Over 40 And Can’t Lose Belly Fat?
Wondering what the heck is happening to your stomach since you turned 40? Does it feel like it’s just never flat anymore? If you are in your late 40s or 50s, you may be finding weight piles up there more than anywhere else creating rolls and that classic “apple” body shape.
If you feel like you just can’t lose belly fat after 40, I’ve got you covered in this article. We’ll look at some hard truths as to why you might be gaining belly fat and what you can do about it. The reason I say “hard” truths is that I think too many people blame age and hormones. These things definitely make it more challenging and change the way your body stores fat. But usually there are more obvious things, like your lifestyle, which need to be addressed before you can blame age.
In your 40s there is a lot within your control and blaming age takes away your power to change things. I work with so many women over 40 who have had fantastic transformations and losing belly fat is possible at any age if you put in the work. If you change what you are doing and the way you are thinking, you can have an awesome transformation – regardless of your age.
Belly fat is not inevitable.
I coach many women in their 40s who experience significant body transformations without extreme effort. Many of these women have nice looking stomachs. In fact, I have clients in their 50s who can still rock bikinis. I asked one of my clients if I could share her photo to provide you with some inspiration in this article. Check out her fabulous physique – hard to believe she is 49!
Here’s the first truth: belly fat is not inevitable. Yes, your hormones and metabolism will change which may make things harder, especially around menopause. Yes, skin will also change and even start to sag or show some cellulite which means your stomach may not feel as great. Some of you have had babies which has permanently altered your stomach area. But many women gain weight in their 40s because of lifestyle, not age or changing hormones. Thinking about lifestyle first means you are in control of the outcomes and is more motivating because you can actually do something about it.
Understanding your body type is really helpful during this time. Some women will struggle more than others because of their body type. But again – this is not an excuse – it’s just the reality you may face. I am one of those ladies. I have never had a great waist because of my natural shape. I have a shorter torso, big rib cage and pronounced muscle bellies. Muscle bellies impact how your abs look because they influence how much your muscle “pops” out or how thick you look. Even at my leanest, my stomach doesn’t look amazing. It’s why you’ll never see me wearing sports bras on social media.
If I gain weight, because of my body shape, I’ll feel it in my stomach. But this has been the case since I was in my 20s. I’ve never been a huge fan of my stomach. It’s my worst body part. It’s probably going to feel worse around menopause – but I know that I can do so much to help with nutrition and training.
Longer, leaner ladies don’t struggle so much with stomach fat – especially if they look after themselves. I’ve got a few 50-something ladies with this shape that have transitioned to menopause without much, if any, weight gain. However, these ladies also really look after themselves so it’s hard to say whether it’s body type or their lifestyle (or both).
So understanding your body type is one of the first things when addressing belly fat. If you have a tendency to deposit fat in the midsection, it means you may have to work a bit harder. Eat a bit better, drink less wine. The first thing to do is get honest about your lifestyle before you blame age so let’s talk more about it.
Lifestyle leads to belly fat.
If age-related weight gain is the fire – you provide the igniter.
What does that mean?
As we talked about in the previous section, maintaining a lean body does get harder as you age but weight gain is not inevitable. Just like a fire – you need something to light it. In the case of weight gain, although it may be harder to stay leaner as you get older, your lifestyle is what ultimately causes your weight to get out of control. Your lifestyle lights the fire.
Your lifestyle either supports a lean body or it doesn’t. And in my experience, most women who are gaining weight after 40 aren’t doing everything they could to have that lean body they want. That’s why I say you can’t blame age until you check your lifestyle. For many women the first necessary step is getting some accountability when it comes to food and drinking. While you may have been able to get by in your earlier years with “winging it” – you need to tighten things up in your 40s.
Here’s the truth – most women who are gaining weight are NOT counting calories EVERYDAY. You might be thinking you don’t want to count calories. Well … if you don’t tighten things up, your waist isn’t going to either.
I see this so often. Ladies complain about the extra weight gain but don’t put in the small amount of work to keep it in check. It means you’ll have to drink a little less (or maybe a lot less) and spend 5 to 10 minutes a day on a calorie tracking app – but that’s actually a small price to pay to get on top of things, feel better about yourself and ultimately being healthier as you age.
The good news is that it isn’t as hard as you think. You also don’t need an extreme diet and you can still have some wine. But you need to account for it and you can’t have wine every night. It just won’t work for stomach fat. Many of my clients find a very happy balance with their social life and achieving the body they want – it is possible!
Here’s a testimonial from one of my clients who is in her late 40s that show this really works:
I always thought I would hate keeping a food diary but it has been really good for me … Thank you for not simply saying “you will need to cut out the wine if you want to see results.” I have had that said in the past and quite frankly I have struggled to do that. However, by seeing the impact on nutrition for myself, I can understand just what I need to do and feel in control. Thanks again – this is the first time in years I have seen results.
One of the most important tools to help prevent this decline into middle age softness is weight training. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to focus on maintaining and building muscle in your 40s and beyond. Weight training, when done properly, can help counteract the “middle age spread” where your limbs get skinnier and your midsection gets bigger. Building muscle is also going to make you look younger, boost your metabolism, protect your bones, improve your posture and make you less susceptible to falls when you are older.
So to summarize, before you blame age have a good look at your lifestyle:
- Are you counting calories?
- Are you drinking too much?
- Are you consuming too much sugar? Even “healthy foods have sugar – do you eat too much yoghurt, fruit, muesli and cereal, premade sauces?
- Do you have a good weight training program?
Consider these questions your starting point. Answer them honestly and then start making changes.
You aren’t 20 anymore. Focus on what’s in your control.
There are some of you who continue to struggle against your body in your 40s. Always trying to lose those last few pounds. The sad thing is that you are doing yourself a huge disservice. If you’ve had babies or if you have a nice lifestyle, you need to realize you aren’t going to look like you did when you were in your 20s.
There is one more thing you need to stop and think about…really STOP and think about this for a minute. Once you start hitting your later years you actually look better on the slightly heavier rather than leaner side. One reason for this has to do with your muscles. Women who eat well (including carbs) tend to look stronger with more full muscles. My favourite days at the gym are the morning after eating a big plate of spaghetti for dinner. While my stomach may not look amazing, my arms certainly do because my muscles are full from glycogen.
You should also remember that in our 40s we start to lose bone and muscle in our face, and fat begins to shift downwards. In my experience women almost always look better in the face when they are on the slightly heavier side rather than leaner. I’m not saying you have to be overweight to look good but I’m saying chasing those last few pounds isn’t doing anything for you – for a variety of reasons. It’s not good for your mental health – but most women also don’t stop to think about what it’s actually doing to their overall appearance.
This is your time to take care of your body and build it up to be strong and resilient for your later years. Honestly, if I focused on my worst body part – which is my stomach – I’d never be happy with my body. Instead I focus on what I love. I love feeling and looking strong.
At 43 it’s way more fun to focus on things like getting stronger than the things I don’t like about myself. At some point you need to do the same thing. You can’t live your entire life being unhappy about your body. Age truly is just a number so don’t let it be your excuse.
Want some help?
If you want to start your own journey and need some help with all of it, check out my Over 40 Transformation Program.
More 40-Something Articles:
The Ultimate Guide To Transforming Your Body After 40
Is It Possible To Transform Your Body After 40?
Get An Awesome Body And Age Backwards After 40 – Your Nutrition Action Plan
