Why It’s So Hard For Women Over 50 to Lose Weight – And What to Do About It!

The female body is amazing, but it does undergo a lot of changes through the years. As you grow and develop as a child, to hitting puberty, to having children, to recovering from having children- your body changes and adapts. Your body continues to experience changes, even as you get older and it is totally normal. However, it can be frustrating when it feels like your body is changing and you are unable to regulate your weight in the same way you could before.

Weight loss for women over 50 can be challenging for a number of reasons, one of the biggest being a change in hormone levels (including estrogen, Growth Hormone, DHEA, and even testosterone). These changes actually affect how your body stores fat, and also can decrease your lean muscle mass. Activity levels also tend to decrease as you get older, making it more difficult to lose weight.

Read on for more information about how hormone levels change as you get older, how menopause can impact weight, if you should consider hormone replacement therapy, tips for weight loss as you get older, and tips for viewing your changing body in a positive way.

How Do My Hormones Change As I Get Older?

As women, sometimes it is easy to just blame everything on hormones- mood swings, fatigue, you name it- it is probably because of hormones. As you age, those dang hormones continue to shift and change, having other side effects in your body, some that can impact weight and overall health. Let’s look at a few of those hormones and the changes that your body goes through as you age.

Estrogen

This might be one of the first hormones you thought of because it is so prevalent throughout your life as a woman. By the time you hit 50 years old, your estrogen levels have dropped by about 50%- a pretty significant amount.

That drop in estrogen actually causes your body to store fat in a different way than it did before- it actually is easier for the body to store and more of a challenge to burn off. Additionally, estrogen dropping often results in extra fatigue and symptoms such as hot flashes- making it harder to do normal activity during the day that burns extra calories.

Testosterone

Although this is much more of an issue in men as they age, women do have some level of testosterone in their body and as that decreases, fat storage is increased and muscle mass is decreased. Muscle mass is an important regulator of your metabolism because it burns through so much more energy than fat stores do.

Growth Hormone

The levels of this hormone also drop as you get older. Similar to a drop in Testosterone, it can result in a decrease in muscle mass and increase in body fat.

DHEA

This hormone also decreases with age. It is a precursor to other important hormones so low levels can also lead to increased fat storage in the body.

How Does Menopause Impact Weight?

Menopause is the fancy name we give to the time in life where your hormone levels are dropping and your body can no longer have a baby. The average age that people hit menopause in the United States is 51 years old, but that can differ from person-to-person.

Menopause is notorious for its not-so-fun side effects, especially hot flashes, fatigue, mood changes, and weight fluctuations. Now that you have read through some of the hormones and what happens when their levels fluctuate in the body, it probably doesn’t surprise you that all of this results in those pesky menopause symptoms!

Not only does the change in hormones directly impact your body’s ability to store fat, but the other symptoms of menopause make the normal tasks of life more challenging. As you increase in age and you are feeling more tired, dealing with injuries and joint pain, experiencing hot flashes and headaches- your desire to exercise in particular might go way down. Talk with your doctor to minimize the other symptoms of menopause as much as possible!

Does Hormone Replacement Therapy Help With Weight Loss?

Hormone Replacement Therapy (or HRT) is not a typical recommendation for dealing with weight gain. Doctors can evaluate a need for HRT on an individual basis. However, increasing hormone levels in the body when they are naturally decreasing can cause other negative side effects and usually are not worth the risk for most women.

Again, talk with your doctor for more individualized advice about hormone replacement therapy and if it is an option for you.

Tips for Weight Loss for Women Over 50

It might seem like your body is fighting against you as you get older, and you have to accept that it is normal and okay for your body to change a little bit. I recommend not fixating so much on the number on the scale and focusing more on developing healthy eating and exercise habits that make you feel good- that is much more important than your weight anyway.

Here are some of my tips for reaching a maintaining a healthy weight for women over 50:

Eat regularly throughout the day and avoid going long periods of time without eating. Remember that your body needs fuel regularly throughout the day to function at its best. Your body will be much more willing to let go of extra weight if it feels safe and knows that it will get the energy and nutrients it needs at the time it really needs them. Don’t skip meals and don’t go more than 3-4 hours during the day without eating.

Don’t try out any crazy diets, or even not-so-crazy diets. Dieting is actually a predictor of weight gain because it usually involves restricting foods and calories (and your body doesn’t really respond well to that). Dieting also often results in obsessively thinking about food, binging, and other disordered eating patterns.

Include plenty of protein in your diet and space it out throughout the day. Not only will this help you feel more full and satisfied, but it will also help control your blood sugars and help build and maintain muscle mass. Remember that muscle mass often decreases as your hormone levels decrease!

Eat a balance of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat)– all of them are important! Eating them together is the best way to give your body sustained energy throughout the day, without feeling spikes and crashes in blood sugar.

Focus on healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts, nut butters, fatty fish, and seeds. Fat is actually one of the building blocks for your hormones so focus on getting the best sources in your diet!

Eat mindfully and focus on finding your satisfaction point. Listen to your hunger and fullness cues and try not to eat to the point where you are uncomfortably full! It may take some practice, but as you include more mindfulness in your eating routine, it will get much easier to recognize your body’s cues.

Remove distractions while you eat. If you are at work, try stepping away from your desk for a little bit. Turn off the television and put away your phone so that you can truly be present as you eat. Focus on evaluating your food using your five senses!

Manage your stress levels, because high stress can affect your weight. Figure out what works for you to lower your stress levels. That might include reading, listening to music, meditation, yoga, exercise, extra rest, or something else!

Get enough sleep. Remember how we said your body needs to feel comfortable and safe in order to let go of excess weight it doesn’t need? Sleep is an essential time for your body to rest and recover and let your hormones go through their normal cycles to function at their best.

Don’t forget about exercise! Adding in more physical movement is a great way to build muscle, strengthen your heart, increase your bone strength, and improve your mood. Exercise is supposed to be enjoyable so find something fun to do that also gets you moving like ice skating, dancing, jumping rope, playing a sport, riding a scooter, jumping on the trampoline, or something else!

How to Positively View Your Changing Body as You Get Older

Maintaining a positive body image throughout all of the changes that your body goes through might seem hard to do. Remember that these changes to your body are natural and they aren’t happening because of a lack of willpower on your part. Here are a few tips for maintaining a positive outlook on your changing body as you get older.

Don’t weigh yourself every day, and if the scale brings about negative emotions then think about getting rid of it all together! Health is not determined by the number on the scale!

We give a lot of meaning to body weight, both when it increases and when it decreases. Remember, in reality, it is just a number and nothing else. Your brain is giving that number meaning to you, but it really is just a number.

Practice body respect. Even if you don’t love everything about your body, you can always be respectful of your body by exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep, managing stress, etc. Doing these things must come out of a place of love and respect for your body, and never be done as a punishment or because you dislike your body.

Think about the amazing changes your body has gone through during your life and give your body some grace for all the crazy things it has been through and continues to go through!

Reframe your thoughts with other believable thoughts. If “my body is beautiful” doesn’t seem like a believable thought right now, try something else! Some of my favorites include: “My body is strong,” “my body keeps me alive,” “my body is resilient,” and “my body helps me do the things I love to do.”
Avoid “body checking” in the mirror and criticizing your body out loud and even in your thoughts.

Unfollow social media accounts that make you feel bad about your body or cause you to compare yourself to others. Follow body positive accounts that promote a healthy relationship with food, exercise and with your body.

Summary

Let’s be honest, aging can be hard and frustrating sometimes, but you and your body are incredible! Understanding all of the things your body is going through, and will continue to go through, can make it a little easier to give yourself grace.

As your hormone levels shift and you begin to experience the side effects of menopause, it is normal for weight loss to seem more challenging. This time of life is usually associated with increased body fat storage and a decrease in muscle mass, making it even more difficult.

However, as you eat mindfully, balance meals and snacks, consume enough protein, manage stress, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and include extra exercise, you will be able to continue taking care of your body in a healthy way- despite all of the changes you are dealing with.

Resources

Filemon JM, Seaver V. Here’s what happens to your hormones as you age. Eatingwell.com. Published September 9, 2021.

Jacobsen M. Midlife nutrition – helping women over 40 overcome nutrition challenges. Todaysdietitian.com. Published March 2014.

Pataky MW, Young WF, Nair KS. Hormonal and metabolic changes of aging and the influence of lifestyle modifications. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Mayo Clin Proc. 2021 Mar;96(3):788-814.