A mid-life weight crisis

MOST people find that as they get older, it becomes harder to manage their weight due to their metabolism slowing down.
Diets that worked in the past have also become less ­effective.
Contrary to most weight loss advice (which seems to treat everyone the same), my take is that once you have passed the age of 40, you need to approach weight loss ­differently.
So if you’re over 40 and want to shed a few kilos, here are a few things you need to be aware of.
► Exercise is not enough
You can’t rely on exercise alone for weight loss. If you’re ­working out regularly and still not losing weight, it’s because you have to pay more ­attention to two factors – what you’re eating and how your workout is structured.
The problem with dietary control after age 40 is that you can now afford to eat better and more often while your ­metabolism rate has been decreasing over time.
Also, people in their 40s tend to be desk-bound with longer working hours and more commitments.
You now find that you can’t lose weight as quickly as you did when you were 25.
Even when you are putting in ­effort, you’ll feel ­frustrated and discouraged at the pace and difficulty of the progress.
All I can say is that your ­metabolism has failed you.
Starting at around age 20, you’re looking at a natural decrease in resting metabolic rate (RMR) of about one to 2% per decade.
This slowdown is mainly due to a decline in lean body mass – something you can stave off by adding strength training to your workouts.
If at age 25 you ran 5km five times a week to maintain your weight at 60kg; at age 45, you would need to run over 7km five times a week to maintain that weight and not diet.
This, coupled with the fact that many women become less active as they age, is why weight gain is so common among the fairer sex.
► Quick fixes don’t work
Weight loss products and treatments are a multi-billion dollar industry. Everyone wants a fast way to lose weight.
If you are gullible enough to enter into a ­programme that recommends you take sachets of powdered meal replacements five times a day with ­guaranteed results in one week, then I’d say that the programme works only if you could endure ­digesting only ­chemically-­synthesised ­powder for up to a month.
You might think that it’s a good thing that you can drop 2kg in a week. But you have to focus on making long-term changes, which is the ­cornerstone of any ­successful weight loss.
Not only can you not rely on quick fixes, but you really can’t rely on dieting any more, either.
► Reassess failures
Often, one failure is enough to put people off from trying again. People in their 40s have a long list of diet failures behind them. For some, the diet never get off the ground.
The best way to lose weight is to change your ­eating habits. For most people, even if they are given the best food plan in the world, they struggle to stick to it.
Why? Because our eating habits are ingrained, restricted by time, likes, food dislikes and food availability.
Every active gain starts with a plan. Make small ­manageable changes. Don’t completely overhaul your ­current eating habits.
Start by taking control of your food environment. ­Remove tempting food from your line of sight (on your desk at work or the kitchen).
Next, focus on being more mindful of when and what you’re eating. Share desserts, minimise portions to lower calories while still enjoying foods you love.
There are plenty of ­different areas of your eating you can change. The idea is to “nudge” your behaviour in the right direction.
But remember: the best changes are small ones that you barely notice.
► Persistence is the word
Things won’t always go your way. There will be weight plateaus and reversals. There will be bad ­eating days, busy no exercise days.
But that’s okay. Just keep focusing on your goal, keep making small changes and keep going. That’s the key to success.
While it’s possible to lose weight at any age, there’s no denying that you’ll have a smoother ride the sooner you start.
Your success is your own doing to gain better health, quality of life and overall ­wellness. So start now!
Let’s be fit!
Jonathan Tan is the Club Manager of the Sports Toto Fitness Centre at Berjaya Times Square. He can be contacted at lifestyle.jonathan@thesundaily.com.