In this post I’m going to be sharing with you the six most important steps to help you achieve sustainable fat lossfor women over the age of 40.
This topic came on the back of the previous post on the Metaboost Diet review as that was really a demonstration of why I don’t believe in crash dieting and why it doesn’t work for the long term.
The key sustainability means that we can lose body fat and keep it off!!
Then the best, and in real terms the fastest way to do that, is the slow and steady approach.
Now I know that’s not big and it’s not sexy but if you want to make a difference that lasts you a lifetime and you don’t have to give up your entire life and all of the foods you love in the process, then this is the way to do it.
These six steps that are really simplistic, but that’s not to say they will always be easy.
BUT they are the steps that you can start taking action on today that are rooted in science and not some fad diet.
1. A Moderate Calorie Deficite
Eat foods that will keep you in a moderate calorie deficit. Work out what your maintenance calories are you can do that by doing a Google Search (CLICK HERE for a simple calorie calculator) and looking how to calculate your maintenance. This is how many calories you should consume to maintain your current bodyweight.
Then reduce that by 10 or 15%. This is your new daily calorie target, and it’s probably going to be a lot more than what you think. Maintaining a smaller calorie deficite weight loss is going to be far more achievable and also enjoyable, and you’re going to be able to live you life but still lose body fat
2. 30% of calorie intake from Protein
Have at least 30% of those calories coming from lean protein. That can be chicken, fish, any meat. You can use your vegetable proteins, just get used to looking at the protein content of your foods.
This is where tracking food can be supportive. It doesn’t have to be forever, but just so you can just get a closer idea of what that amount of protein actually looks like.
Or a method I use with my clients (link to better body) that don’t want to go down the calorie counting route is to break down your plate.
Aim to have:
- 1/4 of your plate filled with a lean protein source
- ¼ with complex carbohydrates
- ½ plate with veggies
This is a really good starting point to help make sure that you are getting in enough protein in your diet.
3. Eat Mostly Whole Foods
Eat the majority of your foods coming from natural Whole sources. Most of us (myself included) just need to eat less highly processed foods, this one habit alone would massively reduce calorie intake.
This isn’t rocket science, eat less shit, eat more natural whole foods.
Even the simple act of eating less processed food is going make some massive steps forward, even if you don’t want to go down the route of tracking or counting calories or macros.
Processed foods are often really easy to eat and overeat and hence, you can eat a lot of calories without eating a lot of food because it’s more calorie-dense and just tastes so darn good.
Where as eating large amounts of whole foods is actually really difficultcto do because whole foods tend to be more nutrient dense and have less calories.
Try to overeat on Broccoli or any veggies, try to overeat on chicken breast. It’s actually really hard to do because your body will tell you when you’ve had enough.
4. Move More
Work on increasing your NEAT your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
So this is the movement that you do outside of formal exercise.
Formal exercise only accounts for about 5% of your total daily energy expenditure. I’m not saying exercise isn’t important, more on that in the next point.
But it really plays a small role in overall fat loss.
What counts for a lot more, up to 15% of your daily calorie expenditure, comes from how much you move throughout the day which is why you’ll hear the common recommendation of working towards 10,000 steps per day.
Now don’t panic if you are a long way off from that right now. Just gradually work on increasing that over time.
The more you move the easier it’s going to be for you to be able to maintain your body composition.
5. Strength Training
If you are able to exercise prioritise strength training. Aim for at least two full-body strength sessions per week.
As we get over the age of 40 we start to get a decrease in muscle mass. Over time this reduces our overall calorie expenditure, as well as impacting other areas of health and longevity.
If we are sustaining and maintaining our muscle mass, again we can keep it at that same level we can maintain our basal metabolic rate as muscle makes us more metabolically active.
Ever feel like you just have a slow metabolism? Well, strength training is what helps reverse that. Your metabolism simplified is the amount of calories that you burn throughout the day just by existing, living, breathing and being.
The more that we can maintain muscle mass as we age, we can more easily sustain body composition because of faster metabolism. More muscle mass just means its easier to reduce body fat.
There’s also lots of benefits to strength training such as benefits to your mental health, bone health, keeping you strong and functional and able to do all the things that you want to do in your life.
The fitness part is where it’s really becomes an important part in sustaining and maintaining that fat loss.
6. Stress & Sleep Management
Getting quality sleep as well as managing your stress levels is vitally important.
Because the better you sleep the easier it’s going to be to stick to all of the previous points.
Of course, there are manay other benefits to the 40+ woman around hormone balance too when it comes to stress and getting enough shut-eye. But simply think around how you eat when you feel tried and stressed versus when you are well rested and relaxed?
If you work on those steps first and foremost you don’t need to go into these stupid crash diets keep it simple just take the ACTION on these steps!!
If you are struggling or you need a little bit of guidance on that you can get my free 5- day Kickstart challenge where I walk you through these steps and more
Where you can work towards feeling bettering your body from the inside out without having to get sucked in with another miracle solution that shows up on your social meda feeds.
I hope this has been helpful for you let me know in the comments if you have any questions or suggestions on topics you would like me to cover next,
Emma
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