Difficulties we face to lose weight in 30s & 40s

DrSelfish1131
DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I with my wife kicked off our weight trimming odyssey two weeks ago.

I had put on around 10 kgs in the last 12 months. Nonetheless I was certain that like before I would curtail my weight effortlessly.

Regrettably my physique is responding exceptionally sluggishly to my ongoing diet and exercise.

Did anyone had any comparable experience in the past? Please feel free to share it.
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Replies

  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you very much for your response. I am really feeling hopeful now. And congratulation for reducing 15 kg in 15 week effortlessly. :smile:
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    Aging causes a decrease in
    - basal metabolic rate
    - skeletal musculature
    - glucose tolerance
    - energy consumption by physical activity

    and an increase in
    - fat accumulation


    Source-
    Shimokata H, Kuzuya F. [Aging, basal metabolic rate, and nutrition]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1993 Jul;30(7):572-6. Japanese. doi: 10.3143/geriatrics.30.572. PMID: 8361073.
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    Really appreciate you for sharing valuable discerning thoughts.

    "It might be that you were more unconsciously active when you were younger" - sadly this is the foremost hurdle to cross.
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    Bella_Figura wrote: »
    DrSelfish1131 wrote: »
    Really appreciate you for sharing valuable discerning thoughts.

    "It might be that you were more unconsciously active when you were younger" - sadly this is the foremost hurdle to cross.


    Yes, true, but that thread that @penguinmama87 linked to above includes a wealth of invaluable tips regarding how to burn extra calories without hardly thinking about it. I'm pretty sure it's my NEAT burn rather than my dog walks that has contributed most to my recent weight loss.

    DrSelfish1131 wrote: »
    Aging causes a decrease in
    - basal metabolic rate
    - skeletal musculature
    - glucose tolerance
    - energy consumption by physical activity

    and an increase in
    - fat accumulation


    Source-
    Shimokata H, Kuzuya F. [Aging, basal metabolic rate, and nutrition]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1993 Jul;30(7):572-6. Japanese. doi: 10.3143/geriatrics.30.572. PMID: 8361073.

    Also true, but it doesn't mean you can't lose weight at a sensible rate. And you're in your 30s/40s...that's hardly decrepit! With a sensible calorie budget and a modest deficit (burning calories through NEAT and a moderate amount of exercise) there's absolutely no innate, age-related reason why you can't achieve weight loss of 0.5% - 1% of starting body weight per week.

    Questions you need to ask yourself:
    • Are your weight loss expectations reasonable?
    • How much do you need to lose?
    • Are you logging/weighing accurately, fully, and choosing accurate entries from the food database?
    • Could you be over-estimating your calorie intake (through inaccurate logging) if you've not lost anything in the first two weeks?
    • Are you 100% sure you're running a calorie deficit at the moment?
    • Could you burn any more calories through NEAT or additional moderate exercise?

    I have just gone through your link. It was really helpful regarding how almost effortlessly someone can lose weight throughout his/her daily activities.

    Answers to your six questions are -
    1. Yes
    2. 10kg
    3. I think so. (Not sure)
    4. Yes (according to my entries)
    5. I think i am underestimating
    6. Not sure
    7. I am eagerly looking forward for it
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    DrSelfish1131 wrote: »
    Aging causes a decrease in
    - basal metabolic rate
    - skeletal musculature
    - glucose tolerance
    - energy consumption by physical activity

    and an increase in
    - fat accumulation


    Source-
    Shimokata H, Kuzuya F. [Aging, basal metabolic rate, and nutrition]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1993 Jul;30(7):572-6. Japanese. doi: 10.3143/geriatrics.30.572. PMID: 8361073.

    I'm always curious about these studies. I am far from an expert and even when I was heavy into academic research the natural sciences were not my subject area - but part of me wonders how they know it's "getting older" that made those things happen, not "all the other stuff we tend to do as we get older" Other academic disciplines are prone to the correlation=causation error for sure and it's maddening. Or, a scientific study that reports some miniscule change that wouldn't be observed in any meaningful way by a typical person gets reported in regular media as certain doom and gloom.

    All of these things could be true, but I wonder - what age are we talking about here? What degree of change?

    Part of it is very hard to examine in a vacuum because humans do not live in vacuums. :)

    I do agree that Additional large and lengthy researches are necessary that consider both short term and long term changes in some form of visual scales .
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I'm with @penguinmama87 and skeptical about the purported magnitude of this rampant decline as we age. I don't dispute the existence of these changes but I don't think the year-over-year decline as nearly as prominent as perception would lead one to believe and are dwarfed by the extenuating circumstances baked into lifestyle shifts. For many people it seems like the math changes and they fail to recognize and/or adapt accordingly to those changes.

    Further, I think it's all a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially in the current 50-60+ population. I've seen this first hand with my parents and in-laws, all in the early 60s, all overweight to some degree, and all are quick to point out how hard it is to lose weight at their age. However, only one of the four of them have ever taken what I would consider to be a sensible and sustainable approach to losing weight (i.e. tracking/portion control via MFP); otherwise, it's a lot of Dr. Oz-level fad diet attempts and complaining that they're too old and/or don't like to exercise. In my view they're making it hard because they've been told, and believe that it is/has to be hard for them.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    DrSelfish1131 wrote: »
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    DrSelfish1131 wrote: »
    Aging causes a decrease in
    - basal metabolic rate
    - skeletal musculature
    - glucose tolerance
    - energy consumption by physical activity

    and an increase in
    - fat accumulation


    Source-
    Shimokata H, Kuzuya F. [Aging, basal metabolic rate, and nutrition]. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1993 Jul;30(7):572-6. Japanese. doi: 10.3143/geriatrics.30.572. PMID: 8361073.

    I'm always curious about these studies. I am far from an expert and even when I was heavy into academic research the natural sciences were not my subject area - but part of me wonders how they know it's "getting older" that made those things happen, not "all the other stuff we tend to do as we get older" Other academic disciplines are prone to the correlation=causation error for sure and it's maddening. Or, a scientific study that reports some miniscule change that wouldn't be observed in any meaningful way by a typical person gets reported in regular media as certain doom and gloom.

    All of these things could be true, but I wonder - what age are we talking about here? What degree of change?

    Part of it is very hard to examine in a vacuum because humans do not live in vacuums. :)

    I do agree that Additional large and lengthy researches are necessary that consider both short term and long term changes in some form of visual scales .

    I hope I didn't come off too harshly in my previous replies!

    Basically, my concern is that it's very easy to get into the mindset that we have less control than we think we do. It can be very, very freeing to stop trying to control things we actually can't and go with the flow - that was an important life lesson for me a few years ago. But you can also swing too far that direction and think you're just a passive participant in everything, which is also wrong and a recipe for despair. Certain things are inevitable. I will die someday, for instance, as we all will, and I can't prevent it. I would like to get old first, though, and there are things I can do to make it much more likely that I reach those years. But let's say I have at least 50-60 years left, as is likely based on demographic data - do I want to be saying, at 34, "oh this is so hard already my body is falling apart?" I haven't even reached the likely halfway point yet!
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    I'm with @penguinmama87 and skeptical about the purported magnitude of this rampant decline as we age. I don't dispute the existence of these changes but I don't think the year-over-year decline as nearly as prominent as perception would lead one to believe and are dwarfed by the extenuating circumstances baked into lifestyle shifts. For many people it seems like the math changes and they fail to recognize and/or adapt accordingly to those changes.

    Further, I think it's all a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially in the current 50-60+ population. I've seen this first hand with my parents and in-laws, all in the early 60s, all overweight to some degree, and all are quick to point out how hard it is to lose weight at their age. However, only one of the four of them have ever taken what I would consider to be a sensible and sustainable approach to losing weight (i.e. tracking/portion control via MFP); otherwise, it's a lot of Dr. Oz-level fad diet attempts and complaining that they're too old and/or don't like to exercise. In my view they're making it hard because they've been told, and believe that it is/has to be hard for them.

    Yes, this is my family too, and it is very hard to watch. It's interesting on a generational level, too - I am blessed to have all of my grandparents still living, and they have had various health concerns but actually are very active and have full lives. Their children are much more doom and gloom about health stuff. Same genes, but generally not doing as well in their 50s and 60s as their parents in their 80s (!). And in their children, that doom and gloom has hit for many in 20s and 30s. I think there's some historical trends and things much bigger than just our particular family dynamic that play a role here, but it's weird and alarming. When I was growing up, I did not think at all I would end up being the cheerful, optimistic one. Yet here we are.

    I generally think "positive thinking!" as a cure-all is a load of hogwash and an excuse to kick some people while they're down. Sometimes really bad stuff does happen, and thinking it won't happen to you won't prevent it. But persistent negative thinking and assuming the worst isn't going to help either.
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    wunderkindking wrote: »
    I think the change in BMR is probably much less than the difference in lifestyle. My TDEE has been going up consistently as I lose weight, because with less weight I am having more spontaneous movement and feel better so my activity level is increasing.

    HOWEVER: Ain't no way this would be the case when I was in my 30s instead of my 40s. In my 30s, as now, I had a desk job (unlike my 20s when I was working in food service and on my feet all the time). The big difference is that now my kids are grown and my work hours are flexible AND I have another job that requires activity (training dogs) and active hobbies I have the time and money to pursue. In my 30s I needed to be available for kids, didn't have a lot of money and had no flexibility on the when or how much I worked at that desk or how long I sat there.

    Thanks for your insightful words that postulated some rancorous certitude about human servival.
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    I'm with @penguinmama87 and skeptical about the purported magnitude of this rampant decline as we age. I don't dispute the existence of these changes but I don't think the year-over-year decline as nearly as prominent as perception would lead one to believe and are dwarfed by the extenuating circumstances baked into lifestyle shifts. For many people it seems like the math changes and they fail to recognize and/or adapt accordingly to those changes.

    Further, I think it's all a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially in the current 50-60+ population. I've seen this first hand with my parents and in-laws, all in the early 60s, all overweight to some degree, and all are quick to point out how hard it is to lose weight at their age. However, only one of the four of them have ever taken what I would consider to be a sensible and sustainable approach to losing weight (i.e. tracking/portion control via MFP); otherwise, it's a lot of Dr. Oz-level fad diet attempts and complaining that they're too old and/or don't like to exercise. In my view they're making it hard because they've been told, and believe that it is/has to be hard for them.

    I do agree.
    The worst human attribute is to have absolute self certainity.
    We need to be self critical before assuming anything to be unequivocally perfect.
  • DrSelfish1131
    DrSelfish1131 Posts: 35 Member
    Penguinmama87 wrote - "Certain things are inevitable. I will die someday, for instance, as we all will, and I can't prevent it. I would like to get old first, though, and there are things I can do to make it much more likely that I reach those years. But let's say I have at least 50-60 years left, as is likely based on demographic data - do I want to be saying, at 34, "oh this is so hard already my body is falling apart?" I haven't even reached the likely halfway point yet"

    Thanks for your intuitive thoughts.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    penguinmama87 wrote: »
    I generally think "positive thinking!" as a cure-all is a load of hogwash and an excuse to kick some people while they're down. Sometimes really bad stuff does happen, and thinking it won't happen to you won't prevent it. But persistent negative thinking and assuming the worst isn't going to help either.

    Yeah, it's definitely not a cure all but sometimes we have to know when we're in our own way. I know before I started lifting my self-talk told me that I wasn't "a lifter", wasn't "one of those guys" but that's what I wanted to look like. I had plenty of access to equipment in high school and college but never felt like a belonged in the weight room. It wasn't until I'd bought my own equipment that I allowed myself to work out in a way that really let me pursue my goals.
  • LaReinaDeCorazones
    LaReinaDeCorazones Posts: 274 Member
    I'm 41...almost 42...and I'm in a job where I'm on my feet a lot, but when I track my food and my activity, I get good results (weight loss) as compared to when I don't (weight gain).
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    I started logging on MFP in my 50s, and did not encounter any great difficulty in losing weight when I stuck to my plan for achieving a calorie deficit (indeed, I lost weight more quickly than indicated by MFP's estimate of what my calorie needs were at my age, weight, and activity level -- sometimes it's a good thing to be in the tail of a distribution curve!).
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Bella_Figura wrote: »
    I expected the weight loss to be slower in my 50s because everyone says that it is, especially for post-menopausal women, but I can't say it's been true for me.

    Me either. I noticed no TDEE change in my 30’s. The only time I noticed a reduced TDEE was when I made a major career change that was much less active on the job in my 40s. I noticed when I wasn’t losing weight the way I used to. Initially I wondered if it was aging but counted calories and realized it was due to the job change/activity.

    You can’t control your age but you can control your activity and body composition. I started strength training in my 40s and had visible abs for first time in my life by 50. I’m at my college weight, but I think it’s possible I may have more lean mass now. I aspire to gain a little more lean mass now at age 56. I think subcutaneous fat is really pretty on women, and I have less of that (thanks to age) but I do have better definition as a result. Love your amazing body at every age!
  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 4,322 Member
    Speakeasy76 wrote: »
    I have actually found weight loss to be easier in my 30's and 40's, despite going on/off diets, gaining and losing weight since I was 15. The reason isn't because my metabolism is magically better than it was back then...although I'd venture to say that because I'm more active overall and have more muscle mass my TDEE is probably higher than it was back then.

    With age comes wisdom, and I've learned a lot about what it takes to not only successfully lose weight, but what it takes to keep it off. I also changed my mindset about losing/maintaining weight, significantly reducing my all-or-nothing mindset and being ok with losing weight slowly, not aiming to lose a certain amount of weight by XX date. I also have found exercise I actually enjoy and focus on getting stronger, not just how many calories I burn or how it will make me look. For example, now I enjoy walking outdoors, whereas when younger I would've scoffed at that for exercise, thinking it didn't burn enough calories. I also know the importance of just being less sedentary during the day outside of formal exercise. I used to think if I exercised once a day I was good...I could park close to the store, could sit and watch TV for long periods, etc.

    I also just want to be healthier overall, and absolutely know that by eating more nutritious foods than not and not overeating that I physically feel better. That's important to me now, whereas when younger I was just focused on calories...and used to believe low-fat was the way to go. Still, I also believe that absolutely vis nothing off limits food-wise, it's just whether or not I want to eat it.

    I wish I had known what I know now, but sometimes experience is the best teacher.

    I 100% agree and resonate with all of this! Mirrors my experience exactly.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    DrSelfish1131 wrote: »
    I with my wife kicked off our weight trimming odyssey two weeks ago.

    I had put on around 10 kgs in the last 12 months. Nonetheless I was certain that like before I would curtail my weight effortlessly.

    Regrettably my physique is responding exceptionally sluggishly to my ongoing diet and exercise.

    Did anyone had any comparable experience in the past? Please feel free to share it.

    If you think it's bad now, wait until you are in your 50s and 60s and have other health conditions

    I lost 24lbs about 4-5 years ago and now it's hell to loose, but it's something I have to do.

    It's like climbing Mount Everest, getting a certain distance and then the wind blowing you back down

    It also does not help that I have no thyroid and have to take Synthroid - but it can be done, but it's a big struggle

    I made a decision yesterday that since I MUST take medication daily, exercising daily should be the same thing and in a way it makes sense

  • KevHex
    KevHex Posts: 256 Member
    LaReinaDeCorazones wrote: »
    I'm 41...almost 42...and I'm in a job where I'm on my feet a lot, but when I track my food and my activity, I get good results (weight loss) as compared to when I don't (weight gain).

    I too am in my 40’s (late 40’s) and I lose weight pretty much in line with my calorie deficit.
  • wmweeza
    wmweeza Posts: 319 Member
    I can't compare to how it is to diet when you are younger, I am 48 and this is my first time ever trying to diet and so far I'm doing good. I've been at this for 4 years, lost a ton at first but the last year and a half I lost nothing. I just added in alternate day fasting and seem to be seeing small results finally.

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