Losing Weight After 60: Healthy Diet and Exercise Tips for Seniors

Do I Need to Lose Weight? Why Weight Charts Can Be Misleading for Seniors

If you’re a senior carrying extra pounds, you might assume that the best thing for your health is losing that excess weight. After all, being overweight or obese can increase your risk for many health problems, including:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Some kinds of cancer
• Hypertension
• Osteoarthritis

However, determining the ideal body weight for elderly people is more complicated than merely consulting weight charts. So if you’re wondering what you should weigh, your first step should be an open conversation with your doctor. That’s because, for a senior, weight-loss goals must take several important factors into account, including overall health.

Some of the standard methods for determining an ideal weight change as we age. You may already be familiar with the concept of body mass index or BMI. (You can determine your BMI with an online calculator.) Your BMI reflects your weight-to-height ratio.

The standard ranges for BMI are:

• Underweight: BMI that is less than 18.5
• Normal weight: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
• Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29.9
• Obese: BMI over 30

However, many people feel that BMI oversimplifies weight issues. One reason is that BMI doesn’t account for the fact that muscle is denser than fat. A person who has a lot of muscle could have a much higher BMI than someone who wears the same size of clothing but has less muscle. (In fact, many professional athletes fall into the “obese” category on the BMI chart simply because they have so much muscle mass.)

But what does this mean for seniors? Here’s a key fact: Our body composition often changes with age. (Body composition is the amount of muscle and fat on your frame.) An article from Tufts University notes that many seniors experience sarcopenia, or muscle loss, as they grow older. And losing muscle may have a more significant impact on health than carrying extra weight. So lower weight isn’t necessarily a good thing if it’s the result of muscle loss.

The Tufts University article cites studies that have found that being underweight as a senior carries more risk than being overweight. That might seem counterintuitive, but overweight people who are older than 65 have lower mortality rates than people who are underweight or within the normal-weight range. (Some doctors call this the “obesity paradox.”)

That means our ideal BMI often shifts upward with age. As a result, some medical experts have suggested that there should be a separate “BMI for older adults” chart that contains slightly higher numbers. This kind of weight chart for seniors would use a range of 25 to 27 as a “normal” BMI.

Your weight-loss goals will also depend on your individual health issues. For example, the ideal weight for men over 60 with diabetes may be lower than for other men in that age group. And a weight chart for females over 50 who have not gone through menopause might be different from a weight chart for women over 60 because the hormonal shifts of menopause can trigger body composition changes.

Instead of just striving for a lower weight, it may be healthier to focus on your body composition (i.e., your muscle-to-fat ratio), and where fat is stored on your body.

Why is the location of excess fat important? People tend to store fat either above their hips (mostly in their bellies) or below their hips. Fat that is stored above the hips presents a greater risk for:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Insulin resistance
• Alzheimer’s disease

Because of the increased health risks carried by belly fat, waist circumference is often an important indicator of overall health. So, instead of looking at a weight chart for seniors to determine whether you need to lose weight, you could measure your waist-to-hip ratio and discuss the results with your doctor.

Essentially, if you’re focused on reaching an “ideal” weight, you may be focused on the wrong goal. Research suggests that instead of trying to lower your BMI, your focus should be on eating for your personal health and maintaining muscle tone and bone strength. That’s why it’s important to work with your healthcare provider to create personalized goals and plans that work for you.

Why Is Losing Weight Over 60 More Difficult? How Your Body Changes With Age

You may also have to revise your ideas about dieting if you and your healthcare provider determine that losing weight will help your overall health. That’s because many seniors find that weight loss gets more challenging as they get older. While slower weight loss can be frustrating, it’s also a natural part of the aging process. So, don’t blame yourself if you struggle to drop extra pounds. If a 60-year-old woman can’t lose weight, she might blame herself for not being disciplined enough. However, her body might just be responding in a way that’s appropriate for her age.

But that doesn’t mean that losing weight over 60 is impossible. Many people successfully lose weight at any age. You can lose weight as you get older by adapting your weight-loss strategies to your changing body.

The first step in understanding why weight loss rules can be different for seniors is to consider your basal metabolic rate. That’s the number of calories you burn just staying alive (i.e., the energy you expend breathing and digesting food). This rate is different than the calories you burn through exercise or everyday activities.

Your body composition impacts your basal metabolic rate. That’s because, in addition to its heavier weight, muscle burns more calories than fat. So a person who has a lot of muscle mass should have a higher basal metabolic rate than someone who doesn’t.

However, starting in our 30s, we lose muscle mass unless we work to maintain it. Although we may not even notice this process when it starts, it has a large impact over time. One study published in Clinical Interventions in Aging found that, on average, we lose about 30 percent of muscle strength between age 50 and 70. And the rate of muscle loss is even faster after 70. Consequently, losing weight after 70 will be that much harder than it is for someone who is 30.

If you continue to eat the same number of calories and do the same amount of activity as you did in your younger days, you could be at risk of gaining weight because your basal metabolic rate is slowing down.

As a result, the number of calories you should eat in a day is about 100 calories lower with every decade you age. That’s not a huge amount (about the equivalent of one apple). But it does add up. So, for example, all other factors being equal, a 60-year-old woman should eat fewer calories in a day than a 40-year-old woman to lose weight.

Although it might seem unfair in today’s more sedentary world, this process makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Long ago, as we grew older and our hunting and gathering abilities slowed down, our bodies had to learn how to survive on less food. The result? Aging bodies want to hang onto any extra body weight (even if we no longer need—or want—them to).

As well, for many seniors, weight loss slows down because of additional factors that affect their metabolisms, including:

• Medications: Seniors are more likely to be taking medications that can contribute to weight gain and make it harder to lose weight. But the effects are often hard to predict. For example, some people find that the antidepressant Wellbutrin can help with weight loss, but others find that they gain weight while taking it. If you’re concerned about a medication’s impact on your weight, be sure to talk to your doctor.
• Gastrointestinal changes: Some seniors avoid fresh fruits and vegetables because they don’t want to upset their stomachs. If you’re experiencing digestive issues that interfere with a healthy diet, your doctor can help.
• Certain medical conditions: Some health issues that are common in seniors can slow weight loss. For example, when your thyroid doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone, your metabolism can slow down. You can lose weight with an underactive thyroid by working with your doctor to restore your thyroid hormone levels.

How Can I Improve My Metabolism? Outsmarting the Aging Process

The good news is that you can speed up your metabolism after 50 by making some simple lifestyle changes. And these habits will have other positive impacts on your health. Check out these tips to see how you can “trick” your body into having a faster metabolism:

1. Take up strength training.

Maintaining muscle tone is one of the most important things we can do to burn more calories. For elderly people, starting or maintaining a strength-training program can help increase their basal metabolic rate.

Strength training is also good for losing the belly. Research in the Journal of Obesity confirmed that weight loss for seniors has the most significant positive impact on health if it comes from the abdominal region. And the fat loss from strength training (even if the exercises aren’t specifically focused on your abs) is often from this area.

Plus, strength training doesn’t have to be intimidating or time-consuming. If you’re not currently lifting weights (or doing other strength-building exercises such as yoga), talk to your doctor about creating a plan that works for you. The National Institute on Aging produces an excellent guide showing some simple exercises for seniors that can act as a good starting point.

Remember: You’re never too old to improve your muscle tone. You can build muscle after 60 by doing strength-training exercises. In fact, it’s possible to strengthen your muscles well into your 90s.

2. Add more movement to your everyday life.

You can also enjoy the benefits of physical activity without heading to the gym. As we get older, we tend to be more sedentary throughout the day. Research in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism has confirmed that older people move less, on average, just doing everyday tasks.

That’s unfortunate because even light amounts of activity can help your metabolism and cardiovascular health.

However, in today’s automated world, we have fewer opportunities for this kind of movement. So look for every chance you can to get some extra light movement. For example, gardening, doing the dishes by hand, and putting away all of the laundry are the kinds of tasks that keep your body moving.

Walking is frequently considered the best exercise for seniors to do to lose weight. And you don’t have to get the often-cited 10,000 steps a day to benefit. Just small increases in the number of steps you take can help.

3. Eat plenty of protein.

Protein can help build muscle. It also requires more energy to digest. That means you can boost your metabolism after 60 by eating lean protein with every meal to prevent muscle loss.

According to The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, seniors who eat adequate protein are less likely to lose the ability to do everyday, functional activities such as dressing and walking up stairs.

It’s generally preferable to get your protein from whole foods, so you don’t miss out on other essential elements of a healthy diet, such as fiber. Many people have trouble meeting their optimal protein intake through whole foods alone. A good quality protein powder can help fill in the gaps.

Some store-bought meal replacement shakes are handy when you’re busy or not feeling hungry, but they are often high in sugar and unnecessary additives. If you need extra calories and overall nutrition, higher-protein meal replacement shakes could be a good tool. But if you’re looking to supplement protein without adding anything else, a high-quality protein powder is likely a better choice.

4. Consume enough calories.

This may seem like an odd tip. After all, many fad diets require dieters to drastically cut the calories they consume. And you’ve probably heard that the secret to losing weight is eating fewer calories.

However, that low-calorie strategy can backfire, particularly for seniors. When our bodies sense that they aren’t getting enough energy to meet our basic needs, our metabolism can go into “starvation mode” to conserve energy. Again, we can probably thank evolution for this. Before we had access to supermarkets and fast food, hunger was often a signal that food was in short supply.

As well, you can lose weight too quickly if you don’t get enough calories, which can lead to muscle loss. And you need to maintain muscle for a healthy metabolism.

Unfortunately, many elderly people find it difficult to eat enough food. For seniors, several factors can contribute to reduced appetites, including changes to their sense of smell or taste.

If you struggle to eat regular, balanced meals because you don’t have much of an appetite, talk with your doctor. At first, a reduced appetite might seem like a bonus for weight loss. For seniors, however, it can signal health issues that should be checked out.

5. Get enough sleep.

Seniors often struggle to get enough sleep. But missing out on sleep is another habit that can harm your metabolism. And research in the International Journal of Obesity has linked sleep deprivation with a greater likelihood of obesity for older adults.

6. Reduce your stress levels.

When you’re under chronic pressure, your body can interpret your stressed-out state as a sign that you need to conserve energy. And the “flight or fight” response created by stress hormones like cortisol can trigger glucose production because our bodies think we might need the energy. The results can impact your metabolism, in addition to triggering cravings for sweets. Although more research is needed, some studies suggest that relaxation activities such as meditation can help metabolism.