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Why do we get fat when we get older?
Over the years, weight gain seems inevitable. In France, women gain an average of 7,5 kg between the ages of 20 and 50, against ten for Quebec women.
For some, weight increases gradually throughout life, but for others, it occurs during pregnancy and menopause. So what is happening in the body?
First of all, you should know that women have a greater amount of fat than men. We think that 18 to 25% of their body weight is made up of adipose tissue, compared to only 10 to 15% in men. Their fat reserves located especially in the lower body (thighs, hips, buttocks,…) have served as stocks for millennia. They made it possible to ensure the survival and reproduction of the human species in the event of famine. These fat reserves were therefore designed not to disappear easily, unlike those of men, located on the abdomen, it is for this reason that women have more difficulty losing weight than men. What once represented a biological asset is now perceived as a defect in the organism in our affluent societies.
Basic metabolism
A matter of calories
Weight gain with age is firstly explained by the basic metabolism. It represents the calories that the body spends to ensure the subsistence minimum: the lower it is, the more we can gain weight. The main factor that influences it is the proportion of muscle mass, which is greater in men. It is for this reason that they have a higher basal metabolic rate than that of women: the heart and lungs must be activated more to cover all the muscle mass.
Example:
â – º The basal metabolic rate of a 20-year-old man measuring 1 m and weighing 80 kg is approximately 70 kilocalories.
â – º That of a 20-year-old woman, measuring 1m65 and weighing 60 kg, is about 1320 calories.
A decrease in muscle mass
With age, muscle mass decreases, leading to a drop in basal metabolism: it is estimated to decrease by 2 to 3% per decade in adulthood. The number of calories expended while resting decreases, while the diet often remains the same. As a result, calories that were once burned by the body are stored as fat.
â – º People over the age of 50 are advised to increase their intake of dietary protein to slow muscle loss.
Two caps: menopause and pregnancy
The role of hormones in menopause
During menopause, low estrogen accelerates muscle loss in the lower parts of the body. It will therefore amplify the phenomenon explained previously. As the woman can no longer give birth to a child, her fat reserves no longer need to be. The change of the silhouette is then inevitable: the thighs lose weight, unlike the waist and hips which thicken. The decrease in muscle mass generally leads to weight gain if the same lifestyle is maintained.
â – º The average weight increase in postmenopausal women varies from 4 kg to 5 kg.
Avoid sedentarization
These hormonal upheavals are often accompanied by significant changes in the lives of the women concerned (departure of children, professional stress). To avoid weight gain, you need to balance your diet and especially increase physical activity. This helps reduce the decrease in muscle mass and maintain its basal metabolism.
A study conducted in Geneva has shown the importance of physical activity in life, and particularly during menopause. It has shown that women who exercise for 20 to 30 minutes per day (brisk walking, running, etc.) do not take hardly any weight during this difficult period.
â – º It is important as you get older to consult a doctor before starting a training program.
Successive pregnancies
Sometimes it is difficult to get back to the weight before pregnancy. During this, hormones played a big role in the appearance of “pregnancy pounds”. Some help to develop appetite while others will amplify the phenomenon of storage by the body in anticipation of breastfeeding. It is advisable to resume physical activity after pregnancy. Most of the time, it is recommended to wait 2 months, after perineal rehabilitation. However, in the case of a cesarean section or an episiotomy, it will take longer.
Other factors
Hypothyroidism
This dysfunction of the thyroid gland is relatively common. It causes weight gain and is usually accompanied by unusual fatigue. This condition which mainly affects women after 50 years, cannot be cured but is controlled very well by taking daily thyroid replacement hormones (or substitution).
Bone loss
To muscle loss, we must also add a slight bone loss which also leads to a decrease in our basal metabolism. It is therefore advisable to increase your intake of vitamin D, especially when we know that nearly 80% of Westerners have vitamin D deficiencies!
Let him go
Over the years, the standard of living and the social situation change. This promotes a sedentary lifestyle, the consumption of refined foods such as sugary drinks, wine, unprocessed red meats, etc. Other factors are also involved in weight gain: alcohol consumption, time spent watching television or even the use of the car.
Thus, weight gain with age is not inevitable: adapting your diet to the needs of the body and practicing physical activity are enough to maintain a “healthy” weight.