The Million Pound Challenge: Your Nutrition Plan

Healthy eating is essential to weight loss. Here’s what’s on your plate this month.

By the Editors of SilverSneakers

Will you pledge to lose one pound this month?

That’s all we’re asking of you. One measly pound. It’s not that we have low expectations. We just know that the first pound is often the hardest. Once you drop it, however, you’ll likely want to lose another, and another. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling lighter and stronger—and walking taller and more confidently.

That’s ultimately what the SilverSneakers Million Pound Challenge is about. Changing lives one pound at a time.

Make no mistake: America’s seniors have a weight problem. More than 70 percent of them are overweight, and 35 percent are obese. Worse, the numbers are expected to double by 2050.

Carrying these extra pounds not only limits mobility, but increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, dementia, certain cancers, and even incontinence.

Good nutrition, says Cynthia Sass, M.P.H., R.D., is even more important to weight loss than exercise. That’s why she’s sharing 25 of her favorite healthy recipes with us this month—breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and smoothies.

You won’t be counting calories either. Sass’s nutrition philosophy is about using fresh ingredients and whole foods. “You’ll focus on high-quality foods,” says Sass, “consumed in the right balance and proportions.”

Watch the video above for more about Sass’s philosophy—and what’s on the menu this month. And if you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the Million Pound Challenge Fitness Plan.

Note: If you have a chronic condition or dietary restrictions, please consult your physician or dietitian before beginning a new eating plan to make sure it’s safe for you.