Ask Elle

Do I have to cut carbs to lose fat after 40?

No. Not forever, and not all of them. We start most women with 14 days of lower carb, higher protein eating as a short reset. Then carbs come back, because they're fuel, especially around your work...

I'm vegetarian, pescatarian or keep kosher. Can I get enough protein to do this?

Yes. Vegetarian, pescatarian or kosher, your coach builds your nutrition plan around the way you already eat. Eggs, fish and seafood, plus Greek yogurt and cottage cheese if you eat dairy, can do a...

I'm post-menopausal and feel weaker and softer every year. Is it too late to build muscle?

No, it isn't too late. Your body can still get stronger after menopause, and we coach women 35 through perimenopause and beyond. What tends to work: strength training that starts where you are and ...

How much protein does a woman in perimenopause need, and do I have to use protein powder?

More than most women are eating, and no, you don't need protein powder. In our experience, the women we coach do best with protein at every meal, starting at breakfast. A palm-sized portion of real...

Will lifting weights make me "bulky" at 45?

Very unlikely. Building noticeable muscle takes a lot of time, a lot of hard training and a lot of food, and in your 40s most women are working just to keep the muscle they have. For the women we c...

I've never lifted weights and I'm scared I'm doing it wrong. Can I really do this at home?

Yes. You can learn to strength train at home, even if you've never picked up a dumbbell. Our workouts are follow-along videos. I'm on camera doing every one, and Chris coaches my form in real time,...

Is Forty Forward legit? Are Chris and Elle real people, and who actually coaches me?

Yes. Chris and I are real people, a husband and wife in Toronto who've been coaching women online together since 2020. Chris reads every application and does every discovery call himself. Day to da...

I wake up at 2am every night. Is this perimenopause, and what actually helps?

It might be, and you're far from alone. A lot of the women we coach tell us their sleep got lighter and more broken in their 40s. Your doctor is the right person to tell you why. What we've seen he...

I run or spin every day. Why am I not losing fat, and is cardio making it worse?

Usually because cardio on its own doesn't give your body a reason to keep muscle, and muscle is what changes your shape after 40. In our experience, daily running or spinning tends to work against ...

The scale hasn't moved but my clothes fit differently. Am I actually making progress?

Yes, usually. When your clothes fit differently but the scale hasn't moved, it often means you're losing fat and building muscle at the same time. The scale can't tell fat from muscle or water, so ...

I was thin my whole life. Why is my body changing at 45 when nothing I do works?

Because the body that kept you thin without trying has changed. In perimenopause, shifting hormones tend to move fat toward your middle, and muscle slips away unless you give it a reason to stay. Y...

What happens after the 8 weeks? Will I just slide back?

Not if you plan for it. Around week 7, you book a call with your coach to map out what comes next. Many women continue into Metabolic Mastery, our ongoing coaching, which shifts the focus to buildi...