One sentence dropped in a podcast with Melissa Vogel changed how I think about food.
“There’s a difference between eating healthy and eating lean” Melissa said.
“You eat healthy to be healthy in general.”
“Eating lean helps you create a certain physique.”
The lights popped on in the depths of my brain like a switch board lighting up on a Jerry Lewis MDA telethon.
You can’t just eat healthy, you have to tweak things if you’re going for a certain look.
Many women who are fit most of their lives get to a point where what used to work to keep them lean doesn’t anymore.
At 35 I noticed my days of tortilla chips and two avocado guacamole or popcorn and wine for dinner a few nights a week was spiking my weight.
Ate dinner earlier, ditched the wine and popcorn, dropped down the guacamole, subbed out some of the chips for veggies and added in some bison – boom things improved.
Then I felt like out of nowhere I started to drop muscle and develop a layer of lumpy fat over my entire body right around 45.
I whined to my coach that I was eating cleaner than ever, following my macros and weight just kept going on.
Eat more protein, drop the fat, tweak the carbs was the solution.
I’m still working on finding the right ratio for this phase of life…and that is ok – you as well as I are works in progress.
I’ve seen phases of this progression show up around 35 to 40 and then another mid-40 to 50 and yet another 55 or so where a shift in the ratios of fat, protein and carbs are needed.
So far I’ve hit two of the phases!
Just when you think you’ve got your body figured out – boom a shift!
I can’t express the frustration, annoyance and feelings of betrayal felt.
Believe me, I’ve been to the depths of the… WTF – do I even have a metabolism?
Sadly you and I have been programmed to think eating healthy will produce the lean body we’re imagining.
Getting a lean body and dropping fat is a different ballgame than eating healthy.
And it changes every few years based on factors like stress, metabolic needs and nutrient demands.
Nutrition isn’t a set it and forget it thing.
You really do have to keep switching things up.
In my podcast with Melissa Vogel, the Bomb Fit Mom, we talk all about women’s health and fitness hang ups.
But what Melissa said hit me.
If you’re trying to get a leaner body, you have to consider that “healthy isn’t going to do it”.
Likely you’ve been eating healthy for some time.
Perhaps you’re frustrated with not dropping fat despite changing up your diet and lifestyle.
What if it’s a little shift in ratios of what you’re eating that can make a difference?
So what does eating lean mean?
- make sure your first meal of the day contains protein no matter what
- keep protein in each meal 20-40 grams each meal
- increase your fiber in the form of fruits, veggies and whole foods
- ditch the daily processed crackers, breads, chips and pastries – save them for special occasions
- journal the grams of protein, fat and carbs you get in a day
- keep fat intake stable and adjust up or down based on what you learn from tweaking your carb intake
- target higher carbs on workout days and lower on off days
- eat more on the days you workout/are more active and less on the days you don’t
- think about fuel vs food being good or bad
Every person is unique.
Tweaking things every so often is normal and part of the healthy lifestyle.
Health is an ever evolving trajectory not a fixed destination.
Learn what you need to adjust by paying attention and taking notes…yes, a journal is a vital part of any health journey.
Treat your health like a study of you.
Collect data, run experiments and most of all have fun doing it.
Know you need some guidance in data collecting and interpretation?
I geek out over labs, hormones, gut health, physical performance, and optimizing your health…when it comes to deep dives into food and fitness I refer to gals like Melissa Vogel, or guys like Adam Ross (AR Nutrition).
Check out Melissa Vogel’s online offerings and community and listen in to The Health Fix Podcast episode 525 – HERE where Melissa and I talk all things health and fitness over 40.
Got burning questions about nutrition over 40? Looking for a nutrition and fitness coach you can meet with in person? Hit reply – I have quite a few friends around the states, Canada and in the world – let’s see if we can find you some resources.
Here’s to studying you to optimize your aging process!
Dr. Jannine Krause
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