If You Are Over 40 And Can't Lose Weight? You Are Not Alone....

When I was young enough to think that the age of 40 was prehistoric, I was convinced that the worst thing about getting old was becoming dull and boring - Having supper at 5:00, clipping toenails to the dusty voices of ancient news anchors on 60 Minutes, nagging people to put chew with their mouths closed and turn off the lights when you leave the room, for Pete's sake!

Now, of course, I know what really happens when you get old.

  Sure you get dull and boring, but something worse happens: Sudden, instant weight gain. It happens deep in the night, just after your 40th birthday. The Middle-Age Fairy creeps into your room and loads an extra 5 or 10 pounds right around your belly.  This mysterious fat not only appears without warning, it's also immune to both diet and exercise.

What happens to our bodies after 40 is a trifecta, maybe even a superfecta, of weight gain: Hormones change, metabolism drops and we start to lose a little muscle each year. If you're genetically predisposed to gain weight easily, that may be another strike against you. And the worst part? Even if you don't actually gain weight, you may still gain inches around the waist.  Not fair, I know.

This weight gain can be so frustrating, it's easy to become obsessed with losing it, starving yourself or exercising too much or maybe even looking into the latest plastic surgery procedure.


 But, is that really necessary? Isn't there something we can do about gaining weight after 40? There is and it starts with understanding just what's going on with your body.

Why we gain weight after 40

So, why do we start gaining weight after 40?  There is a multitude of reasons and some of it does depend on lifestyle choices.

  However, the Big Four include:

Hormones: One of the main culprits for weight gain is, of course, our hormones, which start to change right around the mid-30s and into the 40s. This change in hormones, less estrogen for women and less testosterone for men, causes the fat to shift to the middle of the body while abandoning other areas of the body you could care less about. That's one reason you may get a little fluffier around the middle while other parts of you actually get smaller.
Heredity:  Scientists have found the specific genes that determine how many fat cells we have and where they're stored. So, yes, you should feel free to call your parents every so often to thank them for your saddlebags, love handles, etc.
Lower Metabolism: There are a couple of annoying things that happen to your metabolism after the age of 40. First, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) decreases and, second, you expend less total energy (TEE) during exercise. Some experts suggest metabolism can decrease by about 5% for every decade after 40, which means you need about 60-100 fewer calories every 10 years.  If you sit more, eat more, exercise less and deal with more stress throughout that decade, you'll probably need even fewer calories than that. Add that to the fact that you burn fewer calories during exercise and you've got yourself an equation for weight gain.

Loss of muscle:  Like our metabolisms, we also start to lose muscle when we hit our 40s, experiencing a steady decline each decade. Part of this, scientists believe, is that the motor units that make up our muscles decline as we age and that those motor units don't always fire with the same regularity. However, the important takeaway here is this: The biggest factor in losing muscle is the lack of physical activity, which makes exercise a crucial component when it comes to preventing muscle loss.

Of course, just how much each of these contributes to weight gain isn't something we can measure or, often, control.  What we can do is take this knowledge and use it to our advantage, working with our bodies rather than fighting them.  Next:  What to do if you already exercise.

Part 1:  I'm over 40 and I can't lose weight!
Part 2:  I already exercise...how can I stop gaining weight?
Part 3:  I'm not an exerciser...how can I lose weight?

What if I already exercise? How can I stop gaining weight?

If you've managed to keep your weight the same over the years with exercise, it can be a rude awakening when you get into your 40s and 50s.  It isn't so much that you gain weight, it's more that your weight shifts into different places.  Suddenly, the pants you've been wearing for years just don't fit right and you may wonder:  What am I doing wrong?

If you exercise and eat right, you're not doing anything wrong, it's just those age-related changes happening.  And, think about it...if you already exercise to maintain a healthy weight, you're in a much better position than someone who hits 40 with a weight problem. Small comfort, I know.  The fact is, living a healthy lifestyle doesn't protect us entirely from age-related weight changes.

In one study published in The International Journal of Obesity, researchers followed more than 12,000 runners and found this thrilling conclusion: "Age-related weight gain occurs even among the most active individuals when exercise is constant." Of course, this study didn't include people who lift weights, which may have an impact on weight loss.

The question is: If you already exercise every day, is there anything you can do to burn more calories?

It's possible, but this comes with a warning: We may need more exercise to manage weight as we get older, but our bodies typically tolerate less strenuous exercise as we get older as well.

By our 40s and 50s, many of us are dealing with chronic injuries, stress, fatigue, busy jobs and family life and, perhaps, less time and energy than ever to exercise.

Knowing that, if you really want to increase your exercise and/or intensity, there are some options for bumping up your calorie-burn.

Over 40 Weight Loss Tips for Exercisers

Try High-Intensity Interval Training - Tabata, interval training or metabolic conditioning workouts are designed to burn more calories and push you to your limits.
Try Circuit Training - Mixing up cardio and strength together keeps your heart rate elevated, helping you build endurance and strength while burning more calories.
Add more time to your workouts - For example, if you usually workout for an hour, add 10 minutes to 1 to 2 workouts each week.
Add more frequency - If you can, add a day of exercise or you could even consider 2-a-days once in a while to pump up your calorie burn for the week - Doing double cardio or a cardio workout in the morning and strength later that day.
Be more active - Sometimes, just adding a couple of walks each day can help you manage your calories without going overboard with exercise. Try using a pedometer or tracker to see how many steps you can get each day.
Change your diet - You know the drill when it comes to a healthy diet, right? Cut out the sugar and the processed carbs. Eat more vegetables and fiber and cut out the alcohol (I know..that's a tough one). Sometimes a little tweaking here and there, without starving yourself, can help you eek out a few more calories each week.

Hire a trainer - If you've tried everything, maybe it's time to see an expert and get more specific advice for your situation.
See your doctor - If you're killing yourself and still not seeing any changes, see your doctor and get checked out. Discuss the possible reasons for your weight gain or plateau and see if there are some solutions out there. Is one of your medications contributing? Maybe you could try something different.

Whatever changes you make, don't overdo. Listen to your body and back off if you start to feel any symptoms of over training.  It's always best to gradually add more intensity and/or exercise into your routine a few minutes at a time.

So, what if you're a yo-yo exerciser heading into your 40s or 50s and fighting age-related weight gain?  How can you get into a consistent program to manage your weight?  Next, losing weight for the inconsistent exerciser.

Part 1:  I'm over 40 and I can't lose weight!
Part 2:  I already exercise...how can I stop gaining weight?
Part 3:  I'm not an exerciser...how can I lose weight?

If you're not a consistent exerciser, you may be tempted to do a bunch of crazy workouts to deal with weight gain. Try not to give into that temptation because, for one, it's easy to injury yourself.  Second, all that exercise may not give you what you want.  The fact is, exercise doesn't always work the same way on a 40-something-year-old body as it does on a younger body. 

Remember when you were 12 and could eat anything you wanted or when you were 20 and could do 10 crunches and lose, like 5 pounds instantly?

Those were the days, weren't they?  Fast forward to now and the reality is much different. The American College of Sports Medicine said it best in their article, "Exercise and Age-Related Weight Gain,"

"Regular physical activity may be useful in minimizing age-related weight gain or reducing the risk of substantial weight gain, rather than in actually promoting weight loss."

What does that mean for you? That the weight loss process naturally becomes harder as you get older...that's just a fact and accepting it means you can stop punishing yourself or feeling ashamed about your body. Instead of focusing on the negative, focus on the things you can control: Your workouts, activity levels, diet, stress management, sleep management and, most important, your attitude.

There's more to life than losing weight. Is it time to change your goal?

If you're experiencing some of that age-related weight gain, it's easy to panic and start obsessing, restricting and, maybe, exercising like crazy to get rid of it.

Maybe that works for some people, but you can't live that way forever and life isn't much fun if you're worried about every single bite or every single minute of your workouts.

We have a choice in how we deal with age-related weight gain, even if it doesn't feel that way. We even have a choice to completely give up on weight loss and focus on something entirely different.

That doesn't mean giving up all things healthy to sit at home in your sweatpants eating Oreos and zoning out on daytime TV. It means stopping the fixation on the scale and focusing on the things that really matter - How you feel and how you function.

With that in mind, consider this: Your goal doesn't have to be to lose weight. It's probably foreign to most of us, this idea of not working towards weight loss every single day, but taking your weight out of the equation opens the door for so many more options. Without weight loss as your primary goal, what could you attain?

Think about that as you consider all of your options, including:

Option 1: I want to lose this stupid age-weight - If you really want to go for weight loss, you're going to have to work at it and you're going to have to work harder than ever, doing up to 350 minutes of exercise each week. We have to exercise more frequently and more vigorously to compensate for the typical weight gain associated with aging. There are some important points to consider if you go this route:  1. More work won't necessarily bring the changes you're looking for and there's always the chance of injury, burnout and over training, not to mention frustration. 2.  If you don't already exercise, you're going to have to start at the beginning and work your way up to more vigorous exercise over time. How much exercise you need is an individual thing


Option 2: I'm doing as much as I can stand...maybe I should work on preventing more weight gain - While weight loss can require up to 350 minutes of exercise weekly, preventing weight gain allows a more moderate approach, focusing on about 150-250 minutes of exercise each week, a more approachable goal if you have a busy schedule or you're a beginner. 


Option 3: Forget about losing weight. I just want to be healthy and feel good - Focusing on being healthy means getting about 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day. This level of exercise can keep your heart healthy and work on things like lowering your cholesterol and/or blood pressure. This is a great place to start if you're getting into exercise after a long break.  There's no reason you can't start here and progress to more intense goals as you build strength and endurance.


The Bottom Line

The important takeaway from all of this is this:  We can only control so much of what happens to our bodies as we age.  Some things are going to sag or soften or wrinkle no matter what we do, but it's much easier to find some acceptance of our bodies if we do everything we can to keep them healthy and fit. Aging is going to happen.  The question is, can you age more gracefully?


Thanks for Reading.................

How Tilapia is a More Unhealthy Food Than Bacon

The true chicken-of-the-sea, tilapia is a mild-tasting white fish that’s cheap to breed and easy to sell.
In fact, for the first time in 2012, farmed fish production topped that of beef, reaching a record 66 million tons, compared with beef at 63 million. But there’s a dirty secret about tilapia, the lean-meat alternative that beckons you in the supermarket–promises of weight loss, a healthy heart and beautiful skin ringing in your ears. While most health experts agree we should be eating more fish (for all the reasons listed above), and my body has not built up an allergic reaction to it. Modern research has found the inflammatory potential of farmed tilapia to be greater than a burger, doughnuts—even pork bacon! It gets worse …

It's the Worst Kind of Fat

Compared with other fish, farmed tilapia contains relatively small amounts of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids–the heart-healthy and essential fish oils touted by health and nutrition experts as the main reason to eat fish frequently. While a portion of salmon has over 2,000 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, a serving of tilapia has a mere 135 milligrams. Moreover, because farmed tilapia subsist on a diet of corn and soy instead of lake plants, they’re proportionally sky high in omega-6 fats, which studies have proven to harm the heart, the brain, and even your mood. The Wake Forest University study that produced the tilapia vs. bacon findings revolves around this dangerous omega 6:3 proportion.

They Have the Crappiest Diet

There’s a good chance the tilapia on your plate was raised on a poop diet (that’s poop as a noun, not an adjective). Research from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future revealed the gory details of disease-ridden fish farms in Asia, where pig and chicken feces serve as a cheaper alternative to standard fish food. While the FDA vehemently denied any of these goings-on, the Johns Hopkins investigation revealed only 2 percent of imported seafood to the United States is actually tested for contamination. It’s not just mega gross. Experts worry that the large amounts of antibiotics given to the fish to ward off infections may give rise to antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella.

They've Had a Sex Change

Virtually all tilapia sold in American supermarkets has undergone a sex change–the result of being fed methyltestosterone during the early, sexless stage of life. Tilapia pumped full of hormones grow bigger quicker than their natural bros, because they don’t expend energy developing reproductive organs and require less food. Seafood experts consider the effects of methyltestosterone in fish to be insignificant to our health. However, there’s research to suggest the drug can be highly toxic to the liver. In fact, methyltestosterone has been taken off the market in Germany due to its high potential for liver toxicity.

They Cause a Negative Environmental Impact

Environmentalists argue that intensive and unregulated tilapia farming is damaging ecosystems, leaving dead lakes and extinct species in poor countries with practices prohibited in the United States. In Nicaragua, for example, huge numbers of fish are bred in cages, where fish waste pollutes the lake water. Such was the case at Lake Apoyo, where pollution killed off the aquatic plants, leaving the lake a wasteland.

Eat This, Not Tilapia!

When it comes to choosing a fish that qualifies as one of the foods that will help you lose weight and one of the healthiest for your body—and the Earth—abide by the number one rule: Stay off the farm. Farmed seafood, not just tilapia, can have up to 10 times more toxins than wild fish, according to Harvard Researchers. Your best choices at the fish counter include: Wild Alaskan Salmon, Alaska Pollok, Atlantic Cod, Clams, Blue Crab, Atlantic Mackerel, Striped Bass, Sardines, Herring, Rainbow Trout and Flounder.

Thanks for Reading..........

10 Easy Ways for How to Reset Your Diet

Summer is almost over and Back to school is around the corner.  You're back home after a much-needed vacation feeling rested and recovered. Oh and with a completely derailed diet.
Whatever your R&R of choice—whether it was a week in the tropics or a holiday weekend at the shore—when you think of a bikini-clad vacation, there are many things you do want: to catch up on sleep, read a new book, spend time with your friends and family, and enjoy the outdoors. A paunchy belly is not one of the things on your wishlist.
We totally get that time off from work might feel like time to treat yourself (you've earned it, right?), but that doesn't mean you have a free pass to go overboard. Unfortunately, the deadly duo of your toes in the sand and a cold one in your hand is the kill-switch that causes many of us to throw our diets by the wayside. It may not wreck our health, but a long weekend spent indulging in booze and burgers day-in and day-out can spell bad news for your belly—leaving you looking a bit less chiseled than you did before you left the house.
In fact, according to a study done by the University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Americans gain an average of one pound during their one to three week-long vacations—and that weight sticks around even after six weeks of being home. A mere pound may not seem like much, but keep in mind one to two pounds are typically gained over an entire year! Don't feel too guilty, though; the good news is there are easy ways to ditch the fresh flab and revitalize your neglected diet. So what can you do to bounce back to your better-body self? Lets Go over some ways to cure this.

1

Get Back To
Your Routine

Take a shower when you get home. Unpack your bags. Set your A.M. alarm. Have a cup of tea before bed. Set yourself up to be able to do whatever it is you normally do every day. This way, you'll be able to shift yourself—and your body—back into fit mode.

Eat This! Tip:

You might be wiped, but unpacking your bags on day one will ensure you have clean clothes for the week ahead, will clear your mind and the stress you may have later in the week about the extra load you'll have to do (on top of the work your boss just sprung on you), and it's a good way to remind yourself you're no longer on vacation. Once that's done, make a point to get to bed at the same time you normally would before work—even if you get home from being away a day early. Studies have found that those who keep the same sleep-wake cycles are more rested and less apt to have their diets undermined by exhaustion-induced munchies.

2

Go Grocery
Shopping

If you've been away for more than a couple days, you likely don't have much left in your fridge upon getting home. Rather than the easy solution of just picking up the phone to order take-out, muster up the willpower to go grocery shopping. (Yes, even if you still have these 35 Healthy Foods Busy People Keep Stocked in your kitchen—you're in need of some fresh foods.) Having fresh, healthy items in your fridge for the first few days home will ensure you stick to your diet—rather than continue on the indulgent path you led while away.

Eat This! Tip:

Your first meal back doesn't have to be anything crazy—just stick to your favorite go-to busy weeknight meal. If you don't have one, don't fret. We're fans of herb-and-lemon marinated chicken breasts with a side of roasted veggies. The best part? Every ingredient can be thrown on a sheet pan and baked for a quick meal and even quicker cleanup.

3

Prioritize
Produce

Your days of beers and buffets are long gone. Ensuring healthy items are the most convenient foods in your fridge when you get home will make it even easier to get back on track by encouraging you to make healthy choices.

Eat This! Tip:

Keep pre-cut veggies with hummus in the front of your fridge, put a bowl of fresh fruit on your counter, and hide treats like cookies, candy, and chips on a high shelf and behind healthy foods so they are out of sight and out of mind.

4

Don't Reach
for the Remote

When you get home after a long trip, it's natural to want to relax (even though we hope you got enough of that on your vacay!). But just because you're tired from traveling doesn't mean your first instinct should be to click on the TV and get settled for a long binge-watch—especially if you're feeling hungry. A University of Houston study found that the more TV people watched in a setting, the worse their food choices became. So even though you think it might be the best way to decompress after a busy weekend, a couple hours of your favorite show could set you back even more calories on top of an already indulgent weekend.

Eat This! Tip:

If you're definitely going to watch a show when you get home, keep it to a 30-minute limit. Looking for other ways to stay busy? Go back to tip #1 and do things that will help your body get back on track! Unpack your things, go grocery shopping, reorganize your kitchen. Or if you just want to relax, read a book, play a board game with your family, or listen to music.

5

Nix Added
Sugar

Downing pina coladas and crème brule on vacation only adds fuel to the weight-inducing inflammation fire. That's because table sugar—which is made up of equal parts glucose and fructose—boosts inflammation in two ways. Glucose, when eaten in excess (even during a single sitting of daiquiris on the dock), can increase levels of pro-inflammatory messengers called cytokines. Concurrently, fructose is the sugar molecule which most easily creates advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the blood. AGEs occur when fructose causes proteins to haphazardly glom together, creating cellular junk that your body tries to dispose of by increasing defensive receptors and more inflammation markers. While it may be challenging, nixing the sweet stuff when you're back at home is a great way to shed those unwelcome belly jiggles.

Eat This! Tip:

Eliminating added sugars and foods made with white flour can help you get back on the weight-loss bandwagon because it'll stop stoking your inflammation fire and encourage you to eat healthier foods—many of which actually decrease inflammation. A simple swap is subbing out high-glycemic foods (which spike and crash blood sugar) for low GI alternatives, like whole grains and foods with healthy fats, protein, and fibers. A study in the Journal of Nutrition actually found that a low-GI diet reduced levels of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein.

6

Make Sure
to Hydrate

Boozing on vacay and flying home from the trip both cause dehydration, which can increase hunger and cause poor circulation. In turn, you'll likely feel bloated and really sleepy. And that's not all. Add a calendar reminder or set an alarm every few hours to remind yourself to hydrate! Aim to consume half of your body weight in ounces throughout the course of the day. You'll likely feel rehydrate after a few days of this regimen.

Eat This! Tip:

The easiest way to hydrate is by drinking a cup of water upon waking. New research from the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics showed that people who increased their water by a mere cup a day ate up to 205 fewer calories and 200 fewer milligrams of sodium daily. So not only will sipping on an extra 8 ounces in the A.M. help you minimize overeating to shed that extra vacay pound, it will also boost your energy and help your body flush out salt and leftovers that are lingering in your colon.

7&8

Resume
—and amp up—
Your Exercise
Routine

Getting back into your exercise routine will be a huge help in shedding those pesky post-vacation pounds. Many of us "forget" to pack our sneakers and gym clothes when we go on vacation, leaving us few options when it comes to maintaining our fitness routine. According to experts, taking a week off won't cause you to lose all your strength and endurance, but this break will cut down 50 percent of the improvements you made in the weeks prior—making it feel like you've reached a weight-loss plateau. To counter it, be sure to head back to the gym, and begin with higher intensity workouts than you may have been doing to activate new muscles and ramp up the calorie burn.

Eat This! Tip:

"The most effective workouts are high intensity and combine a bit of cardio and weight training," explains Kaufman. Check out classes like cardio-boxing or boot camps, which are typically held at local gyms but can also be found in online videos. Just remember, while no amount of fitness will undo a bad diet on its own, when you get back into a weekly exercise routine and make a point of incorporating in some extra-intense drills, you'll be fueling your diet-centric weight-loss efforts. Cycling in new, high-intensity exercises often in your exercise routine is also a critical step in ensuring you don't regain lost weight.

9

Catch Up
On Sleep

Whether it's because you never seem to sleep well unless you're in your own bed or because you're totally wiped from all the sun you've gotten over the past few days, you may return home from your trip feeling both exhausted and a little softer around the middle. Why? When we're sleepy, the production of leptin (the hormone that tells us we're full) decreases, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. Not cool. To help the weight back come off, be sure to fit in between six and eight hours of sleep per night once you're back home.

Eat This! Tip:

If you've got your goals set on getting back to your more slender self, cut your nightly Netflix session short an hour before bed—it'll minimize your exposure to melatonin-disrupting blue light and remove stimulation which keeps your brain awake.

10

Boost Your
Immune System

Travel is immensely taxing on your body—even just the sitting in a car for hours part. That's because coordinating schedules, packing, leaving home, all cause stress along with the need to constantly be alert. All that on top of lounging in the sun all day, working up a sweat hiking around town, and a lack of sleep causes your body's energy stores to become depleted and your immune system is put in jeopardy. To compensate for a lack of cold-fighting-power, try to emphasize fruits, veggies, and meat-replacing legumes at each meal to boost your immune system, while staying away from calorie-dense items, ultra-processed foods, and animal products. This will help you maximize fiber intake and detoxification.

Eat This! Tip:

Medicating with vitamins from whole foods is much better than meds when it comes to rebooting a compromised immune system. And blueberries are one of your best options: researchers from Oregon State University recently took a look at over 400 compounds for their ability to boost the immune system. The standout? A compound called pterostilbene, which is found in abundance in the little blue fruits.

These were a few jump starts that can get your body back into a normal routine.  Play with these steps along with CUTTING BACK ON ALCOHOL and you should see your body gradually getting back to normal.

Thanks for Reading............

Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sugar

Are you Really Ready for this?????

Sugar is delicious. Anyone who denies that is lying. But because life is unfair, sugar, especially in copious amounts, is really bad for your health. In fact, once you learn about all the ways sugar impacts your body, it’s difficult to look at it the same way (despite knowing how heavenly it tastes).

So how do you know if you’re eating too much? Here are eight red flags your body is sending you that it’s time to cut back on the sweet stuff.

1. You constantly crave sugary things.

The more sugar you eat, the more you’ll crave it. “More cravings then equal consuming more sugar—it becomes a vicious and addictive cycle,” Brooke Alpert, M.S., R.D., author of The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great and Look Years Younger, tells SELF. This isn’t just because your taste buds have adapted and left you needing more and more to get that same taste, but also because of how sugar gives you a high followed by a crash, just like an actual drug. “By eating a high sugar diet, you cause a hormonal response in your body that’s like a wave, it brings you up and then you crash down and it triggers your body to want more sugar.”

2. You feel sluggish throughout the day.

What goes up must come down. After sugar causes an initial spike of insulin and that “high” feeling, it causes an inevitable crash. “Energy is most stable when blood sugar is stable, so when you’re consuming too much sugar, the highs and lows of your blood sugar lead to highs and lows of energy,” Alpert says. Eating a lot of sugar also means it’s likely you’re not eating enough protein and fiber, both important nutrients for sustained energy.

3. Your skin won’t stop breaking out.

“Some people are sensitive to getting a spike in insulin from sugar intake, which can set off a hormonal cascade that can lead to a breakout like acne or rosacea,” Rebecca Kazin, M.D., of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and the Johns Hopkins department of dermatology, tells SELF. A sugar binge can show up on your face in just a few days. If your skin’s unruly, Kazin recommends reassessing your diet, otherwise “you may be treating skin for other issues without getting to the bottom of what’s really going on.”

4. You’re way moodier than usual.

The blood sugar crash that happens when you’re coming off a sugar high can cause mood swings and leave you feeling crabby. Not to mention, if your energy is also tanking, that just contributes to a bad attitude.

5. You’ve been putting on some weight.

Excess sugar is excess calories, and since it has no protein or fiber, it doesn’t fill you up (so you just keep eating it). It also triggers the release of insulin, a hormone that plays a big role in weight gain. When we eat sugar, the pancreas releases insulin, which carries sugar to our organs so it can be used for energy. When you load up on sugar, your body’s told to produce more insulin—over time, that excessive output can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means our bodies can’t respond to normal amounts of insulin properly and therefore can’t use sugar the right way. The initial weight gain from simply eating too many calories from sugar is being compounded by the disruption to your normal insulin response (there’s a link between insulin resistance and obesity). What’s more, when the pancreas works in overdrive for too long you can develop diabetes.

6. You’ve been getting more cavities.

When bacteria chow down on food particles in between the teeth, acid is produced, which causes tooth decay. Our saliva maintains a healthy balance of bacteria on its own, but eating sugar can impact the pH and throw off the natural ecosystem. This gives the bacteria a chance to thrive and multiply, leading to cavities.

7. Your brain tends to get foggy, especially after a meal.

This fog is a common symptom of low blood sugar. When you eat a lot of sugar, your blood sugar levels rapidly rise and fall instead of gradually doing so. “Poor blood sugar control is a major risk for cognitive issues and impairment,” says Alpert.

8. Nothing tastes as sweet as it used to.

“Eating too much sugar basically bombards your taste buds,” Alpert says. “This sugar overkill causes your taste bud sugar tolerance to go up, so you need more and more sugar to satisfy that sweet craving.” When your taste buds need lots of sugar to feel like something is sweet enough, it can be tough to lower your base level. However, it you cut back and suffer through it in the beginning, you’ll eventually lower your tolerance again and be content with minimal sugar. You might even start to feel like things are too sweet for you and—gasp!—be happier consuming sugar in moderation.

Thanks For Reading.........

CPR Instructional Video 2015

30 Foods You Should Never Eat After Age 30

The best part about being a grown-up is having the freedom to do—and eat—whatever you want. Pizza for breakfast? Yolo. But when the muffin tops and man boobs start to appear, it can be a rude wake-up call that many foods aren’t without consequence.
Even if you don’t feel any different than you did in your teens and twenties, the body changes in ways that make it harder to lose weight and remain in good health. To help you age gracefully into a body you’ll want to flaunt no matter how many years go by, the Eat This, Not That! research team dug into the science of aging and nutrition to uncover the foods that should never pass your lips after you’ve celebrated the big 3-0.

1

FLAVORED
YOGURT

Even if you've started slathering on the wrinkle cream, no product changes the fact that your skin is beginning to age. After 30, collagen production slows and elastin—the protein that keeps skin firm—begins to break down, causing fine lines to form. Although it’s impossible to stop the aging process, it’s possible to keep your youthful complexion later into life by cutting back on sugar, a nutrient that’s been shown to accelerate wrinkling and sagging. Already cutting back on candy and cookies? Don’t assume you’re in the clear. Many sources of the sweet stuff are hiding in less obvious places like bread, ketchup, and flavored yogurts. Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom flavored yogurt line, for example, has about 24 grams—or an entire day’s worth—of sugar in each 6-ounce container. That’s more sugar than you’d find in an entire bag of Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms!

Eat This! Tip

Calm your sugar cravings by snacking on a sweet piece of fruit. We’re fans of all produce, but bananas are, hands down, one of our favorites.

2

CANNED
SOUP

A cutting-edge study published in 2013 found a connection between high blood pressure and skin aging. Compared to their older-looking counterparts, female study participants with fewer wrinkles also had lower blood pressure. Although the connection between the two issues remains unclear, there’s no harm in cutting back on sodium, a mineral that’s known to raise blood pressure. Not sure how to start scaling back? Head to your pantry and take a hard look at your shelf-stable soups. U.S. guidelines call for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, but many popular cans carry 40 percent of the day’s recommended salt intake in just one serving. But that’s not the only reason you should stay away from the stuff. Many soup cans are laced with BPA, a chemical that’s been linked to cancer, infertility, and weight gain. Our suggestion:

3 & 4

POP-TARTS &
BREAKFAST PASTRIES

Put your hands behind your head and step away from the Pop-Tarts—and all of those sugary muffins and scones, too. You’re a grown up now; it’s time to start eating like one. Most sweet a.m. treats pack over a day’s worth of sugar into a standard sized serving that spells trouble if you want to become a parent one day and live to see your kids grow up. Sugary diets cause a slew of health problems, including insulin resistance, which can lead to PCOS, a condition that’s been linked to female infertility. And if you’re lucky enough to start a family despite your diet, your sugar habit may lower the odds you’ll live long enough to see your little one grow up. People who consume between 17 and 21 percent of their daily calories from added sugar have a 38 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared with people who consumed 8 percent or less of their calories from added sugar, according to recent findings.

5

SPECIAL K
PROTEIN BARS

Fructose, dextrose, glycerin, sorbitol, zinc oxide, whey protein, palm oil. No, that isn’t the recipe for your niece’s Silly Putty, those are just some of the ingredients that go into Special K’s meal replacement bar. Appetizing, right? “While younger folks can get away with skipping breakfast or simply eating a starchy ‘weight loss’ cereal or bar, research suggests that eating 20 to 30 grams of protein at each meal is ideal—especially as we age,” explains Chris Mohr, former sports nutritionist for the Cincinnati Bengals. Aside from its Frankenfood ingredients and high sugar count, Special K’s not-so-special bar only packs 10 grams of protein, which won’t do much in terms of keeping you full and satisfied until lunch. If you typically reach for a bar like this, swap it out for a homemade protein shake.

6

COLA

If you and your spouse are thinking about starting a family, consider soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi your archenemies. The reason? They're laced with potentially cancer-causing dyes and are the primary source of added sugar in the American diet. And not only does sugar negatively impact ovulation, but it's also been linked to poorer sperm motility, too. Simply put, sipping the stuff may make it more difficult for you to conceive. Wondering which foods can make it easier?

7

OREOS

Whether you like Red Velvet Oreos, the Birthday Cake variety or can’t live without the Mega-Stuff, all of Nabisco’s twist n' lick cookies have one thing in common: They're filled with empty calories and waist-expanding fat. “When we're younger, eating healthier seemed pointless when you could just go to the gym 24/7 to lose weight,” says
registered dietitian and founder of The NY Nutrition Group Lisa Moskovitz. “Unfortunately, as the body ages, exercise still has plenty of positive benefits, but weight loss is often not one of them.” When it comes to dropping pounds, staying away from calorie-dense, hard-to-put-down snacks like Oreos is key.

8 & 9

COCKTAILS
& BEER

As we age, the body doesn’t metabolize alcohol as efficiently, and drunk junk food cravings become harder to ignore, warns registered dietitian Martha McKittrick. “It’s also increasingly difficult to get a good night’s rest with alcohol in your system. While you may have been able to get away with minimal sleep in your 20’s, that’s not the case in your 30’s and beyond. Sleepless nights lead to carb and sugar cravings the next day, which can contribute to further weight gain,” McKittrick explains. What’s more, alcohol sucks the moisture out of your skin, which temporarily makes fine lines more noticeable and, over time if you continue to booze, causes the skin to lose elasticity and form wrinkles.

10 & 11

BAGELS &
WHITE BREAD

Unless your go-to bagel is made with whole grains, consider it a “Not That.” Though you may not think of the popular breakfast carb as a sweet indulgence, the body converts refined carbohydrates into sugar and then glucose, a nutrient that damages collagen and other wrinkle-fighting proteins. What’s more, when it comes to bread, bagels and even pasta, picking whole grains over refined will help keep your blood sugar levels even kneeled, aiding weight maintenance and weight loss, giving you a more youthful figure.

12 & 13

DIET MOUNTAIN DEW
& FRESCA

Drinks like Mountain Dew and Fresca may look less chemical filled than cola because of their lighter hue, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead of caramel coloring—the chemical that makes Coke brown—Diet Mountain Dew and Fresca are colored with brominated vegetable oil, a chemical used in rocket fuel and flame retardants. It’s been shown to have negative effects on thyroid hormones and fertility, a primary health concern of people in their 30s. What’s the connection? “Added chemicals like BVO can contribute to internal inflammation, which has been linked to obesity, a condition that can make it harder to conceive,” explains registered dietitian Isabel Smith. Can’t kick your soda habit all together?

14

VEGGIE
BURGERS

Finding your first gray hair is a day you’ll never forget. It’s one of those pesky reminders from Mother Nature that you’re a full-blown adult—and an unwelcome one at that. The best way to keep early graying at bay is to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin B12, a nutrient naturally abundantly beef. So unless you’re a vegetarian don’t cut the cow out of your diet. Worried about the fat and calories? Go for grass-fed. It’s naturally leaner than conventionally raised meat and packs higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and turbocharge fat loss.

15

ICED
COFFEE

Drinking a caffeinated beverage out of a straw—how most of us down our daily iced coffee—is a skin-aging double-whammy. During the day, we’re exposed to skin-stressors like UV rays, but while we sleep our cells repair themselves. However, downing too much caffeine can interfere with sleep quality, cutting into this rejuvenation time and prematurely aging the skin. What’s more, researchers have found that repetitive facial movements, like sipping through a straw, can cause fine lines and wrinkles.

Eat This! Tip

Instead of sucking down your daily iced coffee with skim, sip on hot green tea, which may ward off wrinkles by fighting inflammation and improving the skin’s elasticity.

16

SUGAR-FREE
SNACKS

If you’ve become thicker around the middle since turning 30, it may be a sign that your liver isn’t functioning optimally. Avoiding toxins like artificial sweeteners will help the vital organ work more efficiently, and in turn, slim your middle. To jump-start the detox process, kick foods make with fake sweeteners (like sugar-free gum, candies, and snacks) to the curb.

17

Produce Loaded
With Pesticides

Reaching 30 means that you’ve had three decades to accumulate toxins from food, which can negatively affect metabolism and hormone balance, explains Smith. Researchers have also found that men who consume the most pesticides through produce have far fewer motile sperm than guys who’ve eaten the least—not good news if you’re trying to start or expand your family. The most popular produce that has the highest amounts of pesticides and should be organic whenever possible include: apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

18

MARGARINE

Butter alternatives like margarine are often made with partially-hydrogenated oils, one of the most common trans-fats. You may have heard that this type of fat is linked to heart disease, but what most people don’t know is that it may also accelerate the skin’s aging process by making the skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. When the skin gets damaged by the sun, it breaks down the skin’s elastin and collagen. But that’s not all, studies have also found that eating margarine can cause chronic inflammation, which may also accelerate wrinkle formation.

19

HEALTHY CHOICE
PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

“When you were younger, you may have been able to starve yourself to drop a quick ten pounds before bikini season, but this is almost impossible once the age ‘odometer’ turns to 30. Not to mention, it’s really unhealthy, ” warns Chicago-area registered dietitian Christine M. Palumbo. Skip the unappetizing microwave diet meals—they tend to lack satiating nutrients like fiber and pack excess salt, sugar (this meal has almost an entire day’s worth of the stuff) and chemical additives your body simply doesn't need.

20

BACON

Bad news, bacon lovers: This beloved breakfast food may make your skin start to sag well before your AARP card arrives. The reason: Sixty-eight percent of bacon's calories come from fat, with almost half of that being the saturated variety. Besides contributing to weight gain and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke, saturated fats can cause inflammation that accelerates skin aging. Bacon and other processed meats also contain sodium nitrate which, according to a 2013 study published in the journal European Cytokine Network, enhances oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause structural changes in collagen and elastin (the proteins that keep skin looking young), resulting in premature wrinkles, explains St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology researchers. Luckily, you don’t have to give up bacon altogether to keep your skin smooth. Just switch to a nitrate-free variety with less than 2 grams of fat and no more than 1 gram of artery-clogging saturated fat (like Applegate Natural Good Morning Bacon) and cut yourself off after two slices.

21

SKINNY
COFFEE DRINKS

When it comes to drinks laced with artificial sweeteners, just say no! Researchers say these Frankenfoods confuse our bodies by making us expect calories that aren’t there which interferes with our body’s ability to regulate what we eat. The result is what they call “metabolic derangements” like poor insulin response and elevated glucose levels, which can lead to fat storage and a host of illnesses like metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. “If drinks with artificial sweeteners are a staple of your diet, it’s best to kick the habit to maintain health and prevent diseases throughout the aging process,” says Moskovitz.

22

POP SECRET
BUTTER POPCORN

In it’s purest form, popcorn is a healthy snack filled with energizing whole grains. But like many things, the food industry has managed transformed something wholesome into something harmful to our health. Pop Secret’s Butter Popcorn, for example, has five grams of artery-clogging trans fat per serving—that’s more than double the government recommended daily limit. “Trans Fats are particularly important to avoid as people get older because the risk for heart disease increases with age,” explains Smith.

23

MARIE CALLENDER'S
LATTICE APPLE PIE

Marie Callender’s not-so-wholesome apple pie is another food packed with dangerous hydrogenated oils. One slice of the stuff packs a whopping three grams—or a day a half worth—of trans fats. Not only are trans-fats bad for your ticker, according to a Fertility and Sterility study, they can also lower sperm counts, which is bad news if you’re trying to make a baby.

24

SOY
SAUCE

Puffy, dark circles under the eyes tend to become more pronounced with each passing birthday—and being dehydrated makes matters even worse. To wake up looking refreshed, steer clear of moisture-sucking salty foods like soy sauce (a mere tablespoon of the stuff has a whopping 879 milligrams of sodium) and drink plenty of water. Sick of basic H20?

25 & 26

SALAMI
& HOT DOGS

Meat may be considered the ultimate man food but if you gobble down the wrong kinds, your sperm may pay the price. A 2014 study published in the journal Epidemiology found an association between eating processed meats like salami and hot dogs and lower sperm count. And interestingly enough, the meat’s saturated fat content—a nutrient previous associated with poor sperm quality—wasn’t to blame. The study authors hypothesize that there’s something that happens during processing that's detrimental to sperm quality—they’re just not quite sure yet what that is.

27

COFFEE
ICE CREAM

An after-dinner scoop of coffee ice cream—which has the caffeine equivalent to a half-shot of espresso—may have never messed with your sleep before, but once you’re in your 30s, caffeine can take more of a toll on the body. “As we age, our circadian rhythms change, as do our hormones, which can make us more sensitive to caffeine and affect our ability to sleep soundly,” says Smith. What’s wrong with getting a little less sleep? In a recent study of more than 500 participants, researchers found that losing a mere 30 minutes of shut-eye increased their risk of obesity by 17 percent! Yikes! Metabolism slows down as we age, so slacking on shut-eye will only add fuel to the waist-expanding fire.

28

DORITOS

With each passing year, the body requires and burns fewer calories. This makes it all the more important to eat reasonable portions as you journey further into adulthood. Sounds easy enough, right? Sure. Until you pick up a bag of Doritos. Everyone knows that when you open a bag, you're bound to polish it off—and it’s no surprise, really. The recipe for the popular chip was specially designed so that no single flavor overpowers another. When foods lack a dominant flavor, people are less apt to feel full and, in turn, consume more, say researchers. What’s more, one of the first ingredients on the food’s label is monosodium glutamate (MSG), an additive that’s been known to increase appetite and make foods taste more appetizing. With all of these factors working against you, it’s really no wonder you're defenseless when Doritos come around.

29

SPORTS
DRINKS

Whoever invented the Gatorade Dunk—the tradition in which winning sports teams dump coolers of the stuff on their coaches—was really on to something. One scan of the nutrition label and it’s clear: The sports drink is better off seeping into the sidelines than your stomach. Sure, it provides critical post-workout electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, but it also serves up a hearty helping of calories and sugar. And the fact is, you likely don’t need the extra calories and sugar found in the sports drinks—no matter how hardcore your Crossfit or barre class may be, says Smith. “As we age, our metabolism slows, we’re also less active and more stressed which can change the way that the body metabolizes calories and sugar.” The less sugar you have in your system, the better it is for your abs and overall health.

30

COFFEE
CREAMER

Coffee creamer and sunblock have more in common than you might think. They both contain titanium dioxide, an ultraviolet radiation blocker that doubles as a whitening agent. Besides lurking in many conventional creamers, it’s also found in seemingly ‘healthy’ bottles like So Delicious’ coconut milk-based varieties. The additive has been proven to cause liver and tissue damage in mice, and may also have health implications in humans, according to a recent review of the chemical. Coffee creamer is also typically packed with trans fats, often hiding under its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil. Pretty much all of Coffee Mate’s products have this scary ingredient that has been shown to diminish memory in adults under 45 years old. If you’re working hard or don’t want to forget where you parked your car, this is one ingredient you should steer clear of. Need another reason to stay away? Moskovitz says trans fats can cause inflammation, which can exacerbate aches and pains, brought on as the result of a sports injury and aging.

Finally Thoughts

Tough list I know, and no one is expected to go cold turkey once they hit the big 3-0. This is indeed something that you should be consciously aware off so when you do start to see the changes in your body, you will not freak out. Which of these 30 you can't go without?  Bacon  and coffee creamer are my Achilles Heel, Let me know your.............

Thanks for Reading.