๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ:
- Decreasing muscle mass
- Decreasing activity levelsย ย
Soย letโs look at both of these and in detail and see what you can do to mitigate this.
๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ย ย
Issue – your muscle mass decreases approximately 3โ8% per decade, after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60.ย ย
This is also exasperated further during menopause and peri menopause, as estradiol starts to diminish.ย ย
The less muscle mass you have, the less your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is. This is the amount of calories you burn at rest, through your bodily functions and this makes up the largest portion of your total daily energy expenditure – around 60-65%!ย ย
This means that amount of calories you were consuming 5-10 years ago to lose weight, may well now be too much and are actually putting you in a caloric surplus. Causing weight gain, instead of loss!ย ย
People are far to quick to blame a whole host of other things, like hormones or โslow metabolismโ.
But the reality is often the bodyโs caloric requirementโs, are just much lower than they were all those years ago.ย ย
Solutions –ย ย
- Incorporate resistance training 2-3 times a week. All that walking is fantastic.
However, you need to start incorporating some kind of structured resistance training program, where you strive for progressive overload and challenge yourself with each session.
This is the best way to preserve and increase muscle tissue, which will in turn optimise your BMR.ย ย
- Make sure you adjust your caloric intake. You need to be eating the number of calories your body needs NOW. Not what it needed 10-20 years ago!
3. Optimise your nutrition and increase protein. This will also help to preserve and increase muscle tissue.ย ย
๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฌย ย
Issue – Your activity levels can dramatically decrease as you age.ย ย
This is due to decreasing muscle mass and also a number of lifestyle factors. This can lead to more weight gain and as a result, lead to you becoming even more sedentary. Before you know it your are trapped in this vicious cycle.ย ย
Non exercise activity levels (NEAT) are responsible for the second largest amount of calories you burn on a daily basis. Around 20% of your TDEE. That is why it is absolutely crucial to be mindful of this.ย ย
The more sedentary you are, the less calories you will burn throughout the day. This will make it harder to keep your body in a consistent caloric deficit needed for weight loss.ย ย
Solution: ย Be super mindful of your NEAT. โSmallโ things compound up into massive results.ย ย
Take the stairs where possible, stand where possible, and increase your daily step count. ย Getting a step tracker or smartwatch is one of the best accountability tools you can use to achieve this.ย ย
However, be realistic. If youโre already sedentary, donโt immediately try and aim for 10,000 plus steps every day.ย ย
Just track your steps for 7 days and calculate your daily average. Then just work on increasing that by a few hundred steps the next week and so on.ย ย
In summary, you now know the two biggest physical factors hindering your weight loss. So you know what to focus on.ย ย
Stop getting distracted by all the other smoke and mirrors and start dialing in these fundamentals, and you will start seeing the results youโre looking for!ย ย
Please feel free to join our amazing Facebook community and message us directly with your thoughts and feedback!ย
CFC Coaches
Scott and Vaida
