Middle Age and Weight Loss: Why You Should Care

By Phil Lancaster

October 10, 2021

middle age and weight loss, weight loss, weight loss for men, weight loss for seniors, weight loss for women

Middle Age and Weight Loss Go Hand in Hand 

Middle Age and Weight Loss

On her twelfth birthday, a friend of mine realized that she was middle aged and severely overweight.

OK, her birthday was the 29th of February, so while it was her twelfth birthday, she was actually 48 years of age.

And I say that middle age and weight loss go hand in hand because so many people reach this milestone in their lives seriously overweight or even obese.

If you find yourself in that situation, it's essential that you do something about it before it's too late.

Two somethings in fact.

More...

Diet (that means what you eat, not some unnatural fad diet) and

Exercise. It doesn't have to be exhausting, just get started with something. The difference between doing nothing and doing something is infinite.

My 48 year old friend did exactly that. It took her 18 months and gave her a new lease on life. A new relationship too and she's a very happy girl.

The Figures Are Frightening

These figures are seven years out of date, but the situation will not have improved.

The percentage of American adults considered overweight or obese was 70.2%

For adult men, it was 73.7% and for adult women, it was 66.9%

Now those figures include both overweight and obese. If we split those figures up, we find that 35% of men and 40.4% of women were considered not just overweight, but obese.

Let's really think about that.

More than 2 in 3 adults are overweight or obese.

Getting on to half of all adult American women are obese, with a massive 10% of them meeting the definition of extreme obesity.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the tool most commonly used to estimate and screen for overweight and obesity in adults and children. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. For most people, BMI is related to the amount of fat in their bodies. A high BMI is a potential health hazard. The following table indicates the BMI ranges used for classifications.

BMI

Classification

18.5 to 24.9

Normal

25.0 to 29.9

Overweight

30.0 to 39.9

Obese

40 +

Extremely Obese

A Personal Experience

Some years ago, I was fulfilling an IT contract for a company in Sydney and was working on-site.

Now this isn't relevant to middle age and weight loss, because the young woman trying to get my attention from further down the corridor would not have been more than thirty.

As I got closer to her, I saw that she was so fat that she was puffing and panting from the effort required to stand up.

Her dress looked like a tent. I'm probably being politically incorrect in so many ways here but I reckon half a dozen kids could have played Cowboys and Indians in it.

She was a new employee and what she wanted to ask me was "Where's the smoking room?"

When I told her there was no such thing and that she'd have to go outside the building to smoke, the look on her face could only be described as dismay. It meant she would have had to walk to the elevator and go down one level.

She was literally killing herself.

I wondered if she had a young family.

The Next Generation

Unfortunately, things aren't looking much better for the next generation.

While today's kids are a long way off worrying about middle age and weight loss, they've got enough to concern them right now.

Dependence on fast food, incredible over consumption of sodas, a sedentary lifestyle centred around television, tablet and cell phone and a risk averse philosophy that sees fewer kids bike riding, roller blading and skate boarding (never mind walking) has led to the first generation of children unlikely to have a longer lifespan than their parents.

This despite all the advances in medicine designed to prolong life.

It's estimated that some 21% of children 12-19 years old are obese (not just overweight) with around half of that suffering from extreme obesity.

Even in the 6-11 year old range, the figures are similar.

What to Do?

Set a good example. If you're of middle age or older and need weight loss, do it. Do a body and mind cleanse. It's a great feeling. Start an exercise program. Turn your body into a lean, mean, fat-burning machine with the Keto Diet.

And if you have any influence over the next generation, whether they be your children, nieces and nephews, school students or whatever, spread the message. Try and change their habits before it's too late.

Your Thoughts or Questions on Middle Age and Weight Loss

I love to hear about what my readers think.

If you have any thoughts or questions about this topic, please leave them in the Comments section below.

Phil Lancaster

About the author

Phil is a septuagenarian who believes in an enjoyable, healthy lifestyle through exercise and healthy eating. His website is all about helping others to look and feel younger.

The Aging Slowdown website covers diet, exercise, skin care, sexual health, your immune system. stress relief and better sleep. For those moving into retirement and concerned about income and lifestyle, there's an entire section devoted to creating an online business at any age.

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  1. To start off I actually how you said it was your friends 12th birthday and then you said that he birthday was on February 29th. I found that really funny. Keto Diet- after I checked it out it looks like an essential one for all the middle aged people to loose weight ot being fit. Thank you so much for sharing this article with us.

  2. Hi Phil,

    Great article. Originally I am from Thailand but I moved to the States when I was in highschool. When I first moved here, I noticed that I was so skinny comparing to my classmates. Luckily, I am not a big fan American food that much and the portion here i find it to be too big, like it can feed 3 people big. However, collage happened, I did not take care of myself and started that drinking and eating life. I was at my heaviest at 135lbs which was the first ever in my life. It might sound not a lot but for me who only weighs 120lbs max in over a month gained 15lbs thats a lot lol. I slowly changed my diet and go workout whenever I can. Since then I am glad that I can maintain my normal weight now even though I am in my late 30s.  I think we all can maintain to our healthy weight but we just have to do our portion control and start moving. Focus on something else in life other than food is also a great way too. Anyways that was my experience and suggestion.

    Happy New Year!

    1. Thanks for sharing your personal experience of taking back control of your weight, Nuttanee.

      Interestingly, when you break down the overweight and obese statistics for American adults by ethnic group, there’s one group which reports zero in the grossly obese column.

      And that’s Asians, of course, so you are naturally blessed.

      I’m Australian and when I’ve visited the States, I’ve been amazed at the portion sizes. Every American should watch the movie Supersize Me. It’s an eye-opener.

  3. Thanks for sharing your website. Since I was 41, I lost over 100 pounds. At 41 I was weighing 350 pounds. Now at age 48, I’m at 240 pounds. It’s has been easy for me to lose weight since I’ve in my 40s.

  4. i find this article to be very informative. im sorry to hear about your friend, but glad to hear she did something about it!

    based on the numbers you provided, its very clear that not many people decide to actually change their diet.

    i think many people will find this article very valuable if they are looking for info regarding middle age and weightloss. thank you for giving valuable information to the mases

    all the best

    scott

    1. Thanks for your thoughts, Scott. Yes, my friend tackled the issue with a relentless focus and literally transformed her life.

      You’re right about people not changing their diet. There are millions of Google searches for diet pills but much fewer for diet and exercise.

      Everyone wants the easy solution.

  5. Thank you for this great information about weight loss.

    I think is hard when we get to that age and we found ourselves in this situation, been over weight is not easy specially as we get older, and after reading about you friend been able to loose weight at that age it makes me realize that never is to late to start. 

    How safe is the Keto Diet?

  6. Wow, luckily I came across this article.my aunt really needs to read this.she is 62years old and she’s obese and most times we feel uncomfortable around her because she pants a lot sometimes she gasp for breathing.Reading through this you made mention of diet and exercise, I want to ask you is it not too late for her? Can she still loose weight at the age of 62?.

  7. Wow,this is an informative post.My aunt is 62 years old and she’s obese.most times we find it uncomfortable to stay around her because she pants a lot and sometimes gasp for breath.This has been a concern for me.Reading through this you made mention of diet and exercise I want to ask you is it not too late at age 62 to loose weight?.I will be looking forward for your reply, my aunt really need to see this.

    1. I’m so glad that you liked the post.

      I always feel so sorry for obese people. I cannot imagine what it must be like to carry so much weight around that everyday tasks like walking, getting up out of a chair and going to the toilet become a chore.

      62 is nothing. Of course your aunt can get better through diet and exercise.

      But you and she need to accept that it won’t be easy.

      The most difficult step is the first one. She has to make the decision and then follow a diet and exercise plan.

      Just don’t expect it to happen quickly. Take it easy. I can do 110 pushups but she may not be able to do 1. This is just an example, but the important thing to do here is to try to do 1 pushup. As she loses weight and gets stronger, suddenly one day she’ll manage the pushup and it will feel like a great achievement.

      She should have a medical checkup first, to address any health issues that could adversely affect a diet and exercise program.

      Finally, have a look at my book 4 Minute Keto, available on Amazon here.

      All the best

      Phil

  8. Hi Phil
    I am so glad to have found your site! I am in my fifties and the heaviest I have ever been – this is so uncomfortable and frustrating. Last year I started out with a triathlon in mind and ended up with two injuries – neither from the training – as a result, I didn’t achieve my goals and continued to pile on the weight. The weight gain is from a combination of challenges: reduced exercise due to injuries (I will get back to swim and cycle this year); thyroid issues – long story, suffice to say, it has now been removed; middle age and a very long menopause (12 years so far!). I shall have a look at the keto option again, I’ve done it before and found it extremely difficult because I was training for a big road race at the time, think the timing was just bad on my part. Maybe if I start it before hitting peak training it will be an easier adjustment.
    Thank you for all this valuable information, I shall be following your site for certain!
    Blessings
    Louise

    1. There’s no doubt that if you’re overweight, that’s where it has to start.

      But you have to be careful not to injure yourself.

      The trick is to start slow. Can you do full pushups? No, so you do knee pushups or balcony pushups. How many can you do without too much exertion? 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 1? It doesn’t matter. The biggest difference is between doing none and some.

      So if you can only do 1, do it.

      But write it down next to the date. Do it again the day after tomorrow. Suddenly one day it’s easy, so you do 1 or 2 more. Record your progress and you’ll be inspired to do more and more.

      At the start of each week, record your weight and, if you can, your body fat percentage. Watch them go down.

      Swimming and cycling are both great. but again, record your distances and times.

      Keto shouldn’t be difficult.

      You might be interested in my book 4 Minute Keto, available from Amazon here.

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