How to Lose Weight Fast for Men Over 40 (7 Simple Steps)

When you see a chiseled Greek god walking down the street, you’re probably thinking: “wow, the gym really paid off for them.” And while you’re not wrong, it’s not just the gym they’re getting right.

Losing weight is no easy feat–any warrior, man or woman, can tell you that.

But, there are a few more things that men have to consider when cutting pounds. And in this article, we’ll cover the research-backed habits, the minor tweaks, and pro tips on losing weight faster for the gents.

After reading, you’ll be ready to finetune your weight loss plan for maximum efficiency and the best results. So without further ado, here are 7 tips to help you supercharge your weight loss journey. Let’s go. 

How to Lose Weight Fast for Men Over 40

1. Start Your Morning With a Cold Shower

Cooling down from a hot summer day isn’t the only thing a cold shower is good for. It can also help boost your metabolism to the next level (1). 

Here’s how:

See, exposure to cold temperatures helps activate brown fats (aka brown adipose tissue), which regulate body temperature (2). So when our body temperature decreases, our brown fat breaks down fat and sugar molecules to help us warm up, as well as other metabolic changes in our bodies (3).

This process increases your metabolic rate and energy levels while burning additional calories. Additionally, physical exercise is believed to activate our brown adipose tissue (surprise, surprise).

Now, although cold showers have many benefits, they aren’t enough to lose weight by themselves. That’s why men should take them in conjunction with a proper diet plan and physical workout routine, to give you that extra push you were looking for. 

2. Up Your Protein Intake

When you add proteins to your diet, you can reduce your appetite with a feeling of fullness and burn more fat. High-quality proteins have been shown to help you lose abdominal fat (4). So if you’ve been scratching your head on how to lose belly fat fast and safely with the right foods, turn yourself to a protein-rich diet.

Consuming proteins can also help you lose weight by preserving muscle mass and metabolism (5). That way, you can safely burn fat without worrying about losing muscle mass in the process.

Third, protein-rich foods satisfy your appetite quicker, since you won’t feel like eating more when you’re full, your overall calorie intake will naturally decrease (6).

More protein intake is especially recommended for men approaching or over 50 because they’re more prone to losing muscle mass (sarcopenia) (7). So, the extra protein (which doesn’t hurt, by the way) can help offset the loss while helping you drop the extra calories.

Among the foods that contain the richest protein, try lean meat, seafood, eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, soy, and dairy products. Breakfast is a great opportunity to fill up on these foods. 

Just remember to consult with your physician or dietitian first if you have dietary problems that could meddle with your protein intake. 

3. Ease Up On Junk Food

There’s nothing to gain by munching on junk food. Except for weight. If you’re struggling to manage treats during your weight loss diet—be it chips, french fries, cookies, peanut butter, don’t have them around the house or office.

It’s not a matter of willpower; it’s about being realistic. The ease of access is partly why you’re addicted to them. Put extra steps in the middle and you’ll subconsciously deter yourself. For once, being a lazy bum would be a good thing—you won’t be losing much weight otherwise.

Keep healthy snacks, like beef jerky, yogurt, or an avocado in your glove compartment or desk drawer so you’re prepared at all times. They’re better for your stomach and overall health, too. 

4. Reduced Your Intake Of Refined Carbs

If you consume too many refined carbohydrates, you may gain weight at unprecedented levels. Grains are processed so that their bran and germ are removed, reducing the nutrients and fiber content.

Furthermore, refined carbs usually have a higher glycemic index thanks to the high levels of added sugars in these foods.

So when you consume them, your blood sugar levels may fluctuate erratically, making you feel hungry more often (8). 

Refined carbs have also been shown to lead to an increase in abdominal fat: 2,834 people partook in a survey and those who consumed more refined grains had more visceral fat (9).

The best way to lose weight is to replace refined carbohydrates from foods such as white bread with whole grains such as barley, buckwheat, and millet. You will feel full and satisfied for longer, eating fewer calories as a result. Consult your physician or nutritionist if you have any questions.

5. Add More Fiber to Your Diet

1,114 adults lost 3.7% of their belly fat over 5 years by ingesting soluble fiber by 10 grams daily (10). When fiber moves slowly through your digestive tract, it can absorb water. As a result, you feel fuller longer. Therefore, high-fiber foods could help with weight management (11).

Increased fiber intake has been shown to reduce hunger and promote feelings of fullness in another review. Research shows that adding 14 grams of fiber to your daily diet could lower caloric intake by 10% and weight by 2kg over four months (12).

Soluble fibers go straight to your gut, where a series of enzymatic reactions release short-chain fatty acids—these regulate fat metabolism, enhancing the rate of fat burn, fat storage, ultimately reducing body weight and belly fat (11).

Vegetables like quinoa, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds are some of the best sources of fiber to increase satiety. 

If you want to take your weight loss and fat loss regime to the next level, add these foods to your diet. Adding them to your diet is a winning formula.

6. Try High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Workouts

It’s hard to find articles on how to lose weight fast for men without reading about high-intensity interval training (HIIT). 

And for good reason. With this aerobic exercise, short bursts of different high-intensity exercises are interspersed with short recovery periods, elevating your heart rate throughout the exercise.

HIIT is well-researched to rev up fat burning while promoting weight loss. In one 12-week experiment, young men performed HIIT for 20 minutes 3 times weekly, losing on average 2kg of fat and 17% in belly fat, tagged with a major decrease in waist circumference (13).

HIIT burns more calories in a shorter period than other forms of cardio. You could burn up to 30% more calories with HIIT than other exercises like jogging or cycling. You can start easy by alternating between walks and sprints in 30-second intervals to start cutting that extra weight (14).

Remember to perform HIIT in moderation, though. Otherwise, you’re looking at burnout and the risk of injury. The explosive nature of physical activity puts a lot of stress on your joints and muscles. 

7. Try Out Intermittent Fasting

This isn’t your typical fad diets. In intermittent fasting, you alternate periods of eating and fasting. It may sound complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. 

You can choose from several types of intermittent fasting, including the warrior diet, the 5:2 diet, and the 16/8 method.

Intermittent fasting for 3-12 weeks can reduce body weight by 7% and body fats by 5.5kg (15). When combined with resistance training, eating once every eight hours reduced muscle fat while maintaining muscle mass (16).

Make sure you choose the one best suited to your schedule and lifestyle. If you aren’t sure, you can try every type of exercise that HIIT offers to see which combinations you prefer. Either way, the American journal of clinical nutrition approves weight loss through intermittent fasting to be beneficial. 

Be careful, though, not to go for prolonged periods without eating. You may think it’s the fastest way, but you may end up hurting yourself rather than helping yourself. It’s one of the most dangerous ways to lose weight in both men and women because you’re often left with major health issues.

Bonus on How to Lose Weight Fast for Men

Avoid High-Calorie Drinks

In addition to food, drinks with added sugars contain a lot of calories. The caloric content of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, such as soda, is not only high but there’s little nutritional value, too.

You can greatly aid your weight loss efforts by replacing these beverages with healthier options.

Stay away from alcohol if you’re looking to lose weight, too. It has a high-calorie content and can lower your inhibitions, making you more prone to overeating (17). All-in-all, research conclusively shows that you risk developing abdominal fat with sugar-sweetened and alcoholic beverages (18).

Choose calorie- and sugar-free drinks like green tea or water. Drinking 500ml of water before meals could enhance weight loss by about 2kg, as it did for participants in a 12-week experiment (19).

Green tea contains caffeine and is rich in antioxidants. Together, these components may increase fat burning and cellular metabolism by 12% in moderately active adults (20).

A drink or two here and there never hurts but you want to minimize your consumption to reduce weight gain and keep your waistline in check. 

For the most part, consider a glass of water or green tea as an alternative to high-calorie beverages today to possibly boost fat metabolism.

Add More Healthy Fats to Your Diet

I know, I know. This article is on how to lose weight fast yet this type is encouraging you to consume healthy fats. 

Sounds counterproductive and but bear with me. Healthy fats are not the same as fats found in junk food. Eating them will make you feel sated while helping you lose weight.

Healthy fats usually take longer to digest, which leads to reduced appetite and hunger. In fact, a study found that a Mediterranean diet rich in healthy fats like olive oil ultimately reduced the risk of weight gain compared to a low-fat diet (21).

When you consume unhealthy fats, you are at risk of gaining body and abdominal weight, as well as growing your waist circumference (22).

As always, you should consume healthy fats in moderation, as you would with any other calorie-containing food. Consuming too much can actually be harmful.

Do Strength Training

An exercise routine that strengthens your muscle tissue by contracting them against resistance has numerous health benefits, particularly in burning excess fats.

78 people subject to strength training saw significantly reduced levels of visceral fat (the riskiest type of fat) in their bodies in one study (23). 

The calories burned at rest can be increased by 7% with just 10 weeks of resistance training while fat weight is reduced by 1.8kg, as shown in another study (24).

Exercises that you can do with your body weight, using gym equipment, or lifting weights are a great way to get you started with strength training. 

Complement that with some good ol’ HIIT cardio for the best results. If you need help, you can search for workouts online or consult a personal trainer. 

Get More Quality Sleep

It’s interesting how sleep can help with your weight loss goals, eh? It’s a little difficult to draw an immediate connection, but the secret lies in the quality and quantity of sleep that you get.

Here’s how it works: Even when you’re resting, your body is constantly working. So even while you’re asleep, your body burns calories to maintain vital bodily functions like blood circulation and breathing, which means energy expenditure. 

How well it does so, however, depends entirely on the quality and quantity of your sleep. 

The highest number of calories are burned during the REM sleep stage (when you’re in deep sleep). You get to REM in cycles, going through the lighter sleep stages first. Put simply, you generally burn more calories in a night if you go through more cycles.

Quality sleep is uninterrupted hours of sleep, which of course allows you to go through the cycles seamlessly, in other words: more calories burnt. That makes quality important.

Sleeping seven hours a night is associated with maximum weight loss benefits (25). You’ll also have more energy for your day-to-day activity level and workout. As a result, you should always maintain a healthy sleep cycle. 

Maintain your regular sleep schedule, limit caffeine consumption, and minimize the use of electronics before bed. Combining good sleep patterns with a healthy diet and exercise plan can help you lose weight quickly.

If you have trouble falling asleep, Try the 4-7-8 Breathing Method To Fall Asleep Instantly

The Final Take How Lose Weight Fast for Men

One of the most important aspects of living a healthy life is staying fit. But your fitness level is determined by your lifestyle and long-term habits. It’s what either leads you to obesity or a fit body. 

In today’s fast-paced world, people are looking for quick, safe, and efficient weight loss tips. But the best way to lose weight for men is consistency on all the tips mentioned in conjunction with each other. 

That way, you’ll be the chiseled Greek god others drop their mouths to as you walk down the street.

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