Do your clothes seem to fit a bit tighter over time despite your best efforts to eat healthy and be active? Well, it's not all in your head. Controlling your weight does get harder as you get older because your body's energy requirements progressively decline with age. So while the occasional high-calorie meal in your mid-twenties used to mean nothing more than a little extra exercise that day, by your forties and fifties it can really throw you off calorie balance. What's the best way to prevent putting on the pounds as you age? Some say it's restrained eating.

Researchers at Brigham Young University recently published results from a study that followed 192 middle-aged women for three years, compiling information on their lifestyles, health, and eating habits¹. They found that women who did not become more restrained in their eating behaviors were 138% more likely to put on 6.6 pounds or more than women who did become more restrained.

How can you become a more restrained eater? Here are some tips.

• Put less food on your plate; think "petite" portions.
• Drink fewer beverages with calories - alcohol, soda, sweetened tea/coffee.
• Snack on small cubes or sticks of fruits and vegetables instead of chips, candy, or cookies.
• When eating out, ask that sauces and dressings be omitted, and that vegetables and meats be prepared without butter/oil. 
• Say "no" to dessert more often.

What tips can you share?

¹Tucker, L.A. (2009).Restrained eating and risk of gaining weight and body fat in middle-aged women: a 3-year prospective study. American Journal of Health Promotion. 23, 187.