Why You’re Not Seeing Results from Your Workouts After 40—and How to Fix It
If you’re a woman over 40 who has been working out but isn’t seeing the results you want, I want to share what I’ve discovered is often the reason. There could be several factors at play, such as not challenging your body enough, lacking consistency, or not doing the right types of exercises. However, the biggest issue I frequently encounter is nutrition.
Many women think they’re getting their nutrition right, but I often point out that their approach is the opposite of what they need to achieve toned muscles and fat loss. Let’s dive into the common nutritional mistakes that may be sabotaging your fitness goals and how to correct them for better results.
1. Not Eating Enough to Fuel Your Workouts
One of the most common mistakes women make is not eating enough to fuel their workouts. To make progress in strength training, especially after 40, you need to consume enough calories to optimize your performance. It’s a straightforward concept: working out requires energy, and if you’re going to push yourself to your max, you’ll need plenty of it.
Unfortunately, diet culture has convinced many women that eating less is always better. As a result, most of the women I coach are afraid of eating. Many are barely consuming enough calories to meet their basic survival needs, yet they expect to build muscle in this undernourished state.
This faulty thinking isn’t our fault—it’s a product of diet culture propaganda. But it’s time to relearn the logic: if you want to use your body to work out, you need to fuel it with sufficient energy. Otherwise, instead of building lean muscle and losing fat, you could end up with a lowered metabolism and a body that clings to fat.
When I work with clients on body recomposition—helping them become fit and lean—the first step is often to increase their caloric intake to match their actual needs. Almost immediately, they feel more energetic and have better workouts. For many clients, this simple change also improves metabolism and promotes fat loss.
2. Not Fueling Your Workouts Properly
The second mistake I often see is not properly fueling workouts. I once worked with professional soccer teams, where it was clear that how players fueled their bodies before and after games—or even training sessions—had a significant impact on their performance. A star player would never neglect nutrition, as it could cost the team the game. Nutrition is just as critical for anyone who works out and wants to optimize performance and body composition.
If you don’t fuel your training session correctly (especially in the morning), you won’t have the energy to perform at your best. In fact, you’ll likely perform poorly, leaving you depleted and impacting your recovery, energy, and subsequent training sessions. Pre- and post-workout nutrition are essential for training and getting the results you want.
I always advise against working out on an empty stomach. Whether it’s a snack or a meal, you need fuel before your workout. There are specific foods that can fuel a workout, and strategies to troubleshoot if you don’t feel well eating close to exercise. However, the key takeaway is that you need energy to work out. Post-training nutrition is equally important for adequate recovery and replenishing energy stores.
For both pre- and post-training nutrition, the right combination of macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fats—is crucial. While this can get detailed, a general rule is to pair carbs and protein to ensure you have both the energy and building blocks for muscle building.
3. Incorrect Macronutrient Balance
The third mistake many women make with strength training and nutrition is getting their macronutrient balance wrong. With all the hype around keto, paleo, carnivore, and similar diets, many women have fallen prey to what I call “macronutrient dysfunction.”
There are two key points to consider here:
First, protein is essential. Despite the trend toward low-carb, high-protein, and high-fat diets, most women still aren’t getting enough protein. This is often because the low-calorie diets they follow don’t meet their needs. To build and maintain muscle—your best friend after 40—you need about 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight (up to around 160 pounds). This should be individualized, so working with a professional to guide you is vital.
Most women are lucky if they get 60 grams of protein a day, which is far below what’s needed for muscle maintenance and growth.
Second, carbohydrates are not the enemy. Many women have been tricked into thinking they don’t need (and should avoid) carbohydrates. As a diabetes educator for 16 years, I know that cutting carbs can be crucial for achieving diabetes remission. However, there’s a time, place, and procedure for this. Not everyone needs to go carb-free.
For most women who are not managing diabetes, cutting carbs can mess with their metabolism and hormones. Women, especially those who train, need to include carbohydrates strategically. Those who have previously been carb-free often see their results soar when they add carbs back in strategically.
4. Neglecting Micronutrients
The last nutritional mistake many women make when training and not seeing results is not focusing on getting key nutrients, especially micronutrients, in their diet. Micronutrients are like parts of your cellular machinery—they are essential for optimal energy use, metabolism, fat burning, and muscle building. Without adequate micronutrients, your cells struggle to function properly. It’s like trying to work with machines that have missing parts.
Nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin D, B vitamins, and antioxidants are crucial for muscle maintenance and building, fat burning, and energy production. These components will enhance your workouts and overall efforts.
The simplest way to increase these micronutrients in your diet is to eliminate processed foods and focus on eating natural, whole foods rich in nutrients. This is where a meal plan and guidance can be incredibly helpful.
Ready to See Real Results?
If you’ve been putting in the effort at the gym but not seeing the results you want, it might be time to adjust your nutrition strategy. I’ve designed a program specifically for women over 40 who want to navigate menopause with ease while achieving their best bodies and living their best lives.
Fit & Lean is a 12-week program that will help you make the most of your workouts and your nutrition to feel energized, look great, and live life to the fullest.
Want to know more? Check out the full details of the Fit & Lean program here, or get in touch and we can chat to see if this program is a good fit for you.
Let’s work together to turn your hard work into real results!