For years, women over 40 have been frustrated as they notice unexplained weight gain despite following the consistent advice that eating less and exercising more is the secret to weight loss. This misguided approach has pushed many into restrictive diets and gruelling workout routines, often with disappointing outcomes. So, why is the age-old simplicity of eat less, exercise more not working for women over 40?
Carly Gallagher, a Gold Coast nutritionist, naturopath, yoga teacher, and founder of Inner-Alchemy, is challenging this outdated belief with her innovative “rest-based” approach to metabolic health. Gallagher’s method challenges the conventional wisdom by focusing on rest and recovery.
“When clients come to me, they’re often entrenched in the ‘eat less, exercise more’ mentality,” Gallagher says. “What they don’t realise is that this strategy can actually slow down their metabolism, especially after 40, by disrupting essential hormones like cortisol and insulin.”
A common struggle for women in this age group is persistent belly fat, which Gallagher links to hormonal imbalances. “High cortisol from chronic stress, insulin resistance, and fluctuating oestrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause all contribute to increased abdominal fat,” Gallagher explains.
The problem with weight loss for women over 40
Bodily changes after forty are not uncommon for women. Eavesdrop on a girls lunch or jump in any Facebook group for this demographic and you’re bound to come across active conversations about weight gain, hair loss, hair where you don’t want it, and other unpleasant symptoms surrounding hormonal changes. Carly’s “rest-based” approach, however, can be met with resistance from women who have been diligently hitting the gym or getting their runs in and counting calories. After all, how can you expect to lose weight if you do less exercise?
We asked a group of forty-something women who are struggling with their weight despite following a healthy and active lifestyle about their thoughts around Carly’s approach and put those questions to her. Here’s what she had to say:
Can you explain the core principles of your "rest-based" approach and how it differs from the traditional "eat less, exercise more" mindset?
The traditional “eat less, exercise more” approach often fails women over 40 due to hormonal changes during perimenopause, a 2–10-year period before menopause characterised by increased stress sensitivity.
Drastically reducing calories and overexercising can disrupt crucial metabolic pathways, leading to impaired thyroid function, progesterone depletion, and insulin resistance. Overexercising can increase inflammation, leading to further stress and more risk of injury. This can slow metabolism, hindering weight management.
Instead, I recommend short, efficient workouts (15–20-minute high-intensity sessions combined with resistance, three times weekly) to trigger fat-burning without overstressing the system. If performed with the right intensity, human growth hormones can increase after 10 minutes and last for up to 24 hours even at rest. Women over 40 should be working smarter, not harder.
Rest days should be the day after a workout day and focus on restorative activities like walking or yoga. This allows the body time to heal.
Nutritionally, my meal plans provide at the very least 1200 calories daily, with 60-80g of carbs (about 20% of daily calories) to rest insulin and blood sugar levels, while higher fat content satisfies cravings and fuel needs. When surveyed most women in my programs enter having less than 1000 calories a day in their diet, mostly coming from carbohydrates. For me, however, it’s not about the number of calories, it’s all about the amount of carbs. I assess their caloric needs and their meal plans based on their BMR using the Harris-Benedict equation and regularly adjust based on their fitness level and results.
You mention that the "eat less, exercise more" approach can negatively impact hormones like cortisol and insulin, especially for women over 40. How do these hormonal imbalances specifically affect weight loss and metabolism?
These hormonal imbalances specifically affect weight loss and metabolism in several ways.
Cortisol, often called the stress hormone, is particularly sensitive to extreme dieting and over-exercising. When cortisol levels remain chronically elevated, it promotes abdominal fat storage and can break down muscle tissue. This not only makes weight loss more challenging but can lead to weight gain, especially around the midsection. High cortisol levels can also increase cravings for high-calorie foods and disrupt sleep patterns, further impacting metabolism negatively.
Insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar, is also affected by extreme calorie restriction. Over time, this can lead to insulin resistance, making it harder for cells to take in glucose. As a result, the body may store more fat, and energy levels can fluctuate wildly, causing crashes and increased hunger.
For women over 40, these issues are compounded by natural hormonal changes. Oestrogen levels decrease during perimenopause and menopause, which already impacts metabolism. Over-exercising can further decrease oestrogen, exacerbating these issues and making weight loss even more challenging.
Thyroid function can also be disrupted by severe calorie restriction, leading to a slowdown in metabolism. This makes weight loss more difficult and can lead to fatigue and other health issues.
Additionally, extreme dieting can lead to leptin resistance, disrupting the body’s hunger and fullness signals and potentially leading to overeating.
The key to addressing these hormonal challenges is finding a balanced approach that supports overall hormonal health while promoting gradual, sustainable weight loss. This often involves smarter exercise workouts, correct nutrition, stress management, and proper rest – all core components of effective metabolic strategies for women over 40.
For women in physically demanding jobs, how can they integrate your rest-based approach while still meeting the need to maintain cardiovascular fitness, strength, and overall performance?
For women in physically demanding jobs, my programs offer an ideal solution. The core of this approach is our specially designed metabolic exercises. These workouts, though only 15-20 minutes long, are high-intensity and incorporate resistance training, making them perfect for maintaining strength and cardiovascular fitness even with busy jobs or lives.
What sets my programs apart is their adaptability. These exercises are fully modifiable to suit any fitness level, ensuring that even women in physically demanding professions can benefit without overtraining. The key principle is to push hard for those 15 minutes, then allow a full day of rest afterwards.
This rest-based strategy is backed by science. During the rest day, human growth hormone continues to work, promoting muscle recovery and fat burning even when you’re not actively exercising. This approach not only maintains peak performance but also supports hormonal balance and overall health.
Our programs also emphasise proper nutrition and stress management techniques, essential for women in high-stress, physically demanding roles. By integrating these metabolic strategies, women can maintain their professional performance while adhering to a rest-based approach that supports long-term health and reduces the risk of burnout or injury.
Are there specific modifications or adaptations within your program for athletes or women with high physical activity levels to ensure they still benefit from the rest-based principles?
Absolutely! All my programs are designed with flexibility in mind, making it suitable for athletes and women with high physical activity levels while still adhering to rest-based principles. Here’s how the program adapts:
Our metabolic exercises, while only 15-20 minutes long are highly modifiable to challenge even the fittest individuals. For athletes and highly active women, we offer several ways to intensify the workouts:
- Increased Resistance: Athletes can use heavier weights or resistance bands to amp up the challenge.
- Squeezing Harder: We emphasise the power of isometric contractions. By squeezing harder during movements, you can significantly increase the metabolic demand, making the workout more challenging without changing its duration.
- Increased Speed: While maintaining proper form, athletes can increase their speed to complete more cycles of each movement, effectively boosting the workout’s intensity.
- Burnout Sessions: For those seeking an extra challenge, we offer an optional ab burnout session at the end of the main workout. These push the metabolic “fire” even further, creating what we call a “fat-burning ” inside the body.
The key is that these intense, short bursts of activity, followed by a full day of rest, support the body’s natural rhythms and hormone production. This approach ensures that even highly active women can benefit from the rest-based principles, maintaining or even improving their performance while supporting overall health and reducing the risk of burnout.
My clients are women over 40, often mothers, who struggle to see results despite regular exercise. They’re rarely what I would call athletes, but I do have some I would consider highly athletic. They’re seeking efficient solutions that fit their busy lives, not time-consuming programs. Some may have sports backgrounds and remain fit, but now face challenges with weight loss and energy. This was my own experience and why this was a light bulb moment in my journey.
These women (like me) often believe they need to exercise harder, but this approach backfires as they age. Longer, more frequent, and more intense workouts can switch off metabolism in older women. While fit clients initially resist reducing workout times and focusing on recovery, the data we collect daily proves our approach’s effectiveness.
When these women prioritise recovery, they lose weight and gain energy. Conversely, over-exercising leads to weight loss plateaus, decreased energy, and increased carb cravings. Our comprehensive daily and weekly data tracking allows clients to see these results for themselves, validating the power of our metabolic strategies for women over 40.
Remember, the goal of my methodology is not just about maintaining fitness but optimising overall health and hormonal balance. By providing these adaptable, intense workouts within a framework that prioritises rest and recovery, I ensure that women of all fitness levels, including high-performance athletes, can reap the full benefits of the program.
How does your approach ensure that women maintain or even improve their performance while benefiting from the rest-based principles?
Studies show that proper rest and recovery periods are crucial for improving overall metabolism and achieving the goals many women over 40 are seeking – such as reduced belly fat, a leaner figure, increased energy, and less stiffness.
This approach recognises that traditional fitness metrics aren’t always aligned with what women truly want. While fitness instructors often focus on improving endurance or strength, many of our clients are more concerned with how they feel in their bodies day-to-day. By incorporating strategic rest periods, we allow the body to heal, reduce chronic inflammation, and optimise hormonal balance – all of which contribute to these desired outcomes.
Our program is tailored to women over 40 and their goals, understanding that feeling good, having more energy, and achieving a leaner physique often take precedence over traditional fitness benchmarks. This unique approach ensures that woman in this age group’s needs and objectives are met, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach that may not serve their true goals.
By focusing on metabolic health rather than just fitness, we’re able to address the root causes of issues like weight gain, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances that many women face as they age. This comprehensive strategy not only maintains or improves physical performance but does so in a way that aligns with our clients’ broader health and wellness goals.
For those in high-stress physical jobs, how do you suggest managing stress effectively to avoid its negative impact on hormones and metabolism?
Managing stress effectively is crucial to avoid its negative impact on hormones and metabolism. Our methodology emphasises several practical steps:
- Prioritise Sleep Quality: We stress the importance of getting 8 hours of sleep nightly, with a focus on the hours before midnight as they are more critical for metabolic and hormonal balance. Quality sleep is essential for these pathways to function optimally.
- Incorporate Yin Yoga: We integrate Yin Yoga into our program, which emphasises breathwork and slowing down the body. This practice helps shift stuck energy and allows the nervous system to heal, providing a powerful tool for stress management.
- Focus on Gut Health: Our nutrition plan includes foods that support the microbiome, recognising the crucial gut-brain connection in mood regulation. A healthier gut leads to better stress-coping mechanisms.
- Utilise Herbal/Nutritional Support: Being naturopathic-based, we employ a range of herbs in our teas and essential vitamins/minerals in our recommended supplements. These are prescribed to support adrenal function and are adaptogenic, nervous system restorative, and calming. These natural tools help the body reduce and better cope with stress.
- Ensure Adequate Nutrition: We strongly emphasise the importance of eating enough food, particularly focusing on adequate protein intake. We discourage binging on sugars or excessive carbs, which can cause blood sugar spikes, slow down metabolism, and lead to fatigue and poor sleep. Instead, we encourage whole foods and less inflammatory options that lead to increased energy and performance. This balanced nutritional approach is key to maintaining stable energy levels, supporting recovery, and optimising metabolic function, especially for those in physically demanding jobs.
- Optimise Fat Adaptation: We train the body to efficiently use stored fats as fuel. This is achieved through the use of MCT oils and an intermittent fasting approach, where all calories are consumed within an 8-hour window (e.g., between 9 AM and 5 PM or 10 AM and 6 PM). This ensures at least 14-16 hours of overnight fasting, which rests the digestive system, restores blood sugar levels and primes the body for fat adaptation. This strategy provides a readily available source of fuel (and energy) that individuals can rely on even during periods of high-stress work or having a break on holidays, maintaining stable energy levels and metabolic flexibility.
We emphasise rest-based strategies because stress is a primary factor in slowing metabolism and impacting hormones. By incorporating strategic rest and recovery in our exercise, diet and lifestyle, we help the body better manage stress.
Carly Gallagher, a Naturopath since 1994, has revolutionised weight loss for women over 40 with her innovative, rest-based approach. After opening her Wellness clinic in Melbourne in 2016, Carly developed a metabolic methodology for perimenopausal women, a comprehensive approach that works with women’s hormones, not against them. Drawing from over 25 years of experience and her personal journey with thyroid health, Carly’s unique methodology blends Nutrition, Exercise, Yoga, Gut Healing, and Meditation.
Recently, Carly launched a ground-breaking app, making her programs ‘Metabolic Alchemy’ and ‘Metabolic Freedom’ accessible to women worldwide. This digital platform offers personalised and group coaching and support, embodying Carly’s mission to demystify metabolism and empower women through science, wisdom, and a touch of alchemy.
Carly is currently developing a monthly membership program, further expanding her reach and impact on women’s health and weight management. For more information about Carly Gallagher and her innovative programs, please visit: https://inner-alchemy.com.au
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