Hi, Its Rob, Personal Trainer and Founder of Lean Over 40 For Men.
Today I want to talk about the 5 biggest mistakes that men over 40 make when trying to lose fat.
The truth is, losing fat after 40 isn’t complicated.
But the problem is, a lot of men are either following bad advice, or trying to outwork a broken system.
If you’re spinning your wheels trying to drop weight, chances are you’re making at least one of these mistakes, and it’s holding you back way more than your age is.
Let’s walk through them.
1. Eating Way Too Little
One of the biggest mistakes I see is guys slashing their calories far too low. Thinking “the less I eat, the faster I’ll lose weight” but it doesn’t work that way.
When you eat too little, you don’t just lose fat, you start losing muscle too. Your energy crashes, your metabolism slows down, and you feel terrible.
Instead of speeding up fat loss, you actually make it harder.
You need to eat enough to support your body while creating a moderate calorie deficit.
Starvation isn’t the answer it just digs you into a deeper hole.
In my course I go into detail about how to do a “metabolism reset” by slightly increasing calories, bringing leptin levels back up, so you can return to a baseline calorie intake that supports you fat loss efforts.
2. Being Scared of Carbs
Somewhere along the way, carbs became the villain. Everywhere you turn, there’s a new low-carb diet promising the world.
But the truth is, carbs are your friend, especially over 40.
Carbs fuel your workouts, they keep your energy levels up, and they help support healthy testosterone.
Cutting carbs too hard leaves you feeling flat, drained, and miserable. And long term, it usually leads to overeating once your willpower cracks.
The key is choosing the right carbs, real foods like potatoes, rice, oats, fruits, and veg. not ultra-processed junk.
Carbs aren’t the problem. The wrong carbs, and too much of them, are.
3. Hammering Cardio, Skipping Strength Training
Another classic mistake is doing endless cardio sessions, thinking that’s the fastest way to burn fat.
Running, cycling, rowing for hours… while skipping strength work altogether.
The problem is, muscle is what keeps your metabolism high. If you’re not lifting weights and building strength, you’re not just losing fat, you’re losing muscle, and that slows everything down.
Cardio has its place, no doubt. It’s good for your heart, and it can help burn some extra calories. But it should never replace strength training as the foundation.
The stronger you are, the easier fat loss gets, because your body burns more at rest.
4. Chasing Quick Fixes
When results aren’t coming fast enough, it’s tempting to start looking for magic solutions. Juice cleanses, extreme fasting, detoxes, all the flashy promises of losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks.
Reality check:
Those quick fixes don’t last. You might drop water weight or muscle, but real fat loss happens slowly, over months, not days.
Jumping from diet to diet leaves you frustrated, confused, and usually heavier than where you started.
What actually works is boring to most people:
- Simple, consistent habits over time.
- Real food. Smart training. Patience.
It’s not sexy, but it’s the truth.
5. Having No Real Plan
This might be the biggest one of all:
Just winging it.
One week you’re doing low carb.
The next week you’re trying keto.
One day it’s heavy lifting, the next it’s all cardio.
There’s no structure, no focus, no long-term strategy.
Without a plan, you’re just reacting day to day, and that rarely leads anywhere good.
You need a basic framework you can stick to:
A simple eating plan, a few consistent workouts per week, and some realistic goals.
Nothing complicated.
Just something you can show up for day after day, without second guessing yourself every time you open the fridge.
Final Thoughts
Losing fat over 40 isn’t about finding the next revolutionary diet or beating yourself into the ground with crazy workouts.
It’s about sticking to the basics, being patient, and avoiding these common traps that derail so many guys.
- Eat enough, but not too much.
- Train smart, focus on strength first.
- Include carbs, don’t fear them.
- Stay away from quick fixes.
- Have a plan, even a simple one.
Do that, and fat loss over 40 (and even 50) becomes a lot simpler than most people make it out to be.
Want a full game plan to build muscle, lose fat, and stay strong after 40?
Grab my free Lean & Chiselled Cheat Sheet below it’s everything I wish I knew years ago.