Why Does Weight Loss Get Harder As You Age?
Ever feel like your favorite jeans fit a little snugger, even though your eating habits haven’t changed? Or maybe you’ve started to notice that your evening walk and favorite new Pilates class are doing wonders for your mood and health, but the scale doesn’t seem to budge. If this sounds familiar, you’re not imagining it, and you’re definitely not alone.
Maintaining a healthy weight gets more challenging as we age, and losing a few pounds can feel even harder. As the decades pass, shifts in hormones, muscle mass, and metabolism can all make it tougher to keep a handle on our weight. Carrying a few extra pounds isn’t necessarily a problem, but excess weight is linked to a higher risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
But there’s good news: You can maintain that number on the scale or lose weight at any age by tweaking a few of your existing good-for-you habits. Here’s what you need to know about how the body changes during a few big decades—plus, the best strategies for healthy weight loss no matter how old you are.
Excerpted from Prevention
