How many times have you heard people (our maybe yourself) blame weight gain on a slowing metabolism ? I think we've all done it!
The TRUTH: Yes, it does slow down as we age, BUT not as much as people make it seem.
The basics of weight loss and gain still apply:
Consume more calories than you need over a period and you’ll gain weight.
Consume less calories than you burn over a period and you’ll lose weight.
So why is it that many people DO gain weight, especially as they age?
We get busy. We get less active altogether. We get stressed. We run low on sleep. We don’t eat as well. And along the way we lose muscle mass because we aren’t strength training. And that makes it EVEN more difficult. Keep losing muscle over the years (you WILL if you don’t do something about it) and it makes losing weight and keeping the fat off even more difficult.
Now, I’m not saying that your thyroid or hormones, etc can’t make it difficult to lose weight. Sure, it can. But you can STILL lose weight because the principles of weight loss stay the same. And if you DO have issues with any of those, you should be under a doctor’s care to help make it all a little easier.
So let’s break this down:
1)You must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
2) You need to be eating adequate protein to retain or build muscle.
3) Strength train 2-4 days a week. Add cardio if desired but focus on strength training.
4) Be consistent. Be patient. You can’t stop and start all the time and expect to make or keep progress. This is a lifelong skill worth committing to and making a habit.
The great news is that it is NEVER too late to start. And the sooner you do, the sooner you will see progress. Remember: you can’t say it doesn’t work if you aren’t consistent.