Weight Loss Tips For Men Over 40

If only everything were as easy as it was in our twenties – a night out without the hangover, a bit of yard work without the backache, and a great meal without weight gain. Unfortunately, as we age, it simply gets harder to lose weight and this is for a variety of reasons. It’s not simply “your metabolism slows down” like we used to think; there are a variety of factors alongside your metabolism that affect your ability to lose weight, including:

• Loss of muscle mass
• Fluctuations in hormones, like lower testosterone and higher cortisol
• Slipping into a work-and-home routine that is sedentary, which in turn makes us less effective at using calories and this spikes insulin and insulin’s main goal is to store fat
• High blood pressure and prediabetes are common factors that not only come from being overweight but also contributes to weight gain
  

Weight loss for men over 40 isn’t impossible, however, and with a few tweaks to your life, you can get back on track toward the body you want. We’ve put together our favorite weight loss tips that sound simple but will have a profound impact on your life.

Sleep is more than the second best thing to do in a bed (pillow forts are the first, duh) – it’s incredibly important for restoring your body. When you’re asleep, your body burns calories to repair muscle and tissue damage, your liver filters toxins out of your blood and your kidneys filter waste, and your brain gets cleared of neurotransmitter clutter. Lack of sleep is one of the biggest blocks to weight loss and muscle gain, yet most men don’t get enough for one reason or another.

Aim for 6-7 hours a night minimum, but an ideal number is closer to 7.5-8. Good sleep improves mental clarity, memory, and motivation, along with weight loss perks. 

There are so many diets out there that you can quite easily find one that fits your particular worldview, and most of them claim incredible weight loss benefits. The truth is that the best diet is one that’s formulated from whole foods and eschews processed trash, particularly sugar and seed oils, and you can do that with almost any way of eating. Fad diets aren’t great because most guys simply gain the weight back when they stop the diet.

The best way of eating is whole foods-based and sustainable; if it helps you stay on your eating plan to have a burger and fries after a Saturday bar trip, then do it. Sustainability is the key.

Processed foods are those that are shelf-stable and typically sit on the interior of the grocery store. These are foods that have a lot of extra sugar and fat to make them not break down for years, like chips and cookies. While in small amounts these things aren’t terrible, when they’re the center of your diet, it’s disastrous.

Focus on whole foods like vegetables, fruit, eggs, cheese, meat and fish, nuts and seeds and you’ll see your weight drop.

Lifting weights is a great way to build muscle, which in turn increases your basal metabolic rate. The more muscle you have, the more calories it takes to maintain, and the more fat you’ll burn. Weight lifting and resting muscle also increases insulin sensitivity, which in turn improves your health and makes your body more apt to burn fat.

Plus when you’ve got muscle, you just look better – it’s science.