92A - Fit and Well Column for October 17th, 2004

TITLE: "Age and Weight Gain"

Dear David and Trish,

I confess… I'm middle aged. There, I've said it! I'm starting to feel aches and pains in places that I never did before! I'm sleeping less, and working more. I can tolerate all this, but at the same time I seem to be gaining weight, and I'm NOT eating more. What gives?

-Growing Older and Bigger in Edgewater

Dear GOB,

Welcome to the club! What you're experiencing is "par for the course!".

This is often termed "midlife expansion". Experts disagree on how much blame to place on chemical changes (hormones) and how much on lower levels of activity. But it's true that between ages 35 and 55, your body does change. Either you gain weight or maintaining your weight becomes more difficult.

How much weight gain during middle age is normal? People typically gain about 15 pounds between the ages of 20 and 65. This amount of weight gain is unlikely to put them at significant risk for obesity-related health problems, but gaining considerably more weight during adulthood is neither normal nor healthy.

Two large, ongoing studies have found that -- when compared to their counterparts who gained no more than 5 pounds after age 20 -- middle-aged men and women who gained 11-22 pounds were three times more likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones.

Some obesity researchers suggest the following guideline for adults. If, in a five-year period, you gain 10 pounds or more, you are at increased risk of developing obesity. Particularly if you are experiencing any medical problems that are linked to weight, this should prompt you to take action to prevent future weight gain.

You need to ALTER your lifestyle just to break even. What a cruel trick nature plays on us.

The images are all too familiar: The man who was trim and fit at age 20 but has a "spare tire" at age 40. The woman who was a size 5 before having children, but who can't fit into such small clothes ever again. Why does it appear to be so common for people to gain weight in middle age? In fact, not all people experience weight gain during middle age. But even for those who don't gain weight, metabolism changes with age.

Weight gain, and weight management, is based in a very simple formula. The amount of fat you store depends on the number of calories you consume, and how many you use. Anything NOT used is stored.

Much of this depends on your genetic makeup, your level of physical activity, and your resting energy expenditure (the number of calories your body burns while at rest). If you consistently burn all of the calories that you consume in the course of a day, you will maintain your weight. If you consume more energy (calories) than you expend, you will gain weight.

As you age, some of your muscle mass is replaced with fat. This is a normal process.

If you thought you had a hard time dieting when you were younger, just try it now. As you know, fat cells are stubborn. Deprive yourself of too many calories, and you'll go into starvation mode. This lowers your metabolism even more and jump-starts your desire for fat and sugar. It's a sure prescription for weight gain.

For many people, age-associated changes in metabolism reduce resting energy expenditure, making them more susceptible to weight gain. To maintain a stable weight, these people must compensate by taking in fewer calories, exercising more, or both.

Besides making you feel old and unattractive, the extra pounds around your middle are associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and breast cancer, just to name a few problems.

Many people react to a few pounds by drastically cutting back on calories. Wrong!

First of all, gaining a few pounds doesn't automatically endanger your health. Are you really overweight or just not as thin as you used to be?

If you make a realistic assessment, and decide that you need to control that creeping weight, exercise more and eat sensibly.

Aerobic exercise boosts your metabolism and helps you burn fat. Some examples of aerobic exercise is fast walking, jogging, swimming, climbing, or running away from a huge dinosaur. Eating Dairy Queen Ice Cream is NOT an aerobic exercise, but it sure is fun.

If you didn't do it when you were younger, now's the time to start. But gently, please.

The other type of exercise that will be effective in moderating or even eliminating this middle-aged spread is weight-bearing exercise. Some aerobic exercise is also weight bearing… such as walking, jogging and dancing. In addition to increasing muscle strength and endurance, it will strengthen your bones and counteract bone loss, which helps prevent osteoporosis.

You should also incorporate strength-training exercises to increase your muscle mass, raise your metabolism and strengthen your bones. Yep…weight lifting, and those new-fangled machines at your local gym or fitness center.

Trish and I hear it all the time: "I'm eating the same, but I'm gaining weight"! Yes, this happens.

So, eat smarter! Diversify. Make portions smaller; eat less, more often; cut fat and carbs. NEVER eat after 7 PM. Reduce empty calories such as alcohol and sweets. And drink PLENTY of water.

We CAN grow old gracefully, joyfully, and healthfully.

Beware of energy bars, protein drinks and "sports drinks". They are often loaded with calories, and often with sugar (simple carbohydrates). If you are going for weight loss as a primary objective in your exercise program, consider sticking to plain old water, and add some tuna or other protein-rich food after your workouts.