Gaining Weight in Your 40s: Facts and Tips

Unfortunately, we can’t have the metabolism of a teenager forever. If you’re a woman entering your 40s who’s realized you’re putting on a little extra weight, you’re not alone! Several factors contribute to this weight gain. Luckily, there are ways to manage your weight during this time. Below, we’ll go over a few reasons women gain weight in their 40s and share some tips for shedding those extra pounds.

Why do you gain weight in your 40s?

There are several reasons women start to gain weight in their 40s, including but not limited to:

  • Slower metabolism – Once you hit your 40s, you can count on your metabolic rate to hit a low point. That’s because it slows with age. Lower estrogen levels also contribute to this.
  • Hormones – It’s no secret that your hormones start to get thrown out of whack as you near menopause. From estrogen to progesterone to testosterone, your body chemicals are going to be experiencing a lot of fluctuation – which means you’ll also likely experience weight gain, as hormones control many of  your body’s functions, including hunger. Hunger cues can get wonky when levels of ghrelin, which alerts your body that you’re hungry, and leptin, which sends the cues that you’re full, fluctuate. 
  • Loss of lean muscle – Around your 40s, and especially when you hit menopause, you’ll likely start to lose muscle mass due to lower estrogen and testosterone levels. This can lead to weight gain due to the fact that muscle mass is one of the largest components of how many calories you burn each day. 
  • Stress levels – You have a lot on your plate in your 40s. Work is stressful, finances can put a strain on you, and if you have a family to take care of, that’s just the icing on the cake. All of these stressors can cause your cortisol levels to spike, which can lead to lower blood sugar, and, in turn, a larger appetite for sugary sweets. 

Weight loss tips

Just because weight gain is a common part of reaching your 40s, it doesn’t mean you can’t stay on top of your health and shed some of those extra pounds with a little bit of work! Here are a few tips for boosting your metabolism and losing weight in middle age: 

  • Make sure you’re eating veggies – Ensuring you’re consuming enough vegetables is one of the most important parts of maintaining a healthy diet and, in turn, keeping your weight down. Aim for five cups a day (but make sure you get at least two or three minimum!) in order to get all the valuable nutrients your body needs and to protect yourself from disease. Not only are vegetables great for you, but they also fill you up faster than other foods, meaning you won’t have as much of a desire to stuff yourself with fatty snacks and sugary desserts. Plus, they support healthy digestion and regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels. 
  • Go easy on the alcohol – As much as a cocktail can help you unwind at the end of the day, it’s best to keep alcohol drinks to a minimum when you’re trying to lose weight in your 40s. A glass of wine now and then is fine – and can even help with weight management – but don’t go overboard or cross into binge drinking territory. Drinking alcohol with your meals makes it less likely that your body will burn those calories, as it’s focused on breaking down the alcohol – and we all know how easy it is to overeat when we’ve had a bit too much to drink. Plus, alcohol can lead to a wonky sleepy cycle, which will throw your metabolism off. Try to stick to just one drink per day, or limit your alcohol consumption to the weekend. 
  • Stay active and diversify your workouts – Movement is everything! And it’s best to have a balance of exercise each day. That means incorporating everyday movement, (like getting your daily steps in) with intentional activities like bike rides or elliptical machines and resistance-training or high intensity workouts. To shed those extra pounds, get yourself on a workout schedule that works for you – and at the very least, make sure you’re stretching regularly and walking as much as you can throughout the day. All of this will work to boost your metabolism and maintain that muscle mass that’s essential to burning calories. 
  • Stay on a healthy sleep schedule – Did you know that sleep is closely linked with metabolism? If you’re not getting enough of it, or if your schedule isn’t healthy, you can run into issues with your appetite-regulating hormones. You’ll want to eat more, you’ll crave more sweets and less healthy foods, and when you are full, the hormones that are supposed to let you know that won’t be on their A-game. To prevent this, make sure you’re getting 8 hours of sleep every night. If you have trouble falling asleep, start winding down 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime with some calming exercises and a cup of caffeine-free tea – and switch your phone out for a relaxing book! 

We get it: gaining weight can cause some damage to your self-esteem, no matter what age you are. But with a little work and a good diet, you can keep your body as healthy as possible. At the end of the day, the most important thing is feeling good and staying healthy – which often leads to looking great, too!