What is the best diet for losing fat after 40?

The one you can keep. A modest calorie deficit built on protein at every meal, plenty of vegetables and fruit, fewer liquid calories and enough sleep works better long term than any strict fad diet.

How much protein should I eat to lose fat after 40?

The DadBody plan uses 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of goal bodyweight per day, spread across meals. A man aiming for 180 lb would eat 144 to 216 grams.

Can I target belly fat with exercise?

No. Research on spot reduction shows that abdominal exercises alone do not reduce belly fat. Fat loss happens across the whole body through diet, training and sleep.

Field notes · Eating for fat loss · The guide

Eating for fat loss after 40: a plain plan

I have tried most of the diets. I wrote about some of them, and I have corrected some of what I wrote. The plan that actually works for dads over forty is boring, and that is exactly why it works.

Dai Manuel · Coach Moose · Vancouver

The only rule that matters

Fat loss needs you to eat a little less energy than you burn, for long enough. Every diet that works does it in some way. The question is not which diet. The question is which way of eating you can keep for six months without hating your life.

A small deficit you hold beats a big one you quit. Crash diets cost you muscle, and after forty you cannot afford to lose it.

Protein at every meal

Protein keeps you full, protects your muscle while you lose fat, and takes more energy to digest. The plan I use is 0.8 to 1.2 grams per pound of goal bodyweight a day. For a man aiming at 180 lb that is 144 to 216 grams.

That sounds like a lot until you split it: a palm or two of protein at each of three meals, plus a snack. Eggs, Greek yogurt, chicken, fish, lean beef, tofu, beans, a protein shake when life is busy.

Build the plate

Half vegetables or fruit, a quarter protein, a quarter starch. Canada's Food Guide uses nearly the same plate, and it works because it fills you up on foods that do not carry many calories.

You do not have to give up bread or pasta. You do have to stop letting them be most of the plate.

Watch what you drink

Beer, wine, fancy coffees and juice add a lot of energy without filling you up. For many dads I coach, the fastest change is not what they eat. It is what they drink between Thursday and Sunday.

You cannot pick where it comes off

Sit-ups do not burn belly fat. Studies have tested it directly and found no spot reduction. You lose fat across your whole body, and for most men the belly is the last place to go. Keep going.

Measure your waist once a week, same time, same place. The scale bounces. The tape tells the truth more slowly.

Sleep and stress count too

Short sleep raises hunger and makes junk food more appealing. That is not willpower. That is hormones. If your eating falls apart at night, look at your sleep before you look at your discipline.

Common questions

What is the best diet for losing fat after 40?: The one you can keep. A modest calorie deficit built on protein at every meal, plenty of vegetables and fruit, fewer liquid calories and enough sleep works better long term than any strict fad diet.
How much protein should I eat to lose fat after 40?: The DadBody plan uses 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of goal bodyweight per day, spread across meals. A man aiming for 180 lb would eat 144 to 216 grams.
Can I target belly fat with exercise?: No. Research on spot reduction shows that abdominal exercises alone do not reduce belly fat. Fat loss happens across the whole body through diet, training and sleep.

Sources

Canada's Food Guide, healthy eating plate. Health Canada, 2019.
Effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. Vispute et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011.
Protein, weight management and satiety. Leidy et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015.
Short sleep and appetite hormones. Spiegel et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004.