Why Do People Gain More Weight as They Get Older?

Some say gravity is the culprit that causes weight gain in our later years. But gravity has a lot of help in this process. The most important factor in weight gain is metabolism. At least that’s the opinion of many doctors and nutrition experts.

Human beings experience slower metabolism as a natural part of growing older. Our bodies just don’t burn up the calories or use food as quickly and efficiently as they did when we were young. If we don’t continue to exercise (and even increase our planned exercise gradually), our bodies simply hold onto the “food.” It becomes fat.

If we don’t have parents or a spouse around to make sure we eat healthy items and get regular exercise we tend to become “couch potatoes.” As doctors say it, we start living a sedentary lifestyle. As we grow older we may add one more factor to the weigh-gain issue. If our work is physically demanding or keeps us on the move, we tend to burn up calories. When we stop that regular work pattern our bodies don’t burn up the food we take in. To avoid weight gain we have to change our eating patterns and add exercise to our daily routine.