Why Do We Automatically Start Getting Fat By The Age of 40?

Some people justify being fat by saying that when they were 30, they were still slim but the body changed automatically after 40 and it is harder to get rid of obesity in old age. But is that actually true? If yes, Why do we automatically start getting fat by the age of 40? Let’s find out.

Do We Automatically Start Getting Fat By The Age of 40?

The answer is Yes. As you get older, it gets harder to burn calories. You have to work much harder to cut calories than younger people.

Losing Weight Becomes More Difficult From The 30s

There are several reasons for the difficulty in losing weight after 30. If you eat too much at a young age, you do not gain weight immediately. Rather, the body tries to give off the excess energy as heat. After several years of excess calories, however, the body adapts.

Mostly in the middle, in the late 30s, the body obviously adjusts a target value for the body fat percentage, and you start gaining weight. Getting rid of the extra kilos after the target value is set, takes time.

Falling Hormone Levels as The Cause

Various factors are responsible for the changed metabolism. The production of sex hormones declines, about ten years earlier in women than in men. In both sexes, the level of the growth hormone somatotropin decreases with increasing age, which promotes muscle growth and fat loss.

As a result, the basal metabolic rate drops, which is basically the energy necessary to maintain all bodily functions. From the age of 60 men need up to 400 calories, women up to 300 calories less. Anyone who continues to eat as before will gain weight.

Suggested Read: Why Exercise is Important for the Body? How Does it Impact the Body and Life?

Consume Fewer Calories and Exercise More

The most important step to reduce weight is to reduce calorie intake, however, crash diets are neither useful nor healthy. Instead, you should plan to lose a maximum of ten percent of the weight in the beginning. The reduced body weight must then be maintained for at least three months.

Then you can take on the next five to ten percent. This is the best way to shift the adjusted setpoint back to normal. Above all, exercise like gardening, climbing stairs, frequent changes of sitting and standing, as well as walking preferably 10,000 steps a day must be a part of daily life.

This activates fat metabolism and maintains muscle mass and fitness.
To lose a few pounds, you have to work up a sweat. If you have never done any sport before, you should first have your doctor check you out. If they give the green light, you only have to overcome your own laziness and polyphagia.

Learn to Measure

Healthy eating is the most important factor in preventing weight gain in old age apart from regular exercise. It is not about drastically saving calories, but rather about learning to keep your measurements. At 20, the body tends to put up with lavish parties and constant snacking. Such sins become noticeable from the age of 40 at the latest and this is the reason why do we automatically start getting fat by the age of 40.

Suggested Read: At 20, 40, 60 and 70 years – How to Eat Healthy at Any Age?

Generally, you should prefer high-quality, vitamin-rich foods. Because even if the body needs fewer calories, the vitamin requirement remains almost unchanged. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat meat and milk products are ideal.