Few people weigh the same amount as they did in high school. So, it is not logical to believe that anything else should be exactly the same. Dr. Kim explains that even when patients have been good about diet and exercise aging changes the hormonal balance and everything shifts. Plastic surgery procedures such as abdominoplasty and breast lift can help to remove loose skin and create a much more toned, tight, and shapely appearance. Patients can become discouraged when they realize that the only way to maintain a youthful appearance is to make improvements both nonsurgical and surgical as part of routine body maintenance. According to a recent study, the average American gains about of pound a year. According to The Los Angeles Times a new study found that Americans on average gain three to four pounds every four years. After a few more years, the extra 10 pounds can impact a person’s health. Through careful research, scientists have determined which foods lead to weight gain and which lead to weight loss. The so-called middle-aged spread shows up before most even know it. Adults after the age of 30 usually gain about a pound a year. It sneaks up on you, said dietitian Maria Fisk of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. The report in the New England Journal of Medicine followed 120,000 men and women for 20 years. Researchers looked at people’s diets and determined which foods led to weight gain.