Why It Gets Harder to Lose Weight as You Age

Battling the bulge is particularly difficult as we age. Changes to the body and metabolism, often combined with a more sedentary, less frenetic lifestyle, means that precisely at the point when people need to be conscious of their weight, it can seem to inexplicably increase. Official statistics show that the highest rates of being overweight or living with obesity are in people aged 45 to 74, with rates over 70%.

This chimes with my clinical experience working with overweight and obese patients, particularly the middle aged. They start to feel the odd twinge, realise they aren't getting any younger and see friends struck down by chronic illness, but feel they are not only battling against their weight but a changing body that no longer seems to respond to restriction the way it once did. Cutting back on dessert might have worked for them years ago, but now this no longer seems to yield the results it used to.

In fact, despite their best efforts, their weight seems to creep up. Men, in particular, may have been active in their youth and are now puzzled that they are suddenly confronted with middle aged spread when they feel they're doing nothing differently in their lives. They cut calories but nothing much happens.

There's a temptation when you want to lose weight to do lots of cardio. By this I mean going jogging or doing other exercise that makes you out of breath. That's what helps to burn off calories, we are told. But actually when the body is in deficit it tends to prioritise getting rid of metabolic tissue, namely muscle. That's because the body is trying to conserve energy and tissue like muscle uses up a lot of energy.

In middle and older age, this is not helpful as loss of muscle, known as sarcopenia, occurs naturally as we get older. From the age of 30, muscle mass decreases at a rate of 3 to 8% per decade, which slows our metabolism and is often linked with a progressive increase in fat. The aim should then be to build muscle in order to increase basic metabolic rate, which will mean it's easier to lose weight and to tackle sarcopenia.

So, as well as a bit of cardio, which we know is good for overall physical health, I recommend focusing on weight training. Big, compound exercises like squats help to build large muscle groups. If you are on weight loss injections, exercise is still crucial. Not only does it help minimise muscle loss and maximise results, but it is vital in ensuring you maintain the weight loss when you stop taking them.

By the time we get to middle age, a lot of habits are very engrained. Our lives have often fallen into a specific pattern and changing anything can have ripple effects, making it hard to sustain a change as it will need to accommodate change elsewhere. GLP-1 medications can provide a helpful window to establish new exercise habits whilst the urgency around food is reduced. For many people in midlife, these medications offer a chance to reset their metabolism and build the healthy habits that will serve them well into older age.