Is Losing Weight Harder As You Get Older?

'I used to be able to drop weight fast. Now, it’s a struggle. Why?'

Q: I’m 39. I used to be able to lose weight very easily. All I would have to do is diet for a few weeks and I could lose 5 or 10 pounds. Now it’s a struggle and I find it hard to even lose a couple of pounds. Is it difficult for me to lose now because of my age?

A: Many things seem to slow down with age including the metabolism—or how much energy is expended—of all the organs in the body. As a result, your body needs fewer calories to maintain its weight. Since how much you eat corresponds directly to your ability to lose, maintain, or gain weight--assuming that you are eating the same amount as you always did--if your metabolism slows, then by definition, you’d have to eat less (or burn more) than you used to lose the same amount of weight.

Couple that with the fact that even active people gradually gain weight over a period of years, usually due to becoming less physically active and eating more, and the energy balance equation gets tilted even farther towards making it easier to gain—and so, harder to lose—weight as you age.

But 39 is not really “old,” so unless you're a total sloth and existing solely on high-calorie junk food, you’re probably not experiencing all these effects very dramatically. More likely, you're a victim of your past approach to weight loss.

You suggest that you used to diet frequently and drop big chunks of weight quickly. The fact that, years down the line, you are still trying to lose weight suggests that all those frequent bouts of fast weight loss were never permanent (otherwise you wouldn’t have to repeatedly drop weight.) So, each “successful” weight loss effort also resulted in subsequent weight regain. The downside? Typically this pattern results in more body weight and/or body fat gained each time. So, it sounds as if you were on a rollercoaster ride when it comes to your weight. Your history of yo-yo dieting, rather than your age, is probably making it more difficult for you to lose weight now.

You don’t provide any information on your current body weight, shape or exercise regime, but if you are currently overweight, it may take more effort than it used to not just to lose weight, but to maintain the loss. And maintaining the loss is key, because as you’ve already experienced, what good is dropping 10 pounds if you gain it back (and maybe more) and then have to re-lose it repeatedly?

The 2009 position paper on weight management from the American Dietetic Association provides an analysis of weight loss and weight regain prevention recommendations along with an evaluation of evidence to support the guidelines. What is now understood better than ever before is how complex weight management really is. There are not only long-term and short-term physiological mechanisms that affect your level of hunger, fat-tissue storage, satiety and other factors involved with body weight regulation. But hedonic variables factor in, too, such as the effects of taste, social aspects of eating, and the unpleasurable aspects of getting in shape (exercise that you may perceive to be boring or depriving yourself of desired foods)—all of which can affect your ability to control how much you eat, or to be more or less active.

Generally, eating fewer calories than your body uses will result in weight reduction. The 2009 ADA position paper acknowledges that many strategies to reduce daily caloric intake can work—whether it's by counting calories, reducing carbs or fat, or using meal replacements for easier portion control. So, depending upon your preferred approach, with a well-structured plan and discipline you can lose some weight, ideally aiming to create a caloric deficit of anywhere from 250 to 1,000 calories per week to create a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week. For example, if you normally eat 2,600 calories per day and are maintaining your weight, you might burn 300 to 500 through exercise and shave off another 300 to 500 by making smarter eating choices.

If you’re overweight, you may very well have extra fat cells that will yearn to be filled once you’ve lost some body fat. So, once you lose weight, however, you do it, it’s imperative that you embark on a lifelong strategy to maintain that loss.

The 2009 position stand on weight loss and prevention of weight regain in adults emphasizes the importance of regular, daily exercise to offset the tendency to regain lost weight. While more research needs to be done in this area to determine exact exercise prescriptions, it appears that doing at least 60 minutes per day of moderate-intensity physical activity (brisk walking, running, using a cardio machine, for example) is crucial for maintaining weight loss and/or preventing weight regain. People who are not used to doing that much exercise need to start with small amounts, such as 10 to 15 minutes per day, and work up to longer periods until they are regularly meeting the quota.

Since regular exercise has benefits that surpass simply staying lean, including maintaining balance, strength and cognitive abilities as you age, it’s crucial to start exercising regularly now, and keep it up for the rest of your life.

So, if you embark on a weight loss program, this time, rather than see it as a short-term, impermanent solution, look for ways to think about revamping bad habits permanently so that you get healthier, stronger and leaner not just in the next few months, but over the rest of your life.