Beat Carb Cravings To Lose Fat Over 40

Struggling to resist carbs since hitting your 40s?

After years as a self-proclaimed carbaholic, I finally got my cravings under control. And I've helped my clients do it, too. I'm going to show you the real reasons behind those cravings and give you five easy steps to get them under control after 40.

Balance your meals

To start, let's look at what your nutrition might be missing that's potentially causing your cravings. Your meals aren't balanced. That means a balance of macros, protein, fat, and carbs.

The first thing to address is usually protein, like in my client Mike's case. Mike had been eating healthy and training for years, but he still couldn't lose the fat he wanted. His breakfasts were small and low in protein. Lunches were often light, too, and by mid-afternoon, he was reaching for something like a bagel with cream cheese and struggling to manage his appetite.

Once we increased his protein intake throughout the day, his hunger and carb cravings dropped dramatically, and he was finally able to lose 30 pounds and keep it off.

Aim to eat three to four meals with at least 25 g of protein per meal. The larger you are, the more protein you need.

🎁 To get my protein recommendations and a list of the best protein sources for fat loss, download my FREE Protein Plan HERE.

The Balanced Plate Method

The balanced plate method is a good place to start.

A quarter of your plate is lean protein. Half of your plate is veggies. A quarter is starchy carbs like sweet potato, potato, rice, or noodles. And one small portion of fat, about a tablespoon. Build each meal around protein first. Then add vegetables and then smaller portions of starchy carbs and a bit of fat. Having the protein and fat in there makes the meal more satisfying and reduces the impact on your blood sugar that can result in carb cravings later on.

That's actually how I finally got my carb cravings under control. I went fairly low carb for a few months until I was better able to manage the psychological part of the need for carbs. Now that my main goal is maintenance or building muscle, I've increased my carbs quite a lot to fuel my training.

Most people do find that eating a lot of carbs tends to make them crave more carbs. So, you might want to consider trying a lower carb nutrition plan to start and then gradually increase your carb intake as you're able to manage your cravings better.

Don’t wait too long between meals

But even if your meals are balanced with protein and fat, letting too much time pass between meals can trigger carb cravings. So don't let yourself get too hungry.

Maybe you start the day with a slice of toast and a coffee before you head into a meeting. By mid-morning, you're hungry and looking around for food, but you managed to make it to lunch where you resigned yourself to a chicken salad that doesn't really satisfy you. But lunch was at noon, and by the time you get to dinner at 7, you're hungry. You end up having a big dinner and not long after dinner, you go to the cupboard to see how many cookies are still left.

Try to set your meal times as closely as you can each day. If your schedule changes daily, start each day by figuring out when you can fit in your meals. Think about where you'll be and what your meal options are. Keep portable, high protein options on hand so you're never caught unprepared. Maybe a quick protein shake, Greek yogurt cups in the office fridge, turkey jerky in your carry-on when you're traveling. If you know you've got back-to-back meetings or a long travel day, plan food into your agenda just like you plan a meeting.

Don’t ban carbs

Now, having structure in your day helps. But if you forbid yourself from eating foods you enjoy, you're creating another problem that can make cravings stronger. So, don't ban carbs altogether. You don't need to eliminate carbs to lose fat. So, don't force yourself to do it.

Carbs fuel your brain and they give you energy for your workouts, so you don't want to cut them out completely. The more you ban bread, pasta, potatoes, or dessert, the more those foods take up mental space. So, you actually crave them more because they're not allowed. This sets you up for the classic all or nothing cycle. Weeks of avoiding carbs followed by an unplanned binge.

Understand what carbs really are

People have different ideas of what carbs actually are.

Some people think of them as ultra-processed foods like pizza and donuts. But those are not just carbs, but foods that also have a lot of fat. There are high calorie density foods that are easy to overeat.

And if you want to lose fat, you'll want to have them in smaller portions and probably less frequently than you currently are. When it comes to starchy carbs like rice, bread, potatoes, and pasta, it's not usually the carbs or calories that are the problem. It's what you add to them.

Fried rice with a lot of oil. Bread with tons of butter. Pasta with a thick cheese sauce. Potatoes turned into French fries or potato chips, or even just a baked potato with sour cream and bacon and cheese. Small portions of that type of plain carb are actually low in calories and can be a satisfying part of your diet. So, don't feel like you need to eliminate them.

Protect your sleep

But even with your meals balanced and regular throughout the day, there's one thing that can crank your cravings up. Not sleeping enough.

Even missing one night of sleep can increase ghrelin, the hormone that makes you hungry, and decrease leptin, the hormone that tells your body it's full. And if you're chronically sleep deprived, it builds up. The more tired you are, the more tempting high carb snacks are.

So, protect your sleep as much as you can. Get at least 7 hours consistently, ideally at the same time. Sleep in a cool, dark room. And don't forget to shut off screens at least 30 minutes and ideally an hour before your bedtime.

Our quality of sleep can go down as we get older because we produce less growth hormone and melatonin. Changes in sex hormones as we age can cause sleep issues as well. Testosterone in men and fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone in women can disrupt your sleep.

If you're doing your best to sleep, but the quality is poor or you're waking up regularly, see your doctor.

Cravings are not about willpower

If you follow the steps I've mentioned consistently, you'll be able to reduce your carb cravings. This isn't about willpower. It's about getting your nutrition plan balanced so that you have less physiological drive for carbs, particularly the high calorie density ultra-processed carbs.

And once you take care of the physiological, the psychological part becomes easier.

Then you can work on your habits with carbs, like using them for comfort or to deal with stress. Those things might have built up over the decades. When you find better balance with your nutrition, you'll naturally calm cravings without cutting out the foods you love, even carbs.

For more help putting together a diet for fat loss over 40, watch THIS VIDEO HERE.

Ivana Chapman