by Nicole Dorsey
There are four life stages when your body clings to fat. Here's what you can do about it.
For years, Michelle Batz, 46, was 120 pounds of pure muscle. But a difficult pregnancy in her late 30s caused her to gain 70 pounds, and although she's since lost most of it, 9 pounds are still glued to her belly and hips today. "It's frustrating because I work out for 45 minutes every morning, don't snack, and always eat meals off of smaller plates than the rest of my family," says the Chicago phys-ed teacher. "I know I still look good for my age, but I want to look like I did a decade ago."
Who hasn't hit the dreaded weight rut, when after a few weeks or months of the pounds flying off, you're suddenly—bam—up against a scale that won't budge? "All dieters reach a plateau at some point, whether it's after a few weeks or a few months," says Louis Aronne, M.D., president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity and a clinical professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "After you've lost a certain amount, your body thinks it's starving and sets up roadblocks that make it harder for those last pounds to come off."
To make matters worse, the more weight you lose, the less effective your once successful diet plan is likely to be. The reason: As you lose weight, you may also lose muscle, leading to a slower metabolism. "Female patients come in asking, 'I lost 40 pounds—why is it so hard to get those last 10 off?'" says Scott Isaacs, M.D., a clinical instructor of medicine at Emory University Medical Center and author of Hormonal Balance. "Yes, they're still eating the same amount of calories as when they started dieting, but because they weigh less, the nasty truth is they need to consume even less."
Unfortunately, these diet dead ends tend to get even tougher over time. "Age-related influences—a decreased metabolism, shifting hormones, and lifestyle changes—contribute to weight plateaus," explains Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and an anesthesiologist in Altoona, PA. But if it seems like every calorie you eat now has a straight-to-your-thighs homing device, new research suggests that there's plenty you can do at different life stages with diet, exercise and behavior to lose even the most stubborn pounds for good. Try these methods today and see how fast you can get back to the weight you want to be—permanently.
Hitting the big 3-5
At 31, Charlotte Tucker packed on 40 pounds and was diagnosed with a sluggish thyroid. After treatment, most of the weight flew off—except for the last 10 pounds. "I've been struggling with the same excess weight for a year," the now 35-year-old saleswoman from Jonesboro, AR, says with a sigh.
Why it's hard to lose now
Even if you were able to shed weight, no problem, in your 20s, you may be in for a nasty surprise once you hit your 30s. "Your metabolism slows by about 5% each decade, which means that at age 35 you're burning about 75 fewer calories a day than you did at age 25," says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh. That, she points out, adds up to an extra eight pounds a year. Yet ideally, you should be seeing a number on the scale similar to what you saw in college (assuming it was healthy). For looking and feeling your best, the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, DC, recommends gaining no more than 11 pounds—for life—after age 18.
What you can do with diet, exercise, and behavior:
Try a temporary protein push.
You're losing muscle as you age—you don't want to lose more as you diet. New Baylor University research found that 80 women who followed a diet of about 55% protein for 14 weeks lost 2.6 pounds more body fat than those who followed a more traditional 55% carbohydrate plan. "The protein helped the women maintain their muscle mass, which kept their metabolism elevated, thus sidestepping a common weight loss plateau, especially for women over 30," explains Richard Kreider, Ph.D., chair of Baylor's department of health, human performance, and recreation. Focus on low-fat protein sources such as chicken breasts, fish and egg whites.
Cut what you eat by 25%.
As you lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories in order to keep the needle on the scale moving down, down, down. One trick experts swear by: When you sit down to dinner or eat at a restaurant, look at your plate—and eat only 75% of what's on it. "It's a small change that prevents overeating, and it can easily shave up to 300 calories off every meal," says James Hill, Ph.D., director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado. Remember, you need to slash 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week; the "eat 75%" tactic will keep you way ahead of the game.
Pump some iron.
"I see a lot of women in their 30s who come to me saying, 'I can't shake these last tenacious pounds,'" says Prevention advisor Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness director of the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA. "Their big mistake is focusing on cardio and not spending any time lifting weights and building muscle." But you don't have to spend hours in the weight room to make a difference. A 10-week study conducted by Westcott of more than 2,000 women found that those who participated in a simple twice-weekly workout (20 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes of aerobic exercise) not only shed four pounds of fat but also regained three pounds of muscle they'd lost during the aging process. It's fine to do just one set, but make sure the weight is heavy enough—your muscles should be fatigued to exhaustion after the 12th rep.
Get up and move a little.
"A woman at age 35 is often more sedentary than she was at age 25—she's sitting at her desk all day or driving everywhere instead of walking—and that may mean she hits a weight plateau more easily," says James Levine, M.D., a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. His study found that obese people spend on average 2 1/2 hours more in a chair than their skinnier peers do, which translates into burning 350 fewer calories a day. "Leaner people tend to move more without even realizing it," he says. The message? Up your activity level, even incrementally, whenever possible: pace or stretch while on the phone, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or just play with a puzzle while you're watching TV.
Weigh yourself monthly.
"So many of my female clients get hung up on the numbers on the scale, but your weight does fluctuate by about five pounds throughout the month because of diet and hormones," says Gerbstadt. "Even stepping on the scale once a week may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts: you see the numbers go up, get discouraged, and go on an eating binge." She suggests weighing yourself at the same time each month, preferably on the seventh day of your menstrual cycle (a week after your period starts), when you're least likely to have fluid retention.
There are four life stages when your body clings to fat. Here's what you can do about it.
For years, Michelle Batz, 46, was 120 pounds of pure muscle. But a difficult pregnancy in her late 30s caused her to gain 70 pounds, and although she's since lost most of it, 9 pounds are still glued to her belly and hips today. "It's frustrating because I work out for 45 minutes every morning, don't snack, and always eat meals off of smaller plates than the rest of my family," says the Chicago phys-ed teacher. "I know I still look good for my age, but I want to look like I did a decade ago."
Who hasn't hit the dreaded weight rut, when after a few weeks or months of the pounds flying off, you're suddenly—bam—up against a scale that won't budge? "All dieters reach a plateau at some point, whether it's after a few weeks or a few months," says Louis Aronne, M.D., president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity and a clinical professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "After you've lost a certain amount, your body thinks it's starving and sets up roadblocks that make it harder for those last pounds to come off."
To make matters worse, the more weight you lose, the less effective your once successful diet plan is likely to be. The reason: As you lose weight, you may also lose muscle, leading to a slower metabolism. "Female patients come in asking, 'I lost 40 pounds—why is it so hard to get those last 10 off?'" says Scott Isaacs, M.D., a clinical instructor of medicine at Emory University Medical Center and author of Hormonal Balance. "Yes, they're still eating the same amount of calories as when they started dieting, but because they weigh less, the nasty truth is they need to consume even less."
Unfortunately, these diet dead ends tend to get even tougher over time. "Age-related influences—a decreased metabolism, shifting hormones, and lifestyle changes—contribute to weight plateaus," explains Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and an anesthesiologist in Altoona, PA. But if it seems like every calorie you eat now has a straight-to-your-thighs homing device, new research suggests that there's plenty you can do at different life stages with diet, exercise and behavior to lose even the most stubborn pounds for good. Try these methods today and see how fast you can get back to the weight you want to be—permanently.
Hitting the big 3-5
At 31, Charlotte Tucker packed on 40 pounds and was diagnosed with a sluggish thyroid. After treatment, most of the weight flew off—except for the last 10 pounds. "I've been struggling with the same excess weight for a year," the now 35-year-old saleswoman from Jonesboro, AR, says with a sigh.
Why it's hard to lose now
Even if you were able to shed weight, no problem, in your 20s, you may be in for a nasty surprise once you hit your 30s. "Your metabolism slows by about 5% each decade, which means that at age 35 you're burning about 75 fewer calories a day than you did at age 25," says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh. That, she points out, adds up to an extra eight pounds a year. Yet ideally, you should be seeing a number on the scale similar to what you saw in college (assuming it was healthy). For looking and feeling your best, the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, DC, recommends gaining no more than 11 pounds—for life—after age 18.
What you can do with diet, exercise, and behavior:
Try a temporary protein push.
You're losing muscle as you age—you don't want to lose more as you diet. New Baylor University research found that 80 women who followed a diet of about 55% protein for 14 weeks lost 2.6 pounds more body fat than those who followed a more traditional 55% carbohydrate plan. "The protein helped the women maintain their muscle mass, which kept their metabolism elevated, thus sidestepping a common weight loss plateau, especially for women over 30," explains Richard Kreider, Ph.D., chair of Baylor's department of health, human performance, and recreation. Focus on low-fat protein sources such as chicken breasts, fish and egg whites.
Cut what you eat by 25%.
As you lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories in order to keep the needle on the scale moving down, down, down. One trick experts swear by: When you sit down to dinner or eat at a restaurant, look at your plate—and eat only 75% of what's on it. "It's a small change that prevents overeating, and it can easily shave up to 300 calories off every meal," says James Hill, Ph.D., director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado. Remember, you need to slash 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week; the "eat 75%" tactic will keep you way ahead of the game.
Pump some iron.
"I see a lot of women in their 30s who come to me saying, 'I can't shake these last tenacious pounds,'" says Prevention advisor Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness director of the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA. "Their big mistake is focusing on cardio and not spending any time lifting weights and building muscle." But you don't have to spend hours in the weight room to make a difference. A 10-week study conducted by Westcott of more than 2,000 women found that those who participated in a simple twice-weekly workout (20 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes of aerobic exercise) not only shed four pounds of fat but also regained three pounds of muscle they'd lost during the aging process. It's fine to do just one set, but make sure the weight is heavy enough—your muscles should be fatigued to exhaustion after the 12th rep.
Get up and move a little.
"A woman at age 35 is often more sedentary than she was at age 25—she's sitting at her desk all day or driving everywhere instead of walking—and that may mean she hits a weight plateau more easily," says James Levine, M.D., a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. His study found that obese people spend on average 2 1/2 hours more in a chair than their skinnier peers do, which translates into burning 350 fewer calories a day. "Leaner people tend to move more without even realizing it," he says. The message? Up your activity level, even incrementally, whenever possible: pace or stretch while on the phone, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or just play with a puzzle while you're watching TV.
Weigh yourself monthly.
"So many of my female clients get hung up on the numbers on the scale, but your weight does fluctuate by about five pounds throughout the month because of diet and hormones," says Gerbstadt. "Even stepping on the scale once a week may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts: you see the numbers go up, get discouraged, and go on an eating binge." She suggests weighing yourself at the same time each month, preferably on the seventh day of your menstrual cycle (a week after your period starts), when you're least likely to have fluid retention.