Your Body Needs Fewer Calories as You Age
Unless you're some sort of superstar athlete, you can't keep eating like you did as a kid. And a new study shows consciously eating less food as you age promotes long-term weight-loss.
Yeah, it sounds like a no-brainer. But the findings, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion reveal, of the 192 women studied, those who did not practice restraint while eating were 138% more likely to gain 6.6 pounds or more; HealthDay News reports.
And given the environmental forces of America's food industry, researchers suggest NOT practicing some sort of diet restraint guarantees failure, especially as you age. Saying eating properly is a skill that needs to be practiced.
The study's lead author, Brigham Young University professor Larry Tucker offers these diet tips for aging gracefully:
- Record what you eat and how much.
- Put less food on your plate.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Oh, and here's the Kevin James bit; via YouTube.
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Does this mean that if I go for a 5 mile run I burn more calories than my Dad? Is the body therefore becoming more and more efficient at metabolising food for energy as it ages? Or are we in fact saying that people are less active as they get older? Or could it be that older people are eating foods that are less likely to promote satiety? It seems unlikely that the evolved design of our physiology is such that when eating the correct foods we must, beyond a certain age continually fight against our own hunger. The conclusion might be that the diet of those involved in the study was not comprised of the correct foods and that if it had been then the reports of self-denial would not have been so numerous.
ReplyI'm pretty sure the deal is that you burn less calories resting as you age, but upping exercise levels can make up the difference. I know that both of my parents have complained that they put on weight more easily, but they have also each increased their exercise levels over the years, meaning that while they have the tendency to put on weight more easily, they've been able to keep that weight off.
But I know they notice a difference fast when they can't exercise for a period of time (business travel, family emergencies, etc.). For example, I can stop exercising for a couple of weeks before I notice any difference in my weight, but they'll put on weight much more quickly.
ReplyI'm a lot like your parents in this respect. Of course, there's a limit to how much one can increase one's exercise levels as one ages. I'm closer to 55 than to 54 and am running 30+ miles per week at an average pace of about 8:10 mpm. That's 10+ miles per week more than, say, 3 years ago but it's still easier than ever to gain weight. Non-scientific, certainly, but I'm guessing that the **normal** pattern is for one's metabolism to slow as one ages. Upping the number of calories expended helps but most of us also need to reduce the number of calories taken in (and watch the kinds of calories we put in).
ReplyYour Body Needs FEWER Calories as You Age
(Sorry, it's just a peeve.)
Love the blog.
ReplyHey sjf-
Eek! Fewer it is! Thanks!
Peace.
Reply-Gerry
Very interesting concept. I bet daily activity/exercise would help ward off the pounds.
Great site, by the way!
ReplyHormonal changes are one of the big problems with aging ,and weight gain.
We just aren't built to always be young ;it's a basic fact of life.
ReplyMaybe we need 'better' (more nutritious) calories, not fewer.
ReplyI wonder if the people who choose to raise children later in life are more at risk of weight gain because they are preparing big meals for growing bodies when their own bodies are 'gearing down' Those of us who will have empty nests in their 40s can eat light more conveniently.
ReplyMy grandma, who's 75, tells me that she definitely can't eat like she used to. She eats very small meals throughout the day because she gets heartburn if she eats more than that. She's one of those old people that actually LOST weight as she got older, mostly because she started exercising more and eating fewer processed foods. She started lifting weights and definitely got smaller. I think the reason a lot of people's metabolisms slow down as they age is because they lose muscle mass. I'm reaching that age where my friends are starting to gain weight (as we approach the big 3-0, stuff starts slowing down). My friends and my sister all tell me how lucky I am to be slim, but I think my "secret" is that I work out a lot and maintain my muscle mass. I mean, Madonna is 50 and she's still skinny...she works out a LOT and I'm sure her diet's pretty clean too.
ReplyIn other news, people tend to lose muscle as they age.
File under "Duh".
ReplyLess muscle mass as we age = slower resting metabolism = putting on weight if we don't eat less or increase activity.
ReplyOne thought about fewer calories is that we all lose so much muscle as we age, so it is plausible that the decrease demand comes from a loss of significant lean muscle.
When I was a 20 year old athlete, I weighed 195 pounds. Now in my 30's I weigh about 170 pounds, that's 25-30 pounds less muscle. I don't need nearly as many calories now as I did then.
Both men and women lose muscle as they age, so this could be one reason fewer calories are needed.
ReplyI think this article confuses 'restricting' with 'eating properly'. eating properly does not mean restricting food, but making healthy choices about what you do eat.
ReplyThere's also quite a lot of research to show restricting calorific intake is not a good thing whatever your age because it increases the chances of binging and therefore putting on weight, or just being miserable.
Less muscle mass does not have to go hand in hand with aging. It is a result of one's habits, a major factor being not eating enough protein on a daily basis to support one's amount of muscle mass at their level of activity.
Replybasically strength train or if you cant go to a gym ( I can't) do calestetics. The more muscle you have the more you burn. Just stay away from processed foods and only eat until you feel satisfied not full..just statisfy that hunger pang. See I used to be heavy now I cant force in more than 1300-1500 calories a day All I do is army calestetics and some ddr.
I know a woman at the vet who is thin and she eats salads and whatnot for lunch and she's got to be 60 something. But vet tech work is all muscle and lifting and thats the key. I used to swim and yeah I lost weight but it came off the best when I did muscle work ( but you have to eat right..I didn't when I weightlifted and there was no change). You will gain a bit maybe but you'll stay in shape. I have seen alot of thin older people I know to say this.
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