How does age effect weight loss?
AnnieintheN0rth
Posts: 33 Member
Hi All,
I have a question about age and losing weight. When I was 30 I went on a diet and lost over 100lbs. I lost about 3-4 lbs a week on a 1,400 cal and 30-40 min step aerobics workout a day. That was 3.5 years ago and I'm back on a diet after some weight gain. It's pretty much the same diet plan I was on before and while my workout is less intensive(knee injury) it's a lot longer but my weight lost is sooooo much slower. It's basically half of what it was. It's so frustrating to put in the same amount of work and get half the results. My goal weight is now twice as long away as I thought.
My partner suggested maybe things have slowed down cos I'm in my mid thirties now so it's harder to shift the weight. Is there any truth to that? Should I keep tinkering with my diet and exercise until I get back up with the weekly weight loss I'm used to or just accept that I'm an old crone now?! XD
Anyone else have the experience of results changing like that after only 3-4 years?
Thanks,
Ani
I have a question about age and losing weight. When I was 30 I went on a diet and lost over 100lbs. I lost about 3-4 lbs a week on a 1,400 cal and 30-40 min step aerobics workout a day. That was 3.5 years ago and I'm back on a diet after some weight gain. It's pretty much the same diet plan I was on before and while my workout is less intensive(knee injury) it's a lot longer but my weight lost is sooooo much slower. It's basically half of what it was. It's so frustrating to put in the same amount of work and get half the results. My goal weight is now twice as long away as I thought.
My partner suggested maybe things have slowed down cos I'm in my mid thirties now so it's harder to shift the weight. Is there any truth to that? Should I keep tinkering with my diet and exercise until I get back up with the weekly weight loss I'm used to or just accept that I'm an old crone now?! XD
Anyone else have the experience of results changing like that after only 3-4 years?
Thanks,
Ani
3
Replies
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Do you have 100lbs to lose again?
The less you have to lose, the slower the rate of loss.15 -
My understanding is that the "metabolism" change as we get older is basically a combo of three things: (1) gradual loss of lean muscle mass, which probably wouldn't apply to you in your mid-thirties and shouldn't be noticeable over just three and a half years, (2) a tendency for people to become less active with age due to lifestyle changes, which is pretty common between our twenties and thirties, and (3) potential injuries slowing us down, which looks like it does apply in your case. You say that your workouts are longer now, but what about the rest of your day? Do you spend more time at a desk now, or have you started driving more? Do you move around a lot during your free time or spend more of it on the couch than you did a few years ago? People focus on intentional workouts when they think about losing weight, but what you do in the rest of your day matters a lot more than most people think. You can absolutely compensate for those second and third factors by focusing on moving more through your day or eating less, and the third can be fought over time with strength training. Good luck!18
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^^This!TavistockToad wrote: »Do you have 100lbs to lose again?
The less you have to lose, the slower the rate of loss.
Also, half of what you lost a week is a 1.5 - 2 lbs. That is exactly where you should be. That is a sustainable weight loss. Patience!8 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Do you have 100lbs to lose again?
The less you have to lose, the slower the rate of loss.
I have 65lbs to lose to be the weight I was. Most of that was put on over the last year when I got hit by a bout of depression and ate rings around myself.8 -
While age has a small impact on your metabolic rate if, as you tend to lose muscle over time unless you actively work to prevent that, it's not substantial, and certainly not after only a few years. Age differences are decades apart.
Probably the biggest impact that you had your metabolic rate was your aggressive weight loss plan, which didn't seem to include weight training and more likely didn't include adequate protein. This is why too often people gain weight back very easily and long term dieting can be such a problem. When you rebound you gain most of the fat back, but not the muscle, which makes you start out with a lower metabolic rate the next time you do it.
You should slow down your weight loss, increase your protein (~100 to 125g/day) and follow some resistance training to improve your overall physique.19 -
AnnieintheN0rth wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Do you have 100lbs to lose again?
The less you have to lose, the slower the rate of loss.
I have 65lbs to lose to be the weight I was. Most of that was put on over the last year when I got hit by a bout of depression and ate rings around myself.
Less weight to lose + lower intensity workouts will slow things down for sure. At a lower weight, you have a lower BMR. With lower intensity workouts, you're burning fewer calories.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a slower pace - progress is progress!5 -
Age is irrelevant to weightloss and there is no secret to how to do it.
To lose weight, you just need to eat less and exercise more. Same rule applies regardless of age.
FWIW, five years ago, I lost 36# at age 62. Got injured and had some medical issues to deal w/and gained the weight back over the next 3 yrs. Then I got back on track at age 65 and lost 40# and have maintained the loss for the past 2 years.
15 -
I'm not really I started losing weight in 2015 in my early 20s now I'm in my mid 20s, and I'm still able to lose weight.2
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Probably the biggest impact that you had your metabolic rate was your aggressive weight loss plan, which didn't seem to include weight training and more likely didn't include adequate protein. This is why too often people gain weight back very easily and long term dieting can be such a problem. When you rebound you gain most of the fat back, but not the muscle, which makes you start out with a lower metabolic rate the next time you do it.
You should slow down your weight loss, increase your protein (~100 to 125g/day) and follow some resistance training to improve your overall physique.
You're right about the protein, I don't eat meat or milk, and didn't the last time I lost weight either so getting enough protein takes some management. I never did any resistance training. Gotta look into that, thanks!
I didn't start out with the plan of aggressive 4lb per week weight loss. I plugged into MFP that I wanted to lose 2lb a week and followed the guidelines they gave and lost 3-4lbs. Figured I was just lucky.
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AnnieintheN0rth wrote: »Probably the biggest impact that you had your metabolic rate was your aggressive weight loss plan, which didn't seem to include weight training and more likely didn't include adequate protein. This is why too often people gain weight back very easily and long term dieting can be such a problem. When you rebound you gain most of the fat back, but not the muscle, which makes you start out with a lower metabolic rate the next time you do it.
You should slow down your weight loss, increase your protein (~100 to 125g/day) and follow some resistance training to improve your overall physique.
You're right about the protein, I don't eat meat or milk, and didn't the last time I lost weight either so getting enough protein takes some management. I never did any resistance training. Gotta look into that, thanks!
I didn't start out with the plan of aggressive 4lb per week weight loss. I plugged into MFP that I wanted to lose 2lb a week and followed the guidelines they gave and lost 3-4lbs. Figured I was just lucky.
You probably under estimated how active you were or you werent eating back your exercise calories which is how MFP is designed.5 -
I just had a birthday and MFP "took" 20 calories from me lol.6
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Age is irrelevant to weightloss and there is no secret to how to do it.
To lose weight, you just need to eat less and exercise more. Same rule applies regardless of age.
FWIW, five years ago, I lost 36# at age 62. Got injured and had some medical issues to deal w/and gained the weight back over the next 3 yrs. Then I got back on track at age 65 and lost 40# and have maintained the loss for the past 2 years.
While I am inspired by your turn around, I don't think it's entirely accurate to say that age has no effect on weight loss. It certainly has no effect on CICO, so if that's what you meant, do forgive me and I withdraw my complaint, but as others have pointed out, there can be some lean mass loss directly attributable to the aging process, as well as those things that aren't the result of age, but closely correlated, like slipping naturally into a more sedentary lifestyle as we all have a tendency to do crossing from our twenties to the later years. Note of course that neither I nor anyone who knows what they're talking about would suggest that age itself is a barrier to weight loss using CICO, but its more realistic to point out the ways in which age can effect how you might adjust the math as you age to account for the variables.2 -
AnnieintheN0rth wrote: »Probably the biggest impact that you had your metabolic rate was your aggressive weight loss plan, which didn't seem to include weight training and more likely didn't include adequate protein. This is why too often people gain weight back very easily and long term dieting can be such a problem. When you rebound you gain most of the fat back, but not the muscle, which makes you start out with a lower metabolic rate the next time you do it.
You should slow down your weight loss, increase your protein (~100 to 125g/day) and follow some resistance training to improve your overall physique.
You're right about the protein, I don't eat meat or milk, and didn't the last time I lost weight either so getting enough protein takes some management. I never did any resistance training. Gotta look into that, thanks!
I didn't start out with the plan of aggressive 4lb per week weight loss. I plugged into MFP that I wanted to lose 2lb a week and followed the guidelines they gave and lost 3-4lbs. Figured I was just lucky.
Highly suggest and second the suggestion of resistance or strength training. Regardless of the wonderful benefits it has for the actual math of losing weight, I have to say the way it makes you feel ALONE is enough reason to do it. When I was losing the first time I didn't incorporate it at all and I had no idea what I was missing out on. It just takes all the lethargy of a caloric deficit and crushes it. It's wonderful.2 -
Lesscookies12 wrote: »I'm not really I started losing weight in 2015 in my early 20s now I'm in my mid 20s, and I'm still able to lose weight.
You are not old if you are in your 20s!!! Old means above and beyond the 50s, 60s and 70s.7 -
The biggest effect that age has on weight management is that typically people go from being more active to less active. Another issue is losing a lot of muscle mass which can down turn your metabolism...but I'd say in most cases it has far more to do with activity than anything else.3
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My base calories now are a few hundred less a day than they were at 20, I’m almost 40 now. It’s not a huge difference but I notice it.1
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My base calories now are a few hundred less a day than they were at 20, I’m almost 40 now. It’s not a huge difference but I notice it.
My basal calories are actually slightly more at 43 than they were at 23...when I was 23, I was about 140 Lbs soaking wet and basically a bean pole. I put on a decent amount of muscle mass over 20 years which likely is what is making up the difference from aging...and I weigh 40 Lbs more. I'm about 180 in my profile pic and about 15% BF...I was leaner when I was 23, but also lacked much in the way of muscle mass.3 -
Lesscookies12 wrote: »I'm not really I started losing weight in 2015 in my early 20s now I'm in my mid 20s, and I'm still able to lose weight.
Lol you're not quite over the hill yet
I was skinny as a rail in my 20's and 30's. I started gaining weight when i hit my 40's. 5 -
I find it much easier to lose weight now that I'm older. When I was young, I ate whatever, I drank more alcohol and I was much less disciplined in general. Now I find it very easy to lose weight if I follow the rules!3
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The MStJ formula for TDEE subtracts 6-10 kcal for every year of age (5kcals * activity_factor). Just one more indignity we must endure as we get older. That's not very significant at the OPs age, but it adds up!
But, losing 3-4 pounds a week for any extended period is totally insane. That is equivalent a daily calorie deficit of 1500-2000kcals, which is unhealthy. If you are only mildly overweight, shoot for and accept a 1lb/week loss. Keep exercisign while you do it!
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I discovered, from my own personal experience, that I could lose weight just as easily at 48 as I could at 24.
And I don't lose at 3-4 lbs/week ... I prefer to lose somewhere between 1-2 lbs/week.1 -
Once I learned how to do it (at age 54), it was no problem. The laws of physics, chemistry and thermodynamics work on my body too. They better or I'd be some kind of special snowflake.3
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Its easier for me now at 44 than it was in my 20's cuz I stopped all the fad diets,crash dieting and dumb weight loss pills5
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Christine_72 wrote: »Lesscookies12 wrote: »I'm not really I started losing weight in 2015 in my early 20s now I'm in my mid 20s, and I'm still able to lose weight.
Lol you're not quite over the hill yet I was skinny as a rail in my 20's and 30's. I started gaining weight when i hit my 40's.
Try it in your mid 70s!! LOL5 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »Age is irrelevant to weightloss and there is no secret to how to do it.
To lose weight, you just need to eat less and exercise more. Same rule applies regardless of age.
FWIW, five years ago, I lost 36# at age 62. Got injured and had some medical issues to deal w/and gained the weight back over the next 3 yrs. Then I got back on track at age 65 and lost 40# and have maintained the loss for the past 2 years.
While I am inspired by your turn around, I don't think it's entirely accurate to say that age has no effect on weight loss. It certainly has no effect on CICO, so if that's what you meant, do forgive me and I withdraw my complaint, but as others have pointed out, there can be some lean mass loss directly attributable to the aging process, as well as those things that aren't the result of age, but closely correlated, like slipping naturally into a more sedentary lifestyle as we all have a tendency to do crossing from our twenties to the later years. Note of course that neither I nor anyone who knows what they're talking about would suggest that age itself is a barrier to weight loss using CICO, but its more realistic to point out the ways in which age can effect how you might adjust the math as you age to account for the variables.
But it's not the aging per se (something over which I have no control). It's the muscle loss (over which I don't have complete control, but I do have a *baby-feline* load of influence).
At 62, I'm more interested in adjusting my lifestyle, and less interested in adjusting the math. My 72-year-old (female) rowing buddy, who's been weight training since her 30s, is stronger and has more muscle mass than most 20-something women. Research has shown people able to build strength and muscle into their 80s, at least.
But sure, "be realistic", and "adjust the math", if you prefer. It's easier, I guess.3 -
Weightloss has always been slow for me .... up until I started tracking food on this site back in January. Now at 44 I have dropped 10kg this year and hit maintenance for the 1st time ever !
turns out once you know what your CO is you just make sure your CI is lower and the fat drops off
but its harder in many respects as when you are older there is a lot more "family" to consider when trying to stay in a deficit .. and a lot more office cakes1 -
The other thing when you're older, as I've realized, is that folks believe the myth that your metabolism slows down radically and that you should not stress your body through anything heavy or aerobically taxing.
No thanks.
At 54, I was a tub of goo unwittingly preparing to prepare to waste away to an early death sitting on the couch, convinced I was past my prime and that I was destined to the average overweight, weak guy. At 55, I'm now in better shape than I have probably ever been - most definitely stronger. I've run for longer distances than I ever did as a young man. I don't know whether an "early death" is in the cards for me or not. But I plan to live aggressively until that time comes and do as much as my body will let me. I've also found that my body will let me do more stuff when I progressively challenge it to do more stuff.
As I mentioned earlier, age was no issue for weight loss. Just work the numbers - if you do it right (i.e. get the numbers right) it has to work. It's been a little bit of an issue for strength gain, but only in the sense that recovery is slower - not that it can't happen.6 -
Age is just a number. I was in my 40s before I really tried to lose weight properly - once I grasped the fact I had to eat less than I burn and did just that, weight loss happened.1
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I am noticing that it takes a bit longer to recover from a tough workout in my early 30's then it did in my early 20's. I'm guessing that may have more to do with going from a lightly/moderately active job, to a sedentary desk job over the last 3 years then aging though. I know if I don't maintain what I'm doing now, it'll be harder to get started another 10-20 years from now if I continue to be sedentary and not work out. One thing that drives me nuts is to hear people say " Oh you're young! you can do all that fitness stuff! Just wait till you're in your 60's! I'm waaay to old to even think about that!" Age is really just a number, and while that may mean you may have to start slower initially, it doesn't mean you're to old to get started on being fitter. My dad is coming to this realization, and is starting to workout a bit himself. I was totally having a proud daughter moment when he was telling me that! The only reason most people "can't" is because that's what they have convinced themselves of. Check out "health at any age" compilations on you tube. There are people in their 70's and 80's that could easily kick my squishy little *kitten*! It's really inspiring.1
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OP, you did a major 100 lb loss diet on deficit and cardio, no resistance training.
We all lose muscle on a deficit, but without resistance training of any kind, a higher percent of what we lose is muscle. Muscle burns calories.
I'd say your "slower" loss rate (still spectacular incidentally, settle back in the saddle and enjoy the ride!) is due to decreased muscle mass compared to the first time around.
Patience and strength/resistance training so you retain muscle mass, like many above have said 2
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