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Home » Lose Weight » THIS is why it’s harder to lose weight as you get older – and how to fight it – Birmingham Mail

Plenty slows down as we get older - from body parts to cognitive function.

One thing which does not seem to slow, however, is our ability to pile on weight.

But getting older doesnt have to mean getting fatter, according to scientists such as Dr Neerav Padliya.

Dr Padliya is a weight loss expert at US supplement manufacturer MYOS Rens, as the Mirror reports.

He insists these body changes are more manageable than we think.

And he believes that once you understand why the weight gain is happening , there are plenty of ways to outsmart it.

As early as our thirties, a fall in the hormone levels for both sexes begins to slow our metabolism so we burn less energy and store more fat.

Researchers have found this causes the average man and woman to add 1-2lb around their middle every year from the ages of 35 to 55.

High testosterone levels are responsible for keeping mens bodies lean and muscular when theyre younger.

This is because the male hormone binds to fat, carrying it out of the body so less is stored around the middle. It also helps to build muscle, speed up the metabolism, and maintain insulin sensitivity (which prevents diabetes).

However, as men age, testosterone levels naturally decrease at a rate of about 1% a year after the age of 30, explains Dr Padliya.

This drop encourages the body to store fat particularly around the belly, where it not only looks unsightly but can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes .

The female body has a delicate balance of progesterone and oestrogen throughout a womans fertile years. Higher levels of oestrogen are known to increase fat tissue formation, but for younger women this effect is offset by equally high levels of progesterone.

From the age of 35 onwards, levels of both hormones decrease, leading up to the menopause. However, progesterone levels decrease at a faster rate, causing more fat tissue to form around the middle, says Dr Padliya.

These hormone drops also lead to a reduction in muscle mass for both men and women. And because muscle tissue is the single largest consumer of glucose in the body, losing it means less is used up and any excess is converted into body fat stored around the middle. Less muscle mass also means your body doesnt process carbs as efficiently, so eating too many triggers weight gain.

1. Eat more protein AND FEWER CARBS

Protein is the building block of muscle, and since muscle mass diminishes as you age, you need to up your intake.

How: Ensure you have protein with every meal. Healthy sources include nuts, seeds, fish, dairy and lean meat. Avoid refined carbs in the form of white bread and pasta and stick to wholegrain varieties which release glucose more slowly, causing less weight gain.

2. Make sure you work those muscles

The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even when youre not exercising. So, as you age, its important to do whats called resistance training exercising with some form of weights to keep your muscles strong.

How: Light weight-lifting two to three times a week will help both men and women. You need to use weights that are heavy enough to exhaust your muscles with 12 repetitions, yet light enough to complete eight comfortably. Get advice from a personal trainer or local gym to get started. Yoga, which uses the weight of your own body for resistance, can also help build muscle.

3. Eliminate stress

Midlife can be a time of high stress juggling troublesome teenage kids, elderly parents and high-pressure work. But research has linked high levels of the stress hormone cortisol to an accumulation of fat around your midriff.

How: Eliminating as much stress as possible from your daily routine will help cut the amount of cortisol your body makes. Trying a local mindfulness or meditation class can help here check your local paper or go to nextdoor.com. And delegate more to colleagues and family members, so youre not trying to do it all.

4. Use every opportunity to stand up

Being sedentary for too long decreases the activity of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which helps us burn fat around the middle. Standing, however, burns twice as many calories as sitting.

How: Use opportunities to stand more, whether on public transport or while talking on the phone.

5. Dont let lack of sleep affect your appetite

Our sleep quality often declines in middle age, but when youre short on sleep your appetite increases, meaning you eat more and gain weight.

How: Set a soothing bedtime routine that includes a warm bath, and turn off all screens and dim the lights an hour before going to bed.

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THIS is why it's harder to lose weight as you get older - and how to fight it - Birmingham Mail

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Home » Lose Weight » THIS is why it’s harder to lose weight as you get older – and how to fight it – Birmingham Mail