Why is Weight Loss Harder After 40?

I have had so many consultations that essentially say the exact same thing: “I always did _________ in my 20’s and 30’s when I wanted to lose a few pounds, but now that’s not working and I just keep gaining weight.”

This is incredibly frustrating! For women who have never particularly struggled with their weight, the symptom of perimenopause that they probably notice the most is weight gain. And it’s not just the weight gain itself – it’s the difficulty with losing it, with favorite “tricks” falling flat. 

I have good news and bad news! The upside is that weight loss after 40 is possible in perimenopause and beyond. I have more clients than I can count who have come to me completely stuck, but have reversed the trend and gotten in better shape than ever after 40. But the “bad” news (if you can call it that) is that your methods have to change. Something that worked for you at 30 might not work for you at 40, 50, or 60. I’ll be getting into more specifics, but the bottom line is that when you’re in mid-life, you have to lose weight the “right” way.

So in today’s blog post, I’m going to dive into the science behind why weight loss becomes more difficult as you age (and why 40-ish seems to be such a watershed transition), and how to stop – and reverse! – weight gain that creeps on at perimenopause. I’ll also be sharing the success story of a superstar client, Anna (50), who came to me desperately over-exercising (but seeing zero results), and is now 30 pounds down while exercising less than before.

When you finish this read, you’ll have concrete strategies for revising your approach to fat loss! But first, let’s get into the “why”…

Why Is Weight Gain so Sneaky After 40?

And possibly its sister question: “Why is the weight settling in my midsection, when it never did before?”

The truth is that the age-related “creep” of fat gain doesn’t operate on a schedule that flips over when you turn 40. For most women, hormonal-related change begins as your reproductive years begin to dwindle, around 35. As this slight hormonal change steepens into perimenopause (which usually starts in the 40’s and lasts until menopause), many women notice that weight gain is easier and weight loss is harder than it was before.

This tends to happen for three main reasons:

Aging Makes it Harder to Gain and Maintain Lean Muscle

Harder… but not impossible! As both men and women age, there is an affect the body’s propensity to build and maintain lean muscle mass, which has an effect on metabolism. While metabolism doesn’t exactly fall off a cliff (more on this later) and women are certainly capable of building muscle in mid-life and beyond, it’s just that it becomes a little harder and takes more effort. But when women gain weight, they tend to focus too much of their effort on caloric restriction, and not enough on increasing lean muscle mass through strength training. This can create a negative feedback loop, with restrictive dieting leading to loss in muscle and metabolic output, which eventually leads to weight regain.

Plus, once women are deep in perimenopause and the menopause transition, the change in hormones tends to promote fat storage in the mid-section, which is far more noticeable than fat accumulation in the butt and thighs (which is typically where women store more fat prior to menopause). It’s not necessarily that women are gaining a lot of weight, but they’re really noticing the change in their body composition because it’s literally sitting right in front of them and changing the fit of their clothes.

Hormonal Changes Affect Sleep, Stress, and Energy

In my opinion, this is one of the most overlooked aspects of perimenopause that affects weight. Although women tend to notice weight gain more than any other symptom, the truth is that many women are struggling hormonally with sleep in their 40’s and 50’s (and may even notice a change in their late 30’s if they’re paying close attention). Sleep has a profound impact not only on energy for exercise, but also on feelings of cravings vs. food satisfaction/fullness. Of course, mental, emotional, and biological stress is also compounded by irregular sleep (or insufficient sleep). The chronically high cortisol that can result from poor sleep can worsen blood sugar and also promote belly fat storage. 

A “side effect” of this is that women in mid-life may be less resilient to the stresses of extreme dieting than when they were younger. An old trick that used to work for weight loss now just feels like highly effortful time-wasting, vs. a quick course-correction. 

Changes in Lifestyle Affect Exercise

This is true for both men and women, but sometimes women might feel it more because of stereotypical childrearing  responsibilities (especially because many women are having children in their late 30’s and early 40’s now). When women are in mid-life, it’s common that a woman’s life is often in ascent in multiple domains – their career responsibilities are growing at the same pace that their children need more attention (and chauffeuring). Often, the end result is that women have less time for exercise in their 40’s and 50’s, and stress might be higher than at previous times in life – all compounding the effects of poor sleep, chronically high cortisol, and lack of consistent resistance training and physical activity. 

In fact, this study demonstrates that metabolism stays fairly static between ages 20 and 60. This can seem incredibly mysterious to women, who genuinely feel metabolic differences starting as early as their 30’s. But the truth is that this is good news, because it means you can get great results!

Conclusion

The way that I explain it to women is this: it’s not that the “rules change” when you’re in mid-life, but your body simply keeps score much more strictly. Consistent strength training is now essential to build muscle mass, sleep and stress management are now huge priorities, and physical activity now has to be mindfully scheduled (since you’re probably too busy for it to happen on its own). Quick fixes may have worked in the past, but they won’t work anymore. And even if you take a weight loss medication, you can’t get around the loss of lean body mass and the plateaus that naturally come with weight loss – there are still lifestyle changes that have to be made (I have seen this firsthand in my clients on Wegovy/Zepbound, etc.).

But the good news is that is all incredibly achievable, as my client Anna demonstrates. Before Anna and I started working together, she was steadily (and almost inexplicably) gaining weight, and she was frustrated and depressed with the changes in her body in her late 40’s. She was also extremely limited by lower back pain – once irritated, the spasms could put her out of play for days, and as a result she carefully avoided movements that could instigate it. But despite her back pain, she was vigorously exercising in an attempt to lose weight… and one of the first things I reassured her was that she could work smarter instead of harder, and see better results. Here’s Anna’s story, in her own words:

Client Success Spotlight: Anna

I live in the Midwest with my husband. My job is very sedentary, and from time to time it can get quite stressful, making me feel overwhelmed. One of my challenges is that due to the demands of my job, my schedule is usually very tight, and so I don’t have that much free time. I also don’t like the idea of going to the gym for various reasons.

I had been steadily gaining a couple of pounds per year over many years, and at that point I reached a weight that was way too high and made me feel uncomfortable even in simple everyday activities.

At the same time, having read multiple books on fitness and weight loss, I felt that I knew all the theory, and I believed that I was doing everything right. I was eating almost exclusively healthy foods, and I was exercising a lot. I was running 5-6 times a week and also doing some strength training. I was spending maybe 2-3 hours a day on working out, and I had been doing this consistently over many years.

I felt ashamed that I allowed my weight to get so high, and also angry at myself because I felt this happened because I was not disciplined enough. I couldn’t understand why I was not able to lose any weight and was gaining instead. I was getting very frustrated about it and thought to try a personal trainer as a last resort. I was very happy when I found Rachel, who offers online coaching with workouts I could do at home. I realized the main issue was that I didn’t have the right tools before.

The main emphasis shifted from running to strength training. For strength training, I used to have a couple of exercises that I did most days, over the course of many years, and even decades. For example, before, I would do 200 squats per day. Despite that, I didn’t see significant improvement in my fitness, even in the specific exercises I was doing. I would progress a bit to slightly higher weights, and then regress back.

Now I’m very happy to get specific strength workouts thought through and planned out by Rachel. There is not much repetition in terms of exercises, which I find much more fun! I didn’t expect it, but I started to really enjoy strength training. I love getting new unfamiliar exercises, figuring out their mechanics, and seeing what I’m able to do.

Rachel here: Anna has made incredible strength improvement! When we first started, she could not hold a strict plank because of her back issues flaring up. Now, she is deadlifting, planking, doing push-ups, running faster, and even performing modified pull-up exercises, all with zero back pain! 

Once I started seeing improvements in my fitness, this really added to my motivation and enthusiasm for strength training. While I reduced my running significantly and replaced some of it with other aerobic activities, my running performance improved by a lot, which is something I hadn’t experienced in the many years of running. I feel that a more varied set of aerobic activities helps me progress faster and feel less bored and more motivated.

In terms of nutrition, I was very surprised to discover that I could decrease the amount of calories I eat significantly, without much suffering or feeling hungry, by carefully fine tuning the nutrients each meal. I now start every day by entering all my planned meals into the app, and making sure they are balanced and follow the guidelines provided by Rachel. I don’t always follow the plan exactly, but it gives me an idea how much wiggle room I have.

Although protein is having a moment, Anna – like many women – wasn’t eating enough protein despite trying to eat as healthfully as possible. It was a lot easier to reduce calories when her protein was increased and she felt fuller and more balanced. 

I discovered that if I don’t log everything I eat, I tend to overeat a lot, so pre-planning is a must for me. I also learned to enjoy much smaller portions of food, and since I don’t eat any sweets, fruits became my go-to dessert (in moderation).

I also became more aware that willpower is a limited resource and that I should be careful and deliberate in how I expend it. So foods that I find hard to eat in moderation, I try to avoid altogether, and make sure we don’t keep them at home (if we do have to keep them at home, I ask my husband to hide them from me).

Rachel again: this is extremely individual to each person. Generally speaking, for most people, it helps with weight management to reduce personal temptation and to self-observe more accurately. The degree to which someone does that is very personalized. I often encourage clients to experiment and develop their own best environments, being as unrestrictive as possible, with as many foods “in limits” as possible. 

If I know that some days are expected to be stressful in terms of work commitments, I try to prepare beforehand, e.g. by pre-cooking and packing all my food, and thinking of strategies for not overeating when I come back from work. I am also aware that lack of sleep and stress deplete willpower, so I try to control that, and, when impossible, be aware that I need to be extra careful on such days.

Finally, I try to invest into activities that help me rest and destress but are not connected to food.

Rachel again: Anna really nails the stress connection here. In our work together, she does a great job of identifying periods of higher and lower stress (usually connected with work). As I said at the beginning of this post, stress, sleep, and mental health issues are often overlooked and interconnected symptoms of perimenopause that affect weight, eating, and exercise. She does a great job of “turning up the dial” of self-care when she knows stress is also high. Read on for one of her most important tips… 

One thing that I believe made a big difference for me is journaling. I write every weekend what my goals for the week are. Often it’s things like getting enough sleep, keeping up with the workouts, logging everything I eat, etc. Then every morning I read those and then I list my goals for the day. At the end of each day I try to find the time to quickly write down how things went, and at the end of the week I take stock, seeing what worked and what didn’t, and brainstorming what needs to be adjusted.

Another thing that I feel was helpful is that I decided to follow the principle of being 100% honest with myself. So for example when I overeat, even if I feel ashamed and uncomfortable with it, I still log everything. If I can’t do the required number of repetitions of an exercise with good form, I document it and reduce the weight/number of repetitions to better fit my current level.

I believe that everyone is different and every person should find their own path. But I think that in order to do this, it’s very helpful to be deliberate about figuring out what are the issues and the barriers and how to get around them. I found that journaling is a very powerful tool for doing that.

What a great tip!! This level of mindfulness and self-reflection is key to long-term success with lifestyle management! 

I try to remind myself that an investment in my health and well being is also an investment in my family’s well-being, and in better long-term productivity at work, so that I don’t feel guilty about prioritizing my health.

All in all I couldn’t be happier with my progress so far in terms of weight loss and improvements in fitness, which are way beyond what I expected. Rachel has been wonderfully supportive throughout the whole process, she is always there for me whenever any issues or life situations arise, and promptly answers whatever questions I may have. I didn’t expect it but I really enjoy doing the workouts she designed for me. What’s even more surprising for me is that I end up spending much less time and effort on exercising than I did before, with much better results.

Anna has now lost about 30 pounds in six months, which has exceeded what we originally thought might happen. She has also lost 5 inches off her waist and almost 6 inches off her hips. She has maintained her lean body mass while losing weight (because of strength training), going from 43% body fat to 31%, and her BMI has reduced from 29 to 24. Everything she is doing, from losing weight to strength training to increasing the intensity of her running, is contributing to a dramatic reduction in any health risks she might have otherwise experienced in her 50’s! And she’s still going! 

And she did all of this without falling prey to any of the misinformation that targets perimenopausal women, which is extremely important. 

Conclusion

Although weight loss feels a lot harder as you age, due to hormonal fluctuations, sleep issues, stress and recovery problems, decline in muscle mass, and resulting metabolic changes, it’s certainly not impossible. The key is to not fall for fad diets or quick fixes. For most women, one of the most positive changes that can be made is introducing “serious” strength training (even for already active women). Additionally, a more balanced diet with increased protein and fiber, plus extra attention to sleep and stress management, will dramatically help to stop and reverse weight gain in mid-life.

Women often need a personalized approach to weight loss, however, because what works for a woman exercising for 2-3 hours per day is not the same thing that will work for someone who is sedentary, and vice versa. Similarly, what works for someone who is very overweight will not be the right approach for someone who is already leaner overall.

If you’re looking for a tailored approach that gets results more predictably (and without crashing and burning), fill out this form to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me. Let’s see if we’re a good fit, and let’s make a plan to achieve your goals!