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What Age Is It Hard to Lose Weight?

What Age Is It Hard to Lose Weight?


The fact is: It’s easy to gain weight in adulthood. Once you leave high school, your social environment and access to affordable, convenient foods change. Fast food chains, supermarkets and other businesses start targeting young consumers with new advertising strategies. In response, many of them start selling more calorie-dense foods and drinks. 


Then there’s the rise of digital marketing, which makes it easier than ever for companies to target ads at specific age groups and segments. That's why adults have so much trouble losing weight after they leave adolescence: It becomes much harder for us to avoid overeating as we grow older. However, it's important not to lose sight of the fact that most adults can still lose some weight if they take the right steps starting from an early age

 

What’s Causing Weight Gain After Adolescence?

Researchers aren’t entirely sure why some people are able to maintain a healthy weight while others struggle to keep the pounds off. However, they do have some ideas about what could be going on. One theory is that hormonal changes may be a factor. 

For example, girls enter puberty at an average age of about 12, which means many of them to experience changes in their hormone levels, including increased levels of estrogen and progesterone. During adolescence, your body is changing in ways that may make it harder to lose weight later on.

 

Boredom and Food Reward Centers of the Brain

Brain imaging studies have found that, during adolescence, the reward centres of the brain become more active, especially in young people who are easily bored. 

This may mean that as you grow into adulthood you have a harder time staying interested in activities that aren’t as exciting as you once were. If you also have access to more foods that are high in calories, you may be more likely to choose those foods instead of staying active. This can all add up over time and make it more challenging to lose weight.

 

Hard-to-Handle Emotions and Stress Hormones

Adolescence is when you’re expected to begin developing many important, adult-like qualities, such as patience and emotional control. You may feel that you don’t have this skill yet, which may make you impatient or frustrated with your weight-loss efforts. 

That, in turn, could make it harder to maintain a healthy weight.

 

Food Cyberslugs and Social Media Distractions

The internet and social media have made it easier than ever to find recipes, meal plans and other diet advice. They may also have made it easier for you to fall into unhealthy eating habits. Most diet plans these days are based on strict guidelines that rule out certain foods, like certain meats and vegetables. But few people follow those rules perfectly.


 And dieting “sluggers” may find it easier than ever to justify eating those “forbidden” foods. That’s especially true when dieting during adolescence because your brain is more likely to be distracted by social media, schoolwork and other activities.

 

Ways to Lose Weight After Adolescence

If you are overweight, don’t feel like you’re “too old” to lose weight for your age group. Here are some suggestions for how you can make it easier to lose weight as an adult: 

- Keep a food diary

 - This will help you identify any bad eating habits and see how often you are choosing the higher-calorie options.

 - Avoid sugary drinks

 - Many adolescents think that sugary drinks, like soda, aren’t as good for you as water. However, because they don’t contain calories, they can actually be a major source of sugar in your diet.

 - Eat a healthy breakfast 

- Studies have found that people who eat a healthy breakfast tend to eat fewer calories throughout the day

. - Get active 

- Regularly engaging in activities like walking, swimming or even gardening can burn calories and help you avoid overeating.

- Get enough sleep 

- Sleep is important for metabolism and hormone regulation.

 - Avoid body image pressure

 - If you feel pressure to be thinner, it can make it harder to be healthy.

 

Conclusion

What’s clear is that you can still achieve a healthy weight and lead an active, healthy lifestyle well into adulthood. It’s just going to take a little more thought, effort and focus than it did in your younger years. That said, if you do it right, it can be a lot of fun too!

 In order to get the most out of your adult weight loss journey, you’ll want to make sure you get plenty of sleep, eat healthy meals throughout the day and remain active.

 Another important thing to remember is that you don’t have to do it all alone. Talk to your doctor, get started on a positive path to better health and make some friends with similar goals. Together, you’ll be able to make losing weight as an adult a lot easier!

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