Are you gearing up for a holiday and want to feel your best in your summer clothes? You’re not alone. Many women over 40 find themselves trying to lose weight for a holiday as quickly as possible, but the usual crash diets often backfire—especially when hormones are in play.
The good news is, you don’t have to resort to extreme dieting or unhealthy methods to feel confident in your skin.
In this post, we’ll share the best strategies for holiday weight loss that won’t mess with your hormones. Whether you’ve gained weight on holiday in the past or want to avoid holiday weight gain altogether, these tips will help you feel great while making sustainable changes.
Why Extreme Diets Don’t Work for Women Over 40
If you’ve tried diets like 5:2 fasting, keto, low-carb, shake diets, or even cabbage soup before a holiday, you may have noticed they don’t give you the results you’re after. While these approaches might have worked in your 20s and 30s, things change when you’re in your 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Let’s talk about why extreme diets often fall short for women going through menopause or perimenopause.
Hormonal Changes and Stress
As you approach menopause, your body starts to experience significant hormonal shifts. Levels of progesterone and oestrogen drop, affecting not just your mood and energy levels, but how your body handles stress. When you follow extreme diets or high-intensity exercise routines, your body reacts by increasing cortisol, the stress hormone.
Here’s what happens when cortisol levels are chronically elevated:
- Leptin resistance: This makes you crave more comfort foods.
- Insulin resistance: Your body stores fat more easily, particularly around the belly.
- Thyroid deregulation: This slows down your metabolism.
This trio is what we call the Weight Gain Triangle, and it can make it harder to lose weight and easier to gain it. The last thing you want is to put in all the effort to diet before your holiday, only to have your body work against you.
Losing Muscle Mass
Another reason crash diets don’t work is that they often cause you to lose muscle mass. Muscle is not only what makes you look firm and toned, but it also keeps your metabolism higher. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
When you follow extreme diets, especially those that drastically cut calories, you risk losing muscle mass along with fat.
This might look good on the scale, but it leaves you feeling less toned and makes it easier to regain weight after the diet ends. That’s why it’s so important to focus on muscle maintenance while dieting.
Increased Hunger After Crash Dieting
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that extreme dieting leads to long-term changes in appetite hormones.
Specifically, it showed that after crash dieting, participants had higher levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and lower levels of leptin (the hormone that makes you feel full).
These hormonal changes can last for more than a year, making you feel hungrier and more likely to overeat.
In short, crash diets may help you lose a few pounds quickly, but they come with side effects that can last long after the diet ends, including increased hunger and a higher likelihood of regaining the weight.
The Best Way to Lose Weight for a Holiday
So, if crash diets don’t work, what should you do instead? Here are the steps we recommend to help you lose weight for a holiday without messing with your hormones, so you can feel amazing in your favourite outfits.
1. Avoid Hormone-Disrupting Foods
At Trinity Transformation, we recommend starting with a Diet Makeover by eliminating foods that can disrupt your hormones. These are what we call WADS foods:
- Wheat
- Alcohol
- Dairy
- Sugar
Cutting out these foods for 1-2 weeks helps to rebalance your hormones, reduce inflammation, and kick-start weight loss. Many of our clients see significant results just by avoiding WADS foods for a short period.
2. Focus on Calories, Protein, and Fibre
To lose weight sustainably, you need to eat the right balance of calories, protein, and fibre. Here’s why each of these is important:
- Calories: You want to eat enough to avoid putting your body into starvation mode, which can increase cortisol and slow down your metabolism. But you also need to eat at a deficit to see weight loss.
- Protein: This helps maintain muscle mass, keeps you feeling full, and supports fat loss. Aim for a protein source at every meal.
- Fibre: Fibre helps with digestion and keeps you satisfied, reducing the likelihood of cravings and overeating.
By eating the right amounts of these three key nutrients, you can lose weight without feeling deprived or hungry.
3. Increase Low-Stress Activities
Instead of doing high-intensity workouts that raise cortisol, we recommend increasing low-stress activities like walking. Adding an extra 1,000 steps per day can help you burn around 40 extra calories—without stressing your body. It’s a simple way to increase your calorie burn without triggering the Weight Gain Triangle.
4. Add Low-Impact Strength Training (LIST)
Along with walking, incorporating Low-Impact Strength Training (LIST) is an effective way to burn fat and maintain muscle without raising cortisol. LIST workouts are gentle on the joints, help tone your muscles, and keep stress levels low. You only need 30-40 minutes of LIST, a few times a week, to see great results.
5. Make Small Calorie Adjustments
Rather than slashing your calorie intake dramatically, we recommend making small adjustments. Reducing your daily intake by 100-200 calories can make a big difference without triggering your body’s stress response. Think of this as a gentle nudge toward weight loss, rather than a crash.
As with everything, more is not always better. Going too low on calories can lead to burnout, cravings, and even weight gain.
6. Get Expert Support
One of the biggest challenges we see is that when life gets stressful, people often abandon their diets. Whether it’s a work event, a family gathering, or just the stress of everyday life, it’s easy to slip into old habits.
This is why accountability is key.
When you have expert support keeping you on track, you’re far more likely to reach your goals without the frustration of constant setbacks. In our Fit Over 40 Programme, we provide weekly check-ins and personalized coaching to make sure you stay consistent and see results.
How to Avoid Gaining Weight on Holiday
Worried about undoing all your hard work once you’re on holiday? Here are a few tips to avoid holiday weight gain while still enjoying yourself:
- Stick to high-protein meals: This will help you feel full and satisfied, reducing the urge to snack.
- Keep moving: Even if you’re not working out, aim to stay active with walks, swimming, or light activities.
- Stay hydrated: Sometimes hunger is mistaken for thirst. Keep a water bottle with you to avoid unnecessary snacking.
- Indulge in moderation: Enjoy your holiday treats, but try to stick to portion control. You don’t have to eat everything on offer!
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re ready to feel confident and comfortable in your clothes for your next holiday, we’re here to help. Follow these simple steps to start your transformation today:
Learn more about our Fit Over 40 Programme and see how we can help you drop 1-2 dress sizes in 12 weeks: Learn more here
Download our free guide on how to lose weight and tone up during menopause: Download here
Sign up for our free training to discover the best strategies for women over 40 to lose weight and keep it off:
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