When Losing Weight Is a Little Harder to Do Than It Used to Be

Oh, to be 18 years old again - All that energy...

It can feel unfair. You go from being able to eat an entire pizza in your twenties without gaining an ounce to feeling like you gain weight just by looking at a pizza in your forties. Here is the question I have been trying to figure out for the last 20+ years: What gives and how do we help make this inevitable process more of a gentle slope through middle age and beyond?

As a hard-gaining teen, if you were into working hard to gain weight, you piled on extra calories, lifted weights, and focused on good sleep to ensure growth was in an optimal state. The old saying I used to live by: “If you want to be big, you need to eat big and lift big.” It worked, but it was tough and likely led to habits of overeating that have made eating less to lose weight more challenging. But that was not a big deal in my teens and twenties, and even in my early 30s, as I could usually outwork my eating. Then something changed.

18 Yr Old Me After 6 Years of Lifting and Eating, It Started to Work

While it feels like a sudden betrayal by your own body, what’s happening is a slow, interconnected shift in your eating habits, activity levels, hormonal changes, stress from more responsibilities in life, and body composition compared to when you were younger. Here is a breakdown of exactly what changes inside the human body to turn a "hard gainer" into someone who struggles to lose weight (aka hard loser).

1. The Loss of Muscle Mass (Sarcopenia)

This is the biggest culprit. Starting around age 30, the human body naturally begins to lose muscle mass, a process called sarcopenia. If you aren't actively strength training, you can lose anywhere from 3% to 8% of your muscle mass per decade.

• Why it matters: Muscle is an incredibly metabolically active tissue; it burns calories even when you are just sitting on the couch. 
  
  
• The shift: As your muscle mass drops, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the number of calories your body needs just to live your life - drops with it. You simply burn fewer calories by existing than you did when you were 20. More protein, strength, and power training matter – see study. 

2. Hormonal Shifts

Hormones control where your body stores fat and how it burns energy. As we age, the following start to occur:

• In men, testosterone levels gradually decline. Testosterone is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and keeping deep abdominal fat at bay.
  
  
• In women, leading up to and during menopause, estrogen levels drop significantly. This shift signals the body to stop storing fat in the hips and thighs and start storing it in the abdomen (visceral fat), which is much more stubborn to lose.
  
  
• Growth Hormone: Growth hormone (which helps repair tissue and regulate metabolism) peaks in youth and plummets as we age.
  
  We can help create more HGH by doing higher intensity training like sprints. Study on HGH/sprinting

Decline in Cellular Energy (Mitochondrial Function)

Inside your cells, tiny power plants called mitochondria turn food into energy. When you are a teenager or young adult, your mitochondria are highly efficient.

As you age, mitochondrial function naturally declines. Your cells become less efficient at turning nutrients into usable energy, making it easier for the body to store those unburned nutrients as fat instead.

To improve this process and make the decline less steep, focus on higher intensity training, aerobic exercise, and lifting/calisthenics. Physical exercise is a requirement. Secondly, eat highly nutrient-dense foods that contain antioxidants, such as polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables. Also, omega-3 fats found in fish, avocados, and olive oil are needed. Supplement these if needed: CoQ10, B vitamins, magnesium, ALA (alpha-lipoic acid) and sleep well consistently.

Insulin Sensitivity Drops

As we get older, our cells often become a bit more resistant to insulin, the hormone responsible for clearing sugar out of our bloodstream. When your body becomes less sensitive to insulin, it has to pump out more of it to get the job done. High levels of insulin in the blood signal the body to store fat rather than burn it.

The above nutrition, exercise, and sleep process helps with this, but avoiding simple sugars, adding more fiber, and learning stress-mitigation skills can also help you naturally with this part of the process.

NEAT Decreases (The "Fidget" Factor)

When you were younger, you likely had higher levels of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). This includes all the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise, such as walking to class, fidgeting, pacing, and moving around.

As we age, we naturally tend to become more sedentary, sit for longer periods at work, and move less throughout the day, significantly reducing our daily calorie burn without us even realizing it. This is a big part of the process, and you need to find ways to take short exercise breaks throughout the day. A 10-minute walk after lunch, parking farther from the store, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator are easy ways to add more movement to a sedentary day.

The Bottom Line: When you were a "hard gainer," your body had peak hormone levels, higher muscle mass, greater activity levels, and hyper-efficient cells demanding constant fuel. As you age, your internal engine downsizes. You aren't necessarily doing anything wrong; your body has just changed the rules of the game.

To counteract this shift, the focus usually must move away from just "eating less" and toward resistance training (to protect and build that muscle engine) and toward protein and nutrient density to match your body's evolving metabolic pace. For me, as a hard loser for 20 years now, I have found the continued strength training with weights and calisthenics, a wide range of cardio (swim, bike, jog, ruck, walk), and eating nutritiously (and less than previous decades), and a good night’s sleep are all necessary for weight loss. I cannot just work out harder anymore – my life just does not allow for it at 57.

Discover the Secret to Unlocking Your Best Health After 50 (latest program developed)

As you cross the wonderful milestone of 50, you might find that your body doesn’t quite bounce back the way it used to. You’re not alone in this—many men and women in your age group are searching for ways to revive their fitness levels without feeling overwhelmed. That’s where longtime coach and fitness writer Stew Smith’s newest book, "The Ageless Athlete: Fitness Over 50," comes into play. This book may just be the spark you need to ignite your fitness journey.

Truth is, there are people over 60 and 70 doing this workout. Even the advanced section. It works and will help you progress from beginner to intermediate to advanced. 

Have you been thinking about getting back in shape but don’t know where to start?

Imagine waking up each day with more energy, flexibility, and the drive to embrace life head-on. Stew Smith, a seasoned fitness expert of 55 years himself, has crafted a program specifically for guys like you—men who may feel overwhelmed by fitness options or uncertain about what’s suitable for your age. With his 22-week plan tailored to beginners, intermediates, and advanced practitioners, you will find exactly what you need to suit your current fitness level.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to improve on what you’ve already achieved, this book offers clear, structured workouts designed to help you lose weight, build strength, and regain that youthful spirit. Each workout also pays particular attention to flexibility and mobility—crucial elements that will enhance your overall physical well-being and help keep you injury-free as you progress.

One of the best parts of "The Ageless Athlete" is that you won’t be alone on this journey. With expertly guided routines, you can prioritize your fitness without the stress of ensuring you’re doing the right thing. Stew’s easy-to-follow instructions allow you to focus on making each workout count without becoming overwhelmed by the intricacies of fitness jargon. Plus, join us on Live QA sessions Mon / Tues 9am (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) or just email the author/coach at Stew@stewsmith.com.

Quick Summary:

1. FREE Fitness / Mindset Articles and Workouts - Latest info on training for any goal! (over 1000)
2. eBooks, Books and eBooks in PRINT (over 40 options)
3. Spec Ops Swim Critiques on social media - YouTube, TikTok, Instagram
4. Live QA / CSS Critiques Mon / Tues 9am (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram)
5. Podcasts (over 200)
6. Stew Smith Fitness APPs - Triad version, Pushup Push APP, Pullup Push APP, FBI workout APP
7. FREE Navy SEAL Exercises Apps - iPhone, Android
8. Membership Site - Get access to 100s of weeks of training programs and unpublished workouts we do each week. New SKOOL Community on Tactical Fitness FREE!
9. Tactical Fitness Course - 80 minutes to learn how to get both TO and THROUGH spec ops selection programs. Never Quit Mindset Course - 5 Hour Video Training on the Never Quit Mindset!
10. Online Coaching - Get personalized programming designed for your goals, abilities, time per day, days per week, equipment/facilities...etc.

But if you are ready to make the change, check out the four-part series (52 weeks of training) below:

Buy all four and save!!

Or Buy one phase at a time and rebuild over the next 52 Weeks...

Tactical Fitness (40+) Foundation Rebuilding (Part 1) - Recovery from Injury or Inactivity (Part 1). This new beginner plan forces you to "treat yourself like a beginner." Even if you do not feel like it, giving yourself a few weeks to easily work your way back into the weight room or any fitness program will pay off and help you rebuild after a long period of inactivity. (12 weeks) (book / eBook)

Tactical Fitness (40+) - Taking It To The Next Level (Part 2) - Are you ready to advance your fitness level? Well, Taking It To The Next Level after Rebuilding the Foundation (Part 1) is what this 12 week program is all about. Are you Ready to Advance Your Fitness? Progressing into more of an intermediate program with this book will be a steady increase of activity to include running (every other day), adding weights to calisthenics, and other non-impact cardio options. (12 weeks)  (book / ebook)

Tactical Fitness (40+) - Ready to Compete - (Part 3) (Intermediate / Advanced levels) – After you have progressed through the previous phases, you may be ready for something new. Maybe a new challenge or “up your game” to a level that pushes you physically, but also focuses on stress relief and recovery after tough workouts. This program is a great prep for any of the Tactical Fitness, Tactical Strength or Tactical Fitness for the Athlete Over 40 advanced level programs. (12 weeks) (book / ebook)

Tactical Fitness For The Athlete Over 40  (part 4) Actively Pursuing Recovery and Maintenance - This is part 4 of the above series that is rather advanced but still focused on adding in an easy day and / or mobility day to the week as a way to recover in the middle of the week. This will enable for a better workout number 4,5, or 6 as the week moves into the weekend. Running every OTHER day with non-impact cardio will reduce stress on the knees. Use of non-impact cardio and swimming pool for mobility is helpful as well. (16 weeks) (book / ebook)

Related Articles:

The Key to Longevity is the Mastery of Recovery

Recovery Recommendations - Take These Seriously

Don't Skip Mobility Day!

Personalized Training Programs - Personalized online coaching available too - any fitness level. In fact, most people on the PT CLUB program are over 40 with specific health and fitness goals. 

Questions?  Just email me at Stew@StewSmith.com

At StewSmith.com - List of Products and Services

1. FREE Articles
2. Podcasts and Swimming Videos at Youtube.com page  
3. eBooks
4. Books and eBooks in PRINT
5. Stew Smith Fitness Club membership site
6. Online Coaching