Why It’s Harder For Seniors To Lose Weight

A weight loss journey is difficult for everyone, but it becomes even more challenging as we age. As we get older our metabolism slows down, which means we burn fewer calories at rest than we did in our youth. Let’s find out why. 

As we age, we experience a natural decline in muscle mass, this is a process called sarcopenia. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. As muscle mass decreases, our metabolic rate decreases. There’s not much we can do to prevent this, but strength training is ideal for preserving muscle mass especially while trying to lose weight. 

We also have some tricks on how you can naturally give your metabolism a little boost!

Hormones fluctuate as we age, especially during menopause! When we go through menopause our estrogen levels naturally decline. These hormonal changes can affect metabolism, naturally decreasing our basal metabolic rate (BMR). If you’re curious about what a BMR is, take a look at our blog here where we explain it and compare it to the BMI.

As we get older, nutrient absorption can be impacted due to changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In the later stages of life, the stomach produces less gastric acid, which can impair the breakdown of certain nutrients like vitamin B12 and iron. Iron is very important for us women! We need it even more than men.

These changes in how our body absorbs nutrients may interfere with both weight loss and weight management.

In our senior years, we’re likely moving a little less. This could be due to physical limitations such as joint pain or mobility issues deterring us from working out, or simply because we don’t have as much energy as we did when we were younger. Moving less means fewer calories being burnt!

Exercising is important for overall health, no matter what age you are. If you struggle with regular physical activity, then we highly recommend seated exercise or low-impact exercises like walking. They'll benefit your health without being too taxing on the body. 

So, if you have an older loved one on a weight loss journey, chances are they’re having a harder time losing weight and keeping it off than you are!