Stop using cardio to ‘earn your food’: Fitness coach Bobby reveals why your weight loss may be stuck after 40

Over 40 and doing extra cardio to burn off what you ate? A fitness coach explains why the strategy may backfire and what can help support lasting fat loss.

If you’re over 40 and trying to lose weight, spending hours on cardio may not be the best way to achieve lasting fat loss. In an Instagram post shared on July 26, fitness coach Bobby explained why people should stop treating cardio as a way to “earn” their food or compensate for what they have eaten.

“Stop using cardio to earn your food. That’s probably why you’re stuck,” Bobby said. However, the fitness coach clarified that this does not mean people should stop doing cardio altogether. Instead, he advised using it as a tool to support overall health rather than treating it as punishment for eating.

Why cardio isn't key for weight loss after 40

“And no, I’m not suggesting that you stop doing cardio. I see people spending 45 minutes to an hour trying to burn off last meal or last night’s meal. Then they wonder why they’re exhausted, they’re hungry all day or nothing’s changing regularly,” he explained.

According to Bobby, one of the biggest misconceptions about cardio is that doing more of it will automatically result in lasting fat loss. “Here’s what most people don’t realise. Cardio itself doesn’t create a lasting fat loss effect. Your body gets incredibly efficient at it,” he said.

He further explained that while cardio can burn calories, the body may compensate through increased hunger or reduced movement later in the day. “Burn a few hundred calories, then your appetite goes up. Then you move a little less throughout the day and you don’t even realise it. Now, you just cancelled out most of what you just did,” Bobby said.

This, he suggested, could be one reason people feel like they are working extremely hard without seeing the expected results.

What should you do instead?

Rather than using cardio solely as a calorie-burning exercise, Bobby recommended focusing on its broader health benefits.

“So instead, use cardio as a tool. Use it to make your heart healthier. Use it to improve your energy. Use it to manage stress. Use it to help you recover better,” he advised.

For sustainable fat loss, he suggested placing greater emphasis on nutrition and strength training. “Then you let your nutrition and the weight training do the heavy lifting for you for the fat loss. That’s the combination that actually lasts,” Bobby said.

His advice, particularly for people over 40, is to move away from the mindset that exercise should compensate for what they ate. “Your workouts should not feel like you’re paying for yesterday. They should be building the body that you want tomorrow,” Bobby added.

He concluded with a reminder that health should be approached as a long-term commitment rather than a temporary goal: “Remember, your health is not a phase. It’s a priority.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.