Struggling to understand why you are putting on weight in your 40’s? I am going to explain why and more importantly what you can do to combat the unwanted weight gain. 

What Happens To Your Body When You Reach The 40 Mark?

Hormones change. 

Metabolism starts to slow. 

Muscle loss begins. 

Even worse, if you are genetically predisposed to gain weight this makes it even worse. 

This weight gain is frustrating but fortunately there is something you can do about it. So before you consider ‘accepting’ it, or starting some fad diet or even considering surgery take the following into consideration. 

And remember, if for the last 5 years you haven’t done anything proactive to combat this weight gain results are not going to be immediate. 

But if you start today I am sure you will thank yourself a year from now!

In this article I will explain everything you need to know about preventing weight gain in your 40’s, based on the knowledge and 9 years experience of a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach with a degree in Exercise, Nutrition and Health (find more out about me here).

How To Prevent Unwanted weight gain in your 40’s

This section is split into two depending on current activity levels. 

For those who already exercise 

If you have been exercising and eating well for a while you are already at an advantage. 

Even with that though you may still experience some weight changes when you reach 40. 

Resistance Training 

If you aren’t currently including resistance training into your exercise routine you need to. 

One study published in the Sports Medicine Journal NZ concluded that ‘Resistance training in older adults increases power, enhances energy expenditure and improves body composition”. 

Whilst the study was with ‘older adults’, the principles are the same. Weight training burns more calories, increases power and improves body fat levels. 

Therefore including it is essential. If you are just getting started my rather biased advice would be to invest in a Personal Trainer. Doesn’t matter how long for, just learn the basics, it will still make a difference. 

Other approaches to combating weight gain include; 

• Diet changes. Cutting out processed foods, eating more fruit and vegetables and ensuring you have enough protein will help. 
• Be more active. A couple of extra walks a week will still make a difference. 
• Try different training methods. HIIT, circuit training, interval training have all shown to improve body composition of participants in their 40’s

 Important to note though, if you feel like you are overtraining you probably are. Listen to your body and rest.

For those who don’t already exercise 

If you have not consistently exercised over the last 20 years you can still make changes to prevent excess weight gain. 

You might be tempted to go mad and follow some crazy weight loss plan. Dont. 

It won’t be sustainable and you are more likely to cause an injury. 

Start slow and build yourself up. I would suggest hitting a daily step target approximately 50% more than you currently complete. 

From there calculate how many calories your body currently requires and what type of foods will suit you best. (If you want help calculating your calorie requirements email me [email protected]). This will ensure you are going to promote further weight gain.

Again, I want to stress that whilst it may be tempting to try something drastic, at least start off by focussing on things you can control. Daily exercise, diet, alcohol, stress levels, sleep. 

In summary, in order to prevent weight gain in your over 40’s concentrate on changing things within your control. 

Walk more, focus on eating nutritious foods, start including resistance training into your exercise routine. 

If you are looking for healthy food inspiration check out my free recipe pack. In the pack there at 8 recipes with calories already calculated with macronutrient breakdown. Click the link below.