Starting a weight loss journey can be challenging, especially if you’re over 40 and unsure of the best approach. You may be wondering if you should count calories, how often you should exercise, and what types of foods you should eat. Fortunately, we have some great tips to help you get started. In this article, we’ll share actionable advice that every woman over 40 can follow to jumpstart their weight loss journey.
Keep reading to learn more!
1. Don’t crash diet!
While highly restrictive, low-calorie diets may seem like a quick fix if you’re trying to lose weight, these methods can backfire in the long run for several reasons. Crash dieting leads to cravings and slow metabolism.
This also frequently leads to weight regain/rebound and increased cardio-metabolic risks that increase the risk for heart disease, obesity, or strokes later in life. So, best to stick to real methods.
2. Eat a whole, plant-based diet
Proper nutrition is so important when it comes to boosting your metabolism and shedding pounds past the age of 40. Slow and steady wins the race. That means that instead of crash dieting, maintaining a well-balanced diet over an extended period of time is the best way to go.
Eat a whole, plant-based diet for the most part and you can stay satiated (not walking around hungry!)
A consistently healthy diet will lead to weight loss over time. That will help you lose 1-2 pounds per week, which is a healthy and steady amount of weight to lose. So hang in there and have faith that results will come!
3. Choose calorie-free beverages
Who doesn’t love a good, refreshing drink? Not only are the right beverages delicious, but they can also aid in weight loss by keeping you hydrated—and when they contain zero calories, you never have to worry about putting on a pound.
Calorie-free drinks can help with weight loss because they provide hydration without adding unnecessary calories that our bodies don’t register.
Some zero-cal options include water, tea, and coffee.
4. Gradually increase intensity in exercise
There’s nothing wrong with starting out slow when it comes to your workout regimen—in fact, this is oftentimes the healthiest way to go about things if you want to steadily lose weight over an extended period of time.
When you’re ready to rev things up with some more intense exercises, though, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the way to go.
These workouts can torch calories even after we exercise, for several hours. That’s because it really gets the metabolism revved up, which keeps the calorie burn going.
5. Increase muscle mass through strength training
As we age, we typically lose muscle mass over time. Consistent strength training is a great way to rebuild that mass and, in turn, shed fat.
Muscles burn ten times as many calories as the same amount of fat, so you can burn calories and increase fat loss with more muscle.
When strength training to lose weight, it’s important to also consume a good amount of healthy, whole carbohydrates. Our muscles like glucose (carbohydrates) for fuel. These healthy carbs can be found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, which can all be incorporated into so many delicious recipes. Yum!
Of course, weight loss journeys are best when they’re personalized to suit your lifestyle and the particular needs of your body. That’s why working with a doctor, dietitian, or personal trainer is always the healthiest route to go. However, these tips are a great place to start.
We think you look great no matter how much you weigh, but we wish you well as you embark on a healthy journey!