Why Can't I Lose Weight After 40?
We all know the obvious triggers such as eating too much and not getting enough physical activity, but there are some sneakier factors that can play a big part in weight gain. In today’s blog post, we talk about some of the most common factors to avoid so that we can keep our tummies trim and within a healthy weight range!
Too Much Stress
Cortisol also changes how our bodies use glucose, making it harder to burn fat and easier to store fat. Women are more likely to store fat in their middle section, but this can also be true for men. Abdominal fat has been linked to health issues, so it’s definitely something we want to keep to a minimum!
Falling Into Emotional Eating Habits
We might feel a little bit better in the immediate aftermath, but in the longer term, this type of emotional eating can have a big effect on our weight. Most of the time, we won’t get a signal to say that we’re full, and it’s all too easy to find that we’ve eaten a lot more than we planned to in a very short space of time. Above all, we probably won’t feel any better afterwards. In fact, we may well feel a whole lot worse as it’s common for emotional eating to make us feel guilty and ashamed of our food choices.
Not Sleeping Well
Sleeping well is one of the underrated ways to keep our weight in check as our levels of these hormones will be a lot more balanced. It can be hard to prioritize, as a woman with many responsibilities, but it can go a long way towards our health!
Not Building Muscle Mass
Lean muscle boosts our metabolism and makes it that little bit easier to burn calories. When we don’t have much lean muscle, our metabolism doesn’t get this benefit and it’s harder to burn calories.
One of the best ways to build more muscle mass is through strength training. Don’t worry, you don’t have to end up looking like a bodybuilder! The idea of strength training is to build a toned body with minimal body fat, rather than the bulky look we often associate with weights.
Not Eating Enough
These kinds of diets are very hard to stick to in the long term. It is very common that people go back to a less restrictive way of eating, yet their bodies can still be more likely to store fat. This is why many people find that they gain weight after coming off a low-calorie diet.
Eating Low Fat Foods
A lot of supposedly low fat options are often high in sugar and salt to make them tastier and can also contain a lot of calories. Eat too many of these low fat foods and it's easy to put weight on!
Tips For Avoiding These Triggers
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet that isn’t too restrictive on calories and stay away from low fat foods that can promote weight gain.
- Be physically active and help our bodies gain more muscle mass.
- Get plenty of sleep to keep appetite hormones in balance.
- Making stress reduction a big part of our self-care routines and finding healthier ways to manage our emotions that don’t involve emotional eating.
- Adopting a more mindful approach to eating so that we don’t eat on autopilot.
"If someone was asking about your program I would tell them that they should definitely arrange a coaching call with you. That it would be the best call they ever made because help and support are waiting."
-Simple Swaps Member Brenda
Want Ways To Manage These Triggers?
These weight gain triggers are super relatable, but lucky for us, there are many things we can do to address them! Triggers such as emotional eating, not eating enough & eating low fat foods can be addressed by being intentional and mindful about what we put into our bodies. I'd love for you to book a free health coaching call. I want to find out what you are struggling with and give you my best tips to start you on a journey toward a lean and healthy body for life. Click on the button below to book your free call now. |