FOOD RULES for Life...the ONLY ones that WORK!
A lot of women are stuck in their weight loss goals, and one glance at their eating patterns ( and thinking habits
around food), and it's easy to see why.
This time of year, I get ALOT of inquiries, given it's the back-to-regular-life-and-I-need-to-get-back-on-track time of year.. So I decided to pull back the curtain of our popular Mastery Program and share it with you all, so you can see a little bit of how we approach food, weight loss, and metabolism for the 40+
woman. In our Over 40, Fit and Fab Mastery Program, our Food Plans that we individually craft for you are simple, basic, all the macro's are figured out for you. It is creating timing, portions, and meal counts that are CONSISTENT, which means that it is getting your body back to homeostasis (balance). This allows your metabolism to become resilient and working properly again...It is also helping to build 'tolerable hunger', which means your hunger cues - leptin and grehlin - are coming back into symmetry.This will take time, and if you have had a colourful diet history, your hunger will be more explosive and fast-acting, even more extreme likely, because of the all-over-the-map style of eating you have done over the
years. It makes for a hypervigilance scenario where your hunger over reacts.This WILL slow down in time, but it is very important that in the first few weeks, you stay on track with your healthy eating, with its structure and consistency. (Draw on your coaches and our community for support!!)The Mastery Food Plans are made with enough food to support you in your health and
weight loss goals, so if you are hungry, it is likely your out-of-whack hunger cues, OR you have fallen away and perhaps gone into Low Carb (the WORST for inviting a slow down in metabolism and binge eating, usually late at night because your brain is staring for carbs).Or you are 'out there' in the conveyor belt of diet plans thinking 'well, it's not working, so I have to go find another diet plan'. This
is likely your comfort zone, so we work to break this tendency, this habit of your. This impatience or deflection or 'looking out there' habit is likely what has caused you to NOT see results in other parts of your life too! So we always check in with Self first...this is where proper coaching is VITAL!The other thing that might throw you off is alcohol (we
always recommend newcomers halt the alcohol, as it is a sugar that an mess with fat loss mechanics (alcohol bypasses the usual fat-burning engine so is more easily stored as fat, regardless of the calorie count, even if it's low).And of course, eating out can be its own worst enemy too. We have a saying in Warrior Woman Nutrition circles: "The healthiest and leanest people are the people that cook and eat their own food."
If you have made it a habit to eat out, out of ease perhaps, try to rein this in. It is nearly impossible for any real and sustainable weight loss when you eat out weekly (hubby and I go out maybe once a month).And if cooking your own food doesn't thrill you, well, that's a mindset thing that needs to be addressed. What don't you like about it? Eating healthy needn't be fancy or time consuming (we often put up picks of
our dinners so you can see in a pinch, you can craft something pretty fast).OR change the traditional gender roles and expectations that fall on us women. Let other family members do the prep, or even the cooking!So many women think we are 'supposed' to do the cooking and food prep. This can lead to resentment and a lack of care. Your teen children and hubby are
capable...maybe this could be the start of a shared thing?Hubby and I long ago got rid of the tradition of me doing the shopping and meals. I work full time also, and care for the house, my son, doggies....But even if you don't have these responsibilities, wouldn't it be nice to share meal prep with hubby?I'm not one for
traditional roles...they are usually in favour of the man (I was brought up in a traditional nuclear family, and I was always having to prep, AND do the dishes while my brothers got to play). So for awhile, I followed the path and abided by these unspoken gender and role rules, until I decided that I had to choose to change things (others don't naturally see your dissatisfaction and struggle and decide to change, I learned this one the hard way). I had to speak my truth and make the
changes...with love and care of course, but with a strong focus on the outcome.Today, if there is food for dinner, hubby grabs it when he's home. If not, he'll make something with no grumbling. Our dinners are our smallest meal anyway, and we rarely do the sit-at-the-table-as-a-family and eat thing...long past that. My guilt is long gone (that is the People Pleaser and Fixer and Busy Bee and Mother energy you will meet in the module on
Archetypes).It's OK to rewrite the rule book. It's fun too, to live differently than the norm, and it suits our family. But it all had to start with me, NOT feeling guilty and knowing my worth.The other danger zone is women whose hubby cooks for them (lucky ladies!), but they have a hard time managing portions or saying no to hubby for fear of
hurting his feelings (oh here she comes again, the People Pleaser / Good Wife archetype. Such a good, compliant woman..... ;)).Honesty, speak up and be done with it. He will still love you, OR spoon out your own meal, OR choose to have a bed of organic greens under your spaghetti sauce instead of pasta...I have done this for years, and I love it. No one bats an eye anymore...And oh
yeah...eat REAL FOOD. Switch up the low carb wraps and breads and pastas and such for oatmeal, brown rice, yams, veggies....and in Season. (So nix the sweet tropical fruits in winter. Your digestion and immune system has switched into winter mode). Your body follows the seasons, so you must too.And no diet pop or foods. No artificials. None. There are many studies that show that it keeps fat ON the body,
and also creates a toxic load to the gut that can hamper digestion AND acidify the body. No thanks.It is OK, even necessary to feel hunger ladies. This is how a well-functioning body with strong digestion and a working metabolism works. Intolerable hunger, no (check in...where did you go off track? Always check back to the last 2-3 meals...the answer is always there) is not good. But a rumbling tummy is a good sign. Befriend it. It's not
bad to feel hunger. It's bad to squash every hunger cue with food (this is what we do to our kids when we send them off to school with tons of snacks...it doesn't allow for them to build and feel real hunger. Allow the body to operate the way it is supposed to).Be brave. Be consistent. Be forthright.You have to WANT to change things, really..Return to the simplicity of structure and consistency: eating 3-4 times a day, protein in at least 3 meals, so 3 meals and a snack (know that what some see as a snack, others see as a meal...nut butter on an apple is a meal to me, might be a snack to another, it doesn't matter. You name it as you wish, it's your game). So let's call it 3-4 feedings a day then...The weight challenge is 95% in the food, NOT in the exercise.The exercise is to shape, strengthen and tone your body, in all ways, muscle, organs, metabolism, cellular health....And the food thing is where the weight loss is, and building stable blood sugars and cellular health.Members, here is our extended Mastery Rules on our private FB page. We will be enforcing this over the coming months, as usual, to shift up your thinking and habits...so stay tuned. (download for future use, too!)https://www.facebook.com/groups/over40fitandfabulousmasteryprogram/posts/863316981227624/ Food freedom, ladies!
And nice, gorgeous weight loss and weight management too...for life! PS - If you want to chat about how WE can help YOU get in
the best shape of your life, book a free 45 minute all. And in that time, I can see where you need to go, and what needs to happen for you to also enjoy see awesome body and health transformations of your own, like hundreds of our Mastery Clients! www.warriorwomanfitness.com/apply
My name is Karen McCoy and I teach women over 40 a fresh, sustainable way to lose weight, reverse ageing, reclaim her health and get in head-turning shape
and look and feel amazing again! www.warriorwomanfitness.com
Book a FREE 45-minute Wellness Call with Karen at www.warriorwomanfitness.com/apply and start moving forward in your health and fitness goals today!
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