens to the food that you eat. If I eat 2000 calories of doughnuts, or 2000 calories of salmon, my body will see and treat those foods very differently and my weight will not be the same on those two options.

I wonder if all calories are the same, I was on a potato-cleansing diet and ate all the potatoes I wanted (no fat) and lost weight so fast, it was unbelievable. This last year, I put fats back into my diet. I haven't eaten fats in decades, and the calories were restricted, yet I gained weight faster than I expected. Same with bread, if I eat bread, I know I will gain weight. I don't eat meat, proteins give me kidney pain, the reason that I went mostly vegetarian, People can't believe I am 80, I've been on a vegetarian sort of diet since my 20s. I'm giving up the fats, and bread, once again, it's not worth the extra weight. I don't have a scale, my clothes tell me all I need to know.

My poor husband thought he was being health conscious buying frozen yogurt, nay, sucrose crap and it never leaves the body (I abstained, somehow it never appealed to me) this morn I learnt artificial sweeteners have a higher sugary taste (course they do)..

Will, i have OA in knees medial side , I am watching and implementing your videos. Xray showing reduction in the gap.because of cartilage wear and tear... After i started following your videos, the pain has decreased during daytime, but at the night when I go to sleep, the inner side of my knees have burning pain which is unbearable. Can you please suggest me something for it ? Please...

Imho, a missing point here is the difference between calories consumed and calories appropriated by our body. Sometimes, the numbers are very different as far as I understand

I’ve been doing Intermittent Fasting for some time now and love the results. However, I find it hard to increase protein intake to the recommended amount for my body weight and goals, as I’m not hungry at all. Any suggestions?

Are the numbers mentioned "calories" or "kilocalories"? Thx!

Every where I look at low carb diets, eggs are suggested for breakfast. Is there something else???

Is there a way to gain muscle and loose weight (fat)? In one video, you seemed to suggest a calorie surplus for those who want to gain muscle. In this video, you suggest a calorie deficit in order to loose fat. What to do calorie wise, if I want to gain muscle and reduce fat at the same time?

I have found that cravings for sugary, fatty foods have stopped now that I'm eating more protein.

Oh dear Will, my heart sank when you said it's all about CALORIE counting! So old hat. At least some of your other advice was okayish.

Great advice but when you have had your thyroid removed and have tried everything to loose weight it doesn't work sadly. Once the consultant get you off there books and put you in the GP's hands you do not get any help to normalise your hormones you just have to get on with it.

Only thing that works for me is 36 hour fasts once a week

Easy way get to healthy.... Cut sugar,Starch eg. Rice Pasta Bread etc.Dont snack.Keep moving.Eat More Meat less Vegetables OR try Keto.🎉🎉

But how do we remove fat from the torso yet put weight on in the butt and legs, especially with the over fifties ladies? No hormones, please. I'm skinny, and I actually WANT to put on weight, mostly in the legs/butt/hips area. But everytime I put on weight, it goes only to my torso! The weight distribution is all wrong since getting older. Does anyone have any tips? It would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

I have a worry with weighing. 1 litre of water is 1kg. So a drink before weighing can make the figures wonky. Better to see if your clothes fit easier. And some on diets conserve fat (an evolutionary benefit) and slow down their metabolism. A longterm approach is best.

Well, #1 is the thing I hate the most. And yes, I have My Fitness Pal to log in so my remote personal trainer can yell at me.

Cut out sugar in your diet

I think as a ‘general’ rule, calories in calories out has to be correct. Look at prisoners of war in recent history who were not fed very much. What happened? They lost a lot of weight! If we get too complicated we become faddy eaters and obsessed with types of diets. Common sense is all you need. The present obesity crisis is caused by simply eating too much and rubbish to boot. I was raised during rationing after WW2 and everyone was slim then.

I love your exercise/fitness videos but I'm a bit disappointed that a health professional like you is still pushing the whole calories in/calories out ideology re: weight loss. You're usually so research focused, which makes this even more puzzling.

"Maintain a calorie deficit". Don't eat calories, just eat real food. There is no need to count calories if you eat real food, just eat to satiety, simple. You can always reduce your calories intake from 2500 to 2000 but if most of these calories come from sugar, flour, seed oils, granola, ice-creams, pizza and other ultra-processed foods it won't be great for your health anyway. The 500 fewer calories will just reduce your basal metabolism: you'll be probably hungry and maybe cold all the time. Worse, if you can lose some weight at first you will regain it (if not more of it) once your metabolism has adapted to the "deficit", soon or later. Counting calories is total a waste of time.

DO NOT COUNT CALORIES EVER. EAT HEALTHY MEAT EGGS SEAFOOD & fats till full. 2 meals. Intermittent fasting.

You obviously don’t know anything about nutrition . It’s carbohydrates, sugars and alcohol that make people fat. I’ve lost 48 pounds with a ketogenic diet and never tracked calories. Once your hunger signals allow you to self regulate there is no need at all . Do you think animals in nature need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight ? It’s the carbs and sugars that completely throw you off course. I wrote a small post it to a friend : 200/300 grams protein ( meat , fish , eggs , cheese) , 200 /300 grams veggies all except potatoes. No pulses t( 70% carbs) , no fruit except berries. He lost 30 kg ( 60 pounds roughly) . If you want the explanation as to why this works watch FAT FICTION on RU-vid. Don’t make things so complicated!!!!!!!!!!

You are not correct. Calories in calories out does nothing for weight loss. Many studies have proven this.

3 minutes in and your video is so out of date. You really need to update your knowledge if you are going to advise people. Calories are largely meaningless relative to the other factors. Learn about insulin, eating frequency, and the difference between carbs, fats, and protein with respect to diet. This is the first of your videos that was disappointing so in general I think your content is very good but you should stick to things you know about. If someone tells you they are a nutritionist run.

i am over 77 thanks have fun

The body adapts to any form of energy - if you reduce the number of calories the body will get used to it and develop fats even with a low number of calories. So the whole issue of calories is really not relevant in itself but as an addition to other things. So reducing the number of calories puts the body under pressure and it excretes more calories in favor of storage for a worse future. A reduction in the number of calories signals to the body that there is a difficult period and it must adapt to it - by increasing fat for future use

Comment...handsome.🤣