Unlocking fat loss for women after 35: Why nutrition is key and cardio isn’t enough

As women over 35, many of us find ourselves struggling to lose weight despite our best efforts. Often, we turn to dieting or endless cardio sessions in hopes of shedding those extra pounds. But what if the key to fat loss isn't about just running more or hitting another high intensity fitness class? Let's dive into the real driver of fat loss and why lifting weights could be your new best friend.

The truth about fat loss: Nutrition is king

The foundation of weight loss lies in achieving an energy deficit. Calories are our energy, and consuming fewer calories than you burn consistently over time is how you achieve an energy (or calorie deficit.) While this concept may sound simple, it’s where most of us face challenges.

Why cardio alone isn’t the answer to fat loss goals for women after 35.

Increased Hunger: Cardio can boost your hunger cues. The more calories you burn, the more your body signals you to eat. For women, particularly those over 35, the body isn't looking for fewer calories than it burns daily, that feels stressful for your body. It will use hunger cues to encourage you to eat more when you burn lots of calories at your cycling class or going for a long run.

Adaptation: Your body adapts to cardio quickly. But what does that mean? Here is an example, if you start running three times a week for 30 minutes, you'll burn a significant amount of calories initially. But by week six, your body becomes more efficient at running, and you burn fewer calories as time goes on unless you keep adding more distance, or running faster. You have to keep changing the stimulus for cardio if your goal is to do it for calorie burn so you can create an energy deficit.

Sustainability: To maintain the same calorie burn, you’d have to continually increase your cardio intensity, duration, or frequency, which is often unsustainable if you have a large weight loss goal. Eventually, you hit a plateau and your hunger cues take over, leading you to eat back the calories you've burned.

How can we take a more sustainable path for fat loss? Focusing on nutrition!

If you're serious about losing body fat, dialing in your nutrition is essential. Here's how:

Track your calorie intake: Monitor your caloric intake via a food diary, to ensure it is slightly less than what you burn each day. This doesn’t mean starving yourself but making mindful choices about what and how much you eat to keep a small calorie deficit.

Balanced diet: Focus on a balanced diet rich in whole foods—vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and carbs with lots of fiber! Protein and fiber staying high will help keep you full and satisfied while you are in a calorie deficit. THIS is key if we want to stay there long enough to see results!

Strength training: your secret weapon

Incorporating strength training into your routine can be a game-changer for women over 35. Here’s why:

Increased metabolism: Lifting weights helps build muscle, which in turn increases your resting metabolic rate. This means you burn more calories even when you're not exercising! This is a game changer for your resting metabolic rate.

Enhanced fat loss: Strength training helps preserve muscle mass while you're in a calorie deficit, ensuring that the weight you lose is primarily fat, not muscle. We never want to lose muscle, after age 35 we start to lose muscles every single year just due to aging, this slows our metabolism.

Long-term benefits: Unlike cardio, your body doesn't adapt to strength training in the same way, making it a more sustainable and effective approach to long-term fat loss. It is much easier to keep challenging yourself with strength training without having to add more time to your workout routine.

The secret sauce is all three! Nutrition, Strength training, AND cardio!

For optimal results, combine a well-balanced diet with a consistent strength training regimen, and forms of cardio you enjoy! Like pickleball with a friend, hiking with the family, or a run on the beach.  Cardio is more enjoyable when we do it for the right reasons and not because we have to "burn off" what we ate or "Earn" our food!

Let's recap

Nutrition drives fat loss: Focus on eating in a slight energy deficit and make nutritious choices that are high in protein and fiber so you stay full and satisfied.

Cardio isn’t enough: While great for your heart, mental health, and overall activity level, cardio alone is not effective for sustained fat loss.

Strength training is crucial: It boosts metabolism, preserves muscle mass, and supports long-term fat loss. Everyone should be strength training a few times per week just to keep our bone density in check and keep our muscle mass as we age!