Over 40 and struggling with weight gain, muscle tone loss, cravings and low energy? Have you just put it down to getting older? Well you are right, getting older has a lot to do with it, but the story doesn’t have to end there. Enter protein!
As we hit our 40s and 50s, staying strong, lean, full of energy and ready for adventure takes more than just eating well and exercising regularly. It takes eating right and exercising right, for our age. One of the most overlooked yet powerful tools for midlife health is eating the right amount of protein. If you are in your midlife or approaching midlife and noticing the battle with weight gain, muscle tone loss, cravings and low energy getting harder, chances are you aren’t eating enough protein. More to the fact you likely aren’t eating foods with the right calorie to protein ratio! While protein is important at every age, it becomes essential during middle age for maintaining lean muscle, supporting exercise, and keeping cravings under control. In midlife it’s less about just “getting old” and more about the fact that you haven’t adjusted your protein to calorie intake to counteract the changes in your hormones.
Disclaimer: This content provides general health and nutrition information only. It is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional before making dietary or exercise changes, especially regarding protein intake or fitness in midlife.
Table of Contents
Why Protein Matters More in Middle Age
Preserving and Building Lean Muscle
After about age 40, most people naturally start losing muscle mass — a process called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia accelerates after 50 and is caused by a combination of factors, including hormonal changes, reduced physical activity, inflammation, and inadequate protein intake. As muscle tissue decreases, metabolism slows, balance and mobility decline, and the risk of falls, frailty, and injury increases. The right amount of protein, paired with the best exercises for fitness and strength over 40, is the best way to slow or even reverse this. Yes that’s right, it is reversable!
Protein provides the building blocks — amino acids — your muscles need to repair and grow after workouts. Without enough protein, you may struggle to maintain lean mass even if you’re exercising consistently.
Reducing Cravings and Supporting Healthy Weight
Another often-overlooked benefit of protein is how it helps manage hunger and cravings. Protein-rich meals increase feelings of fullness and help regulate blood sugar, which means you’re less likely to reach for sugary snacks or overeat later in the day. What I wouldn’t give to have understood this 30 years ago. For so long I put my poor eating and snacking habits down to lack of willpower. The reality is that my whole life, I had been consuming foods that were higher in calories and low in protein (or low in calories and low in protein when I was “being good”) that were not giving me enough energy for my active lifestyle. This is what was keeping me on the “eat healthy”, exercise hard, then binge eat roundabout.
For many people in midlife who want to maintain a healthy weight or lose body fat, this can be a game-changer. By naturally curbing cravings, a higher-protein diet can help reduce overall calorie intake without feeling deprived. Especially if you apply the optimal calorie to protein ratio to the foods you eat. Wherever possible start focusing on increasing the protein in your meals and snacks to a minimum of 1g protein for every 10 calories. You’ll be amazed when you start looking at food labels where you can make alternative and better food choices, to easily increase your daily protein intake.
Enhancing Performance in the Big Three Exercise Types
Middle age is the perfect time to focus on weights, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and plyometrics — three types of exercise proven to boost strength, endurance, and overall health. Protein plays a vital role in supporting all of them:
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Weights (Resistance Training): Building and preserving muscle depends on both lifting heavy and consuming enough protein to stimulate muscle repair and growth.
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HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): These quick bursts of effort push your cardiovascular system and use significant energy. Adequate protein supports recovery so you can keep training hard.
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Plyometrics: Jumping and explosive movements improve power and coordination but also stress muscles and tendons. Protein aids in repairing these tissues, reducing soreness, and improving resilience.
Read more about the benefits of these three types of exercise in Adventure Ready at Any Age: Best 3 Exercises for Fitness and Strength Over 40. Without enough protein, it’s harder to recover between workouts, which can limit progress and increase injury risk.
Supporting Metabolic Health and Longevity
Muscle isn’t just for looks — it’s metabolically active tissue that helps regulate blood sugar, supports bone density, and boosts your daily energy needs. By maintaining muscle through adequate protein intake, you support metabolic health, which becomes increasingly important as we age.
Additionally, protein contributes to better immune function, healthier skin, hair, and nails, and more robust recovery from illness or injury.
Why Women Should Consume Protein Before and After Workouts
For women in midlife, timing protein around exercise is especially important. As estrogen levels decline during perimenopause and menopause, the body becomes less efficient at building and repairing muscle. This makes strategic protein intake even more valuable.
Research suggests that consuming at least 15 grams of protein before a workout provides amino acids that your muscles can immediately use for energy and helps reduce muscle breakdown during training.
Following your session with another 15 grams of protein within about 30–60 minutes supports muscle repair and recovery. It also helps the body take advantage of the “anabolic window” — the period after exercise when muscles are primed to rebuild and grow.
Examples of simple pre- or post-workout options include:
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A scoop of whey or plant-based protein powder mixed with water or milk
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A cup of Greek yogurt
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Cottage cheese with berries
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A boiled egg and a piece of fruit
This habit not only supports lean mass and strength gains but can also reduce post-workout soreness and improve performance over time.
How Much Protein Do You Really Need?
Most adults underestimate their protein needs. The official Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, but that figure is aimed at preventing deficiency — not for optimal health in midlife.
For adults over 40 who want to maintain lean mass, build strength, and recover from workouts, experts often recommend 1.2–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily.
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A 70-kg (154-lb) adult should aim for 85–140 grams of protein daily.
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Active individuals or those doing resistance training can lean toward the higher end.
Spreading your protein intake across meals — aiming for 25–40 grams per meal, and 10-15 grams per snack — maximises muscle protein synthesis throughout the day.
Practical Tips for Hitting Your Protein Goals
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Prioritise protein at every meal: Eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, lean beef, tofu, tempeh, lentils, and fish are all excellent choices.
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Snack smart: Swap chips or sweets for protein-rich snacks like boiled eggs, beef jerky, edamame, or a whey protein shake.
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Time it right: Eating a protein-rich meal or snack after exercise can enhance recovery and muscle repair.
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Mix it up: Combine animal and plant-based sources for variety, flavor, and added nutrients.
- High Protein products – while it’s best to eat natural sources of protein as much as possible, there is also a great range of high protein versions of products that you already consume that can make hitting your target easier. Look for high protein milks, yogurts, muesli bars, breads, wraps, drinks etc – but remember the 1g protein to 10 calories rule! Some products claim to be “protein” or “high protein” when really the protein to calorie ratio is quite low. Note: higher protein foods are often a little bit more expensive, however eaten consistently, will also reduce the costs of excess snacking (on both your budget and your health!).
The 3 Non-Negotiables of Protein & Exercise
In middle age, prioritising enough protein isn’t just about looking fit (although it’s an added bonus!) — it’s about preserving strength, supporting recovery, and keeping your metabolism humming.
If you make these three changes starting from today, within 3-4 weeks you will no doubt start to feel the effects. You may experience, reduced body fat & weight, more muscle tone and strength, reduce cravings and hunger, or all of these!
- Consume 1.2 – 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (the closer to 2.0 grams you can get the more you will feel the beneficial health effects). 30-40 grams per meal and 10g per snack is a great place to start. And ladies, remember to consume 15g of protein before a workout and 15g after!
- As much as possible consume foods (meals and snacks) with, at minimum, 1g of protein for every 10 calories
- Do at least 15 – 30mins of a combination of the best exercises for fitness and strength over 40, for 5-6 days per week
Pro Protein Tip
If you eat a high calorie / low protein snack or meal don’t punish yourself, simply aim for the next meal or snack to be low calorie / high protein. Keep doing this on repeat. Don’t focus on what you shouldn’t have eaten. Focus on making as many of your meals and snacks during the day the right protein to calorie ratio. Consuming higher protein over a period of time has a cumulative effect. The longer you do this, the more you will notice that you feel fuller for longer and that you have more energy to do the things you love. Your cravings will naturally fade away, as will your high calorie snacking. Your desire to exercise and enjoy active adventure will increase. Which of course builds more strength and more adventure possibilities. Protein intake is key to maintaining calorie intake, muscle mass and energy for life and adventure. Are you getting enough?
Want to learn more about midlife fitness & nutrition?
The information source for this article comes from the book Next Level – by Dr Stacy Sims (PHD). Inside this book you will find science-backed advice about training, nutrition, sleep and recovery and supplements, as well as sample exercise routines, meal plans, macronutrient planning charts, and case studies from real women Stacy has coached through the transition of menopause.
For the men check out – “Muscle for Life” by Michael Matthews. This book reveals a science-based blueprint for eating and exercising that anyone can follow at any age and fitness level. Based on time-proven principles produced by decades of hands-on experience and thousands of hours of scientific research, Muscle for Life will give you a plan for transforming your body faster than you ever thought possible
Find more Nutrition information to keep you Always Adventure Ready here!
Disclaimer: This content provides general health and nutrition information only. It is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional before making dietary or exercise changes, especially regarding protein intake or fitness in midlife.