Why is it So Difficult to Lose Weight After 50?

Do not start this or any program without first checking with your health care provider.

If you are eating the same amount of food each day as you did in your thirties, how can you be gaining weight?

It doesn’t seem fair, but, as we age, the cards are stacked against us, as far as our weight goes. Expect weight gain of 5-10 pounds per decade if you don’t take steps to combat this curse. Keep reading to learn how.

There are 2 reasons that we gain.  The first is that we lose muscle mass.  A 5-7% loss every ten years is average.  Muscle mass is important because muscle burns more calories than fat.  The more muscle we have, the fewer of our calories are turned into excess weight.

The second reason that we gain as we age is that we are more sedentary.  Our body’s metabolism declines at a rate of 2-3% per decade, and of course, that means we are holding onto more fat than ever.

As bad as this sounds, you are not doomed. Here are five ways to halt fat gain and maintain a comfortable weight.

#1. Consume more protein.  Protein should be 30-40% of your caloric intake.  The average American eats half that.  Think about eggs for breakfast, turkey for lunch (maybe in a salad), and a lean protein at night.  Imagine the size of your plate (8” is best) and cover 1/3 of it with protein.

#2.  Lift weights.  Weight training builds muscle, which, as we said, burns fat.  A study at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in NYC said that weight training is more effective than walking.  If you lift weights just twice a week for 30 minutes each time, you will build about 3 pounds of muscle in just 10 weeks.  You don’t need to do this at a gym.  Buy a pair of hand weights and make a schedule.  A half-hour twice a week will pay off quickly.

#3.  Get the right amount of sleep.  Older women who get less than 5 hours of sleep per night are twice as likely to be obese. According to research, lack of sleep triggers the production of the hormone cortisol and the appetite-stimulating ghrelin.  You are hungry, and your brain has trouble realizing that you are full.  Try to keep to the same bedtime and waking schedule. 

#4.  Try occasional fasting.  We are not talking about going completely without food or drinking drinks for “cleansing.”  Instead, three or four times a month, limit calories to around 800-1000 per day.  A University of Southern California study proved that this type of fasting can lead to an average 6-lb loss in a month.  Also, the study showed that occasional fasting is good for lowering both your blood pressure and the risk of cancer.  Worth trying!

#5.  Practice mindful eating.  Eat slowly, take a bite and then put down your fork.  Eating should not be a task to accomplish that you hurry through.  Avoid distractions like TV or reading.  Plan your meals and stick to your plan.

Each of these is a tried-and-true method to avoid weight gain after 40.  If you need to lose some weight that may have crept on over the last ten or twenty years, check out our FiftyFix Fat Loss Challenge for quick results that will last a lifetime.