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Weight Gain For Middle-Aged Women: Everything You Need To Know

  • Author by Raazi
  • Reviewed By Raazi
  • Last Edited : December 25, 2024
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Middle-age weight gain is not less than a nightmare for females because once you’re over 40, it will be a lot easier to gain pounds around the waist and harder to shed them off. And there are many “why” for this. 

Here you will learn about why women gain weight after 40 and why it becomes hard to lose that weight. And by the end, there are also some fantastic tips to follow if you want to remove belly fat.

  • Sleep disturbances due to hormonal changes can lead to increased cravings for high-calorie comfort foods.
  • Alcohol consumption during middle age can contribute significantly to belly fat due to its high caloric content.
  • Consuming more fiber-rich foods can help regulate appetite and promote a feeling of fullness in middle-aged women.
  • Chronic inflammation, often exacerbated by poor diet and stress, may make it harder for middle-aged women to lose weight.
  • Drinking green tea can aid in metabolism and fat burning, especially when combined with a balanced diet.
  • Stress-induced cortisol spikes in middle-aged women often lead to fat accumulation around the midsection.

Why Does Almost Every Woman Gain Weight After 40?

There is no single-line answer to explain why every female gets overweight after passing the age of 40. Since there are multiple reasons behind it, from internal body changes to the laid-back lifestyle, all significantly produce extra layers of fat around the waist.

Down below are a few causes of elderly obesity in women:

Change In Hormones As Women Age

 Hormones handle everything that happens in your body. From feeling hungry to the ability to reproduce, female hormones handle all. 

And once your body crosses 40, the levels of estrogen and progesterone start dropping, and due to this fluctuation, the period of menopause approaches. To respond, the body tries to draw estrogen from the fat cells, which results in more belly fat.

Hormonal imbalance at this age changes your menstrual cycle, decreases your bone density, and badly affects your moods and sex drive.

Less Activity And Sedentary Lifestyle

We have fewer physical activities as we reach middle age. And most often, we adopt a sedentary lifestyle as kids, and our careers stabilize. And because of this laid-back lifestyle, fat accumulates around our waist, resulting in obesity.

No Proper Schedule For Meals

 Calories from extra sugar are everyone’s favorite, but it doesn’t go in favor once you cross the line of forty. When you don’t stop the habit of snacking or eating whenever your stomach feels empty, you are giving an open invitation to the extra pounds. 

This is the prime time for gaining weight during hormonal change. And with a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating causes more harm to your body.

Metabolism Slow Down With The Cycle Of Age

Women who have never been overweight gain weight in their forties, and there is a good reason behind it. With age, our metabolic rate takes a downturn, and it is natural. As the pace gets slow, our body naturally burns fewer calories, and we, as a result, gain more fat, mainly around the waistline.

The decrease in estrogen and testosterone levels contributes to the decline in metabolic rate in both older women and men.

Stress Brings Nothing But More Calories

We don’t realize it, but our body acts differently under stress and pressure. 

We often get stressed, sometimes for our careers and sometimes for our kids, and amidst this all, our sugar level drops into fight or flight mode. You want to eat more, and most of the time, the craving is for sugar, which ends up giving you no solution but extra calories and pounds.

Why Is It So Hard To Deal With Elderly Obesity?

Elderly obesity is natural for females, mainly due to hormonal changes, and we have discussed it. But it becomes even more complicated when we try to shed the extra pounds. 

Why is it so? 

Why can females in their forties not lose calories as they used to in their thirties or twenties?

It happens because:

  • After the age of 40, our body loses lean muscle, which burns the calories in our body, and it happens for the same reason- estrogen and testosterone levels declination. 

The muscle mass accompanied by a slower metabolism makes losing weight harder. Therefore, your body does not lose calories like it did in your twenties and thirties.

  • Another reason women after 40 cannot lose weight quickly is that their sleeping pattern is disturbed.

Because of hormonal changes, females get night sweats while sleeping. Ultimately, the body will not feel active or rested, even after sleeping the entire night. As a result, your body will have less energy to exercise, which will help you actively lose weight.

Some Amazing Tips To Help You In Shedding Extra Pounds

Long-term weight management, especially once you cross the tens of thirties, becomes a little daunting. But worry not!! 

There are some significant steps for weight loss, and if you implement them correctly in your life, your waistline will surely come under the belt of 35 inches.

Say goodbye to sugar

The first thing you need to do is to cut down on sugar intake in your diet. Lay off the soda, energy drinks, and sugar-sweetened coffee. The sugar in these drinks makes you gain weight, and not only that, but it also raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

So switch to water and sugar-free drinks and enjoy the calories loss.

Make a habit of exercise

The more you make your body move, the more you will feel active and healthy; it is an undeniable fact. After 40, your body loses muscle mass, slowing your metabolism. And in this case, if you don’t force your body to exercise, no one can stop the rise of fat layers on your body. 

Brisk walking, weight lifting, or cardio workout benefits weight management and general health. 

Add protein and veggies to your plate

 If you want to gain weight, eat more; if you lose weight, eat less. Eating less at 40 is a bit too scary, but eating healthy is not. So, exclude all the food that has calories and instead fill your plate with an actual amount of protein which is vital in preserving muscle mass and good health. 

Also, add green veggies such as broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and Swiss chard. These leafy green veggies are jammed with healthy nutrients essential for the body’s health. 

They are less in calories and carbs, so you can eat them as much as you want.

What you eat is the only thing that matters while losing weight. So keep a close eye on your eating habits. Pay attention to what you are taking into your stomach. 

Mindful eating will change your weight management process.

Takeaway

Middle-age weight gain is not less than a nightmare for females because once you’re over 40, it will be a lot easier to gain pounds around the waist and harder to shed them off. And there are many “why” for this.

Excess abdominal fat is not healthy in middle age when your whole body goes through lots of hormonal and metabolic changes. But a few steps at the right time can help you not only lose the extra pounds, but you will have a healthy lifestyle.

Weight Gain For Middle-Aged Women: Everything You Need To Know

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