The thirties are a period of life that has its benefits. It is probable that you have become well-established in your job, are considering buying a house, and are living a more luxurious lifestyle. In the morning, you might find it difficult to move your body freely, take a longer time to get back to normal after exercise, have an increased feeling of tension, and not be able to sleep as deeply as before. As you reach your 30s, your body has started to age and one of the first things many people become aware of is the sudden increase in weight. This is not in your imagination. There are certain elements that cause alterations in our physical makeup as we get older.
We can have our desired body composition by making and sustaining healthy lifestyle decisions, despite the changes that occur.
Why We Gain Weight After Our 20s: What We Know
It is widely believed that our metabolic rate decreases with age after we turn 30, but the phenomenon has yet to be fully understood. It is downright controversial. Let us start with what we understand.
The Decline in Skeletal Muscle Mass
Skeletal muscle is an important mediator of metabolic health. Skeletal muscle requires a lot of energy to maintain itself, and it communicates with the other organs of the body by releasing peptides and cytokines. Skeletal muscle helps to keep glucose levels in check by absorbing a large amount of it from the bloodstream, making sure it does not turn into fat.
The Katch-McCardle formula, which is used to estimate resting metabolic rate, takes into account a person’s lean body mass rather than just their body weight.
In general, a person’s resting metabolic rate will be higher if they have a greater amount of skeletal muscle mass. One of the advantages of resistance training is that it aids in weight loss.
Young adults have a high level of responsiveness to stimulation in their skeletal muscles, but as they age, the muscles become less and less receptive to stimulation. It is known that people commonly experience a decline in strength and stamina of 3 to 8 percent each decade after the age of 30. It is likely that this is caused in some measure by alterations in how people live and their exercise routines. Middle age typically brings with it more duties, typically involving less active employment roles, and less time to focus on recreational activities (e.g., exercises).
Nevertheless, muscle cells having a diminished reaction is also partially to blame. In conclusion, it is more difficult to keep up with our muscle mass as we approach middle age, though it is not impossible. A drop in the amount of skeletal muscle can usually result in a lower resting metabolic rate. It is much simpler to gain weight if we don’t change our diet and eat the same amount of food as before.
The Decline in Reproductive Hormone Levels
The main reproductive hormones – estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone start a slight but steady decrease during this decade of life. Though males will usually have their usual testosterone amounts in later adulthood, the amount is estimated to go down by 1-3 percent on average each year during this period. Women will also see a drop in their testosterone levels, though the normal range is significantly lower (less than 10%) than that of an adult man of the same age.
As women get closer to the age of 40, the hormones responsible for their reproductive abilities (estrogen and progesterone) become less dependable and may not be released in consistent amounts. During the middle years, the amount of human growth hormone produced in the body will reduce, leading to more fat and a slower metabolic rate. This hormone is essential for sustaining muscle and bone strength.
Changes in Physical Activity
People who stay active in their middle age are more successful in staying in good health, including maintaining a healthy weight. It is not unusual for people to have limited time for physical activity due to their busy lives of work and family responsibilities. As one gets older, it becomes harder to stick to an exercise regimen since physical capabilities like VO2 max, muscular endurance, suppleness, and power tend to decrease after the age of 20.
Westerterp (2018) presents a model that forecasts physical activity throughout a person’s life. The model suggested that physical activity tends to be moderate during childhood and right at the start of adulthood, but hits its highest point during adolescence and the very start of adulthood. From there, it remains consistent before slowly declining into the early 30s and beyond into old age. There is a clear link between a decrease in exercise and putting on weight during middle age.
It appears that individuals who gain weight are likely experiencing a decrease in their resting metabolic rate caused by not having the highest possible fat-free mass, as well as adults in their middle age expending fewer calories each day through exercise.
Why We Gain Weight After Our 20s: What We Do Not Know
Is an Enzyme to Blame?
Recent studies have questioned whether genetics and regular physiological processes are the cause of weight gain during middle age. It appears that DNA protein kinase (DNA-PK) influences the speed at which nutrients are stored as fat while simultaneously reducing the quantity of running mitochondria (the spot where cellular metabolism occurs).
It is intriguing to note that the quantity and performance of this enzyme appear to grow as people get older. This could explain why it’s more challenging to keep weight off and exercising becomes more laborious as people get closer to middle age. The activity of DNA-PK appears to decline when caloric intake is reduced and exercise is increased.
Although a great deal of research has been done on this subject using lab mice, it is hard to positively declare that DNA-PK is the only reason for weight gain in middle-aged people. Presently, scientists are investigating the possibility of making medications that can reduce the functioning of this enzyme. Studies on laboratory mice have demonstrated the potential of these drugs, but further research must be conducted before they can be tested on humans.
Does Our Resting Metabolic Rate Change?
The notion that our metabolism decreases as we enter middle age has sparked a great debate with the release of a crucial research paper challenging the concept that humans require less energy when they are past young adulthood. Pontzer et al. (2021) looked at the metabolic rates of more than 6,400 people from infancy to 95 years of age in a longitudinal study to figure out if metabolic rate decreases after early adulthood.
The researchers took into consideration discrepancies in body size and makeup. The scientists shared their discoveries, and they were quite astonishing. The research suggests that babies under the age of one have a metabolic rate that is 50 percent higher than that of adults when taking body size into consideration. The amount of energy used appears to drop until someone reaches the age of 20, after which it stays constant until 60, at which time there is another gradual decrease as one reaches old age.
These results challenge the notion that we put on weight during our middle years due to a slowing metabolism. The researchers hypothesize that the increase in weight during middle age is only caused by lifestyle choices such as what a person eats and how much they exercise.
5 Expert Tips to Reach Your Weight Loss & Fitness Goals
Expert Tip #1. Make Healthy Eating a Lifestyle, Not a “Diet”
Begin by avoiding drastic measures such as fad diets or any kind of deprivation mentality, as studies have demonstrated that rapid weight loss has little success and can even create undesirable outcomes. Investigations have exposed that popular diets are not effective since they deny the body of essential nutrients.
A study that monitored the participants of The Biggest Loser found that when they rapidly shed pounds, their metabolism decreased in speed. Even those competitors who succeeded in dropping a great deal of weight rapidly eventually put it back on, and their metabolic rates stayed slowed down, years afterward, meaning their bodies burned 500 fewer calories per day, while their appetite hormones stayed higher than was beneficial – demonstrating that attempting to slim down by skipping meals is not just unsustainable but can leave your body in worse metabolic condition than before.
Rather than being overly restrictive with your eating, consider forming a way of life that consists of mostly plant-based foods containing beneficial fiber which will help to make you feel full and contented for a longer period of time. If you give yourself a small indulgence once in a while, don’t feel guilty; just accept it and move on, says Nicole Osinga, a registered dietician and the founder of The Beet’s Plant-Based Diet, a 14-day weight loss plan that allows for a few treats.
Expert Tip #2. Focus on Eating Fiber-Rich Foods
Incorporating more fiber in the diet is beneficial for weight loss as it leads to a feeling of satiety that lasts longer, which helps the body to burn fat and increases the metabolism at rest. When fiber is eaten, food in the digestive system is broken down into a jelly-like consistency that slows down the speed of digestion, causing the body to take in energy at a slower rate. This leads to a feeling of being satisfied for longer and helps to maintain a steady level of glucose in the blood.
If you eat processed items such as sugar or chips, which are digested quickly, you are likely to consume more calories than you need as your body does not have time to tell you that you are full. When fiber is eaten, sugar levels and insulin production do not rise sharply, reducing the risk of weight gain, inflammation, and the development of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes. A whole food plant-based diet can help to curb hunger because fiber, which can only be found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, keeps the stomach feeling more satisfied for a longer duration.
Expert Tip #3. Eat Plant-Based to Keep Blood Sugar Steady
A diet centered around plant-based foods has been demonstrated to help maintain consistent blood sugar levels, which can then lead to weight loss and a decreased likelihood of developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity over time. A research study has suggested that by controlling your blood sugar levels, you can stop insulin from spiking, which would otherwise tell the body to store extra energy as fat.
Ingesting plant-based meals is beneficial for natural weight loss, as several of these foods are abundant in magnesium. Research indicates magnesium can be instrumental in keeping blood sugar and insulin levels balanced in overweight or obese individuals. Legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, avocados, and other plant-based meals such as tofu are all good sources of magnesium. Consuming a diet full of magnesium may aid in natural weight reduction as this vital mineral has been related to a reduced chance of diabetes and obesity.
Expert Tip #4. How to Start Eating Plant-Based? Keep it Simple
The first step to go plant-based is to commit. Discover your motivation for cutting out animal-based foods from your eating habits for your wellbeing, the environment, or for the well-being of animals, or just because you wish to lose weight in a healthy, natural fashion. Once you have achieved your goal, research the advantages and disadvantages of a plant-based diet as veganism doesn’t necessarily equate to a healthy lifestyle. Table sugar is indeed suitable for vegans, as are Twizzlers.
Osinga suggests that you plan and prepare your meals for one or two days of the week ahead of time. Do your grocery shopping for the week on Sunday, and use that day to do the most of your chopping, cleaning, and preparing of fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients. This will make it much easier to make a quick snack or meal during the week, so that you don’t have to resort to ordering in when you’re really hungry. Schedule your meals ahead of time, keep the necessary ingredients close at hand, and remove any unhealthy snacks such as potato chips and cookies from the pantry to help you stay on track with your nutritious eating plan.
Focus on natural foods instead of synthetic products like imitation burgers or processed snacks like potato chips. If you’re looking for a beneficial weight loss program, The Beet’s 2-Week Plant-Based Diet is the perfect option. It provides meal plans, grocery lists, specialized advice (from Osinga), and everything you need to reach your desired weight in only two weeks.
Expert Tip #5. Introduce Fitness into the Equation
In addition to a diet based on plants, incorporate exercise to reach the highest level of health and achieve your weight loss objectives more quickly. A study has found that engaging in the best kind of physical activity promotes the development of robust muscles, which in turn increases metabolic rate and aids in burning fat.
Physical activity can be as uncomplicated as strolling around your area to raise your heart rate, or stretching in your house to better the circulation of blood. No matter which way you do it, you are eventually increasing the strength of your legs and stamina which will increase your metabolism in the long term.
To increase your heart rate and burn fat quicker, you can do high-intensity interval training, which includes brief stints of effort followed by quick rest periods, for example, performing jumping jacks and then pausing, doing burpees, mountain climbers, and other exercises that can be easily done in your living room.
Bottom Line: To Lose Weight, Go Plant-Based and Focus on Eating Healthy
Research and professionals agree that following a diet is not effective in the long term. What does? Consuming a nutritious diet abundant in dietary fiber, which is found exclusively in plant-based items such as fruits, veggies, and whole foods eaten in their most natural unaltered state. Give the 14-day plant-based diet from The Beet a shot to begin your health and fitness journey in the new year of 2023, and then keep it up.