How To Lose Weight After 40
I always say that nutrition is the most important factor when someone is looking to lose weight and get healthy, however, exercise is also critical especially for someone trying to lose those last few pounds. For each decade after age 25 our metabolism will decrease by at least 2% or more. For a women who regularly can eat 1800 calories to maintain weight that would mean cutting back by 36 calories per day at age 25 and 72 calories per day by age 35 and so you get the picture. By age 40 this women probably needs 100 calories less per day but if she doesn’t make an adjustment, that 100 calories extra per day equals 1 lb. per month or 12 lbs. per year! The effect spirals into a vicious cycle that we won’t go into at this time but trust me its a down hill slope! But it doesn’t have to happen that way! We can prevent and reverse this age related decline in metabolism. Katy and Dawn share their success journey of how they transformed their health and lost body fat with some small dietary tweaks and a big change in exercise.
Dawn first started training with me last year. She is a stay-at-home mom and takes the time to buy and prepare healthy foods for her family. She enjoys exercise and when she started with me she was a regular jogger and tennis player. Despite her already healthy lifestyle, she was slowly putting on some weight and her clothes were beginning to get tight. She couldn’t figure out why this was happening and was ready to make a change in both diet and exercise to nip this issue before it got out of control.
When I first looked at her diet she was choosing some organic products and lots of healthy foods but she was overdoing the amount of carbohydrates she needed to maintain her weight after 40. What used to work for her in the past was no longer working. I hear this all the time!
Dawn was exercising but it was all cardio. Cardio is great to strengthen the heart but long sustained cardio all the time without weight bearing exercise will lead to muscle loss and the less muscle we have the lower our metabolism. In fact, most scientists believe that the majority in age related decrease in metabolism has to do with muscle loss.
Dawn also struggled with regular migraines that occurred monthly and at times every two weeks. they would last for three days at a time and impacted her ability to function in everyday activities. She wanted to also see if clean eating could help her eliminate or reduce her frequency of migraines.
For Dawn, the plan was to get her to start with BodyDesigns Two-Week Detox Plan then continue with a Lifestyle Diet Plan that would decrease the amount of sugar and increase the protein and healthy fats. Also, since Dawn didn’t have very much weight to loss, being accountable to the calories at the end of the day would be key in seeing those last few pounds come off. Dawn logged in ‘Lose It’ daily and sent me her logs to support her along the way.
For exercise she began to train with me doing weights to increase muscle to help stoke the metabolism. Muscle burns fat even while at rest so your body becomes a fat burning machine. Muscle also changes the shape of your body to add definition to your natural curves.
Dawn looks and feels amazing. The 6 lbs. she had gained came off and she has since then added muscle and tone to her body. Eliminating sugar from her diet stopped the frequency of her migraines and she has only had three migraines since she started her new plan and she has a better understanding of the triggers of those migraines. And if that wasn’t reason enough to make changes, she also improved her tennis game as a bonus!
Katy came to me after she had already completed my Detox Plan. She had gained about 15 lbs. in her peri-menopausal period and now she found her self post menopausal and unable to lose the weight. Katy was eating healthy foods for the most part but didn’t realize that her snacks and meals were all spiking insulin. Lunch was often a slice of pizza or sandwich on the run and dinner almost always had a white carb like pasta or bread. Even at night she was snacking on graham crackers and peanut butter before bed. She may have eaten like this before 40 but after 40 your dietary needs change. The body no longer can handle large amounts of sugar at one time, and keep in mind all carbohydrates turn to sugar in the body!
Katy was also hit or miss with exercise. She liked to exercise but would always put it off for other obligations. She was ready to commit to doing Lifestyles Plan where she worked out with me once a week and I posted 2 workouts for her to do on her own. This program came with a Lifestyle Diet Plan for her to follow to get the weight off and keep it off! Katy made great progress with the diet, cutting out the high carb lunches, planning meals and snacks to include protein and healthy fats and limiting the fast carbohydrate foods. She tried several of my easy recipes and logged her food daily. Katy lost most of her weight but was still struggling to get her workouts in each day and to get off those last few pounds.
Dawn and Katy decided to train together 3 times a week and this was the turning point for both of them to really kick it up a notch and get in shape. They both increased in endurance and strength as working with a buddy gives you a new sense of commitment and competition to work harder. Katy lost the last few pounds, with a total loss of 15 lbs. and brought her body fat down 4%.
Dawn and Katy are perfect examples of peri- and post- menopausal women who were seeing the effects of age on their weight and were able to turn it around with simple diet and exercise strategies. They both look amazing and are reaping the rewards wearing bikinis at the pool this summer!
When I asked them both what was the key to your success:
Katy told me: “Working out with a trainer made it an appointment I couldn’t miss. So no more putting exercise as a last priority. I realized that my body had changed with menopause and that I needed to eat differently, not starve myself but changing what I ate was the key. I love the way I eat now and have no problem calling it my new lifestyle rather then just a diet. Mary followed me along the way and helped me with challenges until I felt like I got it right and now its just the way I eat.”
Dawn told me: “Doing weights verses doing just cardio really changed my body form. It gave me definition and nice curves where they are supposed to be! The Detox was awesome as I realized that dairy and sugar were related to my migraines. I am now almost migraine free and my whole family is eating healthier. I love that Mary is always there for us with new ideas and recipes. Our workouts are always different and challenging so I don’t get bored.”
Congratulations Katy and Dawn! You guys are amazing! Keep up the lifestyle changes and you will always have your health and weight under control.
Are you looking to transform your health? Mary works with clients all over the country developing personalized nutrition and exercise plans for weight loss and health. If you’re ready to get started on your journey to health and wellness contact her today!
Visit BodyDesigns Two Week Detox Plan or BodyDesignsbyMary for more information.
