Is it harder to lose weight as you get older
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Yes. Your metabolism slows. If you're a woman and you pass through menopause you lose the thermogenic effects of menstruation. Older folks are typically less active. Older folks typically have less muscle.
That said: it's totally possible. It just takes more determination.
For fun, play with a BMR calculator, and tell it you're 20, then 40, then 60. Watch that number go down. For me (5'6" 135Lbs) that was 1409 at 20, 1309 at 40, and 1209 at 60. Two hundred calories may not seem like much of a difference, but it is.
PS: I turn 50 this weekend (BMR 1259).
That's weird because at 5'8 and 162lbs I drop about 40 calories every 10 years from 20 to 50
at 20 - 1585
at 30 - 1538
at 40 - 1491
at 50 - 1444
so 140 calories across 30 years ... and BMR has little to do with TDEE
This was very informative. I ran mine between fit at 21 and fit at 51, and the 30 year drop was 150 cals (BMR) to 175 cals (sedentary maintenance).
So, while my metabolic needs decreased slightly over 3 decades, it was definitely not the cause of me going from fit to fat. The cause was more food and less activity ... and less food plus more activity is what has brought me back to fit. Real numbers trump 30 years of excuses!
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Your BMR is generally lower when you're older. Thus you must eat less or exercise more than someone younger with the same height, weight, and body fat % as you. In that sense, it's harder, but that doesn't mean you can't lose at the same rate as the younger person.0
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I find it's harder to lose weight because it is hard for me to accept that I have to eat less (I like food) then I could even 5 years ago to just keep my current weight, let alone lose. I do agree that for women, going thru menopause does make a difference. So in my opinion, it is harder because of the mental challenges you have to adapt to, but not impossible. That being said, you should not use it as an excuse to not be physically active and adjust your eating habits.0
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albalegume wrote: »Definitely second the big M issue. It comes on so fast it's scarey, during the big M its very difficult to lose anything, but after the big M it can come off fast too! And that ain't no old woman excuse either.
I'm holding hope to this!
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
Yeah, TDEE is BMR + total energy expenditure. BMR is half of the equation....
Maybe he's trying to say that BMR is relatively constant where as energy expenditure can change a large amount depending on your activities?0 -
Every BMR calculator that uses the Mifflin St. Jeor equation will show a drop of 5 calories for every additional year of age, regardless of gender, weight and height. On an individual basis, it might over or under predict, but as a rule, 5 calories per year.0
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It is not easy at any age, but doable at any age. I have lost 160+ pounds and have been on maintenance for over 16 months. I began at age 60 on 3/12/12.
If you have no related health issues that interfere, you can do it at any age.
Excuses are excuses at any age.0 -
I tried on and off my whole adult life and had the most success at age 45.0
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Yes, HOWEVER...it just takes tweeking your habits a bit. When you're younger, your metabolism is higher and it slows as you age.0
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It's harder to catch up then it is to keep up.0
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What ever happened to YMMV? I see tons of people making blanket statements about what is TRUE.... but the truth is, each person is different, has a different metabolism, genetic makeup, experiences, physical challenges. The process of weight gain and weight loss is different for each of us. I wish people would just say: "this is what is true for ME" instead of claiming people are deficient in some way ("making excuses") when their experience is that it's harder as you get older.
Kindness goes a long way to relieving stress, and stress (as we know) increases cortisol and increases the body's ability to hold onto fat....0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
@Need2Exerc1se I simply meant that my TDEE depends on both my activity level and purposeful exercise too
So if at 50 I am more active than I was at 30 then I could eat more at 50 than I could at 30
I am more physically active now than I was a year ago, and probably more than I was a couple of decades ago. I even have a much better musculature ...eg I can do push-ups for the first time in my life ever, and am working on pull-ups. I have a gym programme, lift heavy and walk more ...I'm pretty sure I have a higher TDEE now than I did at 30
At sedentary according to MFP which is 1.2 of BMR I get to eat 1780 ...I am currently trying to find maintenance and losing at 2000 calories
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I've lost more weight in my 40's than I ever did in my thirties, but I'm armed with knowledge and a fitbit now. I log, I walk and run, and I keep up with what my BMR is... I'm 5'1", and I've just got to come to terms with a low calories metabolism. Also, strength training as we get older gets WAY more important.0
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What ever happened to YMMV? I see tons of people making blanket statements about what is TRUE.... but the truth is, each person is different, has a different metabolism, genetic makeup, experiences, physical challenges. The process of weight gain and weight loss is different for each of us. I wish people would just say: "this is what is true for ME" instead of claiming people are deficient in some way ("making excuses") when their experience is that it's harder as you get older.
Kindness goes a long way to relieving stress, and stress (as we know) increases cortisol and increases the body's ability to hold onto fat....
I don't see anyone making "blanket" statements. Everyone is speaking generally as well as including their own experiences...
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I think its always hard to lose weight but what I did in my twenties to lose weight is different than what I have had to do now in my fifties...but it still comes down to moving more than I eat. I don't have to love it...I just have to do it...for the rest of my life.0
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Fact. As you get older metabolism slows down and your burn less calories. Also, you body needs less calories as a result of the slower metabolism0
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sharon9597 wrote: »Hi I'm a qualified ex personal trainer and and I can tell you fact - yes it is slightly harder once your past 50. The resin being is that you naturally progressively loose muscle as you get older and muscle uses calories just to exist so less muscle = less calorie needs ie lower metabolism. (Which is why huge body builder can consume vast amounts of calories). Also women after menopause also have a lower metabolism. So most people carry on eating as they always have and wonder why they are slowly putting on weight! Have to say though that the decrease is only small not as big as people like to think so a few weight bearing exercises each week will help you keep the muscle you have and counter balance the ageing effect.
As a qualified trainer you also know that the decrease of the rate of metabolism is not as much as it is made out to be. According to statistics women in Western civilized countries should over the ten years after the onset of menopause gain no more than 10 to 15 pounds maximum.
Anything more is usually because of poor eating habit that for many people is a lifelong thing and not just something that started with menopause. This is why so many doctors urge women to get HRT, because by maintaining a healthy level of hormones there is a good chance that the metabolism keeps on working as before, osteoporosis can be avoided as well as other problems that are often aggravated through menopause; in my case hypothyroidism that went to nearly fatal.
I agree with you, for menopausal or post menopausal women there is nothing better than a varied and healthy diet and resistance training to maintain not only bone density, but also avoid depression ( not all types, but some ) and increase general wellbeing and selfesteem.
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I didn't believe this when I was in my twenties, thirties or even forties.
for me yes it got harder to lose weight every decade. BUT that doesn't mean it can't be done. Attitude is everything. I finally stopped my I can't thinking to I can thinking. I'm also kinder to myself about my weight loss expectations.
The way I am losing now I am happy about every loss no matter how small. I used to get upset over only losing 1 pound a week.
Good luck to you0 -
From an anthropological perspective, I would say yes.. it is harder to lose weight, a "safe" maximum heart rate lowers as we get older... therefore our work output must decrease as well... OR at least the potential work output... we lose bone mass, soft tissue becomes less "soft" recovery from strenuous physical activity takes longer, and dietary requirements are different as well... BUT.. it simply depends on your definition of "harder" from a psychological perspective... a Mature person may have greater determination and stronger motivation. work smarter and not harder and have greater concentration and focus in achieving personal goals... So... the reality is... it's a foolish question with NO right answer0
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