10 Dietician-Approved Tips To Lose Fat Over The Age Of 40 And Put Abs On Show
Is trying to part ways from your belly fat the slowest break-up you’ve ever had? Here’s how to commit to your weight loss promise and feel positive about your new middle management role.
Losing belly fat can feel like a long, impossible job.
THE BRIEF
Time to read: 4 minutes 30 seconds
Time to action: 5 minutes
Mantra: Check yourself before, you know, you wreck yourself
Main message: 10 ways to make reducing body fat sweet, no sorrow.
Stat: 62% of successful weight loss came with a reduction of 10 hours of TV a week
“It’s not you. It’s me.”
Nobody wants to hear those words – so let’s agree that when it comes to weight gain, it’s definitely about us. And as much as we like to blame anything other than ourselves, we often misread the signs of our metabolism.
The truth is, people like ‘us’ – similar height and weight – have a similar base metabolism. That means we will most likely burn around the same number of calories as anyone with a similar body type, mainly removing the old “slow metabolism” mantra and pointing the pudgy finger of weight gain firmly toward human error.
To help keep your weight loss mission on track, we asked 10 dietitians for their insight to help you avoid the errors of everyday excess. We then picked the best one from each dietitian (removing the obvious or the unactionable) to produce the FORM guide to becoming a love handle removal machine.*
1. Count calories like £s, not lbs
The average under-reporting of calories for an average 40-year-old looking to manage their middle is a titanic 47%. To combat this, consider your calorie intake like your finances: how would your financial health look if you underestimated your expenditure by 47%?
Start your accuracy journey with a simple, repeatable, 5-day eating plan. The “incidentals” make up a considerable chunk of the difference, and they happen primarily to/from/around your work as you have less time to consider the alternative. Tally them up and stick to them for a few weeks, then make another one and alternate.
Just like the pennies, the calories quickly add up. So, instead of performing everyday arithmetic, just do it once and repeat. Your midriff will start to see and feel the savings in around four weeks.
2. iPhone a friend
Swap just 2 minutes of social media scrolling for active engagement on apps like Calorie Counter or MyFitnessPal. Get into the practice of logging everything just before or after eating simply to ensure nothing you’ve eaten gets lost to the spare-tyre monster of time.
We also have a newsletter containing quick tips that take between 30 seconds and 15 minutes to help you hit your health targets. It’s free, of course. If you fancy it, you can subscribe at the bottom of our website.
3. Exercise is an ally, not everything
Working up a sweat will help your weight loss, not create it, so don’t try to out-train your eating habits. Food changes account for the overwhelming majority of what you’re trying to achieve, so alter your diet accordingly. Make sure to include a post-training reward. Just as long as it’s not, you know, a chocolate cake. We trust you to be sensible.
4. Think rich to help slim
While calorie counting is critical, also consider consuming more nutrient-rich foods. Eating essential nutrients reduces deficits (AKA cravings) and helps you manage pesky calories. You know the best foods already, but for the sake of being completists: garlic; kale; fish; liver; berries; and eggs. If you’re after a more comprehensive list or some relevant recipes, let us know. We will supply you with a plentiful list of nutrition-rich foods.
Block abs want blocks of high density nutrients
5. Watch the condiment calories
Salad dressings, cooking oils, table sauces… the calories can add up quickly when these are involved, so either count them in your tally, find low-cal alternatives, or avoid them altogether. True, this isn’t the most exciting prospect in the world. But your gut microbiome will thank you from the inside first, then on the outside, so everyone else can see how good you feel.
6. Find faith in the familiar
Familiarise yourself with the calorie content of common foods you consume regularly. This includes how many calories per serving and the nutrients you are about to imbibe. This takes so much effort out of the constant counting and helps your calorie intake to be much more accurate, much more often.
7. Add off-and-on to your intake
Intermittent fasting (alternating between fasting and eating periods) may be so hip right now, but it’s for good reason: there is enough evidence to suggest placing your faith in the latest wellness darling really works. Different intermittent fasting methods exist – 5/2; 14/10; 16/8 – so find one that fits your life, not the other way around.
8. Swap shopping
Use Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream, aubergine noodles instead of pasta, and cauliflower rice instead of white rice. So many swaps offer similar flavours, but reduce calorie intake to the point it’s 100% worth it. Check out our social media channels if you need more like-for-like trades. Or tell us what you’d like to swap out, and we’ll offer you an alternative.
Get through all 8 of these tips and you can look for these rewards
9. Reward yourself with inedibles
“Treat yourself” is not a no-no. It is in fact a yes-yes. Rewards such as a new book, playlist, or giving yourself time to indulge in the pleasures that rank highest on your happiness scale, are essential to sustaining your push for fat reduction. Imagine telling yourself you can do anything you like for an hour each night for a week, guilt-free, so long as it doesn't involve eating. Break the association between food and reward, and feed your soul rather than your belly – a recipe for weight loss that gives back to the body and mind.
10. Get social support
Find your personal cheerleading squad, but be mindful of your new confidence, as this is when the old habits you enjoyed together can reappear and push you off-track faster than an F1 dodgem death race. Take stock of moments when you have previously overeaten or made less-than-wise food choices. Don’t ghost your friends to stay the course, but be mindful of their pressure on your side. They probably don’t see it, but it could lead you to put back on the spare tyre that you’ve been working so hard to outrun. Remember that when it comes to sustaining good new ways of working, it’s all about you, not them.
*If you can name the band we adapted this from, we’ll send you a free ebook.
Additional Sources: Support crew: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230608121025.htm