The Age Defying Diet

Calculate your metabolic age

The age defying diet begins with a simple quiz, which calculates the metabolic age your body is currently working at. Factors such as your BMI, body shape, diet and alcohol intake are all taken into account. Once you've discovered your metabolic age, you can start learning how to outsmart it.

Fooling your metabolism

As we age our metabolism starts to work less efficiently. Those fail safe diet cheats don't do the job quite so well, and with less energy it can be hard to maintain fitness levels. Caroline Apovian's diet promises to help you lose 20 pounds in three weeks using her six basic food and lifestyle rules.

Rule 1 - Eat more protein, vegetables and fruits

It's a rule we've all heard before but The Age Defying Diet emphasises the fact that without healthy carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you risk running your metabolism into the ground. Avoid carbohydrates altogether and you may also compromise your short-term memory.

Rule 2 - Aim for amino acids

The building blocks of protein - foods high in amino acids such as meat, fish and eggs - help to maintain lean muscle tissue regenerate cells and are essential for weight loss over the age of 30. Leucine, arginine and glutamin, which can be bought as supplements, are highlighted on the diet as particularly important for those looking to lose weight.

Rule 3 - Keep your hormones in check

To combat menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms Dr. Apovian recommends a diet of foods containing high levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Excellent hormone balancing sources include: poultry, fatty fish, soy proteins and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels spouts. Often find yourself feeling bloated? Then look to asparagus, melons and water to cure your ailments.

Rule 4 - Only eat your fill

For yo-yos dieters and over eaters, who may be slowing down or overwhelming their metabolisms respectively, The Age Defying Diet provides recipes that bust cravings. SuperCharge Smoothies, soups and whole-food meal plans are laid out in an easy to follow format to help dieters stay on track and make good food choices.

Rule 5 - Ditch the treadmill

On this diet, strength training is everything. By doing two 9 to 30 minute sessions per week, you'll be upping the amount of muscle in your body - important as muscle burns seven times more calories than fat. "If you've been running on a treadmill or spinning on a bicycle for hours while eating a low-calorie diet to lose weight, then you've been wasting your time," says Caroline. In other words, grab the weights if you want to get your metabolism going.

Rule 6 - Sleep like a baby

When we skip out on vital hours of sleep we disrupt the regulation of our appetite hormones, leaving us hungrier and prone to unnecessary snacking. According to a study quoted in The Age Defying Diet book, just four hours of sleep is enough to add 10 to 20 years onto your metabolic age. Tips given by Dr. Apovian include: making sure your room is a perfect temperature for sleep (15.5 to 20 ºC), avoiding strenuous exercise before bed and going to bed at the same time every day.