Parental Control, Ep 86: Why Women Over 40 Can’t Lose Weight

Gabrielle O’Hare, Why Women Over 40 Can’t Lose Weight

A month before lockdown began, Gabrielle was fired from a demanding, stressful job the same day she asked her manager for support after being told her beloved father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. At 48, with no job and feeling like her life was being pulled from under her, she decided to fulfill a decade-long ambition and retrain as a personal trainer.

Over the years, she’d struggled with her weight and powerful food cravings, and as she got into her late 40s, she suffered from regular injuries that prevented her from progressing with her fitness. Getting fitter and healthier at 48 was much harder than she’d expected. She couldn’t find any advice for women in her situation, so she decided to re-train as a PT, hoping it would give her the answers she’d been looking for.

When lockdown ended and gyms finally reopened, she was inundated with clients who were in a similar position, struggling with their weight yet unable to stick to a diet. In the privacy of her garden gym, they shared their experiences with her. They didn’t want killer physiques, they just wanted to regain control of their bodies and feel confident in their skin, but they struggled to change their eating habits.