dieting harder with age - myth?

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tnorth82
tnorth82 Posts: 186
in Health and Weight Loss
is it true that its harder to lose weight the older you get?
Im starting to think so....
in my early 20's weight flew off me when I dieted, now Im 30 its just not moving.....

what do you think?

Replies

  • scottdsexton
    scottdsexton Posts: 25 Member
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    From my on personal experience I would say yes. I am 47 and it is much harder to lose 15-20 pounds now than it was 15 years ago. I think the two big factors are lower metabolism rates and (this is generalized) the older you get the less exercise you routinely get , ie more sedantary.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,958 Member
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    I would have said yes 20 years ago, as I slowly gained weight over the years from 160 lbs in my early 20's to a max weight of 255 lbs by the time I was in my late 30's. I'm 58 now and in the best physical condition that I can remember, but certainly not like I was in my 20's but you know what I mean, hopefully. lol. I worked my way down to around 220 and was stuck at 205 for a long time until 2010. Now I'm 185 with body fat around 11-13%. I've always been fairly active....play hockey, go to the gym, that kind of thing but I did crank up my exercise routine quite a bit by adding more heavy weight training 3 times a week over the last 15 months, and I tweeked my diet somewhat. Basically I think I just got less active and more complacent compared to when I was in my 20's and the added weight was eating too much food, period, which I'm sure was to help cope with lifes curveballs. Committment and a clear goals can change anyone at any age, so while it does get tougher staying lean and active, it's not hard to turn that around, if you really want to.
  • toddlyons
    toddlyons Posts: 73 Member
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    I'm 41, have been overweight for 20 years, and have lost 32 pounds in 11 weeks.

    I'm calling myth.

    If your body has always been resistant to calorie restriction, it will probably continue to be so. If you have a body like mine, that can shed pounds but you didn't really bother to manage it, it's never too late to start.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Depends, if you lost muscle mass over the years then yes it would be harder. If you put muscle on, then it should be easier.
  • Susancharlotte
    Susancharlotte Posts: 4
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    I think so, definitely. I'm 47 and have lost 92 pounds since March 2011 (9.5 months). The weight flew off in the first few months but since September I've struggled with every pound. As a female i also think I'm entering into the first stage of the pre-menopause and the hormonal imbalances really affect my loss. I stall for a week every month, gain a pound or so the next week, then lose it all plus a bit more after the second week. It's harder but still worth it! I also have to push myself harder with exercise as witout it I don't think I would have lost half of what I have done.
  • joandhan
    joandhan Posts: 20
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    dont think i have any of that left now.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
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    Somewhat true. Your metabolism slows with age. Unless you've done some serious strength training throughout your life, your muscle mass decreases with age. Both of these will make weight loss a little more difficult.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I can tell you I lost weight from 13 stone to 11 stone when I was 29 and I thought it was tough as I was nearly 30. However, I went from doing no exercise at all to going to the gym and running, ate 1,800 calories a day and it just fell off compared to how I'm finding it now.

    Trying to go from 14 stone to 11 stone at 44 is a whole other matter. For starters I only eat 1,340 calories (plus my exercise but that's seldom 500 more) and I never stopped exercising so I didn't get that "body shock" of going from sedentary to active.

    I have probably lost muscle mass TBH and need to get more weigh training in, though I worry about overdoing it and hampering my Marathon training which is my main goal ATM.
  • theoneandonlybrookie
    theoneandonlybrookie Posts: 341 Member
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    I did a little research on this, just because I was interested... I had always heard that your metabolism slows with age. The Mayo Clinic's website states, "As you get older, your muscle mass decreases, which slows down the rate at which you burn calories." This confirms what another person said, namely that people tend to lose muscle mass as they get older and thus their metabolisms slow down.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/slow-metabolism/AN00618

    This just emphasizes the importance of resistance training, for me.

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