Weight gain is often considered a totally natural “side effect” of aging, but this isn’t comforting or reassuring to anyone who has struggled with obesity as they’ve grown older. In your youth it may have seemed easy to drop the few pounds you’d gain during the holidays, but as time goes on those pounds tend to stick, and before you know it you could be a few pants sizes larger than you ever thought you would be.

The problem is that when you grow older your metabolism begins to slow down. This is often accompanied by other health complications, such as joint pain, fatigue, and the onset of chronic health issues like osteoporosis or arthritis.  This doesn’t mean that weight loss is out of reach, however. Working with a medical weight loss doctor can help you to push your body back into gear and help you to lose any weight you’ve gained as time ticked by.

Here are some tips on how to get started losing weight as you age:

1. Be smart about the calories that you cut. It is often said that a calorie is a calorie, but this isn’t the case, and as you age it becomes even more important to ensure that your body is getting the nutrients that it needs to thrive.
2. Be as active as possible as often as possible. In your youth you may have been so naturally active that making a few changes to your dietary routine seemed like enough to boost your weight loss efforts. As you get older your body is going to require a bit more support, and developing a healthy exercise routine is the best way to reach your weight loss goals.
3. Be open to as much support as possible. This is the most important factor that you need to consider, and it is something that many people have difficulty accepting at first: your body needs support. You turn to medical support for all sorts of other issues that worsen with age, so why not weight loss too? Talk to your medical weight loss doctor about the best options available for your healthcare needs.

There is no reason as to why the later years of your life can’t be the healthiest years of your life. Think about your body’s needs, and be open to making changes that will accommodate your changing needs the most. For support with realizing what those needs are, contact your medical weight loss doctor.