Keeping an ideal weight is always important, at any stage of our lives. However, it seems to be a much easier task when you are young. Many people have noticed, and scientists confirm it, that weight loss after 40 becomes a much more difficult task, both for men and women. If you also noticed this phenomenon, then you might be interested to know the reasons for it.
First of all, some physiological changes that affect human body around the age of 40, change metabolism processes, which start slowing down. Hence, even if you consume the same number of calories and do the same amount of physical exercises, you might not loose weight as it used to be the case some years earlier. There are several reasons for it. One of them is the physiological reduction of the muscle mass starting from the age of 40. Actually, this is one of the main reasons why weight loss after 40 becomes so slow and difficult. According to the statistics, we loose about forty percent of muscles between the ages forty and eighty. Needless to say that doing exercises with less muscles compromises weight loss. Due to this reason males have problems loosing weight after 40. As you remember, muscles burn more calories than fat, if the amount of muscles is reduced, than the capacity of your body to burn calories is consequently, also reduced.
Another possible factors which contributes to difficulties with weight loss are stress and the change of life style. Research demonstrates that older people feel more stressed, and stress contributes tremendously to weight gain. Stress (at work or elsewhere) can be one of the problems with losing weight after 40 for males.
As a matter of fact, a lack of sleep can also be one of the most decisive factors which slow down the weight loss after 40. Nowadays more and more people become parents around their forties and little kids require constant attention, also at night, thus reducing the possibility of sleep for their parents. As many studies have demonstrated, people who are tired or sleepy, eat more than necessary, thus compromising their weight loss program. Other factor that might cause you lack of sleep is intensive work, excessive dedication to the career.
Hence, it becomes clear, that losing weight after 40 for females that start parenting or intensive career around this age, becomes problematic.
As a matter of fact, there are about three hundred hormones in human body, each of them performs its own unique function. Some of the hormones are responsible for weight control. The hormonal equilibrium starts changing around the age of forty and it changes the way out body functions. Especially it is true for women, who experience such a hormonal change after forty, which is called menopause. Actually, it is another major reason why loosing weight after 40 for females becomes so problematic and important. Men also experience such a hormonal change, which is called andropause, but their body stops producing hormones more gradually.
Anyway, notwithstanding all these physiological reasons that make weight loss problematic after 40, you still can control you weight by trying to keep to a healthy diet, have a healthy lifestyle and enough exercise.
