4 Signs Your Metabolism Is Slowing Down (And What You Can Do About It)

Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD

Key Points

• Muscle loss that happens with aging is one of the main reasons metabolism slows down.

• Slowly gaining weight or feeling tired and cold may be signs of a slower metabolism.

• Move throughout the day, eat breakfast and prioritize protein to support a healthy metabolism.

The word metabolism comes up a lot, but what is it exactly? “Metabolism is the process of converting food and fluids into energy. This energy is necessary to fuel daily activities and helps build and repair tissues to support muscle, bone and overall health,” says Melissa Mitri, M.S., RD. Usually when people say their metabolism is slow, they’re referring to their basal metabolic rate. Metabolism is a dynamic system, while metabolic rate is the speed at which the body burns energy, or calories.

Metabolism changes throughout the lifespan, but not in the way that most people think, says obesity medicine physician Nneoma Oparaji, M.D., DipABLM, DABOM. “Research has shown that metabolism is most active during infancy, slows through childhood, remains stable from ages 20-60 after body size is accounted for, then slows down gradually after age 60,” she says. “When our metabolism slows down, it leads to unintentional weight gain, which increases risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” says Oparaji.

If you’re feeling like your metabolism has slowed, you aren’t imagining it. Basal metabolic rate can start to slow down before the age of 60. Here are four signs your metabolism, or metabolic rate, is slowing down, plus what to do about it, according to experts.

1. You’re Slowly Gaining Weight Despite No Changes to Your Diet

If your weight is creeping up, but it feels like you haven’t made many changes to your diet or exercise, this could mean your metabolism is slowing down. “Gradual weight gain is one of the most common signs metabolism may be slowing down,” says Mitri. In simplistic terms, weight is about calories in and calories out. As we age, we lose muscle mass, and muscle burns three times the amount of calories as fat tissue. This means the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day, even when you’re sitting around. If your calorie intake doesn’t change but your daily calorie burn goes down, it can put you into a calorie surplus and lead to weight gain.

Not all weight gain can be blamed on a slower metabolism, though. It’s common for extra calories to sneak in as we get older. When you’re busy with kids, work or both, you may not realize the extra bites you take throughout the day. It only takes a few extra hundred calories per day for the scale to start going up. Combine this with muscle loss, as well as hormonal shifts, and it’s a recipe for mid-life weight gain. The good news is that you can combat muscle loss by incorporating strength training at least two times per week, paired with protein and a balanced diet.

2. You’re Losing Muscle Strength

Maybe you aren’t gaining weight, but you feel weaker. If it feels harder to pick things up or you notice less muscle definition, this could be a sign that you’re losing muscle, says Mitri. Since muscle is metabolically active, when you lose it, your basal metabolic rate slows. This can often coincide with fat gain since muscle loss means fewer calories burned throughout the day. Weight gain may prompt you to go on a diet, but very low-calorie diets can slow metabolism even more. If you aren’t fueling your body properly, it will break down muscle for fuel, which results in more muscle loss and an even slower metabolism. If you fail to strength train alongside a restrictive diet, you’ll lose even more muscle, slowing metabolism further.

The good news is that you can build muscle mass and strength with resistance training, adequate protein and a balanced diet. This can help boost your metabolic rate. It’s okay to still focus on weight loss, but aim to eat in a slight calorie deficit while keeping protein intake between 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram (g/kg) of body weight per day to maintain muscle mass. You’ll feel stronger and restore your metabolism.

3. You’re in Perimenopause or Menopause

If you’re in or nearing menopause, you’re probably feeling the effects of a slower metabolism. You can thank declining levels of estrogen for that. Estrogen starts to drop in menopause, leading to unfavorable metabolic shifts. Lower estrogen can lead to fat distribution around the belly and muscle loss, says Laura Burak, M.S, RDN. It can also impact appetite and energy regulation, and all of these factors can affect metabolism, she says.

Estrogen plays a role in muscle maintenance and repair, and the loss of estrogen is believed to be the main cause of muscle loss during menopause., Sarcopenia, the term for age-related muscle loss, has been shown to jump from 3 percent in early perimenopause to 32 percent in late post-menopausal women. This is enough to decrease basal metabolic rate in menopausal women.

The good news is that it’s never too late to start lifting weights. You guessed it, strength training at least twice per week can help your body hold onto muscle, keeping your metabolic rate high. Hormone-replacement therapy may also help preserve muscle mass when paired with progressive overload strength training. That’s when you challenge yourself by lifting heavier weights as you go.

4. You’re Tired, Cold and Constipated

Sluggish digestion, constantly feeling cold and having low energy could be signs your metabolism has slowed down due to an underactive thyroid, also called hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder where the thyroid doesn’t secrete enough thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), the two main thyroid hormones that help regulate metabolism. When you don’t have sufficient T3 and T4 available, your metabolism slows down. This can lead to fatigue, sensitivity to the cold, weight gain, constipation and dry skin. Of course, these symptoms don’t always point to a hypothyroidism diagnosis, but it’s worth getting checked out, especially if you’re a woman. Hypothyroidism is more common in women and older adults.

Other Tips for a Healthy Metabolism

You can’t prevent yourself from getting older, but you do have control over these habits, which experts say support a healthy metabolism as you age.

• Move more throughout the day. Pay attention to your overall movement in a day, says Burak. “Not the hour you go to the gym, but the other 23 hours in a day.” Are you sitting at a desk most of the day? Daily movement, including walking, is considered non-exercise activity thermogenesis, called NEAT for short. NEAT burns a higher percentage of calories per day than structured workouts. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym. “Simple habits such as a 10-minute walk after eating, taking the stairs and parking your car further from the store entrance all add up to increase our daily calorie burn,” says Oparaji. Get a pedometer or smart watch if you like tracking data, and you can incrementally increase your steps each week.,

• Prioritize protein. Protein is arguably the most important nutrient for supporting a healthy metabolism. Protein helps build and preserve muscle, which keeps metabolic rate high. “Additionally, the body burns more calories digesting protein compared to fats and carbohydrates,” says Oparaji. This doesn’t mean eat only protein, though. “It’s important to eat a balanced diet that includes lean protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates and healthy fats to fuel your body and maintain muscle, which helps burn calories more efficiently to support a healthy metabolism,” says Mitri.

• Don’t skip breakfast. It can be easy to skip breakfast when you’re busy or don’t feel hungry in the morning. “But it almost always backfires and leads to blood sugar swings, choosing less nutritious foods and overeating later in the day,” says Burak. That can lead to eating more in a 24-hour period than you would’ve if you had just eaten a solid breakfast with adequate protein and fiber to keep blood sugar and hunger levels stable, she says. Try to eat within one hour of waking up and include protein, high-fiber carbs and some healthy fat.,

• Consider tracking calories. “Even slight calorie increases from your usual intake can contribute to weight gain over time,” says Mitri. A lot of times we don’t realize the mindless bites we take throughout the day, which can add up. “Tracking your calorie intake even for a few weeks can help you determine if any habits have shifted, such as increased portions, snacking or alcohol intake,” Mitri says.

Our Expert Take

Metabolism doesn’t drastically drop with age the way that some people think. However, metabolic rate, the speed at which the body burns calories, does slow with age, mainly due to the loss of muscle. This can lead to gradual weight gain and loss of muscle strength. Weight loss strategies that used to work may not yield the same results. Women may feel the effects of an aging metabolism more, due to the hormonal shifts that occur during menopause. Incorporating strength training at least twice per week, combined with adequate protein intake and a balanced diet, can help maintain muscle mass, boosting metabolic rate and supporting a healthy metabolism.

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