The 3 most effective things for weight loss for women in menopause.
There are three things that are more effective than anything else in reaching weight loss goals and then maintaining that weight loss. You might be wondering if its a killer HIIT workout or a special supplement or diet, no these are three very basic and simple things and they all work in conjunction with each other. It’s also what I personally do and have my clients like Debbie do, to reach their weight loss goals.
It’s these three things: walking, weight training and prioritizing your protein intake.
Debbie lost her belly fat and then some just by focusing on these 3 things. We decreased her cardio (she was a cardio junkie, doing cardio 4-5x a week) and replaced it with daily walks and 3 full body strength training days at home. We increased her protein to prompt her weight loss. She is now maintaining at her new lower weight with ease, just by doing these 3 things!
Weight 139 122 -17lbs
Chest 34.5 33 -1.5
2″ above Navel 29 26.25 -2.75
Navel 32.25 27.5 -5.5
2″ below Navel 34.5 30.5 -4
Hips 37.5 34.75 -2.75
Walking is so much more effective than cardio because it actually lowers stress hormones rather than raising them and it helps sensitize the body to insulin. Walking is beneficial for keeping hunger and cravings at bay where cardio actually increases your hunger and cravings as it seeks to replace the calories you just expended. You don’t actually burn off calories the way you think you do, your body is just going to find a way to replace that energy and that will be through:
a. Food, which is where the hunger and cravings come in.
b. It will also make you feel less energetic and motivated throughout the day as it tries to compensate for that energy loss.
Weight training, instead of cardio, can help insure that the body loses primarily fat and less muscle during a weight loss period and we can help side step a lowered metabolic adaptation and weight gain rebound.
Consuming protein will help with all of these of these things.You just won’t feel as hungry of have cravings when you consume enough AND it helps maintain muscle mass.
Unfortunately, many of the ladies I see in menopause aren’t focusing on these things at all! They insist that cardio is the only way they can lose weight, they slash calories across the board and get minimal protein and don’t dare step foot in the gym, whether it’s because they’re intimidated by the gym environment, or they just don’t know what to do or the one that I hear the most, they don’t want to get bulky. This one drives me crazy because I actively lift and have for 30 years and have yet to get bulky or big, and I’m trying!!
If you were to trade in some protein calories over the carb calories, you would start to lose weight and most of that weight would be fat. Eating more protein causes you to eat less because you are full and satisfied from your protein rich meals. It’s not a low carb approach, it’s more like a carb deficit from your normal routine.
Protein also acts as a signal to maintain your muscle mass rather than lose it. It takes more energy to digest, absorb and assimilate protein than any other macronutrient. Consuming protein fills you up fast and keeps you full and without cravings for much longer.
I tell my clients to focus on only one thing— getting your protein grams in. As women, we require at a minimum, .7 grams per pound of body weight. To get all the benefits of protein, consuming 1 gram per pound of body weight or if you’re significantly overweight, 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight. When my clients do this they find that they are usually too full to even eat all that protein and they find that they eat less of everything else. It’s kind of the point.
Ladies, this doesn’t have to be a complicated process! Walk every effing day, strength train at least 3 days a week, up to 5 days as you become more advanced, and crush those protein goals! These are the 3 things that are more effective than anything else when it comes to reaching weight loss goals and then maintaining them.
If you need some guidance with nutrition and/or a solid weight lifting program that you can do at home or in the gym, use the link below to book a call with me, I have several openings for clients at this time. Also, check out my You Tube videos on how to increase your protein, and I have a video that shows what a 3 day a week full body workout looks like.
