Weight Gain in Women over 40

Many women age forty or older struggle to maintain a healthy weight.  Everyday, doctors in the United States hear women over forty complain that although they have not changed their eating habits, they have started putting on weight.  Many times, it is blamed on hormones or thyroid issues, but, the truth is, it is harder to maintain a healthy weight after age forty.  This is because basal metabolism, the amount of energy need to support basic body functions like breathing, blood circulation etc., decreases with age and so does muscle mass.  Lots of people age forty and older are less physically active as they get older.  Staying active is vital to your overall health and helps to compensate for the decline in caloric needs. Therefore, the best strategy to combat weight gain over forty is to eat less (better) and move more!

Some women experience success by cutting down on carbohydrates and incorporating more lean protein such as fish into their diets.  Others find success on diets that limit the intake of sugar. Cutting back on the amount of desserts and sodas you consume is always a good idea. However, when you boil it all down, it is the number of calories consumed that determines how fast you lose weight, nothing else.  Eating five or six small meals everyday as opposed to three big meals can help to keep your metabolism fired up so that you continue to burn calories more efficiently all throughout the day. Exercise can certainly play a large role in helping you maintain a healthy weight after age forty. Aerobic exercise helps you to burn more calories while strength exercises such as weight lifting can help you build and maintain more lean muscle mass.  In addition to helping you maintain a healthy weight, exercise is a wonderful way to relieve stress and anxiety and can do wonders for your mental health. It is a good idea to find a method of exercise that you truly enjoy so that it becomes something you look forward to and not something you dread.  If you pick a form of exercise that you enjoy, you will be much more likely to maintain it in the future.

Posted on behalf of Dr. Carlos Alarcon, Marietta OB-GYN Affiliates, P.A.