Have you hit or passed your 40-year milestone and feel like your body is going through a few changes? While your diet and lifestyle have likely stayed the same, you may be noticing unwanted weight gain, particularly around your belly, and that your old tricks for weight loss just don’t have the same effect as they used to.
If this resonates with you, you are not alone. During this period of your life, your metabolism is on the decline, which contributes to increased visceral fat (also known as ‘belly fat’) and a reduction in both muscle mass and bone density.
The good news is, there are a few changes that you can make to your diet and lifestyle that will make you feel like you’ve hopped back in the driver’s seat of your own body. Here are some tips to help you navigate your journey.
1. Eat a Mediterranean-style diet
The Mediterranean diet has been backed by research to be associated with a host of positive health outcomes. It’s rich in anti-inflammatory foods as well as packed with great sources of calcium to support bone health. The key components of a good meal are protein, fibre and healthy fats. This combination is going to help stabilise your blood sugar and help you feel satiated between meals.
To make the most of the Med diet, keep the following four points in mind - including lots of veggies, protein and diverse foods and reducing your kilojoule intake.
2. Fill your plate with non-starchy veggies
The Mediterranean-style diet is packed with non-starchy, nutrient-dense vegetables. Try to ‘eat the rainbow’ every day to ensure you are nourishing your body with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that these foods offer.
Reach for leafy greens, tomatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, radishes, mushrooms and avocadoes, which are full of fibre and great for gut health.
3. Make protein a priority
Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle, plus it helps to keep you fuller for longer and curbs cravings throughout the day.
Gabrielle Newman, nutritionist at The Fast 800 explains: “Unlike carbohydrates and fat, the body cannot store protein, so it’s important to eat at least 60g of quality protein each day to reap the benefits.
“To put it into perspective, 100g of cooked chicken breast is around 29g of protein. A large egg contains around 6g of protein and 100g of broccoli contains approximately 5g of protein. Good sources of protein include oily fish, lean meat, eggs, lentils, edamame beans and chicken.”
4. Tend to your gut microbiome
A healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome. Your gut will love the Mediterranean-style diet for both its diversity and fibre-packed foods (eg vegetables, legumes and complex carbohydrates). Offer your microbiome some extra support by adding fermented foods to your diet like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso or apple cider vinegar.
“Fibre feeds our gut microbiome, which is vital to better health because it helps us to effectively digest food, fight inflammation and improve nutrient uptake. In an ideal world, we would all be consuming about 30g of fibre daily, but realistically this can be a challenge (particularly on fasting days). Adding veg to every meal is a great way to increase your daily fibre intake,” says Newman.
5. Reduce your overall kilojoule intake
For weight maintenance, you may need to reduce your total daily kilojoule intake compared to what you consumed in your younger years. And if you’re looking to lose weight, you may need to consider an even greater kilojoule reduction.
Reducing your kilojoule intake does not just mean eating less; the quality of those kilojoules is just as important. You don’t have to obsessively count kilojoules, either. Opt for a Mediterranean-style diet that is naturally low in carbs and high in protein and healthy fats. When you’re eating a nourishing wholefoods diet like this, you’re likely to eat fewer kilojoules overall.
Avoid ultra-processed food and sugary drinks that can take you on a blood sugar roller coaster that has you reaching for more snacks just a short time later.
6. Try intermittent fasting
Time restricted eating (TRE) is a type of intermittent fasting that, just as it sounds, limits eating to a particular ‘window’ of time. For example, the 12:12, where you consume kilojoules anywhere within a window of 12 hours, such as 8am–8pm, and fast for 12 hours between 8pm–8am.
You could also reduce your meals to just two meals a day, meaning you will automatically consume fewer kilojoules. See your doctor before trying intermittent fasting.
Regardless of what you choose, aim to finish your eating window three hours before bedtime to ensure good sleep, and don’t forget to stay hydrated with water during your fast. Couple TRE with a balanced Mediterranean-style diet, to ensure you are getting the vital nutrients your body needs.
Want to know more about intermittent fasting in midlife? Listen to Season 9, Episode 5 of the Thriving in Menopause podcast, when we speak with fasting expert Dr Mindy Pelz.
7. Move your body
Exercise helps with fat loss and muscle gain, boosts energy, reduces your risk of chronic illness, curbs your appetite and junk-food temptations, and improves mental health and sleep.
Countless studies have proven the beneficial effects of combining high-intensity aerobic exercise (like interval training) with resistance training. These two types of exercise maximise fat loss while maintaining muscle mass, which is essential for a healthy and strong life, regardless of if you’re trying to lose weight or not. It’s also the unbeatable exercise combo recommended by the government.
Being motivated to exercise can be difficult, but once you form a routine and start seeing results, you will be hooked.
To boost your exercise motivation:
- Set yourself reminders
- Schedule your exercise sessions
- Do it with a friend to make it more fun
- Start at a level that is right for you.
Placing demand on your muscles will not only keep them in good shape but will also help your bones stay strong.
“After age 30, we start losing as much as 3–8% of our lean muscle mass per decade, and the risk of serious injury from falling increases. Regularly including resistance training in your exercise routine can lower your risk of falling by 40%,” says Newman.
Wherever you may be in your midlife journey, you don’t need to feel like you’re in the backseat of some getaway ride.
Take control of your health by focussing on a protein-rich Med style diet, finish eating well before bedtime and incorporate strength-based training into your week.
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