Menopause weight loss
I don’t do crazy diets. I eat REAL FOOD in it’s natural pure form without pesticides, hormones, chemicals added…and a sprinkle of naughtiness at the weekend! 😉
I live by the good ol’ 80/20 rule—it’s my happy balance! During the week, I’m disciplined, eating clean and playing by the rules. But come the weekend? Oh, that’s when the naughty stuff sneaks in—because life’s too short not to indulge a little! 🍕🍷 It works for me, and honestly, those weekend treats taste even better when you’ve earned them. 😉
So here is how I eat during the week:
I try to only eat organic (to avoid the extra toxins, more on this later in another blog). I eat meat, eggs, fish, shellfish, vegetables, dark chocolate and fruit. I eat butter, uncooked olive oil, mainly sheep and goat’s cheese. Pastas made with gluten free flour like buckwheat( nothing to do with wheat) flour, lentil flour, chickpea flour. I eat pulses. I cook with organic pasture fed meat fats, coconut oil, ghee or sometimes butter. I don’t go hungry believe me.
I don’t eat sugar, rice, potatoes, wheat, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, margarine or gluten. (Except if I’m in a restaurant or at someone’s house.)
I whip up everything from scratch—it’s the best way to know exactly what’s on my plate. Hands down, the top tip! It’s important to keep eating the things I love. I just make some tweakments to it.
EXAMPLES:
Everything I skip gets swapped for something that’s actually healthy or at least harmless—so, yeah, I still eat normal food most of the time. Take a roast, for example: I’ll only go for organic meat and veggies (no mystery farming, thank you very much). The gravy? Oh, it’s made from the veggies (cooked under the meat) that soaked up all the meaty goodness in the oven—no granules in sight! I guarantee it tastes even better! I cook the potatoes in meat fat as it is tastier and healthier than seed oils. * (Please see below.)
I’ll treat myself to one or two roast potatoes at the weekend (and it had better be worth every single bite). But the meat? All you can eat, baby—fat included if I’m feeling it. Because it has to give me pleasure right. 😉
Menopause weight loss with minimum pain!
Who doesn’t love pancakes? I just swap out the flour, cooking fat, and sweetener. Butter? Oh, that’s for topping! With flours like Kamut, Buckwheat, Spelt, Tiger Nut, Almond, Polenta, Psyllium Husks, Teff, Oat (recommend), Sorghum, Amaranth, Millet and more. The options are endless—let’s chat about those later. For cooking, it’s all about coconut oil, ghee, organic meat fats, or butter (sparingly). Olive oil? Strictly raw, never for cooking!
Note: Spelt, Kamut, Emmer, and Einkorn are wheat varieties containing gluten, making them unsuitable for gluten-free diets, though their gluten is more digestible than modern wheat.
Intermittent FASTING is my secret weapon for dropping a few pounds—quick and easy! I do this most days. I eat within an 8-hour window, so if I wrap up dinner by 6 or 7 p.m., breakfast waits until 10 or 11 a.m. Sometimes I stretch it, sometimes I don’t—no suffering allowed! During fasting, I sip on herbal teas and start my day with black coffee (sweetened with stevia—zero calories, zero sketchy chemicals!). Black coffee doesn’t break a fast. Some people add MCT oil to their coffee for added benefit.
Intermittent fasting is the FAST track to results—working behind the scenes like a background program while my other tips do their thing!
I try not to eat carbs in my last meal. Just meat or fish with cooked veg or salad. As a treat if I am still hungry, some natural homemade kefir (made with organic raw milk) with an apple cut up and stevia to sweeten it. I can add powder vanilla to it if I fancy. Or, some macadamia nuts that are delicious and filling.
A very important ingredient for weight management and good health:
Psyllium Husks - I put Psyllium husks in my bowl for breakfast (Breakfast blog). It’s good for many things. Here are some of them:
Boosting Satiety
Psyllium husks are fiber superheroes! They slow down stomach emptying, keeping you fuller for longer. One study showed that taking 10.2g before meals made folks feel less hungry and more satisfied between meals.
Lowering Cholesterol
Psyllium’s soluble fibers grab onto cholesterol during digestion, helping your body flush it out before it enters the bloodstream. This can help lower cholesterol levels.
*FAT
For years, marketing and the food industry have championed seed oils like canola/rapeseed oil, soybean, and sunflower as heart-healthy options. They are high in polyunsaturated fats, which have been marketed as better than saturated fats found in animal products like meat. However, recent research has started to challenge this narrative, and many doctors and researchers now believe that animal fats, like those found in grass-fed beef, butter, or lard, may actually be better for our health in the long run.
A few key points often raised about seed oils include:
Omega-6 to Omega-3 imbalance: Seed oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which in excess may promote inflammation in the body when not balanced with enough omega-3 fatty acids. Inflammation is linked to various chronic diseases like heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes.
Processing and oxidation: Most seed oils are highly processed, often involving high heat, refining, and sometimes chemical solvents. This process can lead to the creation of trans fats and oxidized compounds, which could be harmful to health over time.
Saturated fats: On the other hand, animal fats like those in meat and butter are predominantly composed of saturated fats. Some studies suggest that saturated fat might not be as harmful as once thought and may even have benefits, like improving the body’s cholesterol profile, especially when consumed in moderation.
Traditional diets: Many traditional diets, such as those of the Mediterranean or certain indigenous groups, have relied on animal fats for centuries, and these populations have historically shown lower rates of heart disease compared to modern, processed diets.
That said, it's worth noting that not all fats are created equal. For example, there are different types of saturated fats (like those from grass-fed beef versus processed meats), and the overall context of one’s diet—like the consumption of whole foods versus ultra-processed ones—matters a lot too.
Helpful links:
www.welleasy.co.uk Sells all sorts of organic flours.