If you’ve hit a wall with your weight loss journey, you’re not alone. Understanding how to break through a weight loss plateau after 40 is one of the most common struggles for the women we work with at Trinity.
They’re showing up, trying to eat healthily, cutting carbs, pushing through gym classes or runs. But the scales aren’t budging, their clothes still feel tight, and they’re frustrated.
Energy is low, joints are stiff, they dread holidays or beach days, and despite their best weight loss efforts, nothing’s working anymore. And that’s because their bodies are changing, and what used to work, simply doesn’t anymore.
If that sounds like you, this article will help you understand what causes a weight loss plateau, why it’s so common after 40, and how to break through it successfully and sustainably.
How Many Weeks Is Considered a Weight Loss Plateau?
A weight loss plateau typically means going three to four weeks with no change in weight, body measurements, or how your clothes fit, despite continuing your weight loss program.
If you’ve been consistent with your diet and physical activity, yet haven’t seen any change for a month or more, you’re likely experiencing a weight loss plateau.
Plateaus are frustrating because they make you feel like all your efforts are wasted. But the truth is, they’re a natural part of every weight loss journey. Especially after 40, hormonal shifts change how your body responds to food, stress and exercise.
Things like lower oestrogen and progesterone, combined with higher cortisol levels, can significantly affect how your body stores fat, manages blood sugar and retains muscle.
“Contributing makes me feel like I’m being useful to the planet”.
– Anna Wong, Volunteer
Why Are Weight Plateaus Common In Menopause?
Your Body Has Changed
In your 20s and 30s, you may have been able to eat what you wanted, run off the extra pounds, or skip meals and see results quickly. But after 40, your body’s hormonal environment is completely different.
Oestrogen and progesterone levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, which affects your stress resilience, blood sugar regulation, muscle mass, and bone density.
Stress and the Weight Gain Triangle
When oestrogen drops, cortisol (the stress hormone) can skyrocket. This creates what we call the Weight Gain Triangle, where elevated cortisol leads to insulin and leptin resistance, increased hunger, fat storage, and a slower metabolic rate.
Exercise and extreme diets only make this worse, pushing your stress levels over the edge.
Losing Muscle and Bone Over Time
If you’re not doing the right type of physical activity, you’ll lose around 1% of your muscle mass each year after 30—a condition known as sarcopenia.
Between 50 and 54, women also lose 4.4% of their bone density each year if they aren’t actively doing something to prevent it.
That means your body composition is changing, even if your body weight stays the same, leading to a “flabbier” appearance, lower energy, and a slower metabolism.
“Contributing makes me feel like I’m being useful to the planet”.
– Anna Wong, Volunteer
How to Break Through a Plateau Weight Loss
1. Start Strength Training Consistently
Most women we speak to are either doing cardio-based workouts (like running, spin, or HIIT) or doing nothing at all. Cardio might have worked in the past, but now it can actually burn through muscle, raise cortisol, and make plateaus worse.
The best form of exercise to break through a plateau? Strength training, specifically low-impact, heavy resistance training.
Do 2-3 sessions a week using heavier weights (for 5–15 reps) to build muscle, protect your bone density, and increase your metabolic rate. This will make it easier to lose weight, tone up, and maintain results long term.
2. Eat the Right Amount of Calories
Eating too few calories can slow down your metabolism, but eating too many—even healthy foods—can stall progress. The key is to get your energy intake right. You need to fuel your body enough to preserve muscle and keep your metabolism ticking, but not so much that you’re storing fat.
We help our clients find that sweet spot where continued weight loss is possible without feeling deprived.
3. Focus on Protein and Fibre
Protein becomes even more essential with age. You need around 1.5x more protein in your 40s than in your 20s to support muscle retention and healthy weight loss.
Add to that fibre for blood sugar balance and hormone regulation, and you’ve got the nutritional foundation for sustainable fat loss.
4. Move More Throughout the Day
Formal exercise isn’t enough. Getting 5,000–10,000 steps per day can make a huge difference, especially when your metabolism is slower. Too little movement leads to weight gain over time, and no amount of gym sessions can compensate for a sedentary lifestyle.
5. Manage Stress Effectively
Most women default to unhealthy stress relief—alcohol, sugar, or mindless snacking—which only adds to the problem. Instead, we help our clients build healthy outlets like walking, stretching, meditation, or breathwork.
Managing cortisol is key to breaking any loss plateau.
6. Stop Trying to Do It Alone
Most women are trying to figure all this out in isolation. And it’s no wonder they get stuck. Being fit and healthy in your 40s and 50s isn’t as simple as “eat less and move more.”
We’ve spent over 10,000 hours researching menopause health, fitness and nutrition. After working with 7,000+ women, we’ve created systems that actually work—and we teach them in our Fit Over 40 program.
Why It’s Important to Act Now
Waiting to take action only makes things harder. Your body is either improving or declining. Every year you wait, you lose more muscle, more bone density, and gain more body fat. Every stone gained is another 3–6 months of hard work to undo.
Your weight loss goals don’t get easier with time—they get further away.
The good news? Once you know how to work with your body instead of against it, change happens fast. Most of our clients drop 1–2 dress sizes in 12 weeks—without crash diets or punishing exercise routines.
How Trinity Can Help
At Trinity, we understand how frustrating it is to hit a plateau when you’re doing everything right. Our coaching is different because it’s designed specifically for normal women in menopause—not fitness models or personal trainers with unlimited time and perfect genetics.
We’ve helped over 7,000 women break through their weight loss plateaus and feel amazing again. Our 97% success rate speaks for itself.
We don’t offer quick fixes. No pills. No starvation. No unsustainable fads. Our approach is a complete re-education in how to eat, train and live in a way that supports your health, burns calories, builds muscle, and works with your changing hormones. It’s long-term, sustainable, and backed by research.
You’ll be supported by expert coaches who understand your body, your challenges, and your goals. You’ll learn how to regain energy, drop fat, build strength, and feel proud of your body again.
