Losing Weight with Tasty Food and Moderate Exercise at 50

Weight loss can be easy with the right mix of nutrition and exercise.

Article originally published in Middle-Pause on Medium on March 11, 2026

I’m almost fifty years old and, despite my interest in health and wellness, I have fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia. I eat healthy, but with my body making less estrogen, my cholesterol levels went up, and so did my triglycerides.

True, I do eat my share of sweets, even though fewer pastries than other people, because I can’t have gluten. But I like chocolate, and I like to bake cakes with cocoa and chocolate. I also like honey.

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I have to tell you, though, that a desire for sweets can be tempered. Sugar is an addiction, and it’s hard to give it up. But if you try to eat just a little less for a while, and then less than that, this addiction can be conquered. And there are so many other healthy foods that can satisfy a sweet tooth, among them dried plums, which also help with digestion, should you decide to eat less on some days.

Somehow, I get restless when I crave sweets, but not when my body really wants and needs food. So I exercise instead of eating sweets. I do calisthenics and Pilates for ten minutes at a time. It feels great. I like repetitive motions, and I love to exercise. I haven’t done it routinely in the past because I felt I didn’t have the energy for it, and because I prioritized things differently.

Healthy food is also important. There are so many websites with great recipes, but many people still eat only a few such meals in rotation every week. They are lazy, just as I was with exercise. And it is so much fun developing your own recipes. But for that, you have to try a variety of them first.

And you don’t have to spend a lot of money doing it. Many tasty recipes use only a few ingredients, and you may also discover, after trying plenty of ingredients in some recipes, that you prefer to pare down your dishes to more minimalist versions.

If you don’t like to spend time in the kitchen, I recommend Chef Alain Braux’s book How to Lower Your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food, which will make you love cooking. Don’t be daunted by the title. The recipes are not difficult. His recipes use healthy French foods and contain nutritional advice based on research that helped him lower his cholesterol and triglycerides.

If you can’t afford the book but are interested in natural remedies to lower cholesterol, I’ve created an illustration featuring 35 such foods. Remember, however, that you also need to exercise. Also, aside from foods, many herbal teas can help with cholesterol and liver health.

Please note that certain herbal teas and foods may interfere with medication and not be suitable for you. Consult your doctor(s) about starting any course of treatment, taking any supplements, or changing any (dietary, exercise, etc.) routines.

I did intermittent fasting for 10 days and lost 7 kilos (~15 pounds). Sure, I also exercised on the mat for about thirty minutes each day, in addition to moving about for an hour and a half, but intermittent fasting — 16:8 and 20:4 — was what helped me shed abdominal weight. I ate little during those days, but then decided to eat more and for more hours, so as not to get used to very few calories, which weakens the metabolism.

If I felt like having something sweet, I ate a small portion of a dessert made with very little added sugar, after a meal. It’s important not to eat sweets on an empty stomach, particularly at breakfast, so as not to have a blood sugar spike.

If you notice that after eating dinner late one day, you have trouble falling asleep, you may try, if it’s healthy for you to do so, to eat only until 4 p.m. the next day. A tip from Haylie Pomroy, author of The Fast Metabolism Diet, is that if you eat the same amount but add extra vegetables to every meal, you will lose weight.

Keep in mind, I also exercise and continue to do so. Even my ten-minute workouts are rather strenuous. Also, have you noticed that without exercise, even if you do diet and lose weight (fat and muscle), you then put on fat?

That’s another reason why we need exercise. Our muscles become weaker at menopause. You don’t want to lose even more muscle mass through dieting. And remember that exercise helps change your weight set point — you will lose weight and won’t gain it back, but for that to happen, you need to keep moving and strengthening your muscles. You will also feel better because exercise increases endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine.

I intend to lose more weight, but I’m not in a hurry. I’m now enjoying a plateau where I eat until 7 p.m., or even later on some occasions, and I exercise to my heart’s content.

I wish you good luck on your journey to better health at fifty. It can be done. The important thing is to be consistent and to try to have fun.

I hope this article has helped you some. As always, pins and shares are much appreciated!

To a happier, healthier life,

Mira