That is the question I receive on almost a weekly basis from at least one of my fitness and fat loss clients. And truth be told it is only part of the question. The whole question goes something like this..
Why is it that what I did to lose weight when I was younger doesn’t work for me any more?
Lets investigate this further…
This question assumes that you actually are doing the same things now as you did when you were younger.
- Are you actually moving as much as you did when you were younger? (not exercising, simply daily movement)
- Are your exercise sessions as often and of the same intensity ??
- Are you actually eating the same amount of calories that you used to? Or have a few extra’s slipped in ??
In many, many cases the answer is the simplest.
- You are moving less.
- You are exercising less often and with less intensity
- You are eating / drinking a little bit more.
Even if its just a little bit here and there, these small changes have a big compound effect over a long period of time.
This information is not meant so that you beat yourself up with guilt. These changes are pretty normal for us humans,. They are definitely true for me. However, looking at the situation with honesty and facts is the first step to making progress.
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Ok, now that is out of the way, let’s look at why weight loss might be harder as you get older, even if you are doing all of the same things you did when you were younger.
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Why is losing weight harder as I age, even though I am doing the same things?
Or another way that my clients can ask this question…
Does my metabolism slow down as I age?
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The answer to this second question is YES… and NO.
HUH?
Our metabolism can slow down as we age, but not because we age. It can slow down due to poor choices and habits that compound over time. If we don’t perform those poor habits our metabolism stays high and optimised even when we are older.
Case in point – – My long term client Lyndall.
Lyndall is 50 yrs old next birthday and her metabolism is firing along just nicely (as you can plainly see). She has not performed those bad habits and has not had any negative effects. Some would argue that she is blessed with great genes and is simply lucky. I agree that her great genes play a SMALL part in how she looks. But the vast majority of her results are due to how she lives her life.
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There are 2 main reasons that your metabolism can slow down…
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1) You don’t have as much muscle on your body as you did when you were younger.
Even if you weigh the same amount on the scales. You may have weighed 70kgs then and weigh 70kgs now.
- Younger you = 15 kgs body fat and 9 kgs of muscle (46 kgs of bones, skin, organs, blood, fluid etc)
- Older you = 20 kgs body fat and 4kgs of muscle (46 kgs of bones, skin, organs, blood, fluid etc)
- As you can see, Older You has 5 kgs less muscle even though she still weighs 70kgs on the scales
The 5kg muscle loss equals less fuel burnt (in other words a “slower metabolism“). **Muscle burns more energy / calories than body fat. All day, every day.
Action steps –
- Ensure that you consume enough protein to support lean muscle maintenance (or growth).
- Perform resistance training 3 x week at an intensity level that is outside of your comfort zone.
Great news !!
If you do the above steps, the lost muscle mass CAN be built again with the correct training and nutrition program. You CAN increase your metabolism back to its natural (younger) rate. (YAY)
See also – Weight loss vs Fat loss. What the scales don’t tell you.
** Side note – Most of my fat loss clients are not consuming anywhere near enough protein. Once we rectify this, they are not as hungry, they start to build back some of the lost muscle and they have the added bonus of helping to manage their blood sugar levels.
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2) Your hormones have changed
There are 2 main culprits here.
A) Your insulin sensitivity has changed (for the worse). Becoming more insulin resistant means harder fat burning and easier fat storage (Boo). I have written about this in full HERE- Insulin resistance and your weight
B) Your stress levels are different. This can be caused by chronic stress, not enough recovery time and lack of quality sleep (HUGE issue for weight loss). You can read more about how stress levels hinder your weight loss efforts HERE and HERE.
Action steps
- Manage your blood sugar levels.
- Manage your carbohydrate intake (this doesn’t mean low carb).
- Read THIS article on insulin resistance
- try THIS meal plan
- Workout outside of your comfort zone 3 x per week – 7 HIIT workouts you can do today
- Don’t sweat the small stuff – stress less.
- Get more quality sleep
Great news !!
If you do the above steps you should be able to optimise your hormones and resume your standard (younger) metabolic rate, or at least get headed in the right direction.
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Clarification
The above information assumes that you have no major health issues such as thyroid, illnesses or medications. It is also is accurate for females who have not yet gone through menopause. We need a whole other blog post for that.
With almost 20 years experience, Chriss Tinslay is one of Australia’s leading Personal Trainers.
Chriss started her career into the fitness and personal training industry in 1994 as a receptionist at the local gym she attended and loved.
She quickly went on to become qualified and registered as a Master Trainer with Fitness Australia. Chriss has now helped 1000’s of people transform their bodies and lives.
Chriss has appeared in the biggest loser DVD series, Mornings with Kerri-Anne and has written her first short book “15 weight loss secrets that you need to know”.
She now runs regular face to face and online fat loss coaching programs.
Chriss believes that fitness and fat loss should fit into your fabulous life, NOT take over it. You can connect with her on Facebook where she shares useful tips each and every day.