Why You Can't Get the Fluff Off

How your body stores fat differently after 40 and what to do about it.

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Quick ask before we start…

You know I’m all about rucking (walking with a weighted backpack or vest). Rucking is blowing up—Huffington Post just covered it, and weighted vest sales jumped 50% last year. Women and men experiencing hormonal changes (perimenopause, low T) are one of the fastest-growing groups adopting weighted vests and rucking (driven by bone density and muscle mass concerns).

I'm thinking about launching a dedicated community for midlife adults who want to ruck (no military culture, no extreme workouts), and have access to beginner guides, training plans, community, events, gear recommendations, and more.

Thanks! Now on to today’s post…

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I’ve noticed something really frustrating about midlife. It’s very difficult to lose body fat when you’re over 40!

True story: last year I was lifting heavy, getting stronger, building a lot of muscle, whilst also growing thicker in the tummy and love handles. The numbers on the scale were going up because I was in a “bulking” phase (as bodybuilders call it), but when I tried to lose the extra fat like I did in my 20s and 30s, nothing happened.

Despite more cardio (which always worked before), the fat just... stayed. I felt like I was stuck in a permanent bulk. Solid muscle underneath, but a layer of fat on top that refused to go.

Then I learned about two really annoying things that happen in midlife that explain exactly why it’s so hard to lose body fat.

First: Anabolic Resistance and Muscle Loss

Your body’s efficiency changes in your 40s. You enter a state of anabolic resistance, where your body becomes less efficient at converting protein into muscle. Since muscle burns calories, losing muscle mass means losing the ability to burn fat at rest. Your body now requires new signals (e.g. higher protein intake and strength training) to efficiently burn fat at rest.

Second: Hormonal Fat Redistribution

Declining estrogen (for women) and testosterone (for men) changes where your body stores fat. When you’re younger, hormones help distribute fat more evenly. After 40, your body prefers to store fat centrally as visceral fat around your organs and midsection. Visceral fat is biologically different than subcutaneous fat (fat under your skin elsewhere); it’s “pro-inflammatory,” increases disease risk, and is harder to lose.

This is why your jeans don’t fit even though you weigh the same as you did five years. Your body composition has shifted: fat has literally migrated from your subcutaneous stores to your midsection. So, even if you lose weight, your body pulls from your arms, legs, and face first, not your waist and hips. FUN!

The Fix

Here’s what worked for me: a 40+ year old body needs strategy, NOT sacrifice. I’ve gone down one pants-size with the following strategies:

• Meals: Starting the day with a simple coffee (light cream) and a mitochondrial/creatine supplement. Then instead of three full meals a day, substituting one meal with a protein shake. The other two meals contain a high-protein main, a vegetable, and a starch (based on Mark Sisson’s research on metabolic flexibility for 40+ bodies).

• Water: Drinking a lot of it. Cutting out soda and alcohol (or at the very least, reducing your intake).

• Movement: 5K-10K steps per day, with some or all as a ruck (weighted backpack or vest).

• Strength Training: 20-30 mins of weight training 3x-5x/week. From home, at the gym, whatever. I use kettlebells at home because they are very convenient and simple. Rucking also counts as strength training.

• Mobility: 15-30 mins ground-based mobility flows every day (e.g. crawling like a bear). You can’t let your mobility get away from you. It’s so easy to lose, and so hard to get back.

The truth is that fat loss after 40 requires a completely different strategy than fat loss at 30. Your body changed the game, which means you have to change your approach.

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To ask yourself this week

What strategy worked for fat loss in your 20s and 30s that isn’t working anymore? Are you still trying the same approach and expecting different results?

To try this week

Pick one element from the fix above and test it for 7 days. Just one. See if changing one variable shifts anything.

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Let me know how it goes by commenting or shooting me a reply. I read every response.

Thanks for being here,

-Marek

P.S. For paid subscribers, this Friday's FIVE covers Japanese “slow jogging,” weight vest strength training, protein shakes, sleep quality (environment and routine), and letting go of scale weight obsession. Upgrade your subscription →