Losing Weight After 30
Do you remember swinging through a drive through and grabbing a large fry, having infinite slices of pizza and double-fisting sodas as a teen without a care in the world about muffin tops or cankles?
In your twenties, you may have counted your steps at the mall or college toward your exercise, but ‘getting in shape’ and ‘maintaining your figure’ weren’t phrases in your vocabulary.
Shhh, don’t even look at that guy. He’s gone. Long gone….
Now in your 30’s or 40’s, you might watch calories like 12 toddlers on a tight rope, run like Forrest, and survive on the not-so-diverse menu of a rabbit and still, your jeans dig into your love handles as if on a roller coaster before a hundred foot drop.
You can’t even drop a size.
You’re pissed.
You’re hungry.
You’re not alone.
If you want to know how to lose weight after 30, you’ve come to the right place, fit friend.
Hormone Production as We Age
If you want to blame all your woes on one thing, blame it on the hormones. They’re usually responsible for all kinds of changes in the body—both good and bad.
As we age, the pituitary gland’s production of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) slows. HGH builds muscle mass, puts fat to work, and keeps the body working like a well-oiled machine.
But…as we age, there’s less oil. HGH production slows and we don’t burn as many calories or recover as quickly as we did in our 20’s, making it hard to lose weight after 30.
But Wait! There’s MORE……
Aging causes significant changes in our body’s composition.
After 30, Fat Free Mass (FFM), or lean muscle, starts to decrease. We can lose up to 40% of it from 20 to 70 years old. Our FFM is maximal at around 20. Ahhhh, 20. The good ol’ care-free lean days.
THEN, our bodies start redistributing fat. To the gut.
What the heck, body?
Next, our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is lower. The BMR is the number of calories our bodies burn just by existing.
Then, our bodies stop using glucose as efficiently.
We have less muscle, we burn fewer calories, our HGH is sinking like the Titanic.
As we age, hormones like testosterone and estrogen (male and female respectively) drop as well, especially after 40.
So, you don’t have as much lean mass, you have a lower BMR, less hormones that keep you lean and youthful….so what do you do to lose weight after 30?
Reverse the triggers that slow down your metabolism.
While you cannot control time, you can control how your body responds to it.
Recap of How Aging Can Make Us Fat
- Hormone changes
- Fat redistribution
- HGH slows
- BMR drops
- FFM drops
- Glucose utilization
How to Lose Weight as We Age
Sometimes the hardest problems have the simplest solutions. The solutions on how to lose weight after 30 are all in your control. It might not be easy. It may make you a little mad that your body is making it more difficult for you to glide into those skinny jeans from 2010, but in the end—you can change nothing, and nothing changes, or start taking control.
If you don’t want to be one of those people who posts on social media every year about how hard it is to lose weight. If you don’t want to be one of those people every year on social media who complains they are getting fatter—then start today. In a year, you’ll thank you.
1. Strength Train
Strength training can increase HGH and help maintain lean mass. It can also boost your BMR. You should target 2-3 times per week and incorporate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to boost hormone levels and calories burned.
2. Cardio
This lil gem will help burn calories and improve cardiovascular health. Be careful not to overdo it, 30-40 minutes is a good target to get around three hours per week.
3. Change Your Diet
We might get comfy as we age. Especially if we’re with a long-term partner or spouse. Reduce your sugar intake since your body isn’t processing it as efficiently. Reduce simple carb intake, too as they turn into sugar upon digestion. Too much of both will become stored fat.
4. Stop Starving Yourself
If you’re restricting your diet severely because of weight gain, you may actually be helping your body hoard fat. When the body is in starvation mode, it hangs onto fat in preparation for what it perceives as a battle to live. Calculate your BMR here, then make a plan with your exercise plan to burn around 500 calories a day. You will determine the number of calories you need to eat to lose a healthy amount of weight over time.
5. Reduce Stress
Stress can cause the release of cortisol. While it is necessary to survive, it can also cause the body to hold onto fat and chronic exposure can cause a host of other health issues. Try meditation, walking, picking your battles, talking to someone—anything you can do to minimize stress will help your health.
6. Get Sleep
Poor sleep habits can be perceived by the body like stress, causing you to gain weight. It disrupts the metabolism, creates insulin resistance and can lead to hormonal changes that impact your waist line. A healthy 7 to 9 hours is recommended every night.
7. Get Checked
As always, check with your doctor if you suspect you have an underlying condition like thyroid problems. Some hormonal changes can lead to a diagnosis and treatment is the only way to get back to being healthy.
So there you have it. The answer to your questions about why you might be gaining weight, and how to lose it. Your brain just gained a ton of weight from this blog. Let it relax on the couch while you go get in some exercise.
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