Losing Weight Without Exercise

Whether you hate exercise or you like it but aren’t getting results now that you’re over 40, you might wonder if you can just skip it and lose weight without exercising. So let’s talk about whether it’s possible to lose weight after 40 without working out, and if so how and is that advisable anyway?

First, it depends on how much excess weight you have (note: I don’t teach you how to get skinny. It’s about healthy habits that help your body fall to its happy, fit, natural weight).

If you’re trying to lose “the last five or ten pounds,” you’re at the point where every little bit counts and the right type of exercise (more on that below) is almost always a key puzzle piece. Especially to lose the weight in a healthy & sustainable way, not trying to starve yourself.

If you believe you could lose 50-100 pounds to get to an average (not skinny) weight, you can most likely start with just tweaking what you’re eating without needing any exercise at first, but that will likely change the closer you get to an average weight range.

If you think you’re somewhere in between, that depends on various factors such as

• your body type.
  
  The less muscle mass on your body, the harder it is to lose weight, as muscle speeds metabolism. So if you have a more muscular, athletic build or you’ve always been more naturally lean but gaining as you age, you may be able to lose weight with less or little exercise.
  
  However, every human loses muscle starting at around 35, and the muscle loss accelerates as we get older. So if you’re having more and more trouble losing weight, this is one of the typical reasons. Adding the right kind of workouts, gets the metabolism engine burning again.
  

• your dieting history.
  
  If you’ve been yo-yo dieting, this slows the metabolism and usually makes it harder to lose weight the more you do it. One of the reasons is because crash diets typically make us lose muscle, not just fat. And when we gain the weight back, we gain it in fat, so this is slowing your metabolism more and more.
  
  If you used to be able to lose weight just from slashing calories or carbs and that’s not working anymore, not only is it important not to do a crash dieting method and lose even more muscle, but you want to incorporate strength training.
  

• your stress level.
  
  If you’ve been under pretty significant stress lately, not only will that usually make it harder to lose weight no matter what you do, but the wrong type of exercise at the wrong time of day can make it even worse. Keep reading for the details.

If you’re going to exercise for weight loss, be sure you’re doing the right type.

As mentioned above, you need strength training to build the muscle that helps speed the metabolism. You don’t need hardcore bootcamps six days a week. In fact, you’ll get the most benefit by giving your muscles at least one rest day between strength workouts where they rebuild after being “fatigued.” So 3 times per week for strength training is the sweet spot after 40, and 2ce a week over 50 is often sufficient.

**Please don’t think you have to go from zero to 3. Just start with once a week and get great consistency with that if you’re having trouble adjusting, getting motivated or fitting it into your schedule. That’s how I started. It’s hard to make lasting changes when we’re super busy. You’re way more likely to get success when you take baby steps.

Cardio is also beneficial but not enough on its own, and that’s usually one of the biggest frustrations and surprises after 40. We used to just slash calories and hit the treadmill, bike or elliptical and drop all kinds of weight but when we try that now, nothing happens. When you pair cardio with building muscle, you’ll reap those results again.

**A few important tips: morning is generally the best time of day for cardio in our age group. That’s because it raises the stress hormone cortisol and can affect your sleep, belly weight, and weight loss in general. Also, about 30 minutes of getting your heart rate up is plenty. HIIT workouts (high intensity interval training) of 20 minutes or so are very effective in our age group. Again, this is different from the 1980’s model of getting on the Stairmaster or exercycle for an hour.

Finally, taking walks and getting your steps in is another big help when done in conjunction with the strength training and some short higher intensity cardio. But walking alone isn’t enough for weight loss or weight maintenance for most of us after 40.

The point of exercising isn’t for weight loss anyway…

It’s really not about whether we “have to” exercise to lose or maintain our weight.

Not only is it super important for you to (re)build the muscle that you’re guaranteed to lose with age, but strength training is key for:

• bone density

• brain health and mood

• preventing falls, helping you with balance

• your independence in the coming decades.

And cardiovascular exercise is key for your heart, lungs, stamina and mental health.

So please, girlfriend, promise me you’ll slowly and regularly incorporate a variety of workouts into your life, totally independent of what the scale says. Don’t pick a diet plan, potion or powder because it tells you that you’ll lose weight without having to exercise. That’s not healthy for you.

And know that when you exercise for your health & wellness, your clothes will start fitting differently too :)

Tell me below what aha this gave you?

To your freedom!

♥ Debbie