Metabolism/Weight Loss
Lose Weight After 40
If you are a man or woman over 40 years old and are struggling to zip or button a pair of pants you haven’t worn for a while, take solace in the fact that you are not alone.
If you are dismayed that you are gaining a pound or two every few months but haven’t changed your diet or lifestyle, you are not alone.
Is weight gain one of the many inevitable downsides of aging?
Unfortunately, yes. But the good news is you can do something about it. And you can start taking control of your weight by understanding why this happens during middle age.
The Power of Hormones
Two chemicals produced by the body do not receive the attention they deserve: hormones and neurotransmitters.
While neurotransmitters primarily regulate mood, emotion, sleep and motivation, hormones control important physiological functions such as metabolism, growth and development of the body and reproduction.
Three hormones in particular affect your ability to manage weight and keep it off–estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.1
For women, entering perimenopause and menopause means estrogen and progesterone levels start dropping rapidly as the ovaries begin shutting down.
Studies consistently show a direct connection between body weight regulation and low estrogen. Instead of burning fat, the body starts storing fat when estrogen levels are too low or too high.2
Compounding this problem is your metabolic rate plummeting due to low estrogen. This is why it can be hard to lose weight after entering perimenopause or menopause even though you haven’t changed your physical activity level or diet.3
In middle-aged men, low testosterone impacts the ability for them to lose weight as well. Just like estrogen, testosterone also plays a vital role in metabolism and fat storage. By the time most men reach age 50, they’ve lost nearly 40% percent of their muscle mass they had during their 20s and 30s. This happens because muscle cells have androgen receptors specifically for testosterone that supports muscle fiber health. Insufficient testosterone reaching receptors leads to muscle fiber degradation and loss of muscle mass.4
Insulin Resistance
Aging increases the risk of developing insulin resistance, a condition often called prediabetes.
Eating food that breaks down into glucose (sugar) forces your pancreas to release more insulin to eliminate excess sugar from your bloodstream.
Overweight adults are at risk for insulin resistance which prevents insulin from adequately absorbing cellular glucose.
Accumulation of insulin and sugar inevitably leads to weight gain, especially around the abdomen in women and the chest area in men. Additionally, there is plenty of research showing that estrogen loss may promote insulin resistance.5
3 Ways to Lose Weight After 40
Eat more protein-rich foods.
When your body is forced to replace carbohydrates with protein for energy, a metabolic condition known as ketosis occurs. During ketosis, your body starts utilizing fat stores for fuel. Normally, carbohydrates provide the body with energy, with most carbs found in plants (monosaccharides). But protein galvanizes metabolic rates so that your body uses ketones for energy instead of carbs.6
Ketones are carbon molecules generated from fat oxidation that your body uses for fuel. Appetite is reduced during ketosis which explains why eating foods high in protein may help you lose weight. In addition, your body is no longer depending on carbohydrates for energy, which means unwanted fat deposits should diminish.
Protein also aides in eliminating excess water from the body by elevating levels of urea and uric acid in the bloodstream. These two substances are metabolic waste by-products produced by the breakdown and absorption of proteins by your body. A large amount of water needs to be pumped into the kidneys so that urea and uric acids are flushed from the body. This diuretic reaction to protein-rich foods also helps reduce bloating and joint achiness caused by water retention.7
Embrace the great outdoors
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urges adults of all ages to get at least two and a half hours (150 minutes) of “moderate” physical activity every week. Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, mowing the lawn, swimming or bicycling. If it is inconvenient for you to exercise for 30 minutes at a time, the U.S. DHHS recommends taking five-minute breaks throughout the day to get adequate exercise.8
Get help
At Renew Health & Wellness, we know how difficult it is to stick to a diet, exercise regularly and lose only a pound or two.
Developed by professionals specializing in weight loss and hormonal imbalance, our clean eating program is a medical, evidence-based plan that counteracts the negative physiological effects of aging with the appropriate nutritional supplements. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
References
1. https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040423/fat-hormone-weight-loss
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964739/
3. https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/menopause-weight-gain-and-exercise-tips#1
4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass
5. https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/68/2/291
6. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-ketosis#section6
7. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menopause-weight-gain/art-20046058
8. https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/be-active/physical-activity-guidelines-for-americans/index.html
If you are a man or woman over 40 years old and are struggling to zip or button a pair of pants you haven’t worn for a while, take solace in the fact that you are not alone.
If you are dismayed that you are gaining a pound or two every few months but haven’t changed your diet or lifestyle, you are not alone.
Is weight gain one of the many inevitable downsides of aging?
Unfortunately, yes. But the good news is you can do something about it. And you can start taking control of your weight by understanding why this happens during middle age.
The Power of Hormones
Two chemicals produced by the body do not receive the attention they deserve: hormones and neurotransmitters.
While neurotransmitters primarily regulate mood, emotion, sleep and motivation, hormones control important physiological functions such as metabolism, growth and development of the body and reproduction.
Three hormones in particular affect your ability to manage weight and keep it off–estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.1
For women, entering perimenopause and menopause means estrogen and progesterone levels start dropping rapidly as the ovaries begin shutting down.
Studies consistently show a direct connection between body weight regulation and low estrogen. Instead of burning fat, the body starts storing fat when estrogen levels are too low or too high.2
Compounding this problem is your metabolic rate plummeting due to low estrogen. This is why it can be hard to lose weight after entering perimenopause or menopause even though you haven’t changed your physical activity level or diet.3
In middle-aged men, low testosterone impacts the ability for them to lose weight as well. Just like estrogen, testosterone also plays a vital role in metabolism and fat storage. By the time most men reach age 50, they’ve lost nearly 40% percent of their muscle mass they had during their 20s and 30s. This happens because muscle cells have androgen receptors specifically for testosterone that supports muscle fiber health. Insufficient testosterone reaching receptors leads to muscle fiber degradation and loss of muscle mass.4
Insulin Resistance
Aging increases the risk of developing insulin resistance, a condition often called prediabetes.
Eating food that breaks down into glucose (sugar) forces your pancreas to release more insulin to eliminate excess sugar from your bloodstream.
Overweight adults are at risk for insulin resistance which prevents insulin from adequately absorbing cellular glucose.
Accumulation of insulin and sugar inevitably leads to weight gain, especially around the abdomen in women and the chest area in men. Additionally, there is plenty of research showing that estrogen loss may promote insulin resistance.5
3 Ways to Lose Weight After 40
Eat more protein-rich foods.
When your body is forced to replace carbohydrates with protein for energy, a metabolic condition known as ketosis occurs. During ketosis, your body starts utilizing fat stores for fuel. Normally, carbohydrates provide the body with energy, with most carbs found in plants (monosaccharides). But protein galvanizes metabolic rates so that your body uses ketones for energy instead of carbs.6
Ketones are carbon molecules generated from fat oxidation that your body uses for fuel. Appetite is reduced during ketosis which explains why eating foods high in protein may help you lose weight. In addition, your body is no longer depending on carbohydrates for energy, which means unwanted fat deposits should diminish.
Protein also aides in eliminating excess water from the body by elevating levels of urea and uric acid in the bloodstream. These two substances are metabolic waste by-products produced by the breakdown and absorption of proteins by your body. A large amount of water needs to be pumped into the kidneys so that urea and uric acids are flushed from the body. This diuretic reaction to protein-rich foods also helps reduce bloating and joint achiness caused by water retention.7
Embrace the great outdoors
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urges adults of all ages to get at least two and a half hours (150 minutes) of “moderate” physical activity every week. Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, mowing the lawn, swimming or bicycling. If it is inconvenient for you to exercise for 30 minutes at a time, the U.S. DHHS recommends taking five-minute breaks throughout the day to get adequate exercise.8
Get help
At Renew Health & Wellness, we know how difficult it is to stick to a diet, exercise regularly and lose only a pound or two.
Developed by professionals specializing in weight loss and hormonal imbalance, our clean eating program is a medical, evidence-based plan that counteracts the negative physiological effects of aging with the appropriate nutritional supplements. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
References
1. https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040423/fat-hormone-weight-loss
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3964739/
3. https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/menopause-weight-gain-and-exercise-tips#1
4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass
5. https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/68/2/291
6. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-ketosis#section6
7. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menopause-weight-gain/art-20046058
8. https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/be-active/physical-activity-guidelines-for-americans/index.html
