Why Men’s Metabolism REALLY slows down as we age

It’s very common today to hear people say that it’s inevitable that we’re going to get fat as we age. That you can’t eat like you used to because of a “slowing metabolism” that just happens “naturally”.

It might surprise you that this is actually only true to a very small degree. What most men don’t realize is that metabolism is less a function of the natural aging process, and predominantly a function of lifestyle.

Think about it. When does everyone say metabolism starts to slow down? Usually people say around 30 in my experience. And no doubt, data backs up the fact that this is when we start to decline in terms of hormones like testosterone. Then there’s the anecdotal evidence of people saying they “hit the wall” at 30 and just couldn’t eat like they used to after that point.

So what is it? Is 30 the magical number? Not at all. Think about what happens around the age of 30 in modern America. People get married. People have kids. People settle into corporate jobs where you’re sitting all day. And what does that lead to?

You’re busy. You have a spouse to take care of. You have kids. You have to get them to school. And then you don’t have time to cook something. So you buy convenience foods full of fat and calories, but relatively less protein. Then you sit down at a computer all day and don’t move. You go home and just want to relax on the couch and don’t go to the gym. This is a recipe for health disaster.

High calorie foods, less protein, less movement, and less muscle mass. This all leads to fat gain and less energy. And with less muscle and movement, you don’t burn as many calories. Having more muscle increases your resting metabolic rate and moving more increases your calories expended. This is the REAL reason for most people’s fat gain. But they don’t want to admit it.

It’s much easier to blame a naturally slowing metabolism than it is to admit that you’re not eating the right things and aren’t exercising.

As you age, your body will produce less of things such as testosterone and hence you will have declining metabolism. But this is very small relatively speaking. In fact a study done between younger (20-34), middle-aged (60-74), and older adults (90+) showed that the 60-74 year olds only burned 24 fewer calories in resting metabolic rate (RMR; the rate of calorie burn while you rest), than the younger group when accounting for differences in gender, muscle and fat. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2692620/

If the difference is that small, then where is all the fat coming from?

Again, it’s due to stopping exercise and eating more high calorie foods as we age.

The moral of the story: start lifting weights, doing more cardio, and watching the calories. Don’t let aging be the excuse for fat gain.

*Nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice. All information is purely for educational purposes. You should consult with a doctor before implementing anything within this article.