How to Build and Maintain Muscle for Fat Loss Over 40

Coach Mindy
Feb 28, 2022
5 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

When most people set out to lose weight, the focus is usually on the number on the scale.

But if your goal is to feel stronger, look more toned, and support your metabolism in midlife, fat loss — not just weight loss — is what really matters.

One challenge many women face after 40 is that weight loss can sometimes come with an unintended side effect: losing muscle along with body fat. And that’s not ideal, because muscle plays a key role in supporting metabolism, strength, and overall health as we age.

The good news is that muscle loss isn’t inevitable.

With the right combination of strength training, adequate protein, and a sustainable nutrition approach, it’s possible to lose body fat while maintaining — and even building — valuable muscle.

When I work with clients, the goal is never just to “lose weight.” The goal is to lose fat while preserving as much muscle as possible, because muscle is one of the most powerful tools we have for supporting a healthy metabolism.

Let’s look at how to do exactly that.

How fast should you lose weight?

Most experts agree, losing an average of one to two pounds a week is healthy and sustainable weight loss, enabling you to lose the fat and keep valuable muscle. Dropping weight any faster puts you at risk of losing more than fat. You’ll wind up losing muscle too, which translates into a slower metabolism and increased risk of weight regain too.

Why is protein important to lose weight?

Protein is the not so secret weapon in the war on fat.

First, protein satisfies hunger and takes longer to digest, so you stay feeling full longer and are less likely to mindlessly snack or go back to the kitchen to refill your plate.

Second, protein is essential to repairing and strengthening your muscles after you exercise. Working out builds lean muscle mass which increases your resting metabolic rate and your ability to burn calories at rest.

Third, it takes more energy to digest protein which means you burn more calories while eating. Talk about awesome.

Fourth, protein helps you burn fat, not muscle. Research shows that in order to effectively burn fat, your body needs a nudge from either protein or carbs. Eating protein will help preserve your lean muscle mass while your body burns off fat.

If you want to lose fat and nourish your muscles, you MUST eat enough protein. Balanced nutrition is essential to building muscle and burning your stored fat.

What's the key to burning more fat?

Build more muscle. The key to maximizing your fat burning ability is to increase your muscle mass. You do that by strength training and eating a balanced diet that consists of lean plant and animal proteins along with complex carbs, fruits and vegetables. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate and the more calories you burn. Yes, even at rest.

So how do you nourish your muscles?

First answer is before AND after you workout.

Most folks work out first thing in the morning. It’s just more convenient to get up and get it done before you get on with the rest of your day. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, that means working out on an empty stomach and that is like sending your body an engraved invitation to break down muscle instead of burn fat.

When you work out, your body gets its energy from the carbohydrates you eat. The carbohydrates get converted to glucose and the glucose you don’t use immediately is converted into glycogen and stored in your liver and muscles. If you don’t fuel your body, it has to break down the muscles to get to the stored glycogen for energy. To rebuild those muscles, your body needs more fuel.

What should you eat before you work out?

To maximize your fat burning potential, you need to eat a meal that contains carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and healthy fat about an hour to an hour and a half before you work out.

Some good pre-workout combinations include:

Greek yogurt with nuts and berries
Scrambled eggs with veggies and avocado
Oatmeal with fresh fruit
Cottage cheese with fresh fruit
Whole grain toast with nut butter and sliced bananas or strawberries
Water packed tuna or chicken with whole wheat crackers and a low fat cheese stick
Turkey meatballs and veggie sticks and hummus
Low sodium turkey breast with light cream cheese
Ants on a log: celery sticks with nut butter and raisins or dried cranberries

What should you eat after you work out?

After you've worked up a sweat, you’ll need to replenish your body with another nutrient dense combo of protein and carbs to refill your energy stores, rebuild muscle and ramp up your metabolism. Your post workout snack or meal helps strengthen and rebuild muscles after they’ve spent their glycogen during exercise. So within thirty minutes to an hour after you finish crushing your workout, you’ll need to eat again.

Research shows that waiting two hours to fuel up decreases your muscles ability to replace their stored glycogen by as much as 50%. So plan ahead for refueling!

Try these post workout snack ideas:

A Green Power Smoothie: click here for the recipe
Chicken breast and sautéed veggies
Quinoa bowl with black beans, veggies and
A hard boiled egg and fruit
Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with low fat cheese, greens and hummus
Dried fruit and unsalted nuts
Whole grain crackers with hummus and a light cheese stick
A brown rice cake with light cream cheese and grapes
Tuna packed in water in a whole grain tortilla with veggies and avocado
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites: click here for the recipe

How do I get motivated to exercise?

This is the age-old question and something that we all struggle with from time to time. Check out these 7 Surprising Ways to Get Motivated to Exercise and then get your body moving. While exercise doesn't have a huge impact on weight loss, it has a drastic effect on your health. So just do it!

building muscle with bodyweight exercise

Bottom Line

If your goal is fat loss, the focus shouldn’t just be on losing weight — it should be on preserving and supporting your muscle.

Muscle plays a key role in metabolism, strength, and long-term health, especially for women over 40. That’s why a sustainable fat loss approach includes nourishing your body properly and supporting your muscles before and after workouts.

You can protect your muscle by setting realistic weight loss goals, eating enough calories and protein each day, and incorporating regular strength training into your routine.

And remember, strength training doesn’t require a gym membership. Any weight-bearing movement that challenges your muscles — from resistance bands to bodyweight exercises to lifting weights — can help you build and maintain strength over time.

In my work with women in midlife, one of the biggest shifts happens when they stop focusing on simply “losing weight” and start focusing on supporting their metabolism and muscle instead.