Weight Loss For Men Over 40: The Definitive 5 Step Guide

Welcome, my friend! You’ve finally found the page you’ve been looking for that explains the fundamentals of what you need to know about weight loss, particularly for busy men over 40.

If this is your first time visiting the Fit Father Project, I want to welcome you! This is one of the most extensive posts on this site (and one I update every year) because I want to hand you the proven 5 step guide to lose weight — and keep the weight off — as a man over 40.

FAIR WARNING: This article is far more VALUABLE and in-depth than your average “Top 10 Silly Tips” posts you see cluttering up the internet.

If you don't have 10 minutes to carefully read this article right now, bookmark this page and come back later. You won't want to miss a thing!

My promise to you with this post: If you diligently read this article and understand this five-step process, you will have the big picture plan of weight loss for men over 40.

These are the 5 key points we’re going to cover…

• • Your two weight loss foundations (sleep & mindset)

• • The sustainable weight loss meal plan

• • Doing “daily activity” vs “exercise”

• • Time-efficient exercises to boost your metabolism

• • The 5 Point Summary & Your Action Steps

The PROPER weight loss knowledge is power. Let’s dive in.

Here’s Why You May Be Struggling With Weight Loss…

Have you heard anything like that before? Or even said it yourself?

This “shotgun” weight loss approach sounds simple enough, and it's the general plan that most guys over 40 follow when trying to lose weight.

The BIG problem is that 92% of men fail at sustaining weight loss by using this general approach (according to data from the University of Scranton).

I find those statistics shocking.

Tens of millions of guys (probably yourself included) are failing on diets because they are not following a specialized plan that integrates the five necessary steps of weight loss for men over 40.

That’s not ok with me, so know this…

Because you’re over 40 at this point, your body is undergoing many metabolic and hormonal changes that need to be accounted for to lose weight effectively.

Instead of failing at weight loss again (and again), here’s what you need to start doing instead…

From helping thousands of fathers in their 40s, 50s, & 60s successfully lose weight and get healthier, I have distilled down the successful weight loss process into these 5 core principles of weight loss for men over 40.

For your viewing pleasure, I put these 5 principles into a nifty “Pyramid Diagram”…

We're about to cover why this pyramid is key for your success.

This pyramid is progressive – meaning to lose weight successfully, you MUST start by working on the foundations at the bottom.

Only after working on the fundamentals, should you work your way up the pyramid. With that in mind, let’s dive into Step #1…

Step 1: DO NOT Start With Diet and Exercise

One of the biggest mistakes guys make when trying to lose weight is that they attack diet and exercise first.

This is a SUPER EASY mistake to make because it seems like diet and exercise would be the “perfect” place to start when trying to lose weight.

Yet, this is the WRONG first step.

Although both diet and exercise are very important (we'll discuss those extensively in Steps 3-5), there are two prior foundations that you need to build first.

Here are your FIRST two steps…

• • Foundation 1: Sleep Optimization For Weight Loss

• • Foundation 2: The Proper Weight Loss Success Mindset

Let's examine these Two Big Foundations now…

Poor Sleep Forces Your Body To Rampantly Store Fat EVEN IF You Are Following A Good Nutrition Plan

During sleep, your body regulates all of its major weight loss hormones. Your body absolutely requires balanced levels of these hormones to lose weight effectively.

Weight loss is dramatically impacted in men over 40 because of these hormone levels.

Here are the most prominent hormones that impact your weight loss…

• Growth hormone — a key anti-aging hormone — naturally surges at night to help your body burn fat, build muscle, & repair tissues.
• Insulin — a key food and fat storage hormone — decreases to its lowest levels at night, enabling your metabolism to burn a ton of fat.
• Cortisol — your body's main stress hormone — decreases at night allowing your cells to relax and rejuvenate.

In fact, after a single night of disrupted sleep, your body experiences lower growth hormone, higher cortisol, a slower metabolic rate, and greater insulin resistance.

How effective do you think your weight loss efforts will be as you're pushing against this terrible hormonal cascade?

Your weight loss progress will flat out suck if you're not getting enough sleep.

In fact, a study from the University of Chicago showed that people trying to lose weight with inadequate sleep experienced profound MUSCLE LOSS — with little to no fat loss.

That's the exact opposite of the result you want.

For future reading on how to optimize sleep, check out this extensive blog on the 3 best sleep strategies: How To Sleep Well: 6 Essential Tips Every Man Should Know

For now, just know this: for the thousands of guys on my Fit Father 30X Program, I require 6-7 hours of sleep as a minimum number.

Adequate sleep is the foundation of your weight loss success!

Now, let's transition to the second foundation… “The Proper Weight Loss Success Mindset”

Here's How To Get Your Mind Ready For Weight Loss Success

Weight loss is a BIG goal. Anyone who says differently is either 1) full of crap or 2) hasn't been through the process themselves!

Transforming your health and body requires unwinding the unhealthy lifestyle habits that got you overweight in the first place.

I'm talking about your eating patterns, your habits for coping with stress, and your exercise habits (or lack thereof)…

We need to shift you AWAY from the bad habits that are keeping you stuck, while also moving TOWARDS the new healthy habits that will support your goals.

As you can imagine, this degree of health change takes effort.

That’s precisely why your successful and sustainable weight loss requires you to develop a strong mindset with the emotional fortitude to handle making these healthy changes over the long term.

Speaking of mindset, check out how this Fit Father used a military mindset to lose 43 lbs in less than three months.

In the inspiring words of Eric Thomas, aka “The Hip Hop Preacher:”

I recommend watching this great 2 min clip about finding your WHY:

Here's my question for you: “What is your big weight loss WHY?”

What motivates you DEEP down to lose weight and be healthy?

Not all men over 40 want to lose weight for the same reason.

For me, my “WHY” is the promise I made to my dad just before he passed away from cancer to help as many fathers as I can during my lifetime to stay healthy and strong for their families.

That promise I made to my dad is my “why” and the big reason I started the Fit Father Project (read the full story here).

For you, your “why” may be losing weight to stay around to see your kids and grandkids get married. It may be to stay strong to take care of your spouse.

I’ve found (in most cases) the strongest “Why Powers” are almost always rooted in something bigger than you as individuals.

My challenge to you is to DISCOVER your “why power” that will serve as the emotional bedrock of your weight loss success.

You will be shocked at how much more weight you'll lose over the next month when you have the PROPER MINDSET fueling your actions.

Yes, losing weight will get hard at times. That's guaranteed. But having the inner strength, commitment, and purpose can always transcend “hard.” That too is guaranteed.

Now that we've talked about sleep and mindset, we can move onto the NEXT STEP of “The Pyramid.”

Step 3: You Must Start a Sustainable Weight Loss Meal Plan

Nutrition accounts for 80% of your weight loss results. It is 10 X more important than exercise! You should know that right off the bat.

To illustrate this point, I want to mention one of my FF30X, 30-Day Program members, named Vijay. Over the past 4 months on the program, Vijay has dropped 45lbs.

• Vijay didn't perform one single “workout” in those 4 months, and…
• He ate bread every single day for lunch.

Vijay just followed the simple, effective, and sustainable meal plan we put together that works with his schedule. And he walks during the day.

That's it. No voodoo is involved in dropping that 45 lbs.

And know that when I say “Effective Nutrition,” I’m NOT referring to calorie counting, highly restrictive meal planning, or any of that unnecessary garbage.

Because when we trim all the fat & complication away from eating for weight loss, effective nutrition is as much about BEHAVIORS as it is about food itself.

That’s worth repeating…

The beautiful part is that you already know which foods are healthy and which aren’t.

You know the salmon on the dinner menu is better than the burger. You know chips aren’t as healthy as fruits and veggies.

Knowledge is not your issue. Your issue is establishing the right eating habits and behaviors on a consistent basis.

The key to your weight loss success lies in finding ways to get those healthy foods into your mouth consistently — ideally in a simple, sustainable, and enjoyable way that doesn’t feel like work or torture.

Your weight loss success is about building sustainable nutrition habits.

Next, AFTER you have a sustainable nutrition plan in place…

Step 4: Start Doing DAILY ACTIVITY — Not Formal Exercise

What’s the difference between “daily activity” and “formal exercise”?

Formal exercise is a “workout.” It’s training with weights. It’s performing fat loss interval training. It’s doing cardio.

Working out is useful and quite effective for weight loss, and we have a ton of great workouts on the Fit Father Project YouTube channel.

But remember, exercise is just one TOOL for weight loss. It’s not the foundation of your weight loss efforts.

In fact, to lose weight, “formal exercise” is the LEAST important part of the pyramid as you see here again…

Please know that I’m NOT saying you can sit on your ass all day and lose weight. We both know that won’t work!

What WILL WORK is understanding that it's 1,000 X easier to NOT EAT 500 calories than it is to spend 1 hour exercising.

That's why “formal exercise” is not as important as healthy eating for the initial stages of weight loss.

Daily movement is VERY IMPORTANT though.

In fact, research has shown that our BRAINS require a minimum amount of daily movement each day to properly regulate our feelings of hunger and weight loss.

The MINIMUM amount of activity your body needs to lose weight is called your Daily Required Movement Threshold.

Here's the important (practical) part: your brain actually requires that you perform at least 30-45 min of active movement (things like walking) in order for it to properly regulate your hunger level.

If you fail to get this minimum amount of activity, your brain's appetite control centers malfunction, and your hunger runs wild.

Being hungry all the time is the worst scenario for weight loss.

If you miss this daily 30-45 minutes of active movement, your brain forces you to crave calorie-dense foods — even if your body has an “energy excess” (lots of stored body fat).

Crazy, right? That’s why DAILY MOVEMENT is so important.

I recommend a simple morning walk if possible — ideally in the sunlight to get some Vitamin D.

If you have an active job already, you're good to go! Your Daily Required Movement Threshold is already being met, so focusing on starting a smarter nutrition plan will get you the best results.

If you work a desk job AND can’t do a morning walk … try setting a timer every 50 minutes to get up and walk around.

You'll meet your Daily Required Movement Threshold, plus, moving around every hour while working really helps alleviate back tension and stiffness.

Here are a few other tips to move more:

• Park the car farther away in the parking lot.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator.
• Walk while you are talking on the phone.
• Walk with your dog, your wife, your kids, or your girlfriend.

All of this seemingly small movement adds up to big results.

Remember: The goal of daily movement is NOT to burn calories. The goal is to hit your ‘Daily Required Movement Threshold' so that your brain can maintain proper hunger control. As a result, you’ll naturally eat less and lose more weight.

Finally, once the activity threshold is in place (coupled with a good diet, 6-7 hours of sleep, and a strong WHY-motivated mindset), we can address the capstone aspect of weight loss: formal exercise.

Step 5: Start Formal Exercise With the Right Workouts for Men Over 40

Just because we're talking about formal exercise, doesn't mean it has to be difficult.

In fact, your formal exercise approach for weight loss is simple!

There are TWO types of exercise that you need for weight loss:

• Type #1: Fat-Burning Interval Cardio: The proper interval cardio workouts burn two times as much fat in HALF the time of typical “jogging on the treadmill” workouts.
• Type #2: Strength Training: Nothing naturally boosts your body’s natural levels of anti-aging and weight loss hormones faster than pumping some iron.

I’m not a gambling man, but I’d be willing to bet that you have some tightening up to do with you nutrition, sleep, and daily activity before we start implementing formal exercise…

Remember Vijay. He lost weight with just sleep, mindset, daily walks, and the damn effective Fit Father Meal Plan inside my Fit Father 30X Program.

You can do the exact same. Start with nutrition. Exercise comes after.

The Undeniable Proof These 5 Steps Work Wonders

Please know: Weight loss results vary from individual to individual.

Meet Fit Father 30X program member Jim Younger (62 years young).

Before starting with our new “Fit Father” approach, Jim was rampantly gaining weight and feeling exhausted all the time. Jim let his health slipped while raising his 5 kids and building his construction business.

At 62, Jim finally committed to get his health handled for good.

With this 5-step approach distilled into a simple action plan inside the comprehensive Fit Father 30X Program, Jim dropped 45lbs of stubborn fat in just over 9.5 weeks.

Here's the exact process Jim used – based on the 5 steps in this guide:

• • Jim first started by getting his sleep on track at 7 hours.

• • Jim also completed the FF30X Motivation “Why Power” worksheet.

• • Next, Jim started the Fit Father Meal Plan found inside the FF30X.

• • Then Jim began 30-minutes of walking each morning before work.

• • Lastly, Jim began the time-efficient FF30X workouts (just 120 min of exercise/week).

There is a proven path to follow.

Click here to read the FF30X Program Overview Letter to learn more.

Article Summary: The 5 Key Points of Weight Loss For Men Over 40 in 30 Seconds

• • Get 6-7 hours of sleep every night. Missing sleep destroys the hormonal environment your body needs to lose weight. Sleep is foundational!

• • Figure out your weight loss WHY Power. What motivates you on a DEEP emotional level to lose weight? This is your WHY power that will keep you on track.

• • Get on a simple and sustainable eating meal plan. Eating for weight loss is all about behaviors. You need a habits-based system that you can actually stick to.

• • Start 30-45 minutes of daily activity — NOT exercise. Your body needs to hit its Daily Required Movement Threshold to properly regular your hunger levels.

• • Once steps 1-4 are in place, you can start formal exercise. The most effective exercise options are high-intensity interval training and strength training combined into a time-efficient routine.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed 5 steps that cover the fundamentals of weight loss for men over 40.

Please don't underestimate the simplicity of this approach. Your weight loss success lies in generating momentum through the consistent application of these fundamentals we've covered in this weight loss for men over 40 guide.

If you liked this guide and you want more great training on how to eat, exercise, and get healthy as a busy man over 40, I want to invite you to subscribe to our weekly Fit Father Project email list, join 25,000 smart men getting life-changing health info like this every week.

Liked this article? Please share it with a friend or family member who will benefit from this info!

It's my mission with The Fit Father Project to spread the proven, high-quality info on weight loss for men over 40 to as many guys as I can. You can help by sharing this awesomeness with somebody important in your life. We can make this world healthier – one man at a time.

I look forward to speaking more with you. This is only the beginning of your journey. You can do this. I’ve got your back!

Your new friend & weight loss coach,

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on weight loss for men over 40.