Is it really harder to lose weight when we age?
You will hear many men and women talk about it being harder to lose weight into their thirties, forties, and beyond, but is there a reason why it is harder? Is it directly correlated with age or is there something else going on?
What happens to our metabolism as we age?
Science shows that as we age, our metabolism starts to slow. As we age, our basal metabolic rate decreases each year. This means that the body isn’t burning as many calories as before. What causes our metabolism to decrease?
Muscle, the ultimate driver of our metabolism
You will hear that activity or the thyroid is the most important aspect to our metabolism, but that is actually incorrect. Muscle in the biggest driver of our metabolism. As we age, we see decreases in lean muscle mass. Since lean muscle is the biggest driver of the metabolism, we will see our metabolism decrease with age.
But what about hormones?
We do see hormones hinder weight loss as we age, however, some of these hormones aren’t necessarily effected by age, but years of poor diet and lack of exercise.
Insulin
Insulin resistance is rapidly increasing in the United States. More than 100 million have diabetes or pre diabetes. These conditions lead to the body storing more fat and hindering weight loss because of a condition called insulin resistance. More and more people, as they age, become insulin resistant, does this mean their age is the reason why they are insulin resistant?
No, it is about poor nutrition and lack of activity over the course of many years that lead to this condition. It is less about age, and more about years of abuse. If you eat too many refined sugars, for too long, you will stop using insulin effectively. Insulin likes to store carbohydrates in the muscle, preferably, preventing it from being stored as fat, however, once we abuse insulin, our bodies will start storing more and more fat.
If you feel that you store the majority of your fat around your lower stomach, and over 40 pounds over weight, there is a great chance you are insulin resistant because of poor nutrition habits in the past. Insulin resistance can also be a symptom of PCOS.
Thyroid Hormones
Thyroid disease is also more prevalent as you age, but is it because your thyroid magically stops working as you age? Not really.
There are a variety of risk factors that can decrease thyroid output. These include smoking and chronically high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Cortisol can be higher in individuals who sufferer from chronic inflammation because of poor diet and lack of quality sleep. There are also vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the production of t3 and t4, the powerful fat burning hormones.
What about Testosterone and Estrogen?
Yes, both of these hormones do hinder weight loss as we age. Testosterone starts decreasing in males in their 30’s and hormonal imbalances effect women during pre/post menopausal states. These conditions can cause weight loss to be a little more difficult.
A study shows that the average weight gain associated with menopause was 5 pounds. This number is measurable, but not as much as people tend to believe. Much of this weight gain is more related to decreased energy exposure from being less active.
What can I do to help with weight loss as I age?
- Stay active, including resistance training. Resistance training builds lean muscle because it helps promote the conserving and potentially building new muscle. Resistance training will help rebuild the metabolism and counteract muscle loss related to age. If we can build more muscle, we will burn more calories.
- Focus on foundation health. Vitamins and minerals play a large role in energy systems and metabolism because vitamins and minerals are needed for thyroid hormones and other metabolic reasons. I suggest 1st Phorm Micro Factor.
- Try increase protein and decreasing carbohydrates. If you suffer from insulin resistance, I suggest the following:
- Lowering carbohydrates to 100 grams a day
- Eating your carbs around your workout
- Eating .8-1 gram of protein per goal body weight. I suggest Leve-1 Protein.
- Take GDA 3 times a day for 12 weeks to potential become more insulin sensitive, counteracting the resistance.
By doing these things, you should be able to lose weight as easy, or nearly as easy as you could at a younger age because you will be fighting the good fight.
Questions? Reach out to me on Instagram!
Dustin Holston
Advanced Nutrition Solutions
Nutritionist & Coach
Check out my 1-DB Goddess Fastpack Review!
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html
https://www.healthywomen.org/your-health/menopause-aging-well/truth-about-menopause-and-weight-gain