Why It’s Hard To Lose Weight After 60?
Does losing weight become harder as you grow old? Unlike a wine, a human body doesn’t get better with age. The truth is: it’s really hard to lose weight after 60 (for that matter even after 50). It’s a part of the natural aging process.
So, if you are in your 50s or 60s and struggling to lose extra pounds, don’t blame yourself for not being disciplined enough. It may be due to the fact that your body is just not responding like a young body does.
In this article, you will find the reasons why it gets difficult to lose weight at or after the age 60 (even 50).
It so happens with some people that even when they are following a disciplined diet and workout regimen, they don’t see encouraging results. My advise to them is not to get frustrated, particularly if they are touching “big 60”. Take it this way, it’s just because certain physical factors making it all the more challenging.
Reasons – Why It’s Hard To Lose Weight After 60 (even after 50)?
# 1
The foremost reason for difficulty in losing weight over 60 is lack of enough muscle mass.
Beginning around age 30, you start losing muscle mass if you don’t work to maintain it. You don’t notice this natural process when it starts, but over time it accumulates. According to one study reported in “Clinical Interventions in Aging”, we lose on an average about thirty percent of muscle strength/mass between age 50 & 70.
And the rate of muscle loss gets even faster after 70. This muscle loss slows down your metabolism rate. The reason behind this is that muscle is a metabolically active tissue, meaning the less we have, the lower will be our metabolism rate and less calories we will burn a day. Consequently, losing weight for people at or over 60 becomes much harder as compared to it is for someone who is 30.
Useful Related Post:
(i) How To Beat Age Related Muscle Loss
(ii) How To Gain Muscle Mass After 60
# 2
Hormonal changes that occur with age also make it harder to maintain and lose weight over 60.
For instance, testosterone hormone level in males decreases over time, which is integral to muscle building.
Useful Related Post: Testosterone Related Muscle Loss In Old Age
# 3
Another reason keeping you from losing weight at or over 60 (even 50) is the amount of toxins, known as obesogens, present in your body, accumulated from food and other sources. They can cause obesity and inability to shed weight. (Source).
# 4
The last, but not the least reason that makes it difficult to lose weight at or after age 60 is: We are less likely to move around as much as we once did in our younger days.
Older people, in general, tend to become more sedentary due to either habit or sickness or injury.
Because of the reduced daily physical activities, weight that you’re struggling to lose is probably not likely to happen anytime soon. Moreover, due to your slowed metabolism, fewer calories get burned even during rest as well.
But it doesn’t mean that you cannot lose weight after 60. It’s possible to lose weight even post 60. Learn here every thing about how to lose after 60.