But don't panic! A few clever tips will help you outsmart your metabolism and lose weight quickly.

How to lose weight for a woman after 40 years

1. Give up fashionable diets

Diet on cabbage soup? Not worth it. Sharp calorie restriction and quick disposal of subcutaneous fat can play a cruel joke with the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which is why your appetite will increase dramatically, and your metabolism will slow down. The consequences of such diets can last more than a year, even after you have not adhered to the diet for a long time.

2. Remember the golden rules of weight loss

Some things change after 40 years, but the basic rules of successful weight loss remain unchanged regardless of age.

1. You need to eat less. Even if you eat one chicken breast, rice, and salad, you still need to reduce portion sizes or you won't lose weight. Everyone's calorie needs are different, but if you're a woman and you consume 2,000 calories a day, you need to aim to eat 400-500 fewer calories.

2. Drop 0.5 - 1 kg per week. Of course, diets that promise you minus 5 kg per week sound tempting. However, slow and constant weight loss is much more effective in helping you get back in shape, as you will be able to develop useful habits that will keep you slim longer.

3. Skipping a meal will disrupt your metabolism. When we skip breakfast or lunch, our body receives a signal to store calories instead of burning them. Ignoring one of the meals, you run the risk that your blood sugar levels will drop, your appetite will increase dramatically, and you will be looking for a quick source of energy in the form of sweets.

It's time to monitor the consumption of foods containing carbohydrates. Such a measure is necessary to fight the body's resistance to insulin associated with age, and will help keep a constant level of sugar in the blood.

You'll also need to add more protein to your diet to prevent muscle loss and increase your metabolic rate, as your body needs to work harder to digest the same bun.

Of considerable importance is the amount of nutrients that you eat.

Ideally, your meal should consist of:

Vegetables or fruits: half of the plate should be occupied by them. They are rich in fiber and water, will fill your stomach and contain fewer calories. Proteins: the size of the portion of proteins should be about the palm of your hand. Good sources of protein are Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken and fish.Complex carbohydrates: the plate should also have a portion of carbohydrates the size of a fist. Choose whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables (potatoes), legumes. Zhirov: the size of the portion of fats during one meal can be 7-10 grams. That's about 1.5 teaspoons of olive oil, a quarter of an avocado, or 2 tablespoons of nuts or seeds.

4. Eat less but more often

The body's resistance to insulin leads to the fact that we constantly feel hungry. Divide the food into three medium-sized servings and 1-2 snacks so that your blood sugar levels are at a constant level and you are not tempted to eat something harmful.

5. Add Omega-3

If you want to lose weight, add more fish to your diet. The fact is that omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish help you lose weight faster and not gain it again, and also relieve hunger urges for a long time. Good sources of omega-3s are omega and tuna, which also reduce menopausal symptoms.

6. Drink green tea

Scientists have long found out the benefits of green tea for weight loss. One study found that when participants started drinking green tea every day, their ability to burn fat increased by 12 percent. In addition, the combination of antioxidants and caffeine in green tea helps to increase energy levels, the decrease of which is often observed in middle age.

7. Take more calcium

Want to burn fat more easily after age 40? Make sure that your diet has more calcium. Women who eat enough foods containing calcium were able to lose more than 5 kg per year.

8. Love citrus fruits

Polyphenols contained in citrus fruits help to partially eliminate the harm of consuming foods high in fat, so you can easily get rid of extra pounds. At the same time, vitamin C in oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits promotes the production of collagen, reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

9. Be selective in choosing treats

Unfortunately, you can no longer uncontrollably eat pizza and chocolate cocktails as 20 years ago, and at the same time not worry about extra pounds. But that doesn't mean you need to give up your favorite foods entirely. Just save them until the moment when you really want to.

If the thought of cookies haunts you, then try to eat a little bit, enjoying each piece, instead of mindlessly eating a whole package.

How often can you make yourself such indulgences? First, it all depends on how much you want to lose weight. Some may be allowed to eat a treat of 100-200 calories every day, while others will have to cut up to 2-3 times a week.

Also remember that alcohol is also considered a treat, and here too you need to observe the measure. You can fit 2-4 small glasses of wine with a volume of 150 ml per week in your weight loss plan. But, if you decide to drink a glass of wine for dinner, then the chocolate dessert will have to be abandoned.

10. Move more

It will be difficult for you to lose weight with one diet, especially after 40 years, when the level of the hormone testosterone drops. As a result, muscle mass and the number of calories that our body is able to burn during exercise begin to decrease.

You can start with moderate physical activity for 30 minutes a day. Then add the recommended 10,000 steps per day to your regimen. If your health allows, gradually introduce strength training 4-5 times a week to maintain muscle mass and burn more calories.

11. Do microtraining

Not everyone has the opportunity to spend several hours in the gym. However, experts have found that we need only 2.5 minutes to increase metabolism and start burning calories.

The study found that those who had a workout consisted of 5 30-second pedals on an exercise bike with maximum effort, followed by rest for 4 minutes, were able to burn 200 calories more per day.

If you can't go to the gym, you can replace such workouts with running up stairs or jumping.

12. Add leg training

Exercises to strengthen the buttocks and legs help to get rid of excess weight more easily. Studies have shown that the stronger the muscle tone in the lower part of the body, the lower the risk of falls and fractures. Strong legs are also an indicator of the strength of another part of the body – your brain.

13. Know Yourself and Be Honest

If you are already over 40, this does not mean that you need to immediately give up certain foods to lose weight. However, if you know that some kind of food is preventing you from losing weight, you need to take action.

For example, if you know you can't eat a small piece of chocolate and most likely destroy the entire package, you don't need to eat a small piece of chocolate (this approach doesn't work for you).

In this case, you will either have to say "no" to this product forever, or choose treats that you will not break away from.

It will be a little difficult at first, but instead of seeing it as a limitation, try to take it as your choice that will lead you to your goal.

Also remember that weight loss strategies that were effective at the beginning may stop working at some point. Women over 40 should review and adjust their weight loss plan every year. If the process has stalled, change something about your diet and exercise because our body needs a challenge.