Figuring out how much to eat for fat loss can feel like navigating a maze, especially for women over 40.
It’s a question I get all the time: “How much should I eat for fat loss?” So trust me, you’re not alone if you find yourself frustrated by the conflicting information out there.
It’s an important question, yet many overlook the importance of understanding their current eating habits before making changes. In this post, we’ll explore how to determine your caloric intake, why it matters, and how it can set you up for success on your fat loss journey.
The Importance of Knowing Your Current Caloric Intake
Before jumping into a diet plan or calorie-reduction strategy, the first step is to understand how much you’re currently eating. This may seem straightforward, but many people skip this essential piece of the puzzle, particularly those trying to DIY their weight loss journey.
Why Current Intake Matters
For women over 40, life gets busier, and managing time can become overwhelming. Often, there’s a desire for quick fixes — “just tell me what to do!” However, without understanding your current caloric intake, you’re essentially throwing darts in the dark. Whether you’re trying to lose fat or gain muscle, knowing your baseline intake is vital.
How to Calculate Your Current Caloric Intake
1. Track Your Food: Start by logging everything you eat for at least three days. You can use apps like MyFitnessPal or keep a physical food diary. This helps you become more aware of your eating habits.
2. Evaluate the Data: Once you have three days of logged food, assess the average calories and macros you’ve consumed. If you haven’t tracked before, it’s common for your intake to change once you become aware of what you’re eating.
3. Understand Duration: Ask yourself, “How long have I been eating this way?” If you’ve recently become conscious of your eating habits, your current intake may not represent your usual consumption patterns. It’s crucial to establish how normal this level of eating is for you.
The Next Step: Finding Your Ideal Caloric Needs
After determining your current caloric intake, the next question is, “How much should I be eating?” Here’s how to find out:
1. Use Calorie Calculators: There are plenty of online calculators to help you estimate your caloric needs based on your age, weight, activity level, and goals. You can also refer to wearable devices like Fitbits or Apple Watches for an estimate of your daily calorie burn.
2. Compare the Numbers: Take your average intake and compare it with the number generated by the calorie calculators. Are you currently eating less, more, or about the same as what you should be? This comparison will guide your next steps.
Understanding the Discrepancy
Let’s say your logs show you’ve been averaging about 1,800 calories, but the calculator suggests you should be consuming around 2,400 calories for maintenance. What does this mean? If you’re not losing weight at your current intake, it indicates a significant gap between your needs and your intake.
What to Do with This Information
• Consider Your Options: If you’re at 1,800 calories but should be at 2,400 for maintenance, you have a choice to make. You can either gradually increase your caloric intake to heal your metabolism or decide to stay at a lower caloric level. Just remember, drastic calorie cuts can lead to muscle loss and a slower metabolism, especially for women over 40.
• Be Informed: Understanding these numbers is critical. Ignoring the gap between what you’re eating and what you should be eating can lead to confusion, frustration, and ultimately wasted time on your weight loss journey.
Moving Forward with Your Fat Loss Journey
Once you know how much you should be eating, the path becomes clearer. Whether your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, having this foundational knowledge will allow you to create a tailored approach that works for your body and lifestyle.
Keep Track and Stay Accountable
As you start adjusting your caloric intake, continue tracking your food and monitor how your body responds. This ongoing awareness will help you make necessary adjustments and keep you motivated.
Conclusion
The question of how much women over 40 should eat for fat loss is multi-faceted. Starting with an understanding of your current caloric intake is crucial. Take the time to track, evaluate, and adjust your eating habits accordingly. This foundational step can save you years of frustration and pave the way for sustainable fat loss.
If you’re looking for more guidance on navigating your caloric intake and fat loss journey, consider checking out resources like the EM2WL Starter Kit or the Master Your Metabolism Masterclass. These tools can provide you with the knowledge and strategies needed to succeed.
By using this structured approach, not only do you set yourself up for success, but you also empower yourself with the knowledge needed to make informed choices moving forward. Remember, it’s not just about eating less; it’s about eating right!
Do Carbs Make You Fat?: The Truth About Carbs and Fat Loss for Women Over 40
For many women over 40 looking to lose weight, carbs often take the blame. We hear it all the time: “Cut the carbs, and the pounds will melt away!” But is this really the case? In this article, we’ll break down the myths and facts surrounding carbs and their impact on fat loss—especially for women navigating the changes that come with age.
Understanding Carbs and Weight Gain
It’s easy to see why carbs get blamed for weight gain. Carbohydrates are found in many foods we love, like bread, pasta, and sweets, but they’re also in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The confusion often starts here—people lump all carbs together, assuming they all have the same impact on the body. However, not all carbs are created equal.
Processed and refined carbs (like pastries and sugary snacks) can technically lead to weight gain because they are easy to overeat and don’t provide much nutritional value. On the other hand, unprocessed carbs (like fruits and whole grains) offer essential nutrients and can actually help you manage your weight.
So, what’s the real story? Are carbs truly to blame for that stubborn belly fat, or is the issue more complex?
Why Carbs Are an Easy Target
For years, low-carb diets have been marketed as the magic solution to fat loss, and it’s easy to see why. When people reduce carbs, they often lose weight quickly at first due to water loss.
You see, for every gram of carbohydrate stored in the body as glycogen, the body retains an extra 3-4 grams of water.
That means for every 1 gram of carbs, you’re retaining 4-5 grams of weight (carbohydrate + water).
You read that right…every gram of carbs = 4-5 TIMES it’s weight in water.
To put that in “scale” terms – for every 100g of carbs, equates to approximately .88-1.1 pounds. A 500g spike in carbs over the course of the week, can show as 4-5 pounds gained that week.
So, when you cut carbs, your body taps into its glycogen stores, releasing that stored water and causing a rapid drop in weight.
This quick result can make it seem like carbs were the problem all along. However, this early weight loss isn’t sustainable if the overall diet isn’t balanced.
Many women over 40 who have been through several dieting cycles might find that simply cutting carbs doesn’t lead to long-term fat loss. This is because the real issue isn’t the carbs themselves, but the type of carbs and how they fit into your overall calorie intake.
The Bigger Picture: Calories, Fat, and Overeating
Let’s look at some data to set the record straight. Between 1970 and 2010, the average American’s calorie intake increased by about 500 calories per day. Surprisingly, the largest increase came from added fats and oils, not carbs. The rise in obesity rates isn’t solely due to eating more carbohydrates. In fact, highly processed foods—often a combination of carbs, fats, and sugar—are more likely to lead to overeating and weight gain.
For example, eating an apple versus eating a pastry provides two very different outcomes. The apple, rich in fiber, can actually help you eat fewer calories overall, while the pastry is more likely to lead to overeating because of its high fat and sugar content.
Do Low-Carb Diets Work for Fat Loss?
Research shows that when calories and protein are the same, low-carb diets don’t have a significant advantage over higher-carb diets for fat loss. This is particularly important for women over 40, as our bodies change with age, and preserving muscle mass becomes critical. Protein intake plays a huge role in this. Diets higher in protein, regardless of carb intake, have been shown to promote fat loss while helping maintain muscle mass.
The key takeaway here? Cutting carbs alone isn’t a magic bullet for fat loss. In fact, finding the right balance of protein, carbs, and fat that works for you will yield better, more sustainable results.
The Role of Ketogenic Diets
You’ve likely heard about the ketogenic diet, or “keto,” as it’s commonly known. While keto has gained popularity for fat loss, recent studies show it may not offer the advantage many claim. In a study comparing ketogenic diets to low-fat diets, both groups lost similar amounts of fat and muscle, with no significant difference in results. When it comes to fat loss, if calories and protein remain the same, low carb diets do not outperform higher carb diets.
For women over 40, it’s important to remember that losing muscle mass along with fat can make it harder to maintain a healthy metabolism. Finding a balanced diet that preserves muscle while promoting fat loss should be the goal, not simply getting the scale to move at any cost.
So, Are Carbs Fattening?
The short answer is no—carbs are not inherently fattening. The type of carbs you eat and how many total calories you consume matter more than the carbs themselves. Processed, high-sugar foods can lead to overeating, while unprocessed, fiber-rich carbs like fruits and vegetables can support your fat loss goals.
As you navigate fat loss over 40, focus on eating a balanced diet that includes healthy carbs, enough protein, and the right number of calories for your body. Don’t let the fear of carbs keep you from eating the foods that can fuel your body and support your long-term goals.
Final Thoughts
For women over 40, fat loss can feel like a never-ending battle. But the key is balance, not restriction. Cutting out carbs isn’t the answer; instead, focus on eating a sufficient amount of whole, nutrient-dense foods that help you feel satisfied and nourished.
Remember, carbs can be part of a healthy, fat-burning diet.
The real secret? Finding what works best for you and your body’s needs.
Are you 40+ and still relying on cardio to burn fat? Here’s why that might be holding you back.
If you’re a woman over 40 looking to lose weight, chances are you’ve been told that cardio is the ultimate fat-burner. You’ve probably logged countless hours on the treadmill or bike, only to find your results slowing down. It’s time for some tough love: cardio isn’t your fat loss savior.
Yes, cardio burns calories in the moment, but it’s not the long-term solution you’ve been promised. In fact, if you’re focused solely on cardio, you could be sabotaging your fat loss efforts. Let’s break it down.
Cardio Is a Quick Fix, Not a Solution
When we think of fat loss, we often imagine burning as many calories as possible, and cardio seems like the obvious answer. It’s fast-paced, it gets your heart rate up, and you leave the gym sweaty and satisfied. But that satisfaction is often short-lived.
Cardio burns calories while you’re doing it, but once you stop, so does the burn. That’s why you might notice that despite upping your cardio sessions, the scale isn’t moving—or worse, it’s creeping up. The issue? Cardio doesn’t address the bigger picture of fat loss, especially for women over 40.
The “Skinny Fat” Trap
Women over 40 face a unique challenge when it comes to fat loss: muscle loss. Every year, after the age of 30, we naturally lose muscle if we don’t actively work to maintain it. Unfortunately, hours of cardio don’t help with that—actually, they make it worse.
When you focus on cardio without strength training, you risk losing muscle, which can leave you looking “skinny fat.” This means that while you might weigh less, your body composition doesn’t change in the way you want. You lose tone, definition, and strength—all while potentially gaining back more fat than you’ve lost.
Why Building Muscle Is the Real Key to Fat Loss
If cardio isn’t the answer, then what is? Strength training.
Building muscle is crucial for women over 40 because muscle is metabolically active tissue. That means the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Strength training helps to preserve and build muscle, which keeps your metabolism running strong.
While cardio burns calories during the workout, strength training continues to burn calories long after your session is over. It’s called the afterburn effect (or EPOC—excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). Your body uses more energy to repair the muscles you’ve worked, meaning you’ll keep torching fat even while you rest.
More Cardio, More Cravings?
Here’s another reason to rethink your cardio routine: it can actually make you hungrier. Have you ever finished a long run or intense spin class, only to feel ravenous afterward? That’s because excessive cardio can spike your hunger hormones, causing you to eat more than you need to, often without realizing it.
What’s worse is that, as your body adapts to your cardio routine, you’ll have to keep doing more to burn the same amount of calories. It’s an exhausting cycle—more cardio, more cravings, more frustration.
Balance Is Key
Does this mean you should ditch cardio altogether? Not at all. Cardio has its place—it’s great for heart health, endurance, and stress relief. But if fat loss is your goal, it’s time to shift your mindset. Focus on building muscle through strength training and use cardio as a complementary tool, not the main event.
The Bottom Line: Cardio Alone Won’t Get You There
If you’re still stuck in the mindset that cardio is your fat loss hero, it’s time for a tough love moment: cardio alone won’t get you where you want to be. Building muscle, on the other hand, will help you reshape your body, boost your metabolism, and create long-term fat loss results.
Remember, the goal is not to weigh less at all costs—it’s to create a body composition that makes you feel strong, confident, and capable. So, next time you hit the gym, skip the endless cardio and pick up some weights. Your body—and metabolism—will thank you.
Ready to rethink your fat loss approach? Check out the EM2WL Training App for a step-by-step strategy on exactly how to use muscle building (not cardio) as your fat loss secret.
Fad diets — ever-changing eating crazes that promise everything from rapid weight loss to boundless energy — often come under fire for their unsustainable nature and potential health risks (basically 99.999999% of posts on this site!). But what if there’s more to these fleeting food trends than meets the eye? Let’s peel back the layers and uncover some unexpected positives that might just change your perspective (and help you forgive yourself for the years…ok, decades…that you may have spent on the fad diet hamster wheel.)
Innovation in the Food Industry
This is hands-down my FAVE “benefit.”
Fad diets may be one-hit wonders for shedding pounds; but they’re catalysts for culinary creativity.
Think about it: would brands like Quest, 647, or Farilife even exist without the low-carb craze of the early 2000s? (I mean, Core Power single-handedly converted my 15+ year anti-protein-drink stance…)
Would grilled chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, or almond butter have ever seen the light of day without the fads they rode in on?
Maybe…maybe not…
BUT thanks to fad diets, food manufacturers and restaurants are constantly pushing the boundaries, offering innovative products and menu options that cater to specific dietary needs and preferences.
For instance, the rise of plant-based eating, fueled in part by various fad diets, has led to a surge in meatless options at restaurants and grocery stores. Whether you’re a committed vegetarian or just looking to incorporate more veggies into your diet, there’s never been a better time to explore the world of plant-based cuisine.
And let’s not forget about “superfoods.” Once obscure ingredients like acai berries, kale, and chia seeds have gained superstar status thanks to their promotion in fad diets. While their original hype may have died down, these nutritional powerhouses earned a permanent spot as nutrition boosts for smoothie bowls and salads add-ins for those that already loved and adored their less “super” relatives.
Also…have you tried all of the prebiotic “soda” options – I’m slightly obsessed with testing every Poppi flavor I come across! (Ok…definitely not soda, lol – but my sparkling water has gotten a major upgrade, and even my grandson will drink it!) But I digress…
Increased Awareness
Love them or loathe them, fad diets have one undeniable impact: they get people talking about nutrition. As each new diet trend dominates headlines, women are prompted to become more discerning about the foods they consume and the effects they may have on their goals.
Just like the person who craves financial independence, conquering physique goals requires taking a closer look at your “spending” habits and analyzing how it’s affecting your bottom line.
Encouragement of Healthy Eating
[Be forewarned, I go further down the hypocrisy rabbit hole here by putting “fad diets, and “nutritional” together in the very next sentence.]
Amidst the chaos of fad diets, there’s often a glimmer of nutritional wisdom. Yep. I said it.
As much as it makes someone like me absolutely cringe to admit, many fads emphasize the importance of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables, encouraging people to incorporate more nourishing options into their daily diet. Whether it’s swapping out refined carbs for cauliflower or adding more greens to your plate, these small changes can actually have a big impact on your health. (So long as they’re not taken to extreme measures by completely omitting other nutritious options – which is usually where fads tend to veer off the deep end.
Community Support
While most of us may never want to acknowledge it, one of the biggest allures of fad diets is feeling like you’re a part of something. (Even if you’re a complete recluse like me.). Whether it’s swapping success stories on social media or seeking support in online forums, fad dieters often find themselves part of a tight-knit community of like-minded individuals. This sense of camaraderie provides much-needed support, motivation, and a shared understanding of the dietary journey.
Being part of a community can make even the most ridiculous fads easier to stick to.
So when a new fad sweeps the globe, and we choose to not jump on the bandwagon – feeling left out and lonely can compound the self doubt that we often feel when striving for a goal, making giving up (or slowing down) a higher probability.
Research and Development
While many fads are essentially half-truths from actual research, (read: someone takes decades of research, pulls out a marginal/outlier statement and creates a “brand” around it) sometimes… it’s the other way around.
Believe it or not, fad diets can fuel scientific curiosity. As a particular diet gains traction, researchers are spurred into action, eager to uncover its efficacy and potential health benefits. This flurry of research contributes to our evolving understanding of nutrition, shedding light on the complex interplay between diet and health.
As someone who adores the research, I find it particularly fascinating to follow the decades of lab and in-the-trenches trials and debates produced by some of the world’s greatest minds – that evolve from a simple “viral” topic.
Embracing Moderation
Perhaps the greatest gift of fad diets is the realization that extreme measures are rarely sustainable.
Instead of adhering to rigid rules, more and more women are embracing the mantra of “everything in moderation.” By adopting a balanced approach to eating, they can finally enjoy the occasional indulgence without derailing their physique goals.
The days of having to choose between living your life and losing fat are not only outdated, but completely unnecessary.
Yes. Being a woman over 40 often equates to having been… exposed… to a much wider variety of fad diets than our younger counterparts. But, this can actually work in your benefit if you’re willing to crush your old Diet Mentality (read: the desire to get even stricter – or worse – develop the woe-is-me, “nothing ever works” mindset.)
While acknowledging that past participation in fad diets have likely led to your weight loss plateau – or even weight regain – you don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Keep an open mind, and start looking at all the benefits, knowledge, and resources that you now have access to, to help you in reaching your goals in a much more attainable (and sustainable!) way.
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While these silver linings may offer a glimmer of hope, remember that it’s still essential to approach fad diets with caution. For every cauliflower crust success story, there’s a cautionary tale of unsustainable eating habits and potential health risks. So as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of dietary trends, the key is to embrace the “benefits” that these fads offer, without embracing the actual fad.
When it comes to blending cardio with resistance training, when you do it matters. Let’s break it down into simple steps so you can understand how the timing of your cardio impacts your results.
Option 1: Cardio on Rest Days
Easy enough, right? Pick the days when you’re not lifting weights to do your cardio. This way, you keep things neat and tidy, letting your body focus on each type of exercise separately.
Option 2: Cardio on Lifting Days
Here’s the trick – if you can, spread out your cardio and lifting sessions. Studies say the more space you can put between them, the better your results. This works like a charm, especially if you lift three days a week and dedicate one (or more) of the other four to cardio.
Juggling Act: Frequency, Preferences, and Fun Days
As you lift more often, finding the right balance with cardio becomes a puzzle. It’s about figuring out how many cardio sessions fit your routine. And don’t forget personal preference – maybe you want some days off for leisure instead of sweating it out all the time. It’s your workout, so make it work for you.
Splitting on the Same Day: Smart Moves
If keeping cardio and lifting apart is a mission, no worries. Split them up on the same day. Try cardio in the morning and lifting in the evening (or the other way around). It’s especially handy for HIIT enthusiasts. Just remember, the order isn’t a big deal; what matters is giving your body a few hours of rest in between.
Snack Time: Fueling Your Performance
Feeling tired? A well-balanced diet can sort that out. But if you’re doing morning cardio before breakfast, grab some carbs right after to refuel your energy stores.
Rule for Same-Day Workouts: Lift First
If you’re stuck doing both cardio and lifting in one go, stick to a rule: Lift first. Aerobic exercises, even the easy ones, can tire you out. Start with lifting to keep your energy levels up. Studies show doing cardio before lifting might mess with your muscle growth signals, no matter if it’s HIIT or regular cardio.
In a nutshell, when you do cardio is like adding spices to a dish – it can make or break it. So, consider these options, think about what suits you best, and get ready to rock your workout routine. Whether you like to keep things separate, mix them up on the same day, or follow a rule for same-day workouts, the key is finding your sweet spot.
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