Struggling with weight after 40? Losing weight can feel challenging as we get older, and a significant number of people over 40 are dealing with being overweight or obese. Our busy lives and the pressures of work and family add to this struggle. But it's not just about lifestyle; our bodies change too, making weight loss harder.
As we age, our metabolism slows down and our hormones change, making it different to lose weight compared to when we were younger. However, it's absolutely possible! Let's explore some essential weight loss principles and helpful tips for losing weight after 40.
Discover the right foods to include in your diet, what to steer clear of, easy meal ideas, and a manageable meal schedule that will make your weight loss journey simpler and sustainable. Keep reading to unlock the secrets to successful weight loss after 40.
The 7 Key Principles To Losing Weight After 40
1. Having The Right Mindset
First step will be changing your mindset. This is crucial to you seeing the result you are after.
Your focus to achieving a healthy weight and healthy body should be number one priority, and decide that weight loss and better health are more important than junk food, drinking, and eating out.
To get started toward having the right mindset, try writing some goals down in a piece of paper.
Make a list of goals prior to beginning a new weight loss program to get motivated for success.
Determine your goal weight and set goals for specific health parameters, such as:
- Lower blood pressure
- Lose 10kg of body fat
- Lower cholesterol
- Reductions in waist circumference
- For into your goal dress size
2. Get Moving
Focus on your body moving around rather than sitting down.
Studies show that the more hours you sit in a day, the higher your risk of obesity and chronic disease — regardless of whether or not you work out.
One study shows that sitting in a car for more than 10 hours per week is associated with an 82% higher risk of heart disease death compared with sitting in a car for fewer than 4 hours weekly.
The same study found that for every additional hour of sitting down, your risk of developing high abdominal fat increases by 26%, and the risk of being overweight increases by 13%.
A good rule of thumb for effective weight loss in women is to keep your body moving at least 30-45 minutes a day in addition to fitting in some exercise.
The more you move, the better it is.
Examples of ways to move more and sit less include:
- Take the dog for a walk
- Play outside with your kids
- Walk outside for 30 minutes a day
- Do some light yard work
- Mow the grass
- Grocery shopping
- House work
If you have a desk job at work, try using a sit-stand desk vs a traditional sitting desk. Get up and walk around, climb a set of stairs, or do squats or calf raises at least once every hour to keep your body moving and blood flowing — and burn extra calories for weight loss.
Learn more about the negative effects of sitting and how to reverse them!
https://youtu.be/RCrDl12vfSM?si=9FrPXuidaCYe_7fm
3. Eat Nutritious Foods
Whole food nutrition is the crucial to a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re eating too many calories, it doesn’t matter how many calories you burn off through daily physical activity.
As with the other key principles of weight loss, set goals and use your current nutritional habits as a baseline.
Nutrition goals that are often effective for weight loss include:
- Drink water in stay away from sugary drinks
- Eliminate (or reduce) alcoholic beverages
- Replace desserts with fruit or some Greek yoghurt
- Replace white bread and white rice with whole grains
- Eat at least 2 cups of vegetables every day
- Fill half of each plate with non-starchy vegetables
- 1gm of protein per lb of body weight is a great rule of thumb to stick with
- Fill one-fourth of each plate with fibre-rich starches
- Add some healthy fats into your diet
- Drink 8-12 cups of water daily
Examples of healthy protein foods include chicken, turkey, grass-fed beef, fish, shrimp, other seafood, eggs, tofu
Fiber-rich starches to consider include quinoa, brown rice, organic oatmeal, other whole grains, sweet potatoes, green beans, lentils, and other legumes.
Low-fat milk, Coconut milk, Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, plain kefir, and protein shakes are examples of dairy foods to include in a weight-loss meal plan.
4. Stay Hydrated
If you’re wondering how to lose weight after 40, proper hydration is one of the most important principles needed to help you achieve your goals.
Drinking a lot of water not only hydrates you but also lowers your risk of overeating and keeps your energy and metabolism high!
If you’re wondering how to lose weight after 40 with proper hydration:
- Drink at least 500ml upon waking.
- Consume 42ml per kg of body weight of water daily
- Limit your water intake directly after eating
- Flavour water with lemon, lime, cucumbers, or mint if you prefer.
- Carry a water bottle with you all throughout the day. Hopefully not plastic :)
- Keep track of your daily water intake
Watch out for signs of dehydration, such as dark yellow urine, headaches, and fatigue.
Urine that’s light yellow or close-to-clear in color often indicates proper hydration.
5. Get Quality Sleep
Many people aren't getting the sleep necessary to stay healthy and maintain an ideal weight.
Why does this matter for weight loss?
Sleep plays a role in proper brain function, metabolism, hormone balance, appetite control, and a strong immune system.
Sis you know that sleeping less than 6 hours nightly on a regular basis is associated with higher rates of obesity, insulin resistance, and lower cognitive functioning.
You might be wondering how much sleep you really need to effectively lose weight over 40.
7-9 hours per night of sleep each night will help you to achieve optimal health.
To boost sleep quality:
- Go to bed at the same time each night
- Sleep in a cool, dark room
- Avoid caffeine late in the day
- Don’t go to bed hungry or very full
- Dose off by reading or meditating and having a relaxed mind.
Note: blue light such as phones and tvs will potentially cause disturbed sleep patterns.
Women over 40 may have difficulty getting a good night's sleep, even if they follow the sleeping tips above.
Hormone fluctuations associated with pre- or post-menopause may be the culprit. If this is the case for you, talk with your medical
Professional about solutions to help you.
6. Practice Stress Management
Managing stress is a key component of weight loss for women over 40.
Hormone fluctuations associated with stress can increase your appetite and make weight loss difficult, even with the right weight loss program in place.
Stress management might sound easy enough, but with the busy hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, making time to manage stress can be challenging.
Try these simple stress relief tips:
- Set aside time each day to relax your mind whether it’s a nice walk, meditation and gentle swim in the pool, prioritise your self.
- Try massage or acupuncture
- Get a pedicure
- Spend time outdoors in nature.
- Go for a walk
- Try yoga, tai chi, or meditation
- Consider sauna use
- Take a hot bath with some magnesium salts
Even if it’s just 20-30 minutes a day, take time for yourself in a quiet, relaxing environment.
7. Make time to exercise
Making time for workouts helps you tighten and tone up problem areas and get rid of stubborn fat pockets.
Set aside 30-45 minutes most days of the week for formal exercise. Even 15-20 minutes of exercise is better than skipping workouts when you’re tight on time.
Examples of effective weight loss workouts include:
- Continuous cardio: biking, jogging, walking, stair climbing, swimming or rowing, for 45-60 minutes at a moderate intensity
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT) for 20-30 minutes: alternate high-intensity cardiovascular exercise with low-intensity recovery periods
- Resistance training: work all major muscle groups, including your, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, chest, shoulders, back, triceps, biceps, and abs each week.
- Circuit training: move from one weight training exercise to the next with little to no rest between sets OR alternate strength training exercises
It's never too late to start strength training and lifting weights, no matter how old you are!
Additional Tips for Weight Loss After 40
In addition to the seven main principles above, try the following tips and tricks to significantly boost your chance of weight loss success!
Take One Step At A Time!
If you feel overwhelmed about making lots of healthy lifestyle changes at once, begin with one new habit.
Simply replacing sugary drinks with water or cutting out alcohol may help you drop a little bit of weight
Start with one step at a time from the above principles and watch the difference it makes in your life.
Slow but steady helps you ease into a new routine so you don't feel overwhelmed. Doing so increases your chance of maintaining your new healthy habits for a lifetime!
Remember: You must first make the decision to start.
Procrastinating never helped anyone!
Want a learn more about starting your weight loss journey?
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Take Dietary Supplements
Adding dietary supplements to your weight loss plan is important for numerous reasons. Supplements nourish your body with essential nutrients you might not be getting enough of with foods alone.
Preventing nutrient deficiencies means more energy, less hair thinning, and healthier skin and nails. Some dietary supplements, such as good quality protein shakes to help you cut calories for weight loss without spending hours in the kitchen preparing food.
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