Why is it harder for me to lose weight than it used to be?
Ageing lowers your energy expenditure through muscle loss and a slower metabolism, making weight loss objectively harder. Strength training two to three times per week is the best-supported way to slow that process and support weight loss, ideally with professional guidance.
As you get older, your resting metabolic rate declines, you move around less outside of structured exercise, and your body produces less heat after eating. These are all small shifts that happen at the same time. Together, they mean that at the same calorie intake you burn less than you used to.
The biggest culprit is muscle loss. From middle age onward you gradually lose muscle mass. In older women this amounts to an average decline in strength of 2.4% per year over ten years. Muscle tissue burns more energy than fat tissue, so fewer muscles means lower energy expenditure, even at rest. At the same time fat mass increases and your body becomes more sensitive to fluctuations in blood sugar, which makes weight management even harder.
Low levels of physical activity accelerate this process. Low physical activity is associated with a faster decline in muscle strength in older women, and that association held up in both short-term and long-term measurements. The good news: this is modifiable. Moving more slows the loss.
Losing weight at an older age is achievable, but it requires extra care. When you lose weight you lose not only fat but also muscle mass and bone density, which can be harmful in the long run. Most of the interventions that have been studied reported this additional loss. Guidance is therefore not a luxury. For the long term, beyond one year, there is hardly any research: only one small pilot study looked at sustained weight maintenance in older adults.
Strength training is the best-supported strategy for slowing muscle loss. In older adults it increases muscle mass and muscle strength and improves body composition. Three training days per week is recommended for optimal results. Note that building muscle and losing weight do not always go hand in hand on the scale. But stronger muscles do make losing weight easier in the long run.
Based on observational studies, one model-based analysis of energy expenditure, and one small pilot study of a long-term lifestyle intervention. Strength training in older adults is the best-supported component, with multiple studies and a causal relationship. Long-term effects of weight loss in older adults remain underexplored in the literature.
I am overweight -- what will losing weight do for me?
Losing weight delivers measurable health gains from as little as 5% weight loss: better blood sugar, lower blood pressure and less pressure on your knees. Combine diet with strength training to preserve muscle mass and reduce the risk of weight regain.
Does my metabolism really slow down as I get older?
Your resting metabolism really does decline with age, but the biggest culprit is muscle loss, not some mysterious metabolic slowdown. Preserving muscle mass is the most concrete thing you can do.
Why do you gain weight more easily after 40, even if you eat the same amount?
After forty, your body burns fewer calories, mainly due to muscle loss and a lower resting metabolism. You therefore do not need to eat more to still gain weight, but eating less or exercising more can partly compensate for this.
Is yo-yo dieting, repeatedly gaining and losing weight, bad for me?
Yo-yo dieting carries real risks, particularly for cardiovascular health and psychological wellbeing, although some widely feared effects (such as a permanently slower metabolism) have not been proven. Aiming for a stable, sustainable weight is healthier than repeatedly following strict diets and then relapsing.
Does metformin help with weight loss?
Metformin helps with weight loss, but the effect is modest: expect a few kilograms, not a dramatic transformation. Lifestyle changes work better in the short term, but weight loss with metformin remains stable over the long term. Discuss it with your doctor if you want to know whether it suits your situation.
What is NAD+ and why does it decline as you age?
NAD+ is an indispensable energy carrier and guardian of your DNA, and your body produces less of it as you age. The mechanisms behind that decline are reasonably well understood, but what you can practically do about it is still very much under investigation.