Preventing Weight Gain With Increasing Age

From a certain age it is important to avoid processed foods and to increase protein intake. Our bodies tend to store more fat, which can lead to significant weight gain.

As  you get older, you not only enjoy more experience and wisdom, excess kilos often also accumulate. In spite of a healthy lifestyle and diet.

If you’ve struggled with your weight all your life, this problem becomes even more difficult as you get  older  .

From the age of 40 , your body changes slowly, which among other things promotes weight gain. 

If you haven’t dealt with this topic yet, we’ll tell you what to look out for and which strategies can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet may no longer be enough. Read on to learn more about this topic.

Everything gets more complicated as you get older

Sitting for long periods of time, hormone changes and poor diet are often the reasons why you cannot maintain your ideal weight in the long term. From the age of 40 everything becomes even more difficult.

As confirmed by the US Council of Exercise , at this age your metabolism slows down and you burn around 300 fewer calories than you did when you were 20.

In addition to weight gain, there are other complications with advancing age. There is no time for personal care, family and professional obligations are in the foreground and health is often simply neglected.

For this reason, in addition to a healthy diet, there are other strategies you should use to prevent weight gain as you age.

Sarcopenia: less muscle, more fat

There could be several reasons why you put on some weight over the years. It is important that you understand that you are not to blame. Rather, the excess pounds are due to natural mechanisms.

However, we have useful tips for you that will make your life easier.

Sarcopenia is the age-related decline in muscle mass and muscle strength. From the age of 30 onwards, you lose between 3 and 5 percent muscle mass every year.

This means that by the age of 40 you are burning 200 fewer calories than you were by the age of 30. So if you don’t take appropriate measures, you will automatically gain weight.

However, there are other causes:

Changed hormonal balance

As we get older, hormones play an increasingly important role. Hormone production decreases in both women and men. In women, estrogen and progesterone production changes from the age of 35, and menopause occurs from around 50.

• Estrogen favors the growth of adipose tissue and the resulting fat increases the production of estrogen by the fat cells. This cycle also affects weight and figure.
• However, progesterone supports fat loss. But the progesterone level decreases more than the estrogen level from 35. Therefore, the risk of obesity increases with advancing age.

In addition , men’s testosterone levels drop by 1 percent per year from the age of 30. This hormone actually protects them from gaining weight. When production decreases, the likelihood of weight gain increases.

Too little movement

Over time, many people stop moving. Of course, this also has a negative effect on weight. Therefore, you should definitely exercise regularly.

Tips to prevent weight gain as you age

We’ll give you various tips below. Because you can prevent becoming overweight as you get older.

• It is important to maintain muscle mass. Remember, fat burns fewer calories than muscle. Therefore, you should definitely exercise regularly so that your muscle tissue is strengthened.

• Consume a lot of protein. This way you can support the growth of your muscles.
• Watch your calorie intake. All the calories you eat count, and especially those in sweets and processed products. Try to avoid them or to only consume them in small amounts.
• Have a nutritionist create a personalized nutrition plan for you.
• Don’t forget to eat a balanced diet. The goal is a healthy diet. Find healthy recipes and cook fresh as often as possible. When eating out, consider ordering green dishes. Educate yourself about what you eat and develop healthy habits.

As you can see, our advice is far from complicated. If you are already following a healthy diet, you should definitely continue this way, but with even more control and ambition.

If you’ve always done sport, make sure to keep your muscles working harder. With age, weightlifting becomes more difficult. For this reason you should take care of yourself even more, health comes first.