PhD Nutritionist Reveals 3 Ways Women Over 35 Can Lose 15 Pounds and Look Younger

Do you want to lose weight and look younger? Dr. Fay Kazzi is a registered dietician with an extensive background in nutrition and dietetics who has a PhD in rehabilitation science. “From the age of 35 and on, when it comes to stubborn weight, the usual weight loss fixes like caloric deficit and exercise might not be as helpful as they used to be, which is why I'm here to help you guys out,” she says at the start of the clip. As part of her “Age Gracefully Nutrition” series, she goes on to explain why you need to change your approach to weight loss as you get older and reveals her top three “weight loss hacks.”

Weight Management Gets Challenging As You Age

“You have that one friend that always seemed to have been on the heavier side, and then some time goes by, you don't see them for a while, and then you see them again. But something has changed. They've lost a significant amount of weight like we're talking about 15 or 20 pounds, and then the first thing that you notice is, wow, they look so much younger. So yes, weight loss not only improves your metabolic health, but it also makes you appear younger, healthier, and more vibrant,” she says in the post. “Why does weight management get a bit more challenging after 35? Here are three possible reasons,” she says.

You Experience Metabolic Decline at 35

“Number one, natural metabolic decline around the age of 35,” she reveals. “A woman's metabolic rate tends to slow down due to natural changes in muscle mass and hormonal shifts. The lean muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat tissue, naturally declines with age. A 2021 study in the Journal of Science found that the metabolic rate slows down approximately one to 2 percent per decade after the age of 30, meaning fewer calories are burned at rest than when you're younger. So you could basically just sit around and do nothing, and your body would burn calories when you were a teenager and in your twenties. This gradual reduction makes it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it without adjusting caloric intake and increasing our physical activity, which is another reason why building muscle is so important in your late thirties.”

You Also Experience Hormonal Changes

“Number two reason, hormonal changes, and insulin sensitivity,” she continues. “Hormonal fluctuations, especially around perimenopause, which can start as early as your late thirties, can significantly impact your weight loss. So estrogen, which influences where the body fat is stored, starts to decline, often resulting in more abdominal fat storage. I know it's the worst, and as we all know, it's harder to lose. So additionally, a decline in estrogen can contribute to reduced insulin sensitivity, which can lead to higher blood sugar levels and then increased fat storage. Research in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism highlights that even slight changes in estrogen levels can increase body fat, particularly, unfortunately, again in the abdominal area.”

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And, Lifestyle Demands and Stress Levels Usually Increase

“Number three reason is lifestyle demands and stress levels,” she continues. “Women in their late thirties often juggle careers and family responsibilities and other social demands, which can lead to increased stress and disrupted sleep patterns. So, both stress and lack of sleep can raise your cortisol levels, a hormone that's associated with increased appetite and fat storage. Again, it goes to the abdominal area. A 2018 study in the Journal of Obesity found that higher cortisol levels were linked to weight gain, especially in midlife women, due to the stress of balancing various life demands. So this can make weight loss especially harder despite the diet restrictions and exercise efforts.”

However, There Are Things You Can Do to Mitigate the Effects

However, there are things you can do. “Even though these factors combined can make weight loss after 35 more challenging with targeted strategies, it is possible to mitigate these effects. There are ways, and there are paths. There are three things you can start doing today to lose weight and keep it off,” she says.

First, Increase Your Protein Intake

“Number one, increase your intake of protein per meal,” she suggests. “This is such a game changer. If you're a woman and you're in your late thirties, you absolutely have to start building all of your meals around protein, not carbohydrates. Depending on your activity level, you need about 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight. So if you're, say, 125 pounds, that's about 57 kilograms, so roughly about 45 to 50 grams of protein, you want to split that throughout the day. So about 20 to 25 grams of protein per meal, and this is totally doable.” She points out that one cup of Greek yogurt is 20 grams, half a cup of ground turkey is about 20 grams, half a cup of tofu is about 20 grams, and one cup of lentils is about 20 grams. “The reason increasing protein helps is because it boosts the metabolism. It preserves lean muscle mass, and it makes you feel full, reducing your appetite. So how does that work? Protein increases the production of satiety hormones, glucagon-like peptide one cholecystokinin, while reducing, reducing the production of hunger hormones such as ghrelin.”

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Second, Narrow Your Eating Window

“Number two, narrow your eating window,” she suggests. “By now, for sure, you've probably heard a lot about intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and chrononutrition. Let me distill it for you. We really don't need to have three large meals spread throughout the day. Narrowing your eating window gives your body the ability to rest, rejuvenate itself, and set all of its metabolic ducks in order, so to speak. When you don't eat for a longer period of time, your body runs out of sugar and starts to burn fat for energy. This process is called metabolic switching. If you don't have any other underlying medical conditions, the general rule of thumb is to eat your day's calories within an eight-hour window, so have a late breakfast, let's say around 11:00 AM, and try to have your last meal before 6:00 PM. Also, when you stop eating earlier in the day, this is going to improve your sleep, which is also going to increase your metabolic health.”

Third, Increase Intake of High Quality Fat

Number three, increase your intake of high-quality fat. “I know this sounds so counterintuitive, but there's so much evidence right now that high-quality organic fats like cold pressed olive oil, grass-fed butter, raw nuts and seeds, the fat in free-range eggs, the fat and avocados, coconut cream, and kinds of milk are extremely satiating and nutrient dense and actually do not contribute to obesity,” she says. “It's been well established in research for decades now that one of the outcomes for epileptic patients who are put on a strict high fat, low carb diet as part of their treatment plan to manage their epileptic episodes is that these patients also lose weight by significantly reducing the carbohydrates. The body switches to burning fat for energy, which can result in weight loss, especially with that stubborn fat, but let's not get carried away. The recommendation for a generally healthy woman is to reduce the carbohydrates and increase the high-quality fats moderately.”

However, do not confuse this with overly processed, poor-quality fats like seed oils and their hydrogenated byproducts. “These include canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, and margarine, which are all in most processed foods such as your pastries, your chips, and your canned soups. Yes, they are hiding in your canned soups, crackers, cookies, breakfast cereals, mixed nuts, and even some of the bread brands out there. These kinds of fats do the opposite. They have no nutritive value, and they're loaded with empty calories. They actually contribute to inflammation, which increases the retention of fat,” she says.

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See Results in Just a Few Weeks

“These are three recommendations that you can start applying today to see a dramatic and sustained difference in your weight loss journey in just a few weeks. Of course, practices like regular exercise, decreasing your intake of, let's say, sugary beverages, and decreasing your stress levels will also assist with healthy and maintained weight loss,” she concludes. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Do you want to lose 10 pounds by the holidays? Jenn Markwardt is a fitness and nutrition coach and founder of Flourish Nutrition, whose goal is “helping you lose 20lbs in a stress-free way. In a recent social media post, she reveals how to drop weight fast by making a few simple tweaks to your routine. “Maybe it’s your energy, maybe it’s an extra 10-20lbs that came out of nowhere, especially around your middle, or maybe it’s exhaustion and brain fog you can’t get rid of,” she writes in the Instagram post. “Here are the three️ things I (and my clients) would avoid if I wanted to drop fat and get my energy back.”

Stop Eating Healthy and Start Eating with Intention

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Her first tip? Stop eating “healthy” and start eating with intention. “Track your food for a week (not forever, and you’ll be amazed at what you learn. It’s not about eating as little as possible; it’s about understanding how to build your pants in a way that leaves you full and satiated and helps your body lose fat without restriction and hunger,” she writes in her post.

Get More Focused with Exercise

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Next, “stop doing random workouts and only relying on cardio,” she says. “Muscle is the key to lighting up your metabolism and helping you actually keep your results! You should be training intentionally in a progressive overload style (building in weights or reps each week) to optimize your results!”

Don’t Do It Alone

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And her third tip is to “stop trying to go it alone,” she says. “Listen, things change as we age, but you are not broken. It’s not impossible to see results, but you have to do things differently than you did in the past, and it’s a heck of a lot easier when you have the support and accountability of coaches and other women just like you.”

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She Also Recommends These 5 Healthy Habits for Weight Loss

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In another post, she reveals that one of her clients dropped a whopping 30 pounds over a period of six months, “and this was someone who has done literally every diet under the sun,” she says in the clip. “Here are the five habits we focused on to optimize her metabolism hormones and get her energy back so fat loss felt easy,” she adds in the post.

Walk 8,000 to 10,000 Steps Per Day

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The first habit is to get your steps in. She recommends “daily movement of 8-10k steps.” Why should you aim for 10,000 steps per day? A 2018 study published in the journal Obesity found a link between walking that amount and weight loss and weight management. Other studies published by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in JAMA Neurology and in JAMA Internal Medicine also linked walking 10,000 steps a day to less dementia and less cardiovascular disease overall, with less heart disease, less heart failure, and fewer strokes.

Amp Up Your Protein Intake

Next, amp up your protein intake. “30g of protein at each meal for satiation and preserving and building muscle,” she writes. According to clinical trials, consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW) but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets.

Also, Increase Fiber Intake

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Also, she recommends amping up your fiber intake. “25g of fiber daily” is her suggestion. Why? “Fiber is key for balancing blood sugar and keeping you full, so you avoid mindless snacking,” she says.

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Strength Train

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In addition to getting your steps in, she recommends doing strength training to build muscle. Specifically, she suggests three 30-minute strength workouts a week “using our Flourish Fitness progressive overload program,” she writes. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. Strength training may also help you:

• Develop strong bones
• Manage your weight
• Enhance your quality of life
• Manage chronic conditions
• Sharpen your thinking skills

Stress Management

Lastly, she stresses the importance of mental health. She explains that “stress management and finding and creating the time to prioritize” yourself is fundamental in getting in physical shape.

A Lot of Factors Impact Weight Loss

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“And here’s why this works: your metabolism isn’t just ONE thing. There are a lot of factors, and your daily habits have the biggest impact on your metabolic health and hormones. You don’t have to do these things perfectly, but consistency (even on the weekends) matters for forever results,” she writes at the end of the post. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Louise Corrans is an influencer who regularly shares tips on how to stay in shape past age 40. In one viral video, she reveals how, at 45, she lost 7 pounds in three weeks. “It's not a huge difference, admittedly, but you can see a tightening up in my abs,” she says, adding that her “butt's a little bit smaller” and “ tummy is a lot flatter.” And, “I'm 45, so I think that's pretty awesome for weight loss,” she says. “So I can hear you asking, what have I done differently? Why, all of a sudden, in the last three weeks, have I lost the weight?”

Tip One: Change Your Diet

“Number one, I've changed my diet,” she says. “I went from eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, just following my cravings and just eating crap, some healthy food, some crap, whatever. I wanted to be very strict and adhere to a calorie-controlled, fat-controlled diet plan. She adds that the diet involves “clean” and “healthy” eating. “There is no processed junk food.”

Don’t Cheat on Your Diet

“I haven't been cheating on that diet at all. And so I am seeing the results. And ladies, I just have to say, I don't give a flying F what you weigh. I don't care if you lose weight or not. I love you just the same. But I do know that a lot of people want to lose weight, and this is the no BS way that I did it,” she says.

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Tip Two 2:. Be More Consistent with Strength Training

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“Number two is I definitely started to be far more consistent with exercise,” she says. “I have been going to the gym five days a week, adding a little bit of cardio as well. So that's five days of weight training.”

Also, Do More Cardio

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She also does two days of cardio, “although I'm not strict with that. I go for a run when I feel like it,” she says. “I've been very consistent with exercise, and I've done it five to six days a week following the strict plan as well.”

Tip Three: Make Sure Your Hormones Are Balanced

The final “important part” is that she’s in a rhythm with her hormone replacement therapy. “I was on bioidentical HRT. I'm now on the birth control pill with my little bit of testosterone gel cream because, of course, the pill doesn't contain testosterone, but it's the hormonal support that is making me feel good, not depressed anymore, not low on energy. I'm now full of energy. My brain is functioning well, and I have the energy, the mental capacity to sustain dieting and to get my butt to the gym without feeling like, ‘Oh, I'm just going to die and collapse with fatigue. And so HRT is also the secret to my weight loss,” she says.

However, If Your Hormones Are Balanced, Exercise

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“if you have the hormonal support or your hormones are fine, and you're not in perimenopause, you may be over 40, but your hormones are still good, lucky you, then I do recommend you exercise because exercise is going to just help you burn those extra calories, keep you fit and strong and healthy,” she explains.

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You Can Exercise On or Off HRT

“And as a side note, I just have to clarify what I meant about being on HRT and exercising. You can exercise on or off HRT. That doesn't matter. It depends on your age and stage. What I meant was that on HRT, you'll be able to repair and recover much better. And so you'll be able to sustain five days a week, 40 minutes to an hour's worth of training, weight training or cardio, or some form of exercise,” she says.

If You Are Younger, You Can Do Any Training

“Without HRT, you can do it if you've got the youth on your side, if you're still closer to 40 if your hormones are good, maybe you haven't got any perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms, then you can train any style you like. I was just clarifying that it does get harder the more towards menopause you get without the HRT for repair and recovery,” she says.

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Estrogen Lubricates Joints

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“Estrogen is lubrication for our joints, ladies, and it really does help us with so many functions,” she says. As for testosterone, if you are low, “it is worth using a testosterone gel cream as well. And that's really it, ladies. It's HRT, diet, and exercise. It's very simple. It's always the basics. Always, always, always go back to basics. There are no quick fixes.”

You Can Lose One to Two Pounds a Week

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“Yes, this was quick weight loss in that they recommend a pound a week. So I've lost, on average, two pounds a week, but I was eating absolute crap, absolute junk, not really sticking to an exercise program. So the minute I changed it, yes, the weight loss is a little bit faster,” she says.

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Just Remember to Change Your Diet

“Diet is so important, ladies,” she concludes. “When we're doing any kind of weight loss journey, it is all about what you're putting into your mouth. It's really critical. You've heard the cliched saying abs are made in the kitchen, and that really is true. I found it to be true throughout my whole life. The minute I watch what I eat in some form, you've gotta restrict it. You have to follow a diet and stick with it. And that really is the key, as they say. You cannot out exercise a bad diet. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.