In my late 40s, I started my fitness journey and a quest to get in the BEST shape of my life.
But I didn’t want to just feel good, I wanted the fitness model physique.
If you know my story you will know it was kind of a ‘revenge body’, because of a difficult divorce.
When I started, I progressed easily, I learned to do pull-ups and pistol squats, and because I did High-Intensity Interval Training my fitness quickly improved.
And although I lost inches, despite building my strength through lifting weights, my body shape didn’t change significantly.
Here are the reasons why:
- I wasn’t eating the right balance of macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats)
- My meal timings were not focused on my workouts
- I was doing too much cardio, namely running
I have talked about these mistakes a lot on my social media accounts but you might not know that I am speaking from my own experience of making these mistakes.
I have also worked with countless women who have made these mistakes and when they do things correctly they see changes very quickly.
The reason we make these mistakes is we are trying to do what we did in our younger days to lose weight and the problem with that is because of our depleting hormones and loss of muscle mass that doesn’t work anymore.
Now at 54, I have the body I have always dreamed of because I do what I know works.
How to lose weight over 40?
The over 40 weight loss method that DOES work is these 3 things:
- Lift weights 3-5 times per week for 30 to 60 mins (only 5 times if you are very experienced like me).
- Incorporate High-Intensity Interval Training 2-3 times per week which can be done after strength training for 15 to 30 mins.
- A high protein diet, with around 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fat (and yes you can do this as a vegan, no problem).
And always remember to eat before and after strength training, which is so important when you are in a calorie deficit (which is burning more energy than you are eating). If you want to know why, watch this YouTube video I made about meal timings.