How I left diet culture for good and finally felt like me again in perimenopause.
I get it. I really, really do. What use to work in your 20s and 30s, no longer works after 40. You feel stuck in a body that you don't quite recognize. You've tried counting calories, going low carb, counting points, signing up for the boot camps, or even just given up and have done a whole bunch of NOTHING this year!
As a nurse and health coach, I am passionate about showing ladies how to steward their health and how to walk into midlife with confidence and energy. Instead of looking for another diet, it might be time to settle into a new lifestyle. One where you feel nourished and whole and where you finally feel like you again!
Here are the 5 habits that helped me achieve my fat loss goals and how I help my clients do the same each and every day.
#1: I learned the importance of macro tracking instead of calories.
Not all calories are created equal. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, I teach ladies how to track macros instead. Macros are just a word used to describe protein, fat, and carbs found in your food. Macros are set based on your specific body, age, activity, sex... and macros give you freedom to eat to get lean, to be in maintenance, or to gain lean muscle. No more guessing! Most ladies start our 6 week new client rounds realizing they have been under eating for decades. It is amazing what happens when you begin to nourish your body correctly!
#2: I traded excessive cardio for strength training 3x a week.
I use to be of the mindset that cardio was the only way to achieve fat loss. I remember nights after work on the treadmill doing sprints, long walks and feeling exhausted mentally and physically. I would reluctantly climb on the scale week after week only to find the scale stuck in the same place and even some days rising. When I began to add short yet targeted 30 minute strength training workouts to my routine, I finally began to see real body composition changes. As I paired it with macro tracking, I was suddenly seeing lean muscle I never knew I had!
#3: I stopped trying to be "skinny."
I don't know about you but I grew up in the fat free era - we had snack well cookies everywhere! It was not uncommon for most ladies to say they were on a diet of some kind. Skinny was the rage and strong seemed reserved for the men. When I finally learned what a macro balanced meal looked like and began to feel full and nourished, my goals changed. No longer was the scale the dictator of success. Losing lean muscle from deprivation in exchange for a lower number on the scale was NOT ok. Lean muscle does = longevity and lean muscle also requires more energy at rest - hello metabolism!
#4: I prioritized whole foods, sleep, and limited alcohol.
As ladies over 40, 50, 60, it is easy to blame everything on menopause. And to be fair, our hormones do go on quite the roller coaster as we age. I am a former GYN nurse and the struggle is real. However, I have found most of my clients see a marked improvement in their symptoms as they make the transition over to primarily whole foods. Cravings begin to subside, energy begins to increase and focus improves.
I also see a decrease in the consumption of alcohol use in my clients. Often we forget that the nightly glass of wine or 2 or 3, might be an underlying cause of our sluggish mood. As you learn how alcohol effects your fat loss efforts and the role it plays in your overall health, I am certain you will choose it when it is worth it and pass when it is not - without any guilt from either choice!
#5: I found mentorship and owned my WHY.
You are 65% more likely to reach your goals if you have accountability. Add in proximity with ladies who have a shared purpose and you have a recipe for success. You are not going to always feel motivated. You are not going to always want to stay the course. On these days, you lean into your tribe and you remember your why. When you change the HEART of the behavior WITH a sustainable program, lasting change emerges!
Why?
I remember sitting in a cancer hospital for months with my husband back in 2019. I remember seeing people of all ages sick. People who wanted to live, people who had not chosen this course and I found myself at my heaviest and feeling a bit like I could have stewarded my health a bit better. I remember wondering how I could care for everyone else for another decade without finally taking care of me. You can't pour from an empty cup, Friend, and there are some battles in life we have no control over. I vowed then to find the courage to do the hard work. To dig deep and find a lifestyle that supported my dreams.
My why: "I will steward my health and honor God with my body. It will not be for an outward sign of my achievements but it will be a display of gratitude for the gift of life that only He can give. May God's power always be at work through me as I honor Him through a faithful commitment to become my best self every single day."
*feel free to save and use my why as your reminder!
I do this to show my girls that there is beauty in strength. I do this to have energy to play with my grandkids one day. I do this to show other ladies what is possible. I do this because when God helped me change the heart of my behaviors, it ignited a purpose and passion to help others do the same.
Life doesn't promise health or easy days. You could do everything right and still end up in circumstances that seem unfair. However, you can transform your life from the inside out when you own a bigger why and take control of the things that you can control. Your health is wealth - my favorite statement. No matter what tomorrow brings, I know I have done my best to steward the gift of TODAY!
Just a nurse and health coach passionate about helping ladies develop a healthy and hearty self image. I hope you will join me!
Hugs!
Over 40 and looking a plan to help with fat loss and becoming your best self? You're in the right place!
Not only is Amy an RN but she is also a Certified Coach with FASTer Way to Fat Loss and has personally lost over 40 pounds in her 40's and helped many others achieve the same results in their 40, 50, 60's... After a scary cancer battle for Amy's husband in 2019, Amy found herself at her heaviest weight and desperate for a way to regain the person she knew deep down that she still was. Amy is passionate about inspiring other ladies to live their healthiest and happiest life. You will find her journey sprinkled with gratitude, faith centered and always focused on being a good steward of one's health. Health truly is wealth.
Amy has experienced pain, battled life's fragility and knows the power of sharing your story. Welcome to this chapter!
For more information, on the FASTer Way program click here:
Follow on Pinterest
