Trouble Losing Weight After 50

Savoring a juicy cheeseburger with a large chocolate shake and not gaining an ounce may be a distant, pleasurable memory of youth for a typical 50-year-old. You need fewer calories as you age, and gaining 3 to 4 pounds a year is common during midlife, explains the website Harvard Health Publications. It's important to chose your diet wisely and get regular exercise to avoid trouble losing weight over age 50 or to maintain your current weight. Successful weight loss over 50, or at any age, requires a commitment to permanent change in diet and exercise habits.

Changes

Muscle mass typically wanes as you get older, while body fat tends to increase. While losing strength and flexibility you may also be prone to weight gain. More fat and less muscle adds insult to injury because fat tissue burns fewer calories than muscles do. Weight gain may occur if you don't reduce your daily calorie intake or exercise more to compensate for these changes.

Considerations

Regular exercise can help people over 50 lose excess weight while boosting aerobic capacity. A group of five male volunteers, who took part in a 1966 University of Texas Southwestern Medical School study at age 20, returned 30 years later to be reevaluated. By age 50 the men had gained an average of 50 pounds and they had twice the amount of body fat than they did 30 years earlier. The men lost an average of 10 pounds after six months of following an exercise program that involved walking, jogging and cycling, explains Harvard Health Publications. As an added bonus, exercise training reversed 100 percent of age-related decline in aerobic capacity.

Diet

People in their 50s generally need about 200 fewer calories than they did in their 30s and 40s, so it becomes more important than ever for them to keep a close eye on what they eat and drink. Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and fewer processed foods can promote a more healthy diet while saving calories. For example 100 calories could be spent on 1/4 cup raisins or a full cup of grapes, notes MayoClinic.com.

Exercise

Older adults should get 2 1/2 hours, or 150 minutes, of moderately intense aerobic exercise like swimming or brisk walking each week, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strength training activities at least twice a week can help improve muscle strength. Talk to your doctor before beginning a new exercise regime if you have been sedentary.