- Dr. Emi Hosoda said she always struggled with her weight, until she made some big changes at age 50.
- The doctor said he tracks sugar, not calories, and drinks plenty of water to control hunger.
- Here are her top tips for maintaining weight sustainably.
After a lifetime of struggling with her weight, Dr. Emi Hosoda said she used her training in holistic health and functional medicine to design a personalized health plan for herself.
He said he considered everything from his genetics to his gut microbiome when designing his diet, ultimately losing 100 pounds and keeping it off.
Hosoda, a board-certified physician in her 50s, shared some tips on her weight loss journey in a recent Tik Tok Video.
Track sugar, not calories
Hosoda said he looks at the amount of sugar in a food to see if it spikes insulin and blood sugar, which tends to lead to weight gain.
Consuming excess sugar not only causes the body to store it as fat, but also increases the risk of diabetes or prediabetes. According to him Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of calories a person needs can vary greatly depending on their activity level and metabolism, so Hosoda said that does not set calorie goals or limits to not lose weight.
It is also important to remember that not all calories are equaland the caloric content of a food does not always reflect its nutritional value.
drink enough water
When he was trying to lose weight, Hosoda said he learned Don’t confuse thirst with hunger.
He recommended that people drink between a half ounce and an ounce of water per pound of body weight. This also depends on your personal activity level: an active person who sweats frequently should drink more water than a person who is not as active.
The one exception to this rule is that people with heart failure, kidney disease or low sodium should ask their doctors about how much water to drink, Hosoda said.
Make sure you get enough sleep
Many people struggle with sleep as they age, especially during or in the years leading up to menopause, and restricted or poor sleep has been linked to weight gain.
Hosoda said she takes magnesium supplements to help her sleep and resist sugar cravings, but only a few studies have investigated this link. In general, taking supplements is not a foolproof way to sleep or achieve your weight loss goals.
A revision published in 2021 found that some adults in their 50s saw their sleep improve slightly with regular magnesium supplementation, but the authors concluded that there was not enough evidence to recommend magnesium as a sleep aid.
Don’t shy away from strength training
Finally, Hosoda said she made sure to include strength training in her workouts.
He said that many people rely on aerobic or cardiovascular exercise to keep from losing weight, but found that the strength build worked best for her.
Building strength is especially important for adults over age 50, who may begin to experience problems with mobility or loss of muscle mass, depending on the National Institutes of Health.
