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Managing weight is never easy, but it’s even more difficult as you age. Here’s why shedding pounds is harder after 50 and what we can do to help.
Aging can pose challenges, and managing weight is one of the most common. More than a third of American adults 45 and older are overweight, and as many as 40% are obese, according to the National Council on Aging.
Maintaining a healthy weight is important at every age, but for older people, extra pounds can quickly lead to serious and even life-threatening complications.
Unfortunately, as we age, the obstacles interfering with weight management also grow, making achieving and maintaining a healthy weight harder than ever.
At Premier Physicians Weight Loss & Wellness in Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno, Nevada, Dana Trippi, DO, and her team help patients lose weight and keep it off with custom medical weight loss interventions tailored to their unique needs.
In this post, we look at five factors that could interfere with your best attempts to control your weight.
1. Changes in hormones
Hormone production changes dramatically with age, especially for women in or near menopause. Hormonal fluctuations during middle age and beyond affect metabolism — how efficiently our bodies burn calories.
At the same time, reduced estrogen and testosterone can make it easier for fat to accumulate, especially around the midsection.
2. Changes in metabolism
Speaking of metabolism, the body becomes much less efficient at using calories with age. That’s why many people find weight management easier when they’re young.
A decline in metabolism means we need fewer calories to maintain our weight — but eating habits can be hard to break. As a result, many of us follow the eating patterns of our youth and gain weight as a result.
3. Loss of muscle mass
Getting older makes it easier to gain fat tissue but lose muscle mass. Muscle tissue is far better at burning calories than fat tissue, even at rest.
When muscle mass declines, our natural ability to burn calories also declines. That means we burn fewer calories — and gain more weight.
4. Sedentary lifestyle
As we get older, we also become less active, perhaps due to weight gain, increased responsibilities from work or family, or medical issues like joint pain. As we become more sedentary, we burn fewer calories, making it harder to lose weight.
5. Medical conditions
Finally, age increases our risks of chronic medical issues that can impact our weight. Arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease all become more common as we get older.
Medications taken to manage these and other conditions can interfere with metabolism or overall energy levels, making weight management even more problematic.
Successful weight loss at any age
Lots of factors contribute to weight gain as we age. That means losing weight and keeping it off takes a multifaceted approach. Commercial diets and one-size-fits-all exercise regimens won’t cut it for most of us. Instead, we need a custom approach tailored to our individual needs.
At Premier Physicians Weight Loss & Wellness, that’s what we do — customize weight management plans using a variety of techniques and approaches to help each patient achieve their goals and enjoy long-term success.
If you’re finally ready to drop those excess pounds and keep them off, we’re here to help. To learn more, request an appointment online or over the phone today.