For tips on the BEST diet for weight loss over 40 female watch this video:
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You can download my free home workout plan here:
You can download my free beginner's weight training guide here:
Many women not only gain weight after the age of 40 but find it much more difficult to lose weight. Hormones have a huge part to play in this frustrating development. I know from my own experience that what worked when you were in your 20s and 30s will not necessarily work in your 40s and you have to work a lot harder to either get in or remain in shape.
Why is it more difficult to stay in shape after 40?
There are a number of factors at play after 40. Certainly, there are some hormonal changes and many women in this age category, particularly late 40s will be experiencing the peri (or pre)-menopause. This means that hormones are decreasing including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Some women will address the menopause symptoms that go alongside this with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). But taking HRT is not the solution for addressing weight gain or trying to lose weight because hormones are not the only thing that may be preventing you from losing weight. Women naturally lose muscle and gain fat as we get older, so that muscle loss slows down the rate that we burn fat, resulting in a slower metabolism.
FIVE steps we can take to get and stay in shape after 40
1. We need to pay much closer attention to diet as we get older. We can no longer get away with how we ate in our 20s and 30s. I would recommend a whole food diet with healthy grains and carbohydrates, healthy fats with a relatively high amount of protein. I am not a fan of faddy, quick-fix diets as in the long term they can damage your metabolism which is why many women find they gain even more weight when they come off a diet. You will need to watch your sugar and alcohol intake and keep these down to very small amounts or cut them out completely if you are going to succeed. I know this will seem quite painful at first, but remember we cannot eat how we did in our 20s and 30s if we expect to be in the same shape we were back then.
2. Consider logging and restricting your calorie intake. You need to know how much you are eating and whether you are getting the right amount of fats, protein and carbohydrate. Downloading an app like My Fitness Pal will really help to firstly understand what you are eating and how much you need to eat to maintain your current weight, then how much you need to cut back on if your goal is to lose weight. I will write a separate blog to help you with this.
3. Ensure you have an exercise plan in place and you stick to it. You will need to make a commitment, so if you have some form of goal to work towards, that always helps. Perhaps for a vacation, you would like to get to a certain weight or lose a number of inches so set those goals to keep you focussed on what you are trying to achieve. Then choose an exercise plan you know you can stick to which includes something you enjoy doing. You will need to work harder than you did in your 20s and 30s to get in good shape. Accept it and embrace it!
4. Because (as I have stated above) you have lost muscle you need to work on putting it back on. The best way to do this is to incorporate weight training into your exercise plan. You will not get bulky! Instead, you will get toned and put the muscle back that you have lost over the years. This will give your metabolism a much-needed boost. Weight training will avoid the need for lots of cardio exercise. I only generally do 1-2 hours of cardio a week and I am very lean.
5. Finally, take your time. Rome was not built in a day! If you lose weight too quickly you will be less likely to keep it off and damage your metabolism as your body will adapt to the really low calories you are feeding it. Once you come off the diet the weight will just come piling back on. If you reduce your calories by a small margin and take your time by eating sensibly you will also avoid the temptation to binge as you will not be hungry. Give yourself a year or maybe 2 to 3 years depending on how much weight you need to lose. You can set milestones leading up to the first year.
Side note: You may not need to lose scale weight but rather want to change the composition of your body so you have less body fat. The same applies in that case but you will really need to focus on step 4 above if you want to change your body composition and diet is really key also. I have been through this transition so I will make a separate video about changing your body composition.
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Yes ma’am please make a video on whole foods diet. Thank you. I am a mother and 51 years old. Never had a weight problem until I had a child and got old. 🙁
Hi Al I’m just starting a video on the weight training which I will post here and then work on the whole foods diet. I’m 52 and over the years since turning 40 then 50 I’ve had much more difficulty maintaining my figure! I know how you feel 😁
yes AND a video on your weight training regimen. thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank Al will do see my previous reply 😁
what I eat in a day and a workout routine would be great videos you could share with us. thank you
Thanks Al that’s really helpful to know. I’ll get those made 😁
I am so happy I found you…. yes please all the videos you mentioned! I need your help!
Thanks Shlinda I’ve just uploaded a new video https://youtu.be/mXY6Rt-WCb0
Glad I found your channel I just started sugarless diet.Subscribed. .
That’s great I don’t eat much sugar either. Even though I have an incredibly suite tooth 😁
Melissa Neill me too, how do you resist your sugar cravings? You’re in amazing shape I’d be happy if I can get to 50% of where you are.
It depends what the sugar craving is about. If you are in a calorie defecit then this is your body asking for more food. Or it could be an emotional issue – as in I want to reach for a donut because it makes me feel good. There are some hacks like skinny syrups. I’m going to cover this in a future video.
Melissa Neill thanks.
thank you. I’ll be 48 in May and I needed a channel that spoke to me and my struggles
Thank you that’s why I started the channel because I saw so many influencers but no one my age that I could relate to!
Hbd!!
I would love to see workouts at home. And what training can you do at home with weights.
Hi Kim I’ve recorded a home resistance training workout which I will post over the weekend and here’s a link to a HIIT workout you can do from home with no equipment https://youtu.be/oWq5EaOObMo
Hi Kim I’ve just posted a new home workout video https://youtu.be/QYLX3yny2Zw
Kim Helm me too ☺️
Amazing advice!I am 44 years old and just went back to weight training,so all this info was of great help for me.Thank you so much.❤
Thanks Ibis it’s really great to hear you found the video useful. ❤️
1) Diet
Can’t carry on eating the same food u used to eat in yr 20s or 30s. I used to eat a lot. Now I noticed I ve to reduce my in take. Eat whole food. No quick fix diet.
2) Cut out sugar and alcohol
Eat fruits instead. Stevia etc
3) Exercise Regularly
Make time to exercise. Chose something u enjoy. Do weight training it ll change yr body composition. HIIT s also good.
4) Take yr time
It’s a life time thing with healthy eating.
what?! You are in your 50´s ?? I would love to hear more about weight training…maybe tips how to do it at home (corona times)
Hi Angie thanks again for your comments. I have made a video about how to weight train for fat loss https://youtu.be/mXY6Rt-WCb0 however for most of us we don’t have access to a gym right now so we can achieve similar results with home workouts explained in this video https://youtu.be/5tBK76ZvWoA
I need to loose 20 pounds .I am going to be 44 in September. The stress level is very high right now. I start to walk and run and we will see.
Hi Monika. It sounds like you are going through a bit of a tough time. Yes you are doing the right thing. Gradually introduce new fitness and diet adjustments. Take care, Melissa X
You’re absolutely amazing👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 You’re clear and so inspiring. Please do share a step by step weights routine for weightloss🙏🏼
Hi Juan. Thanks for leaving a comment. Here is a link to my video about lifting weights for weight loss https://youtu.be/mXY6Rt-WCb0
If you found this video useful, you will find my video on lifting weights for weight loss useful too: https://youtu.be/mXY6Rt-WCb0
How to start, i had a hard time doing exercise at my age, my back ache much😊
Hi Ann, You would need to start very gradually and build up each week. There are some things you can do? Try to work around your painful back. Consult a specialist who may be able to rehabilitate you. I had a physio therapist when I had back pain who helped me get back to exercise.
@Melissa Neill thanks for the advice❤❤❤
YES I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A VIDEO ON DIET IN YOUR 40s 🙂
Hi Almelis I’ve made the video on diet now please use this link to watch https://youtu.be/jXU2_OH63k4
Thank you thank you thank you . I’ll be 43 in August I’m gaining weight as a runner but when I competed in bodybuilding I was good . I see the problems now it’s time to fix it
You are absolutely right. When I stopped running and focussed on body building I lost the body fat.
Stumbled across your video and they inspired me. I’m 46 and 192 lbs. I’ve always wanted to compete professionally in figure competitions. I felt it was too late. You’ve inspired me to get started. Thank you.
Also, I’m a pescatarian meaning the only meat I eat is fish. Any diet tips for someone like me?
Hey Miyoshi thanks for leaving a comment. 46 in my opinion is really young. Being a pescatarian is absolutely ideal because it is a great source of lean protein and also oily fish. Leading up to a competition (peak week) I normally eat only fish because its a very clean source of protein. I have created a video that takes you through how to create your diet plan https://youtu.be/jXU2_OH63k4 and you may also be interested in my journey on how I ended up becoming a bikini competitor https://youtu.be/Mv9B7hwJr2M best of luck and do let me know how you get on competing 🙂
Thank you so much for all the encouragement and help. I really needed the boost!!
You are so welcome!
At age 40 I did calorie deficit and workouts. I lost 70 pounds. Now at 48, I’ve I have gained it all back. Hubby thinks I need too eat all day packing on the calories. It worked for him. But I told him men and women’s bodies are different.
Hi There. I thought I had already replied but maybe it didn’t send. I think your instinct is right. Women are different from men. It terms of focussing on eating I have a number of videos covering this. Have a look at this one https://youtu.be/3mUClfXcUJ4
Thank you for this common sense approach!
Glad it was helpful!