Many people may find that losing weight becomes more difficult as they age, even with the same diet and exercise routines. Maintaining a healthy weight requires more effort as we age. We’ve looked into why dieting and weight loss become more challenging as we age and whether there are specific reasons for this.
Metabolism Slows Down
Metabolism, a term that refers to all the material changes that occur in our bodies, such as the breakdown and synthesis of substances, starts to slow down from our 20s as our bodies stop growing and cells age. The basal metabolic rate, one factor affecting our metabolic rate, decreases as we age, preventing us from burning energy as efficiently as before. As we age, our basal metabolic rate decreases by about 1% per year, meaning we can’t lose weight as quickly as we did when we were younger, even if we exercise and eat the same amount.
Decrease in Growth Hormone Secretion
As the name suggests, growth hormones help with growth by making us taller and strengthening our muscles. However, it allows adults to increase muscle mass and break down fat. Growth hormones decrease by 14.4% every decade from our 30s, leading to a decrease in fat breakdown and muscle mass, ultimately reducing the energy we burn.
Decrease in Sex Hormones
As we age, both men and women experience a decrease in the secretion of sex hormones. Men experience a 1% decrease in testosterone each year, leading to an increase in body fat. Women experience a reduction in estrogen, and as they enter menopause, there is a rapid decrease in estrogen secretion and a rapid increase in visceral fat, leading to an increase in belly fat.
Decrease in Brown Fat
Fat is divided into white and brown, and in the case of white fat, it stores energy, while brown fat maintains body temperature and burns energy. Because the brown fat decreases as we age, it reduces the ability to burn energy. Even with the same amount of food consumption, the amount accumulates in the body as an energy increase. Only regular exercise can help produce brown fat, so it must be essential to maintain an exercise habit as we age, right?
Increase Basal Metabolic Rate
The basal metabolic rate is the minimum energy the body needs to function, and it is the amount that the body burns even when we’re just lying still. The basal metabolic rate is highest during growth periods and gradually decreases as we age; metabolism slows down, and muscle mass decreases. If you only reduce food intake with a low basal metabolic rate, the body chooses muscle over fat to generate glucose. This condition causes muscle mass to decrease, eventually lowering basal metabolic rate even further. Ultimately, starving yourself as you age has little effect on your diet and can even lead to rebound.
Focus on Increasing Muscle Strength through High-Intensity Exercise
As the metabolic and basal metabolic rates are proportional to muscle mass, the best approach is to increase muscle strength through regular exercise. Aging starts in our 20s, so it’s better to start exercising and managing our health sooner rather than later. Instead of starving yourself, it’s healthier to maintain a consistent exercise routine and diet that doesn’t strain your body too much.
Consume Enough Protein
Simply restricting the food intake can lead to nutritional imbalance, which won’t help with dieting. You’ll have more body fat and less muscle if you don’t consume enough protein. You are consuming enough protein to feel full, which triggers the hormone leptin secretion, which reduces appetite. If you think satiety with enough protein consumption, it secretes leptin. This hormone makes a favorable condition for the body to use fat by lowering insulin levels, reducing appetite, and maintaining low blood sugar levels. Try to eat lean meat whenever possible, and it is also beneficial to include fish, seafood, beans, and tofu in your diet.
Stimulate Belly and Back Fat
Lie down straight with your knees slightly bent. Slowly lift your legs until you feel a strain in your lower abdomen, then slowly lower them. This position stimulates your belly fat, making it tight. To stimulate your back fat, hold a dumbbell in each hand and bend your upper body at a right angle. Then, lift your hands holding the dumbbells to your buttocks and lower them. Make sure your elbows don’t bend during this exercise.
Why It’s Dangerous to Neglect Weight Gain with Age
As you neglect the weight gain as you age longer, you age more rapidly. It is essential to manage weight gain with age consistently because as it accumulates in the body, it can cause chronic inflammation, various adult diseases, cancer, and dementia. The weight gain with age accumulates as visceral fat, consuming insulin, which is involved in blood sugar control and fat breakdown. This results in high levels of sugar and neutral fats in the blood, making the blood sticky. Ultimately, it ages the blood vessels and accelerates catabiosis and overall aging, harming your health.
Eat less
There comes a time when you overeat to the point of discomfort. It’s not just your skin that gets wrinkles; the body’s organs age, and they don’t have the same digestive capabilities as before. Therefore, it’s essential to eat less to facilitate digestion. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly, eat bread and snacks in small amounts frequently if you want them, and try to avoid foods high in fat, saturated fat, and trans fat as much as possible.
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