Kacidee Bryant

Professor Tyler

ENG 1101

19 March, 2021

Why is it harder to lose weight the older you get?

When you were a kid, you weren’t worried about how much you weighed or how you

could work off those few pounds from that donut you ate last week. Many people struggle with

losing weight as they age due to numerous factors. As you age, does it seem harder for you to

shed off a few pounds? Have you ever wondered why?

A major factor for the difficulty of weight loss as you age is change in hormones.

Particularly women relate to change in hormones as they experience menopause. Many people as

they age experience a reduction in their metabolism. Studies have shown that muscle mass

decreases and fat mass increases in age. RMR is resting metabolic rate which could lead to

changes in body composition. If you are to experience change in body composition, your RMR

can decrease. “ The reasons why it’s so hard can vary from person to person, particularly due to

the role of genetics in weight gain “ (Berger 2018).

Stress levels increase as you get older. When you’re experiencing stress, your body

releases cortisol which is a hormone that helps increase your reaction time and keep you safe. “

Since most of the stress you experience in life is not the "life-or-death" kind, your body ends up

not using that cortisol. The hormone is then stored as fat in your body. (Dray “ Why is it harder

to lose weight as you get older “). The only way to help this situation is to find a way to help

relieve the stress.

 Women especially have a harder time with losing extra weight as they age. Levels of

estrogen in a woman begin to decrease as a woman starts the early stages of menopause. In

menopause, women lose muscle mass which causes a decrease in their metabolism. “ The loss of

muscle mass mentioned above also decreased the number of calories we need to maintain or lose

weight, says goddard “ (Manning-Schaffer 2018). Menopause can be a very difficult time in a

woman’s life because weight maintenance can become very difficult. “ It is estimated that

women gain an average of 1–2 kg during the perimenopausal transition “ (Lombardo 2017).

During menopause, there is a change in fat distribution from the hips to the waist.

Older people usually have more aches and pains throughout their joints which makes it

more difficult for them to exercise regularly. Some people when they age will have the opposite

effect and become underweight because they have no appetite. “ Instead of obsessing about a

number on a scale, Dr. Cho suggests that older people focus on general fitness. “It’s not about

losing weight,” she said. “It’s about maintaining weight loss, but also about healthy eating and

lifestyle.” (Weintraub 2017).

Berger, Matt. “Why Losing Weight Is So Difficult

After You Turn 40.” Why Losing Weight Is So Difficult After You Turn 40,

www.healthline.com/health-news/why-losing-weight-is-difficult-after-40.

Dray, Tammy. “Why Is It Harder to Lose Weight

as You Get Older?” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group,

www.livestrong.com/article/417064-why-is-it-harder-to-lose-weight-as-you-get-older/

Manning-Schaffel, Vivian “Why Losing Weight

Is Harder for Older Women

(Even Charlize Theron).” Google, Google,

www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/better/amp/ncna871411.

Lombardo, Mauro, et al. “Losing Weight after

Menopause with Minimal Aerobic Training and

Mediterranean Diet.” Nutrients, MDPI, 17 Aug. 2020,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468767/.

“Is It Harder to Lose Weight When You're

Older? (Published 2017).” Google, Google,

www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/

well/live/is-it-harder-to-lose-weight-when-youre-oldera

mp.html.