'My Metabolism Has Slowed Down
and I'm Gaining Weight!'
Weight Loss expert Renée Stephens works with clients to uncover and heal the underlying causes of their weight issues.
Hi Renée,
I generally am a healthy eater, but I'm at an age where my metabolism has slowed down considerably. How can I continue to eat well without putting on this sudden extra weight?
Heidi Carson, San Francisco
Hi Heidi,
So many people find that as they age, the pounds seem to come on more easily. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that most of us have largely sedentary lifestyles, even if we do workout regularly. Hormonal shifts can accelerate the loss of muscle mass and slowing of metabolism. As a result, over time, we lose lean muscle mass. Because lean muscle will burn calories even while we are resting, it keeps our metabolism revving. As we lose muscle on our bodies, our metabolism slows down, so we require less food to maintain the same body weight.
A slowing metabolism in and of itself is not a problem, as long as we adjust our intake accordingly. If you know any older folks who have always stayed slim, then they have done this successfully. What is their secret? They are simply listening to the signals of hunger and satiety of their bodies and adjusting their intake accordingly (it sounds so easy!).
Now, for the rest of us. Environmental factors such as portion size can distract us from listening to our bodies the way the slim people do. Portion size in restaurants today is about 30 % larger than it was in 1971, and growing!
A research study was conducted where movie goers in Chicago were randomly given either medium or large buckets of popcorn. Those given the large buckets ate about 50% more than the people who were given smaller buckets. However, when asked to estimate how many ounces or calories they had consumed, both groups reported roughly the same.1
So, if we allow external cues to determine how much we eat, we will gain weight as we age. Portions are getting bigger, just as our calorie needs are getting smaller. The two best ways to counteract these influences of slowing metabolism and increased portion size are to increase exercise to build and maintain lean muscle mass, and to tune back into your body's cues of hunger and satiety when determining how much to eat.
Turn off the TV, put away the reading materials, and pay conscious attention to the food you are eating. How does it make you feel? Consider serving yourself half of your normal portion and paying close attention to how full you are as you eat, when you finish, and 20 minutes later. If, after 20 minutes you still want more, serve yourself the minimum that you think is necessary for you to be physically satisfied. Practice this consciousness raising strategy for 7 days and be pleasantly surprised with the effects!
1Nutrition Action Health Letter. March 2004. Research conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne Food and Brand Lab.