Weight loss in mid-life can be challenging, but like it or not weight loss gets harder as we age.
For women over 40, it’s easy to blame our hormones, but they aren’t necessarily the sole issue.
Just like there can be a dozen reasons why you might have a headache, and it’s only by trial and error that you discover the cause, there can be a myriad of reasons for stubborn weight.
In this blog, I’ll discuss the 6 most common reasons why it’s hard to lose weight in mid-life.
1. Slowing Metabolism
Our metabolism slows down as we age mainly due to depleting muscle and more fat!
So, weight-bearing exercise (resistance training) has been shown to counter that decline, because muscle burns more calories than fat which improves your metabolism.
No need to head to the gym simply do some easy weight-bearing exercises like push-ups (pushing off the kitchen bench is a good place to start) and getting up and down from your seat works those quads…just start.
2. Mid-life Hormones
There’s no denying that our female hormones change and as a result make weight loss a ‘tad’ more difficult.
But in my experience, the real issue is diet & lifestyle.
What worked in your 20s isn’t going to work now in your 40s and 50s, you can read more about that here https://naturallynic.com.au/are-your-hormones-to-blame-for-stubborn-weight-loss-after-40/
3. Food Beliefs
By the time we reach our 40s, we have decades of dieting dogma affecting our food choices and quite frankly it’s insidious.
The biggest issue I see is that many women think they’re eating healthy when in reality they’re unintentionally eating a high-fat diet.
You can read more about that here https://naturallynic.com.au/you-wont-lose-weight-if-youve-got-one-foot-in-each-of-these-diet-camps-choose-a-side/
4. Food Choices
There’s a reason you can stop eating a bowl of veges but can’t say no to one square of chocolate, it’s called the bliss point of hyper palatability.
Manufacturers know how to create irresistible food that makes ‘moderation’ almost impossible.
This can even be seen with the explosion of ‘healthy’ plant-based snacks that have hit the market, that are in essence just high-fat, high-sugar temptations.
You can read more about that here https://naturallynic.com.au/whats-the-biggest-health-hazard-in-the-plant-based-dieting-industry/
Then there’s dairy, a hormonal food that has been touted as necessary for strong bones but in reality, it can be at the root of many of your health and weight loss issues. You can read more about that here https://naturallynic.com.au/can-you-ditch-dairy-what-about-your-cheese-addiction/
5. Lifestyle
There is so much more than hormones going on in our fourth & fifth decade of life.
You’ve lost the routine of needing dinner on the table every night because the kids have left the nest, but now your elderly parents are needing more support.
You’ve got more freedom to share bubbles with the girls and stay up late net-flixing but that cuts into your sleep time and results in you needing extra coffee to get you going in the morning.
All of these lifestyle changes affect your metabolism.
6. Alcohol
I’ve talked about alcohol a lot but it’s worth mentioning again – because there are NO redeeming features about alcohol especially when it comes to women and weight loss.
It slows your metabolism, increases estrogen your fat-storing hormone, weakens your resolve, and worse increases your risk of female cancers.
You can read more here https://naturallynic.com.au/please-re-think-how-much-you-drink-whether-youve-had-cancer-or-not/
So eating more plants, eating less dairy and animal products, and using less liquid oil in your cooking are the starting points to releasing weight in mid-life.
Simple but not easy if this is new to you, especially if you’ve realised that your healthy diet is actually high-fat and you’re not doing keto (high-fat/low-carb).
I offer an obligation-free 30-minute chat if you feel this is you and you’d like some direction.
Go on book a call – I love nothing more than helping women like you discover it is possible for them to achieve a healthy body weight in mid-life.
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