Harder to lose weight when you get older?

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  • jaharrison763
    jaharrison763 Posts: 99 Member
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    I wouldn't say it's any harder to lose weight as we get older. It just takes a heck of a lot longer! :ohwell:

    I work out 6 days a week for 1-3 hours alongside my much younger friends (I'm 56 and they're 30s-40s). We each wear heart rate monitors and compare our calorie burns after class. I typically burn 250-350 calories/per hour, while they easily burn twice as much as I do! :grumble: I've had noticeable changes in my body, so I'm not complaining.
  • debdsk8gld
    debdsk8gld Posts: 11 Member
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    I have heard it was harder to lose weight when you are older, and even though I am struggling to lose weight I am not buying it. It all boils down to finding the right combination of diet of exercise. Hopefully I will find the right combination soon. I normally work out 14 hours a week and can't lose an ounce. For the last 3 weeks I have increased to 18 hours a week and gained 3 pounds in one week. I ready to get in my car and drive away!
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    On the plus side, what I lack in youth and energy I more than make up for in willpower and maturity. It balances out.

    I agree with that!
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    I have heard it was harder to lose weight when you are older, and even though I am struggling to lose weight I am not buying it. It all boils down to finding the right combination of diet of exercise. Hopefully I will find the right combination soon. I normally work out 14 hours a week and can't lose an ounce. For the last 3 weeks I have increased to 18 hours a week and gained 3 pounds in one week. I ready to get in my car and drive away!

    That has to be frustrating!
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    Yes, to all of the above. Eat breakfast every morning. Eat fruit, lots of vegetables, nuts, beans, the good stuff. Cut down the carbs and fats, all the stuff we already know we should do. Cut out the junk food (we all know what that consists of)!
    You're in the right place!

    I disagree about cutting down on fats. Certainly you don't want to eat too much, but I believe eating healthy fats become more important as we age because fat is good for our skin and hair. Meeting or exceeding your fat goal can help with sagging as you lose weight.

    That's good to the know about the fats! I definitely cut down on the carbs! Too many of those and scale really rises!
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    i turned 40 this year too and oh yes it's harder. i sometimes feel like for the amount of time and energy i put into exercising i should be a LOT lighter than i am but alias i'm not and i blame my age. DAMN 40! :) lol

    however, i am certainly healthier than i was in my 20s.
    Hi,

    i just turned 40 and although I am happy that I have been losing weight, it seems like it is much harder and taking longer.
    Is it because of my age. I remember people saying that the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight.
    Is that true?

    It is very frustrating, wondering what other people's experiences are?

    Thanks!

    I feel like I am healthier now too, the weight isn't falling off like I would like. BUT, I definitely feel healthier.
    Thanks!
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    Weight loss is a bit harder for me (I'm 46) but is definitely doable. However, it's the toning that stinks. I don't seem to have that wonderful elasticity that I had in my 20s. *sigh* Apparently, years of yoyo weight abuse, along with pushing out 2 kids doesn't really help with the shrinking back (and looking tight and toned) concept...

    Mind you, I'm doing well with the weight loss and am almost at goal, but the toning may be a constant battle. It CAN be done, but not overnight.

    Thank you, I am glad to know it is doable.
    Barb
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    It's certainly harder for me now than it was 15 years ago!! But, with dedication and knowledge, I've accomplished more in a much HEALTHIER manner, than I ever did in my 20's or 30's.

    With age comes wisdom. Use it to your advantage!!

    :-)

    I agree, I feel the same. The pounds aren't falling off, but I am more dedicated and smart about it.
    Thanks!
  • rfechter
    rfechter Posts: 109 Member
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    I am also finding it harder. I turned 41 this year and it seems to take so much more work just to lose a little weight. It is hard to stay motivated some times.
  • Reesecup312
    Reesecup312 Posts: 277 Member
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    Hi!! I have/had a lot of weight to lose but I am 51 and have lost 50 pounds in less than 4 months. :)
  • healthyliving_girl
    healthyliving_girl Posts: 290 Member
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    I never really tried when I was younger. I was a couple months shy of 41 when I started on MFP last July. It took about 4 months to lose 20 lbs. I felt like it was relatively quick for me - the first 20 lbs. The next 10 lbs took another 4 months, but it was also the holidays and I was eating more...
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    Yep. I'm in my mid sixties and it does get harder as each year goes by. And, when you start taking a bunch of meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, and God knows what else, it gets even harder.
  • fairc3jam
    fairc3jam Posts: 136 Member
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    Hi,

    i just turned 40 and although I am happy that I have been losing weight, it seems like it is much harder and taking longer.
    Is it because of my age. I remember people saying that the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight.
    Is that true?

    It is very frustrating, wondering what other people's experiences are?

    Thanks!

    I think so from personal experience. Besides, you will notice that everything that happens from now on will be attributed to age, specially from your doctor.
  • janiceover
    janiceover Posts: 26 Member
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    I just turned 50, and yes, it is harder as you get older. I could drop pounds like nothing in my teens, 20's and even 30's. However, now I find that I have to work even more to get the scale to move downwards. I have been working out 4 times a week and eating very clean and healthy. The weight is coming off, but it is slow.
  • BarbBlue
    BarbBlue Posts: 251
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    Thanks everyone for answering. I appreciate it. You all make sense. I have to just keep plugging away!

    Thanks!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Hi,

    i just turned 40 and although I am happy that I have been losing weight, it seems like it is much harder and taking longer.
    Is it because of my age. I remember people saying that the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight.
    Is that true?

    It is very frustrating, wondering what other people's experiences are?

    Thanks!
    I'm 43. Really I just think it depends more on your situation...and how healthy you are to begin with....

    do you sleep well?
    are you able to exercise on a schedule?
    Is your body out of balance hormonally?

    I am like you, I am so happy to lose weight and get fit! It took a few weeks to find my "zone" of weight loss...but now I am in it.

    Don't get frustrated. It is a learning experience and can feel odd and clumsy at first. You will have fun, especially as you get to know others and get their input....I couldn't be doing this without mfp. Seriously:)
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
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    It turns out that for most people, age-related weight gain is due in large part to a dramatic decrease in calories burned. While lower levels of physical activity play a large role in the decreased energy expenditure, an age-related decline in metabolic rate is also to blame.

    A study evaluating total energy expenditure (TEE) – the sum of calories burned from the basal metabolic rate (metabolism), the energy required to digest and absorb food, and physical activity – confirmed what most people already know: energy expenditure decreases with age.

    Basal metabolic rate, which accounts for about 50 to 70 percent of TEE, is thought to decrease about one to two percent per decade. That is, after a person reaches 20 years old, daily energy expenditure decreases about 150 calories per decade. The decline is probably due to decreased muscle mass (which is highly metabolically-active) and increased fat mass (which is relatively metabolically-inactive).

    Some studies have also found that, even when controlling for fat-free mass, basal metabolic rate is five percent lower in older compared with younger adults. It is not clear why, but some researchers speculate that it may be due to an unavoidable loss of very metabolically-active organ tissue, or a decreased metabolic rate within muscle tissues. Decline seems to be most rapid after 40 years old in men and 50 years old in women.

    In sum, the number of calories burned per day decreases with age. This reality is widely accepted and is even built in to formulas that estimate resting energy expenditure. The age-related decline in energy expenditure is largely due to decreased metabolic rate — which results from decreased lean mass and increased fat mass — and decreased levels of physical activity.

    http://www.acefitness.org/blog/2315/is-it-true-that-metabolism-decreases-with-age
  • Nighthawk4
    Nighthawk4 Posts: 77 Member
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    I am 59 on Wednesday. Everything is harder to do when you are older.

    However, I think it does get easier to set a goal and be determined enough to reach it. When I was younger I was more likely to decide to do something and then give up too soon because it was not working.
  • mamaomefo
    mamaomefo Posts: 418 Member
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    Another yes! It does take longer, and I have to workout much longer and harder than I did in my younger years. I'm over fifty and it takes the scales a longer time to move in the downward direction. I joined MFP in March. It took about 6 weeks for me to see a loss. :frown: just keep logging and exercising!

    6 weeks to see a loss? Wow, took about waiting a long time. I admire your dedication.

    Thanks!

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