Why Diets Don’t Work After 40 and What STRONG Women Do Instead

If you are over 40, you already know the truth that few diet ads ever admit. The quick fixes that promise to melt pounds with a shake or a cleanse rarely work for long. The reason has less to do with your willpower and more to do with how your body changes with age. Hormones shift. Muscle naturally declines if we don’t pay attention to it. Our metabolism becomes more sensitive to stress, lack of sleep, and irregular routines.

Woman weighing herself.

This is why diets often feel punishing. They cut calories hard or restrict entire food groups, and at first the number on the scale drops. But soon you are tired, hungry, and frustrated. The weight creeps back and sometimes brings a few extra pounds with it. The problem is not you. The problem is that extreme diets ignore the bigger picture of how women’s bodies actually work after 40.

I learned this the hard way. Years ago I was told to weigh out a serving of pecans for my afternoon snack. I dutifully placed them on the scale, and the approved portion came to just four pecans. Four. That was supposed to sustain me until supper. It wasn’t satisfying, it wasn’t realistic, and it certainly wasn’t the kind of habit that could last. That moment stuck with me because it showed how diets can strip the joy and common sense out of eating.

There is another way. It is not about shrinking yourself. It is about building strength, restoring energy, and creating habits that last. Instead of chasing restriction, you turn toward nourishment. Instead of hours of exhausting workouts, you focus on strength and flexibility routines that support your metabolism and protect your bones. Instead of living by rules that feel impossible, you create daily rhythms that fit your real life.

As an Ayurveda practitioner, I’ve seen how much easier it is to stay consistent when you honor your body’s natural rhythms. When you eat foods that suit your digestion, when you move at the right times of day, when your routines match your energy, change feels sustainable. STRONG builds on these principles, bringing them into a practical, modern framework for women over 40.

This is the idea behind the STRONG method. It is not a diet. It is a framework built for women in midlife who are ready to stop struggling and start feeling grounded in their bodies again. STRONG is about eating food that satisfies, moving in ways that build muscle and stability, and developing routines that carry you forward long after six weeks are over.

Weight lifting woman

I have been working on a six-week program that brings these ideas together. Each week focuses on one theme, building step by step so you are never overwhelmed. The practices are practical and flexible. You do not need special equipment or hours of free time. You need only the willingness to start, to show up for yourself, and to stay consistent.

If you have felt discouraged by diets that left you more tired than energized, STRONG may be the reset you need. Think of it less as a program to get through and more as a new way to approach your health. Stronger, lighter, steadier.

The next round of STRONG begins on October 16. If you are ready to make lasting changes, I invite you to join me. Sign up now and give yourself the gift of strength and balance this fall.