You're an expert on dieting advice. You've heard it all. You've tried it all. It all works - for a while. That same 10 lb. keeps finding you. The problem is now the rules are changing. It's getting harder to get it off in the first place. What used to work doesn't. So what's a boomer supposed to do? Read on and get ready for weight removal.
You read right - removal. You were never trying to just lose it, right? There is a chance after all that anything you lose you may find again. Definitely, removal is the goal. You're going to reframe here first. The real goal is inches not weight. If your clothes fit better, you defy gravity better in key areas that currently are on a race to your socks, and you have more energy, but the scale has not moved, will you be OK with that? Most would.
The first six inches you're going to change are the hardest. I refer to the six inches between your ears. That's right, depending on your age, you've been listening to, reading, and thus thinking the wrong things about what to eat, how to exercise, and how to live if you want to be living in your best body.
It's not your fault. The system failed you. Now, though, it's your job to change your mindset so that you can feel and see results. Below you're going to read the major mistakes that make boomer babes make that result in stored fat in the belly. You'll read why it makes matters worse and what you can do about it. Be warned - weight loss isn't as hard as you think. It's just too easy to stay attached to your old habits.
1.) You are counting calories. You do it at the expense of quality in your diet. You will choose a salad over a chicken breast, an apple over a yogurt with chia seeds. You'll choose a meal replacement shake over a plate of stir-fry veggies and salmon. You miss nutrient-dense foods and eventually you cave, usually for a craving caused by lack of tasteful food. What to do? Make your calories count. Determine whether you're hungry, and whether it offers nutrients you need in a good-tasting package you'll enjoy. If you vow to eat only things that are good for you, you'll immediately begin to feel better.
2.) You think fat makes you fat. False. More and more we're seeing fat intake help in weight loss. It keeps you full and satisfied longer. It's trans fat that is bad. You do want to reduce that as much as possible. Even saturated fats are not as bad as we once thought. They don't have nearly the poor effect on cholesterol as trans fat does for instance. Allow yourself healthy fats. Omega 3, mono and poly saturated fats are OK. Think nut butters, nuts, seeds, avocado, salmon and olive oil.
3.) If you're cutting calories and have been watching fat chances are that you eat too little protein. As you age you lose about 8% of your muscle mass every decade starting at age 30. That accelerates even more in later decades. Each time you went on a diet taking in too little protein the weight you lost was partially protein. Losing muscle means, you guessed it, gaining fat. Starting now try to eat 30 grams of protein at three different meals a day. Beyond that include strength training in your exercise program. It will be the aging woman's best friend.
These are changes that take action but first they take thought. You'll be uncomfortable. Right now though, if you really want to lose weight, you're not all that comfortable anyway though, right? One meal at a time.
