Losing weight is challenging at any age, but it can be especially hard if you’re in your 50s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults between the ages of 40 and 59 have the highest obesity rates compared to younger or older adults. Related to this, approximately 44% of Americans in their 50s are considered obese.
“Weight loss in your 50s can become challenging primarily due to the hormonal, muscular, skeletal and metabolic changes associated with aging,” says Mallory Fox, NASM-CPT, a certified personal trainer and NASM master trainer.
Related: This Is the #1 Surprising Thing That Helps With Weight Loss After 50, According to a Geriatrician
Fox explains that for women in menopause—which on average starts in one’s early 50s—the decline in estrogen leads to several shifts that directly impact body composition and weight management, including increased abdominal fat storage, slower metabolism, reduced lean mass and changes in energy balance and fat distribution. “Even women maintaining the same eating and exercise habits may find that weight loss feels more difficult due to these internal physiological changes,” she says.
While men don’t experience menopause, Fox says that men in their 50s also struggle with weight gain due to their own age-related biological shifts. “Men begin losing muscle mass as early as age 30, at a 3 to 8% loss per decade, and this loss accelerates after 50. Less muscle means a lower resting metabolic rate, fewer calories burned at rest and a harder time managing body fat,” she explains.
Fox adds that testosterone gradually declines with age, which can lead to increased fat storage, reduced energy and less motivation to exercise. “These hormonal changes directly influence body composition and make weight management more difficult,” she says.
Cori Lefkowith, NASM-CPT, a certified personal trainer, owner of Redefining Strength and author of The STRONG System: Transform Your Mindset and Build Your Best Body At Any Age, says that as we age, we don’t use protein as efficiently or build muscle as easily, which can slow metabolism and recovery. All of these factors can make losing weight in your 50s challenging, but both trainers emphasize that it’s still possible. One particularly powerful form of exercise that can help is walking.
🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊
Sorrasak Jar Tinyo
General Tips for Losing Weight in Your 50s
If you are in your 50s and want to lose weight, Fox recommends focusing on getting consistent physical activity, regular resistance training, upping your protein intake, getting enough sleep and having healthy stress management habits in place. “These strategies help preserve muscle, support metabolism and make weight loss more achievable at any age,” she explains.
Fox emphasizes that what’s most important is having healthy habits in place that are consistent and sustainable. This is exactly why she says that walking can be a great weight loss strategy. You may not realistically be able to commit to doing an intense workout at the gym every day, or even most days of the week. But could you commit to a daily walk? For most people, it’s much more doable.
Related: The Surprising Food That Could Lead to Significant Weight Loss in Just 4 Weeks
“Walking is one of the most underrated fat loss tools. It increases daily calorie burn, helps regulate blood sugar and supports heart health without overstressing the body. It’s also a simple but powerful way to lower stress and support nervous system recovery,” she explains.
While it is possible to lose weight through walking, Fox and Lefkowith both say that what’s most effective is pairing walking with strength training. “Even if your goal is weight loss, focus on building muscle first. Muscle is what protects your metabolism and makes fat loss easier to achieve and easier to maintain,” Fox says.
Related: ‘I Tried Tai Chi Walking—and Was Honestly Surprised by the Results’
How Many Minutes To Walk a Day To Lose Weight in Your 50s
If you are in your 50s and want to use walking as a primary form of exercise for weight loss, both personal trainers recommend committing to walking 30 minutes to 90 minutes a day.
Fox points to the American Heart Association’s guidelines of getting 150 minutes of cardio-based exercise a week, which is roughly 30 minutes, five days a week. She says that if you’re already getting that, aiming to get between 222 and 300 minutes of cardio-based exercise a week (between 45 and 60 minutes a day, five days a week) could result in more significant weight loss.
Related: Want to Lose Weight? Here Are 16 Actually-Doable Ways To Do It Quickly and Safely
“A 30-minute walk of about 3,000 steps is a good starting point. But for weight loss, aiming for around 7,000 total steps daily is often more effective. Research suggests health benefits increase meaningfully around that range, with additional cardiovascular improvements seen as you move toward 8,000 to 10,000 steps,” Lefkowith says.
If that sounds out of reach for you right now, Lefkowith recommends starting with committing to taking a 10-minute walk after each meal. This, she explains, helps with blood sugar balance, which supports weight loss. “Remember, consistency matters most. Even adding 1,000 steps, about a 10-minute walk, to your current daily average can have a meaningful impact,” she says.
“Weight loss after 50 is absolutely possible,” Fox notes. Walking can certainly help. Like most things in life, it’s best to take it one step at a time.
Up Next:
Related: We Asked 4 Doctors if Drinking Hot Water Helps You Lose Weight, and They All Said the Same Thing
Sources:
- Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2017-2018. National Center for Health Statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Mallory Fox, NASM-CPT, certified personal trainer and NASM master trainer
- Menopause. Mayo Clinic
- Desale, J., Shaikh, A., Patil, R., et al. (2025). A Study Analyzing the Metabolic Hormonal Changes Causing Obesity In Menopausal Women. EPRA International Journal of Research and Development. DOI:10.36713/epra2016
- Laurent, M. R., Dedeyne, L., Dupong, J., et al. (2019). Age-related bone loss and sarcopenia in men. Maturitas. DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.01.006
- Cori Lefkowith, NASM-CPT, certified personal trainer, owner of Redefining Strength and author of The STRONG System: Transform Your Mindset and Build Your Best Body At Any Age
- American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. American Heart Association
- Inoue, K., Tsugawa, Y., Mayeda, E. R., et al. (2023). Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults. JAMA. 6(3):e2335174
