As we reach our 30's, our bodies usually need less energy, meaning we may not be able to eat the way we did in our 20's. Then, as you move past 40 and head to middle age, changes in muscle, hormones and metabolism all make it harder to stay trim. But it's not a lost cause.
It is estimated that your metabolism slows down 5% every decade after you turn 40. This can occur because of the loss of muscle (or sarcopenia) which plays a crucial part in maintaining your metabolism. Consequently, as you age you may not be able to maintain the same dietary behaviors without gaining weight.
Can you be too old to think about losing weight? The simple answer is no. It's natural to gain weight as you get older due to your metabolism slowing down. This can be due to being less active, eating more or keeping your eating habits the same, losing muscle mass, bad quality sleep and hormones.
The finding of the study suggests that people in middle age certainly gain weight and it is harder for them to lose it, but slow metabolism is not the real reason behind it. It was revealed that from the 20s to the 50s the energy expenditure is the most stable.
Age Matters
If you're over 40, you may have noticed that it's easier to gain weight -- and harder to lose it -- than it used to be. Changes in your activity level, eating habits, and hormones, and how your body stores fat all can play roles.
Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren't gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.
"I would find myself exercising more and more and not seeing the results on the scale," Greene said. According to Mercy's Dr. Kathryn Boling of Lutherville Personal Physicians, the average woman gains between 12 and 15 pounds between the ages of 40 and 55.
Why We Gain Weight As We Age It starts sometime during our 50s and 60s: that belly bulge, those "extra" pounds we just can't seem to shed. Part of it is simply the biology of our bodies. Our muscles literally shrink as we age, and that means more calories turn into fat — and it's a lot harder to exercise it off.
Old and young people build muscle in the same way. But as you age, many of the biological processes that turn exercise into muscle become less effective. This makes it harder for older people to build strength but also makes it that much more important for everyone to continue exercising as they age.
Water Retention After Exercise
It's likely just water loss due to sweat. And if you're seeing a higher number on the scale, that could be due to water retention (which sometimes happens after exercise).
As you age, your muscle mass decreases and your fat mass increases. Fat is less metabolically active than muscle—you don't need as many calories to maintain fat as you do to maintain muscle. Hormonal changes can also lead to weight gain.
Muscle is denser than fat, and as it is more compact within your body, as you gain muscle mass, you end up looking thinner, no matter your physical weight. So, if you've been doing a lot of strength training lately, it's likely this is the reason that you're looking fantastic but not dropping those numbers.
Wondering how? Well, the body's "metabolism speeds up" in the cold months. Pooja Malhotra said that the body burns more calories to maintain body temperature in winter. So, if you remain physically active and eat mindfully, "winter is the best time to lose weight."
Epidemiologists have observed that the average person typically puts on 1 to 2 pounds a year from early adulthood through middle age. The CDC's numbers show that much of the increase is concentrated in the 20s, for men and women.
As we get older, our bodies don't respond the same way to weight loss efforts, and science has some explanations to offer. As we age we naturally tend to gain weight, to the tune of 1 to 2 pounds (lb) per year, according to a review by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In fact, women's bodies start to change in the late 30s and early 40s, for a couple reasons: 1. Fat is a source of estrogen. Starting in our late 30s or early 40s, our bodies' estrogen levels begin to drop because our ovaries slowly start making less.
Your muscles are their strongest at age 25. At 25, your physical strength is at its peak, and stays this way for the following 10 to 15 years. This trait is among the ones you can improve easiest, with the help of the right workout. Your desire to settle down is highest at age 26.
The simple answer, says Dr. Frishman, is that our bodies peak in our 20s and 30s. The more nuanced response, however, is shaped by how we deal with reduced vigor and energy as we age, as well as the depression that can set in as we realize we're not as invincible as we once were. “Yes, the body ages and slows down.
Flexibility starts to decrease, as the collagen in the tendons connecting your muscles to your bones decreases with age beginning at about 50. Bone density and muscle mass begin to drop. Moderate, continuous cardio like long walks or slow rides may feel easier on your body, but do not fight fat like they used to.
A combination of things happens as we age. We tend to lose muscle mass, so our abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were, and the loss of elastin and collagen in our skin allows gravity to have its way so skin starts to sag. Both can cause the waistline to expand.
Summary. At menopause, many women experience weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Contributors to weight gain at menopause include declining oestrogen levels, age-related loss of muscle tissue and lifestyle factors such as diet and lack of exercise.
Sudden weight gain is a common side effect of menopause. As women enter their 40s and 50s there is a tendency to gain weight. While this weight gain can sometimes be attributed to lifestyle factors, it's also often linked to hormonal changes in perimenopause.