DROP POUNDS, NOT CALORIES
We all want to cut a trim profile around the middle. A lean physique looks better, and more youthful, than a pear-shaped one. Lean men are also more active, more energetic and statistically less prone to chronic debilitating illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. To stay slim, however, men mistakenly tend to cut back on calories, when the real villain is lack of exercise and too much fat, says Eric Poehlman Ph.D., a researcher of aging at the University of Vermont’s Department of Medicine.
In fact, trying to keep weight off simply by cutting calories may not be a smart idea. By eating less, you risk cheating your body of important nutrients, says Dr. Poehlman. His formula for healthy weight loss is to exercise more as you reach middle age and to eat more calories as well. Just be sure they’re low-fat calories. As a rule of thumb, 60 to 70 percent of your diet should consist of foods high in complex carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta and beans.
