3 Easy Weight Loss Essentials For Women Over 40

Want to know the best way for a female over 40 to lose weight?  I am going to share with you the weight loss essentials that I used to lose over 20 pounds – at age 48 – even when I thought I had tried everything!  

 

Are you over 40 and feel like you have suddenly gained weight?  Even worse have you tried dieting and are wondering “why can’t I lose weight?” I felt the same.

The truth is you absolutely can lose weight over the age of 40 – weight loss will happen when you burn more calories than you eat. Motivation and Mindset are the heavyweights that will carry you through that journey.

After much trial and error, I found that there are three weight loss essentials: Consistency, Averages, and Time (CAT).

After reading this post, you will understand why focusing on these three essentials instead of worrying about which diet to follow or which foods to eat will lead you to lose weight and let you enjoy the journey.

This post is all about how weight loss essentials to lose weight if you are a female over the age of 40!

The Best Weight Loss Essentials For Females Over 40

CONSISTENCY

 

Consistency is the key to success. Most of the time, we fail because we are inconsistent with our efforts. Whatever you are trying to accomplish, the more you do it, the better you are going to be and the more likely you are going to succeed.

Importance of Consistency for Weight Loss

 

The main reason people don’t succeed on a diet or weight loss plan is that they don’t stick with it long enough. The diet industry and diet culture lead to this. We are constantly promised big results in a short period of time. Claims of “28-day weight loss plan,” “30-day diet plan” or even worse “how to lose 10 pounds in” [insert short timeframe here]. Of course, we are drawn to these plans and claims. We want results and we want to see them fast!

I was right there with you! But, these plans often have us depriving ourselves of something. And, we are willing to suffer and make huge changes for a short period of time to get these amazing results – all so we can return to the normal habits that got us into this situation in the first place when the plan is over. But the truth is, we don’t need to be extreme, we just need to be consistent.

A lot of diets that promise big weight loss in a short period of time cut carbohydrates to a very low level or are very low calorie. When we cut carbohydrates to a very low level we quickly drop a significant amount of water weight which makes us incorrectly believe that this is a long-term solution.

However, when we deny ourselves something like bread, rice, apples etc. that we love it starts to become all we can think about. We try to replace these things with acceptable alternatives – (cauliflower rice anyone?)- that are really never the same. Then, we start to think about the banned items more and more (“once I lose the weight, I can’t wait to have a piece of bread, a bowl of rice, pasta etc.”) Same thing, if a diet is a very low calorie or bland one.

As we deprive ourselves during the 28 or 30 day period we start fantasizing about all the things we can have on day 29 or 31. Then, if you even make it through the entire 28 or 30 day period, what happens when the time period ends? For many people, it creates a binge cycle. They start eating the “forbidden” foods with abandon. That might be ok if the person got back on track immediately but that rarely happens. Once the train has left the station it is very hard to return to that strict diet that likely did not deliver the results we were promised. It was too hard or unpleasant and so we not only did not have any success, we feel like a failure which leads to shame and a defeated mindset. We return to our original ways and gain back the few pounds we lost then add a couple for good measure.

Second, even if we made it through the whole program, we probably didn’t have the big results that we were promised (or that we optimistically envisioned). The facts are what they are. In order to lose 2 pounds you have to have around a 7000 calorie deficit for the week. That is a really hard goal to accomplish. 

For those of us 40 and older, our lifestyles can make us sedentary.  By 40, a lot of us have desk jobs where we sit behind a desk for eight hours a day,  Then we are busy running the kids around or going to their sporting events (where they exercise and we watch from the stands).  For most of us, we we maybe burning 1800-2000 calories a day. 

So, in order to have a 7000 calorie/week deficit, they would have to eat only 1000 calories per day. That is unhealthy (experts recommend not setting your daily calorie goal below 1200 calories per day) and also unsustainable. If you were to set your calories that low you would not be able to last on the diet more than a week or two (and it would be miserable). 

Instead, it is better to set a lower calorie deficit.  Shoot for a deficit of 500 calories and eat 1400-1600 calories a day.  That way even though the results aren’t extreme you will be in a calorie deficit and lose weight regularly.  More important since you won’t be at such a low deficit that you feel like you are starving you will be able to stay on the plan long term.  This will create consistency with your diet which results in consistency in weight loss.  

 

How To Be Consistent On A Weight Loss Program

 

1. Pick a program with food that you like. This is probably the most important factor in determining the ability to be consistent on a diet plan. Love bread, pasta, rice, vegetables, and fruit? Well if so, then a low carb diet is probably not going to be a long term life solution. You may be able to stick to it for a short term but the odds are this will not be a permanent way of life and once you start eating carbs again you will retain water (naturally) and start gaining some weight. The fact is that the only way to long term lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in and actually stick to a diet. Eating foods that you enjoy and that are filling is the best way for you to be consistent on your diet and increase your chances of success. For me, I follow a plant-based diet. For more information on why I chose plant-based and my results click here.
2. Pick a realistic calorie goal and stick to it. One 1200 calorie day is not going to cut it. You are going to have to pick a calorie goal that puts you in a deficit and stick with it for weeks or months – not days. If you are trying to determine how to set your own personal goal you can look online for a calorie calculator and that will give you an estimated starting point (hint don’t overestimate your activity level – if you workout each day but then sit at a desk for the rest of the day pick sedentary). Or, you can do what I did and use your Fitbit to set a personalized daily calorie goal. Find out how here.
3. Keep a record of your daily calorie intake: You can either manually keep track in a food journal and calculate your daily calorie intake, or use an app. I prefer to use MyFitnessPal which is a free app (although you can pay for a premium subscription, but for basic calorie counting you do not need to). This does require measuring and weighing your food. However, that is really easy and if you are like me and eat similar foods each day logging becomes simple because you can just copy your prior day’s meal. This is also helpful because if you get to a point where you stop losing weight you can look back to your journal to a time when you were losing and see how many calories you were eating and also what you were eating when you were having success.

When I was still on the yo-yo diet path my main problem was inconsistency. I was on plan 3 or 4 days a week then off plan the others. The days I was on plan I would be really really strict.  The days that I was off plan, I would be really really off. 

But, I would only remember the really strict days and so I would feel like I was on the diet the whole week and wonder why it wasn’t working. Once I really started paying attention to being consistent and creating a calorie deficit week after week, the weight started consistently coming off.

Looking At Your AVERAGES For Weight Loss Success

For me, I like to evaluate my progress by looking at my weekly averages. That is because it gives us a far more realistic view of what is actually happening. It also removes the emotion from the process and lets us see what is working and what we can tweak that might be holding us back.

1. Weight: I weigh myself every day. I log the weight and then take a weekly average. The reason I like to do this is by weighing myself every day and then using the average, it takes the emotion out of the scale. Before, I would weigh myself once a week. I would get myself so worked up the night before and the morning of the big weigh-in that my entire day would hinge on whether the scale went up or down. Then, if worst-case scenario, the scale went up, I would get so upset and think that the whole week was a waste – which could also lead to a day or two (or more) of going off track thinking “well this is obviously not working…” when in reality, maybe I just had an off day and the scale had shot up randomly on my weigh-in day and would have gone back down had I not gone off track. By taking a weekly average, each day’s individual weight is less important and I am less focused on the exact number on the scale. Then I look at the number at the end of the week. I then compare that to the week before and see did I go down on average? Then, I continue this way and look at all the averages at the end of the month. Is my average at the end of the month less than at the beginning? If so, then what I am doing is working.
2. Calories In/Calories Out: I also am not rigid about a strict daily calorie allotment. I shoot for an approximate number (right now 1400-1600). The reason I do this is that the amount of calories I burn each day varies and so too should the calories I consume. Our metabolism is not static and varying the calories even a little each day keeps our bodies guessing and not getting stuck. I take the total calories burned for the week and then subtract the total calories consumed and look to see how much of a deficit I have for the week. I then compare that to my weight and see if that seems to be on par. For example, if I have a 6500 calorie deficit for the week and I am down one pound on average that seems about on track. If I see that I have a 6500 calorie deficit for the week and gained a pound then I know either my tracking was off and I was consuming more calories than I thought, or (more likely) it is just water retention or hormone fluctuation and will be back down the following week. That is why looking at your average weight over an entire month really tells you more about what is working and what isn’t. In addition to the total for the week, I also take an average for the week. It’s a quick way to see how many calories I am averaging for daily burn and how many for daily consumption. Am I averaging 800 more calories burned than consumed each week? Great, I am on the right track and will see results.
3. Track your Habits and Averages on a tracker where you can see the big picture: Each morning while I have my coffee, I log my results from the day before and my current weight into my habit tracker. This helps me relax. My tracker is for the whole year but is broken down into weekly and monthly sections. This way you can see how you are doing at a glance. Averages help us better assess whether our habits are helping. One 15,000 step day isn’t going to do much but averaging 15,000 steps week after week just might. Want to compare where you are now to four months earlier? Great! You have the info and you can see. Sometimes when I feel like I’m not making progress I look back a few months and see well actually I have made a lot of progress. 

Using TIME In Your Weight Loss Strategy

 

This is the one that is hard for most of us to swallow. We want results and we want them now. Believe me, I know exactly how this feels. Do you know who else understands it? The diet industry and every diet hack out there.

That is why they prey upon us with promises of “lose weight fast” “how to lose ten pounds in a week” “how I lost 40 pounds in a month” etc. These are clickbait headlines where either the content doesn’t match the headline or else the content is just worthless, or worse – dangerous.

The truth is results take time and real results take real-time.

You Need To Give Your Program Enough Time To Determine If It Is Working

Whatever diet you choose, you need to both follow it consistently and give yourself enough time to determine if it is working. This goes against the thought process that naturally occurs with “30 day” or “28-day programs.” We naturally start thinking that we are going to have made huge changes in that 30 (or however many) days. Naturally for true fat loss, we aren’t likely to see huge changes on the scale in one month. But,if you are consistently losing weight week after week then that is a sign that your program is working and you need to stay the course to reach your goals.

The first week of a diet program we are at our highest compliance and enthusiasm. But, sometimes even if you are doing everything right, there may not be very much change the first week or even two of a new diet or fitness program. After a couple of weeks of strict compliance and seeing no real big changes many people jump ship and start a new program. This is exactly what the diet industry not only expects but hopes for. The diet industry is a billion-dollar industry that is not built upon success stories.

In order to determine whether what you are doing is working, you need to be consistent and stay on it for a significant period of time. Evaluate how things are going after two weeks. If at two weeks you have been consistent every day but have not lost any weight, then you can look at tweaking the plan. When you are not losing weight over time that means that you are not consistently in a calorie deficit. You may need to lower your calories a little in order to get into a deficit. For me, once I started basing my daily calorie goal on the information regarding how many calories I personally burned each day the weight started coming off at a consistent rate.

Remember Even Before You Lose All The Weight, You Are Going To Be Reaching Goals All Along The Way

Sometimes, especially at the beginning of starting a diet we can feel overwhelmed thinking but it will take so long for me to get to my goals. I remember one friend of mine said “it’s easy for you because you only have x amount to lose, I have so much more.” Well, the truth is no matter where you are starting it seems like it is going to take forever. The person with 15 pounds to lose wants it gone in two weeks, not the three months that it is likely to take.

Wherever you are, set realistic time goals. If you have more to lose that is ok. The good thing is the more you have to lose, the faster you can lose in the beginning. A person who has over 100 pounds to lose may very well lose 8 pounds in the first couple of weeks (it’s likely water but still…) whereas that won’t happen for someone who has less to lose.

Second, don’t get overwhelmed by the overall amount of time. Even if you lost weight at a rate of 1 pound a week, in one year that is 52 pounds! I’m sure that you and others would notice a big difference with 52 pounds gone even if that is not your final goal. And, you may lose at a quicker rate on some weeks so you may get to your goal even quicker.

Third, remember that you are going to start looking and feeling better way before you get to your final goal. When I started this program, at the end of the first month I had lost 5 pounds. No one other than me really noticed this. However, I had more energy and my skin was clearing up. My clothes felt ever so slightly looser. And, more importantly, I gained a feeling of control. I finally felt like I was not at the mercy of my age or metabolism and that I could actually accomplish what I set out to.

Now eight months later, I am back to a normal BMI and I feel great. I still want to lose a little more and I figure that it may take another few months. I am ok with that and know that if I follow the process of consistency, evaluate my averages, and give myself time I will succeed.

Let me know if you try any of these tips and if they work for you!

If you enjoyed this post and want to save it for reference later, save it to your Pinterest Weight Loss board.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/699043173409969179/