Yeah, you've probs heard that diet tip before—as it's wise for anyone trying to lose weight. Fried foods contain a whole lot of fat and contribute to weight gain—simple as that. But again, in your 40s, you deal with natural physiological changes that make it *even* tougher to shed excess weight, so overdoing it on fried foods has larger consequences. "A 20 year old can get away with eating empty calorie meals. A 40 year old usually cannot on a semi regular basis," Mirkin points out. "Until we are age 20, [our] bodies are building muscle. After age 20, it stops."

While it seems like ankle weights should help our leg muscles tone faster than without the weights, our legs aren’t designed to carry around heavy feet. There is more risk for injury of tendons and ligaments than toning leg muscles. If you want to focus on leg toning, your best option is some body weight workouts or exercises such as lunges with weights.

_{Focusing on being healthy means getting about 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day. This level of exercise can keep your heart healthy and work on things like lowering your cholesterol and/or blood pressure. This is a great place to start if you're getting into exercise after a long break. There's no reason you can't start here and progress to more intense goals as you build strength and endurance.}
This is a great article. I appreciate all this insight and help as hitting 40 a few years ago was a shock to my body for sure. I would also add to your stress reducing ideas to spend some time reading the Psalms in the Bible. The God who created you longs to take your burdens and teach you how to stop trying to solve all your problems on your own. He is there to show you the way to stress reduction and a while new/better way of doing life. If you don’t know God or how you can start a personal 1-on-1 relationship with Him, check out some of these helpful apps in the App Store: Knowing God Personally (by Power to Change), God Tools (by Cru), Life Conversation Guide (by North American Mission Board), or talk to a pastor at a local Christian church in your neighborhood. My rule of thumb is that while working to take care of my physical body throughout my lifetime, I never want to neglect my soul that will continue on for all eternity.
Dina - WOW!! This is awesome news to hear! Just know that you are not alone in trying to be healthy after 40 or even after 50! You couldn't have said it better though when you said to maintain a better diet and exercise routine SLOWLY! I always tell my clients that it is a healthy lifestyle that you are looking towards living. In my mind there are no such things as quick fixes and to make these changes over time will lead to the overall lifestyle you are looking for. Congratulations to you and continue to make those slow consistent changes to your health! YES U CAN!
Once you hit 40, losing weight can feel like a lost cause. Dr. Robert Kushner, director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medicine Center in Chicago and author of “Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You,” told TODAY that the total amount of calories burned every day diminishes for most people with each passing decade.
As we age, we tend to become more insulin resistant which can put us at risk for type 2 diabetes. When you eat foods that break down into sugar, the pancreas pumps out insulin to escort the sugar out of your blood.  People with Insulin resistance don’t use insulin effectively so that cells have trouble absorbing sugar which causes a buildup of sugar and insulin in the blood.  Researchers still aren’t 100% in agreement as to why, but at the end of the day, people with insulin resistance gain weight, particularly around the middle.  And some research shows that lack of estrogen may cause insulin resistance.
_{Non-starchy vegetables, particularly greens, are rich in nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, and quite low in calories. They can nourish your body while helping you lose weight. Greens and veggies are low in calories, yet thanks to all the fiber, they can keep you full and satisfied longer. They may also prevent sugar spikes and sugar cravings, lowering your risk of reaching for unhealthy snacks or sugary desserts. If you are looking for an easy way to get 14 veggies in one serving, my Organic Greens powder is a simple solution.}

A 2014 study found that the type of fat we consume might make all the difference. Participants in the study were asked to eat 750 extra calories every day for seven weeks. Those having excess calories from saturated fats had activated cells that promoted fat storage in the belly and increased insulin resistance. However, individuals who had a high consumption of polyunsaturated fats found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds, gained less abdominal fat and were more likely to increase muscle mass instead.

That delicious plate you just bought or cooked up might temp you to gobble it up in just a few bites, but that's probably not a good idea, says Palinski-Wade. "Eating slowly, eliminating distractions at meals, and even putting your fork down in between bites all allow you to get in touch with your body’s satiety signals and to stop eating when satisfied."

Chronic stress can increase cortisol in your body, and lead to high insulin levels. You may even end up craving more sugary and fatty junk food,41 resulting in more stubborn pounds and belly fat. Managing your stress will increase your overall well-being and can help with weight loss. Breathing exercises, meditation, dance, gentle exercise, journaling, and listening to uplifting music are some of my favorite ways to lower stress.

One of the main culprits for weight gain is, of course, our hormones, which start to change right around the mid-30s and into the 40s. This change in hormones, less estrogen for women and less testosterone for men, cause the fat in our bodies fat to shift to the middle of the body while abandoning other areas of the body you could care less about. That's one reason you may get a little fluffier around the middle while other parts of you actually get smaller.