Once you make the decision to lose weight, eating healthy is the best thing you can do to reach your goals. When you commit to the right foods, you’ll also find it easier to maintain your weight loss!
In researching how to start eating healthy, there can be lots of conflicting advice. But one thing most nutritionists and medical professionals can agree on is that eating healthy starts with the right mindset. And you already have that, so the rest should be easy, right?
Healthy Eating Starts With You
This is a no-brainer. No one else is going to do the work for you. The food choices you make every day will sit with you, literally. If you’re consuming the wrong foods, the fat you gain from them will be stored in your body. That’s what we want to avoid.
Making the Switch
For women in their 40s and 50s, a slowing metabolism means it might feel more challenging to lose weight. Making the switch from processed and saturated foods is a must. Healthy eating is simpler than we realize.
Your body still needs copious amounts of protein. That doesn’t change. But, replacing fatty red meats with poultry and fish is a minimal shift toward good health. Indeed, you can also add more fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, and even seeds to your health-conscious diet. These are the staples you should be picking up at the grocery store. They’ll help you speed up your metabolism, and they’ll do it relatively quickly!
Healthy Foods to Focus On
Focus on whole grains and fat-free milk products for an added boost to your metabolism. Low-fat and fat-free yogurts without added sugars can do wonders for sustained weight loss. When you find a yogurt you really like, you won’t even think about those processed snacks you’re replacing. Yogurt is high in protein, calcium, and probiotics, which are great for aiding your gut microbes.
Drink Water
Along with your healthy food choices, you should start drinking lots and lots of water. Hydrate like it’s going out of style. The cardinal rule for adults over 45 is to drink at least 6-8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. That’s about half a gallon of water! Are you currently drinking that much?
If not, do yourself a favor and get a portable drinking container. Preferably, opt for a big one so you can keep track of how much water you’re actually drinking. Over the course of the day, you might find yourself having to urinate more than you’re used to. But that’s a good thing. This is a way your body detoxes. Your body naturally processes water fast. Good ol’ H20 flushes out your system, making way for those high-energy foods!
Eating Healthy and Drinking More Water is Just One Step
In addition to eating healthy and drinking half a gallon of water per day, you’ll want to focus on your quality of sleep. If possible, lie down a little earlier at night or sleep an extra 10-15 minutes in the mornings. When you do close your eyes at the end of the day, do so after you’ve turned your screens off for at least 15 minutes. Though that’s easier said than done, in today’s age, that brightness coming off your phone’s display can actually do a number on your body’s biorhythms. So try to avoid scrolling through your phone just before sleep.
If you’re ready to start eating healthy, we are here to help! We offer a 10-week course that will boost your metabolism and get you well on your way toward reaching and sustaining your weight goals! Contact us today for a structured and individualized weight loss program that gets you on the road to healthy living!
