Ep 37: Are You Really Ready to Lose Fat After 40?

0:00Hello and welcome back to Becoming Her, Fitter, Better, and Stronger over 40. I am Shauna, your host and coach. I'm 45, a boy mom, a wife, and a fitness and nutrition coach, helping women over 40 become their best. Today, we are talking about something that is very important if you are a woman over 40 who wants to lose fat, and that is that not everyone is ready for a fat loss phase, especially if you've been on a yo-yo diet for years. This episode is for you if you are considering starting another fat loss phase, but you've been dieting on and off for years. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through how to know if you are truly ready for a fat loss phase, what it actually takes to have a successful fat loss phase, and then what to do after so that you don't end up rebounding, regaining the weight, and starting all over.

0:49So let's dive right in. I want you to know that this is coming from someone who's not only had her own ups and downs with fat loss, but I've also coached hundreds of women over 40 with their own fat loss journeys. And I want you to understand that just because you want to lose fat doesn't mean your body is in a place to do that effectively or efficiently. So if you've been eating 1200 to 1400 calories for months or years, doing cardio five, six times a week, feeling tired, bloated, puffy, or stuck, or seeing zero results, even though you're doing all the things, it's not that your body is broken.

1:24It's likely that your metabolism has just adapted to the environment it's been in. Your body is doing exactly what you've trained it to do, which is to adapt. It conserves energy given the environment that it's in. Fat loss is a stressor for the body. It's taking away its precious stored energy. And so if your body is already stressed, underfed, under-recovered, you're not going to see the results that you want to, and you'll feel miserable on your way trying to get there. So what does need to be in place before you drop calories? here's what I make sure to look for with my clients before we go into a deficit.

2:02Number one is that they have been at maintenance for a set period of time. That means their calories are somewhere around their body weight times 13 to 15. That's a healthy calorie level for your body and your metabolism needs a break from dieting. You're not meant to be dieting all the time. Like I mentioned before, it is a stressor to the body. Your body likes homeostasis and it needs fuel. It needs consistency and it needs enough food to support your strength training and your hormones. So if you have not been in that place, it's likely not a good time for you to start a calorie deficit. Second thing I look for is that clients are already pretty good at hitting their protein goals.

2:42You know, getting somewhere between 100 to 130 grams of protein every single day. Protein is a non-negotiable in a fat loss phase. because it's going to help you preserve your lean muscle tissue, and it's also going to help you stay full and satiated. We are already at risk of losing precious muscle tissue after 30, so we do not want to cut calories and cut protein and risk losing even more muscle tissue. This is going to set us up for rebounding after we're done with our fat loss phase, as well as just leading to more metabolic issues with our health, more issues with mobility and longevity. You want to preserve your lean muscle tissue.

3:22So being consistent with your protein is a non-negotiable when you're starting a fat loss phase. Number three is that they are already training consistently or can start training consistently, meaning they're in the gym at least three times a week lifting weights with progressive overload. This is another key component to making sure that we are preserving your lean muscle tissue and allowing the body to target fat while you're in this calorie deficit. When you're in a calorie deficit, that means you are taking in less calories that it takes to maintain your body. Your body then has to go within to look for energy, aka calories, to help sustain itself.

4:00So it can take from fat stores, and it can also take from your muscle tissue. Having enough protein and strength training are two ways that we can ensure that it's not going to take from your lean muscle, and rather it's going to take from your fat reserves. This not only is going to help with your overall metabolic health, but it's going to help you look sculpted and toned. Oftentimes when someone goes through a fat loss phase and then they end it kind of with that skinny fat look at the end, that's because they've lost muscle and or maybe didn't have enough muscle there to begin with. So I've been there and I've done that.

4:35So that's why it's so important to have enough muscle on your frame, eat your protein, and maintain consistent strength training while you're in a deficit. Number four is that their biofeedback is solid. What I mean by biofeedback is that their sleep is pretty good, their energy is pretty good, their digestion is pretty good, mood is stable, stress is manageable. If that's all over the place, you're going to have a really hard time with fat loss. Being in a calorie deficit is adding another stressor to the body. So if you already have these other things that are mounting stress for you, it might not be the best time for you to start a calorie deficit.

5:13And the last thing is that they've maintained some consistency at maintaining their weight. So if you can't hit targets where your food is at your maintenance level and you're struggling with that, it's really not a good idea to try and go even lower when you're already struggling to maintain your maintenance calories. Number five is that they've mastered consistency with maintenance. So if you cannot hit your targets when your food, when your calorie levels are in maintenance, it's going to be very hard for you to then hit your calorie deficit numbers. I will always say that it's important to practice systems before you add resistance.

5:50So get in the habit of maintaining your calories. Make sure you can do that consistently so that way you know that you'll be ready to successfully implement your calorie deficit and hit those targets so you hit your goals. I want to talk a little bit about the mindset of a successful dieter when we are going into a fat loss phase. So fat loss phases are meant to be temporary. They are short in respect to the rest of the year or your life, but they do require that you have some focus. So I want you to ask yourself some of these questions before you dive into implementing a calorie deficit. Number one is, am I mentally in a place to say no more often?

6:30This doesn't mean you can't have treats while you're in a calorie deficit, but it is going to mean that you're going to have to portion them down a little bit or sometimes swap them out for something that's more calorie friendly. This, again, is not meant to be forever. That's why calorie deficits should be temporary. This is not a lifestyle. This is a temporary phase to help you get to a specific goal. But you have to be in a place mentally that you'll be okay to say no a little bit more often. The second question to kind of ask yourself is, can I be okay with a little bit of hunger and more structure?

7:03So in a calorie deficit, the best way to ensure success is that you are hitting your numbers or getting pretty close to it, which is going to require some prep and some preparation and a little bit of hunger. A couple of ways to negate that hunger would be more fiber and, of course, hitting your protein. But even with those two things at play, there will be a little bit of hunger. It's natural. We are eating less than it takes to maintain our body. So we have to understand that and be okay with it. Again, this is why calorie deficits should be temporary. And the third question to ask yourself is, can I commit to this for at least six to 12 weeks without expecting results overnight?

7:43Because this is not about being perfect. It's about being relentlessly consistent. And by the way, fat loss doesn't feel magical day to day. Most days it's gonna be boring. You're gonna repeat your meals. You're going to repeat your food log. You're going to train. You're going to go on your walks, and you're going to say no to some things, and you're just going to get into the rhythm of that. That's what successful clients do. They stay consistent, not obsessed, and they focus on the things that are really going to move the dial forward, knowing that this is a temporary phase and that once they're done, they can get back to a more balanced lifestyle.

8:15So now let's assume that you are in a place where you can start a calorie deficit. I want to give you some strategies and some tips for a successful fat loss phase. The first one is pretty basic, but you have to know your calorie goal for your deficit. So a good place to start is your goal body weight times 12. Or if you know your maintenance calories, you can subtract 300 to 500 calories. And then you want to make sure you're tracking pretty consistently. You don't have to be perfect, but the closer that you get to that calorie deficit number, the more likely you're going to see the results that you want to.

8:50Again, are there going to be off days? Yes, but this is where that preparation and that mindset of knowing that you kind of have to stay structured for these set amount of weeks to see success comes in. So that's why it's important to make sure you are in that place before starting this. The second thing is that strength training has to be a part of your plan. Again, we want to focus on getting stronger, progressive overload, making sure we are getting close to failure. This is going to preserve our muscle and drive the body composition changes that we want to. So we see that sculpted strong body at the end of our deficit.

9:23The third thing is we want to include daily movement. So walking is going to help you burn more calories without increasing your hunger or overstressing your body. It's the most underrated fat loss tool out there. I'm telling you there is nothing better than combining a calorie deficit, lifting weights, and walking. It's going to transform your body, I promise. Number four is protein at every meal. This is going to help you with your satiety and helping you to preserve lean muscle. Really aim to get anywhere from 30 to 50 grams three times a day. Think lean meats, Greek yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese.

9:58You can do a whey protein supplement if you need to, but absolutely non-negotiable. Have to have your protein. And then the fifth thing is just making sure you have a timeline. You don't want to give yourself an unlimited runway to lose body fat. Yes, it can be longer than 12 weeks, but when you set yourself up with a time frame, it mentally gives you a checkpoint. So you know you are working and staying structured for this set amount of time, and that gives you just more ability to focus and stay consistent. Can you go longer than 12 weeks if you want to? Of course. But diet fatigue will start to set in, and at that 12-week mark, you can assess how you've done.

10:34Do you feel like you can continue with your deficit? How's your biofeedback? Are you having a lot of cravings? Are you having a lot of hunger? Do you feel like you want to take a diet break, which you can do, or if you've had a successful fat loss phase and you're happy with where you are, great. Now you can end it, go back to maintenance, go back to where your body is happy, where you can eat more, have more food flexibility, and congratulations, you just had a successful fat loss phase because you kept all of these things in mind. Now let's talk a little bit about what happens after a fat loss phase.

11:04This is where it can get really tricky for most people because they don't have an exit strategy. They just try to go back to what they were doing before or not tracking, you know, going from tracking food to just not tracking. And then weight starts to pile back on gaining what you lost and maybe even then some. So I don't want that to happen to you. And this is how you can avoid it. The first thing you want to do is implement a reverse diet. All this means is that you are slowly bringing calories back to maintenance over a four to six week period. So you would calculate your new maintenance number based on your new body weight.

11:39So if you've lost weight, you want to take your current body weight and then multiply that by 13 to 14 and slowly bring your calories back up to that point by adding in 100 calories or so a week. Then you want to hold your results. Stay at your new weight for about 8 to 12 weeks before considering going into another deficit. Use those extra calories for good. Try to get stronger in the gym and that's just going to help you in the future if you do want to go into another calorie deficit. Bring the focus back to strength and performance goals. So shifting your focus away from fat loss is what will allow you to maintain your results and set you up for better, more successful future fat loss phases.

12:15So let's wrap this up with a quick self-check before you start that calorie deficit. Number one, ask yourself, have I been at maintenance for at least four to six weeks? Number two, am I sleeping, recovering, and feeling good in my body? Number three, can I realistically commit to six to 12 weeks of structure? Number four, am I already lifting and walking consistently? And number five, do I have a plan for what comes after fat loss? If you said no to any of these, it might not be your best season for fat loss. But here's the powerful reframe. You don't have to diet all the time to make progress.

12:53You can focus on starting to build some of these habits now, getting in the gym, getting more protein, lifting to get stronger. You're going to build muscle. You're going to improve your metabolism. You're going to increase your food intake, helping your hormones, helping your body thrive, and you're going to feel stronger right now. And that's where the real long lasting transformation happens. Fat loss is one part of a body transformation, but it's not the end-all be-all. And having more muscle on your frame, having those habits laid in and being that foundation is really gonna help you when it comes to implementing fat loss phases in the future.

13:30And I always tell my clients this, is that my body and the biggest transformations that I see with my clients come from when we add muscle to their frame. Fat loss is something that absolutely can reveal what's underneath, but having more muscle is what physically changes your frame the most. So even if you are not in a place where you can successfully enter a fat loss phase, that does not mean you stay stuck. What I want you to do is focus on those habits that we talked about, getting in your protein, getting in the gym and getting stronger, starting to walk, starting to layer those foundational habits so that you can master your fat loss phase like a boss and reach that body transformation that you want.

14:13If you're ready to go deeper, make sure you check out all the information on my StrongHer group coaching. I would love to help you inside that program. Thank you so much for listening today. And if this episode was helpful, I'd be so thankful if you left a rating or a review. It really does help the show grow. Until next time, keep lifting heavy, keep eating your protein, keep trying to get stronger, and I will see you in the next episode.