Is there a secret to losing weight in your 40s?

[Kathyparr]

I'm 43, definitely peri-menopausal. I've been trying to lose weight since January and not lost 1lb. I've reduced my calorie intake to 1200-1400 calories per day and I go to the gym three times a week following a full body workout designed by the gym. I also play sport once a week. My job has changed and I don't move anywhere near as much as I used to.

I'm 5ft2 and would like to lose 1.5 stone but it's just not shifting. Any advice?

Intermittent fasting

I started it just before Christmas not to lose weight but for the health benefits and i have lost 5lbs and kept it off.

I didn't, and don't, even count calories, I still have what I want but between about 12:30 and 8pm. However I do try and eat as much fruit and veg as possible as well . My waist is more defined and my belly flatter. I have more energy as well

For full disclosure i do also run most days but have been doing that years anyway

Help me Legotherapy I have lost weight after my baby doing low-carb during the week and just eating what I like at the weekend, it works well for me but my arse had lost weight and looking flatter - Ive always liked my round bum - can I get it back with specific exercises please 🙏🏻

This advice is rubbish, and shows little understanding of human physiology.

Logic free too: if you knew the answer to the problem, why would you be 'feeling people's pain'?

I'm almost 56 and have lost 24 lbs since July last year, taking me from 10st 9 to 8st 13. I am 5ft 4. I abhor calorie counting and my only exercise is walking - I was doing 10k steps a day throughout 2023 but my weight went up and up those first six months so I can't say that made any difference! I am vegetarian and a non-drinker and I have applied Slimming World principles in terms of eating lots of fruit and veg, lean proteins (in my case, fat free yogurt, limited cheese, no added sugar soy milk, beans and pulses, tofu), carbs (mainly potatoes, sweet potatoes, pasta, rice, couscous) and limiting UPF and sweet treats. I have had hot chocolate 4-5 times a week - usually Starbucks not Options! - and a small chocolate bar like Fudge finger every day. I've also spent two weeks in Thailand and had four weekends away.

It is possible without being miserable!

I’m over 40 and it wasn’t hard for me. But I cleaned my diet first and started exercising regularly over two years ago and only decided to lose weight in August 2023. I’ve lost over 10 kilos on a very small deficit and now I have to eat quite a lot, otherwise I keep losing weight.

I am, however, quite active to start with, I train on average 6 times a week. Once I started losing weight I’ve become toned and muscular.

I do intermittent fasting but not religiously, it’s more 14/10 for me than 16/8. I also eat everything but in moderation, my weakness is winegums, so they are my treat once a week, on Saturday (in Sweden we have lördagsgodis - Saturday candy).

I used to drink wine regularly but stopped over three years ago. I think one of the reasons I’ve lost weight easily was that I hardly ever drink. I love wine but I don’t like the effect it started having on my sleep - tossing and turning for hours at 3 am is not worth it for me, so I only drink occasionally and never more than 1-2 units in one go.

Check out ESG Fitness on instagram and podcasts, she talks about weight loss for peri menopausal women constantly it's really helpful. She has some paid programmes too but the free content is enough I find.

I'm a similar age to you and lost 1.5 stone last year. I followed Pahla B's 5 pounds down (free, via Internet search). She advocates a slight calorie deficit and moderate exercise every day, and says that when you're peri, cutting calories to very low and exercising harder doesn't work. I was very sceptical as it seemed too easy but it really worked. The weight came off very slowly and it's stayed off. My deficit was never and more that 250 calories and was often less. I still ate the foods I like as long as they were within the calories for the day.

It's about more than controlling weight and dieting - being fit and healthy is paramount.

To keep weight off, especially as we age, we need a diet that is sustainable. Many have found cutting out or at least reducing UPF, refined carbs and sugar (as well as alcohol) are key.

So, lots of vegetables, moderate amounts of lean protein, small quantities of complex carbs, healthy fats/nuts, fruit and dairy/Greek yoghurt. After a while it becomes a way of life and I no longer need to count calories.

Lots of books and YouTube videos on this, but I particularly like The Sugar Solution by Dr Mark Hyman and Dr Becky Gillaspy's short videos.

However, the older we get, the more important it is to preserve fitness and muscles. Focusing on resistance/weight based training has made a tremendous difference to my fitness.

I'm 70 and fitter than most women in their 40s. And I absolutely love working out with my dumbbells - thanks to Caroline Girvan whose programmes are excellent. Started out with 3kg dumbbells, now using up to 12kg. I also do a fair bit of cardio (Growingannanas), plus yoga-type stretching in the evening (Yoga with Kassandra).

Personally I find working out both motivating and energising. Plus I'm less likely to eat crap if I've spent an hour exercising.

Up your protein to 25-30g per meal especially breakfast.
Walk 30 mins 3 times a week
Do Caroline Girvan work outs
Look at my fitness pal to track your calories
Cut out UPF, limit sugar and alcohol and get 7/8 hours sleep a night.
Good luck x

Intermittent fasting is the only thing that worked for me. But I didn’t find the restricted eating window version works. I did the 5:2 version, i.e. only 500 calories on 2 non consecutive days a week. I was pretty miserable on those days, but I found my willpower held better because I knew that the following day I could return to eating normally. I lost about half a stone a month/6 weeks like that. I also find that it was pretty easy to maintain because it reset my view about what I genuinely needed to eat and what hunger really feels like.

I am 5ft6 and run and weight train multiple times a week. I basically need to be on less than 1500 calories to see any loss at all. I've been going since January and have managed to lose 12lbs but it is slow going and so much harder than it used to be (I'm 46).

I'm in my 40s. Just lost 2 stone by doing intermittent fasting (only 14:10). Never counted a calorie in my life. I run twice a week and powerlift 3 times a week.

Me too Im amazed at the responses to that post, so rude

I thought the poster was making the point that as we get older (menopause or no menopause) weight loss is harder.

My OH would say the same completely too

But additionally, Im guilty of the 'unseen' calorie, this nibble here and there doesnt count because I did it quickly and its not part of my meal plan!!!

Do you log absolutely everything that goes in your mouth? Every cup of tea, bite of the kids dinner, weigh everything accurately and log the calories based on cooked/uncooked etc

I'm on a one woman mission to prove that "you can't outrun a bad diet" is not true- hoping Netflix will pick it up, or maybe Louis Theroux.

So far my learnings are that you can, but you have to like running a lot. Also "bad diet+wine", probably not. Sad times.

On the upside, all the running has totally cured my peri-insomnia.

Mansplaining is rude. Coming onto a female thread and giving your opinion as a man is rude.

Anyway. The problem with diets is that they are short term and generally fail. People go into weight loss drastically cutting calories, exercising much more than normal and can't sustain it. It's much better to look at all changes that build up over time to become long term lifestyle changes. It's automatic for me now to have porridge for breakfast, Greek yogurt and fruit for lunch, and often soup for dinner. I sometimes have something else and dinner is more varied now but breakfast and lunch are as automatic as showering every day. I walk everywhere because I don't drive so that's not a choice although I could get the bus to and from school. I don't though because walking every day is part of my life. No thought required about it.

Have you tried increasing your protein - it will help build muscle from your workouts (assume you are doing weights?) and help your metabolism. Also recommend Cronometer app for tracking and analysing your macros. I would just keep analysing and making tweaks as it’s not been that long since January. Don’t fall into the trap of reducing calories to silly amounts. Tbh, I still find Jillian Michaels talks a lot of sense on her videos on YouTube.

That's rude. The thread title was "Is there a secret to losing weight in your 40s?". Yes, the OP mentioned being in peri in her message, but there was nothing there saying women only.

Jesus the misinformation here is strong.

it goes to show why it’s so hard as you are just fed so much rubbish from old wives tales and half truths with no scientific basis

Pounds in weight aren’t equivalent 😂

Food doesn’t convert to fat after 6pm how the heck would it know what time it is? 😂

No you can’t outrun a bad diet there are plenty of overweight people who run, it’s not the secret to weight loss in any way at all. Unless you are spending so much time running you don’t have any time in the day left to eat anything. Good luck with that and your documentary.

Before everyone comes to tell you about magical properties of not eating for 20 hours a day, this is mostly down to one simple thing for weight loss - a calorie deficit. IF can have its own side effects such as causing headaches/migraines due to drops in blood sugar etc but can help people mentally by making them feel empowered by practicing willpower and has benefits for your mind. It can also result in ketosis, which also has its own side effects such as bad breath. there is a study here that shows if you over eat on your non fasting times you are less likely to lose weight so it’s not a given that IF works without being careful what you eat when you do break your fast

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680567/

Just find what works for you, everyone will be trying to sell you something but you are an individual and know your own health and what you are capable of. Do your own research and trial different things to find something that’s comfortable and sustainable.

Try and do some form of exercise everyday if you can

@Menora

What about the fact that consuming certain foods causes a hormonal response which encourages the body to hold onto its fat stores, and use other sources of energy to compensate for the kcal deficit you base your 'fact' upon?

It's common for people to be in a kcal deficit and maintain their body fat, whilst losing muscle, hormonal balance, and a multitude of other healthy functions, because the body is dropping kcal input to other physiological systems, rather than using fat stores.

Sure, a kcal deficit is the only way, but you are neglecting to mention how to do that in a way that encourages our body to use fat stores, and so are criticising others for peddling misinformation, whilst peddling misleading information yourself.

Encouraging a kcal deficit alone can do more harm than good, and the benefits of IF over other kcal deficit methods isn't to do with 'helping people mentally'; it's physiological. Specifically, hormonal.

The not eating after 6pm, or thereabouts, works for me because thats when I’d be inclined to be mindlessly eating junk food watching TV with a glass of wine. If I can just say, oh, 6pm, too late, then I’m fine. Helps the will power no end!

Fasting - fast like a girl. A couple of 24 hour fasts every cycle.

I am 43 also and lost 2 stone last year over 3 months by quitting alcohol and doing a low carb diet

I wasn't overweight, but have gone down a dress size without particularly trying to by eating a high fat, high protein, low-ish sugar diet. This is because the easiest way for me to cut out UPFs from my diet (which is what i was aiming to do) is to cut out supermarket bread products.
No idea about calories - I wouldn't know how to count them.
Yesterday I had:

• full fat Greek yoghurt, blueberries and honey for breakfast
• butternut squash salad with walnuts and a whole goats cheese, lots of good olive oil
• veggie chilli with full fat soured cream and a whole avocado, with a bit of brown rice
• raw cashew nuts and a thin slice of homemade cake for snacks