Losing Weight Approaching 60. This is how we do it.

Food with no ingredients.  Photo: Brooke Lark

If you want to lose weight, the first step is to make the decision to do it.

Decision made? DONE! You are here.

If you are approaching 60, and you are looking for a lifestyle shift and this is the last time you want todecide to lose weight, WELCOME.

If you are seeking a diet to lose weight quick, this is not the place to be. Bye-bye.

If you want to count calories, you won’t find help here. See ya.

Here's what I'm talking about.  I broke it down into 4 buckets:

         Bucket No. 1 Care for your Body: FOOD CHOICES 

         Bucket No. 2 Care for your Humanity:  HOW TO MANAGE EMOTIONS

         Bucket No. 3 Care for your Brain: THOUGHTS MATTER

Bucket No. 4 Care for your Future:  CREATING YOUR LIFESTYLE – Sleep, Stress, Movement, Creativity, Joy, Purpose

Bucket #1 Care for your Body: Food Choices

What to eat?

I call it a food protocol (you can call it a food plan or whatever you like).  A protocol includes what you will eat, how much and at what time of day.  It is the guidelines for your food choices.  You pick your own protocol, based on what you want to achieve. The more precise you can be, the more success you will have.  You must experiment to find a protocol that works for you.  The samples below offer a general example and may not be best for your specific situation.

Hints for creating a protocol that works:

What foods do you already eat that are healthy? Keep eating them.

Do you like variety in your meals or do you tend to eat the same foods often? Design your meal plans around your preference.

Learn about healthy fats. (Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Ghee, etc.)

Choose as many foods as you can with no ingredient list. (Chicken, Broccoli, etc.)

Avoid foods containing flour, sugar and names of ingredients you can’t pronounce. (i.e., Disodium guanylate or Acetylated distarch adipate)

Decide upon a window of time when you will eat. 

Sample of Eating Window:

7am to 7pm (3 meals in a 12-hour window/12 hour fast)

11am to 7pm (2 meals in an 8-hour window/16 hour fast)

No snacking between meals.

Put your protocol down on paper so you remember what you decided to eat. Read it each evening as you prepare your meal for the next day.

The Unveiling: Sample Protocols*

12 Hour Eating Window:

Breakfast: 8 oz. Whole Plain Yogurt, 6 oz. fruit, 1 oz. non-sugar grain/cereal

Lunch: 4 oz. Protein, 6 oz. Salad, 6 oz. Cooked Vegetable, 2 tbs. Oil

Dinner: 4 oz. Protein, 8 -10 oz. Salad, 2 tbs. Oil

8-hour Eating Window:

Breakfast:  Butter Coffee (1 cup coffee, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tbs. organic grass-fed unsalted butter. Blend together in Blender)

Lunch: 4 oz. Protein, 6 oz. Salad, 6 oz. Cooked Vegetable, 2 tbs. Oil

Dinner: 4 oz. Protein, 8-10 oz. Salad, 2 tbs. Oil

*The examples above are just provided as a sample and may not be best for your specific situation. You must experiment to see what the exact correct protocol feels best and works for your body for the long term.

Plan to eat your exact protocol for 2 weeks and see what happens with your weight and your brain.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Luckily, we have the other buckets to draw from to ensure success.  It is unlikely you will succeed long term if you don’t learn to access the tools in each of the other buckets.  Your brain and your emotions have as much influence on your food choices as your belly.

Get started.  As soon as it feels crazy hard, set up a complimentary 30-minute mini session with me. 

What can we accomplish in 30 minutes, you ask?

·         Create a weight loss goal.

·         Create or tweak your protocol.

·         Plan your shopping and meal prep.

·         Strategize for obstacles.

You can also check out my FB Live on this material.