Does it Become Impossible to Lose Weight as You Grow Older?

Losing excess weight is considered to be good for you as long as it’s done in a healthy manner. Such healthy weight loss is associated with lower risks of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes among other chronic diseases. However, people often tend to believe that as you age, losing weight using just lifestyle interventions like following a nutritious and balanced diet and exercise becomes more and more difficult.

Why weight loss is needed at every age

This misconception often leads people to think that weight gain or obesity-related diseases in old age cannot be prevented since maintaining a healthy weight and BMI feels impossible. Hence, when diabetes, hypertension, reduced mobility and other health issues emerge after the age of 50 years, people often believe that these risk factors cannot be controlled via lifestyle interventions or that weight loss in old age is essentially unhealthy.

However, studies indicate that losing extra weight on purpose around the age of 60 years is great for your health, while unintentional weight loss often suggests the presence of an underlying disease. A study published in Current Obesity Reports in 2015 suggests that participants aged 60 years or above who were able to lose weight through diet and exercise interventions showed improved mobility, walking speed, pain management, measures of frailty and socio-cognitive behavioural frameworks.

Losing weight after 60 years of age

This clearly suggests that losing excess weight is as important during your 30s as it is in your 60s and can lead to major improvements in quality of life as you age. A new study published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology not only calls misconceptions about weight loss as you cross 60 years “ageist” but also suggests that weight loss is possible at any age.

The study included 242 participants between 2005 and 2016 who were divided into two groups. One group was aged below 60 years while the other was above 60 years of age. All participants, no matter what their age, were registered in the same UK National Health Service (NHS) weight loss programmes for similar durations of 33-45 months on average. The researchers found that patients below 60 were able to reduce 6.9% of their body weight with the help of these programmes, while those above 60 lost 7.3% of their body weight.

Weight loss tips for older adults

It’s therefore clear that you can lose weight with a good lifestyle intervention programme like the NHS one mentioned above, which included dietary changes, physical activity and psychological support for encouragement. The following are some key tips that can help you lose weight even after you turn 60:

• Include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds in your diet. Roughage or dietary fiber can not only help weight loss but also keep your bowel movements in order.
• Avoid all empty calories, like sugar and junk food. This golden rule applies no matter what your age.
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, every day. You can also engage in activities like gardening, which counts as moderate-intensity exercise and aids your mood too.
• Drink plenty of water and get sufficient protein in your diet. Water and proteins not only regulate hunger better but also aid in the development of lean muscle mass.
• Don’t engage in activities that could increase the risk of falls. Walking, gardening, etc are safe exercises but if you want to do more then do so under the guidance of a certified trainer with experience.

For more information, read our article on Healthy foods to lose weight.

Health articles on News18 are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.