Losing Weight Over Sixty: Special Considerations

Dr. Kendra Pearsall's picture
Submitted by Dr. Kendra Pearsall(91)
Contributor
14 November, 2012 - 02:11

 

Losing weight over 60As we are now living longer than ever before, there are good reasons for losing weight at age 60. Weighing less puts you at decreased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Being thin puts less stress on your joints. Even more importantly, being of a normal weight is great for your self
esteem. There are considerations you must weigh when trying to lose weight over the age of sixty. Your metabolic rate isn’t what it was when you were twenty and you simply cannot eat the same amount of food as when you were younger. It takes an extra effort when you are older to lose weight and because of that, exercise and watching what you eat become crucial to losing weight.
 

Prepare for Losing Weight Over 60

 
Before you lose weight, have a physical exam by your doctor and ask for the standard lab tests including a thyroid screening test. Your thyroid gland is a gland in your neck that makes thyroid , hormones that control the metabolism of every cell in your body. Having a low thyroid gland makes it very hard to lose weight and the older you are, the more likely it is that your thyroid gland, and therefore your metabolism, is sluggish. If it turns out that your thyroid gland is sluggish, your doctor may prescribe hormone replacement with thyroid hormone to bring your metabolism right back up. It seems to take a few months before your metabolism feels normal after taking the thyroid hormone replacement.
 
As you age, you have less muscle compared to other tissues in your body. Muscle tissue burns more fat than fat or connective tissue so the more muscle you have, the better your weight loss efforts should be. Does this mean you should lift heavy weights? Not necessarily. You can use weight machines at a health club that allow you to lift any amount of weight and you can buy lighter weights at a sporting goods store. You can even lift soup cans if that’s all you feel you can do. Any resistance exercise you can do will build muscle and will make it easier for you to lose weight.
 

Exercise Activities for Losing Weight Over 60

 
Losing weight doesn’t mean you have to take up jogging. Ride a bicycle, walk or climb steps as a way of getting some kind of exercise. Exercise boosts your metabolic rate and you burn more calories during the day. Anything you can do to exercise or burn calories will make a difference. Try aerobic swimming classes. They are low impact on the joints and you burn extra calories. Plus, it is fun!
 
As you eat, remember that your metabolic rate may have declined by thirty percent over that of your metabolic rate at age 20. This means you will need to be strict about what you eat. If you are heavy, you can’t afford to eat processed food and high amounts of carbohydrates. Take a multivitamin every day and eat a balanced diet. If you do this and exercise to the extent that your body will let you, you will succeed at lowering your weight and be successful in your weight loss goals.

About the Author:
Dr. Kendra Pearsall, N.M.D. is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor specializing in natural weight loss and food addiction. She created Enlita.com to help millions of people achieve optimal health, natural weight loss and life success with her free weekly e-newsletter (sign up at the top of this page.)