Gaining and Aging—What to Expect

Like gray hair and wrinkles, gaining weight seems to be a natural consequence of aging. The typical woman gains weight every decade of her life after age 20 until she reaches her mid sixties. Then she starts losing somewhat naturally. Between ages 24 to 34, for instance, most women can expect to gain about eight pounds; between 34 and 44, they add about six pounds, and between 44 and 54, about two. For the next 10 years, their weight should remain relatively stable. Then weight loss very slowly begins.

Here’s a breakdown of when we gain weight and why.

Ages 24 to 34. Weight gain usually begins during our mid twenties with the onset of adult responsibilities. Once we start working and raising families, we have less time for activity-filled life that we led when we were younger. We no longer get summers off, and our jobs confine us to sitting most of the day. This gives us the biggest fat gains, primarily along our hips and thighs.

We also tend to get pregnant in our mid twenties and thirties, and pregnancy pads our hips and thighs with even more fat. This is one of the few times in life that a woman’s body can manufacture new fat cell—cells that never die. That’s one reason why we have a tough time losing weigh that we gained during pregnancy.Ages 34 to 44. We continue to gain weight, although not as quickly, as we enter our mid forties because our metabolisms are idling at a slower rate. The lack of activity during the past 15 years has allowed our muscles to shrivel up. As result of this, we burn fewer calories because muscle is one of the body’s primary calorie-burners.

Ages 44 to 54. Now we’re nearing menopause. A drop in levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone slows our metabolism even further. Making us gain fat in our abdomens.

Ages 54 to 64. Weight gain continues to slow during this decade. As we age, we may lose some of our appetite, so we eat les without even trying.

If you find that you are on the plump side during your mid sixties, however, you shouldn’t worry too much about losing that weight. “Some studies suggest that older women who are a bit plumper live longer than those women who are not,” says Dr. Fiatarone Singh. Of course, as is often the case with such studies, others have found that not to be the case.

None of this, obviously, is written in stone. How closely you follow the pattern depends a great deal on your personal level of physical activity, your eating habits, and your genes.