My friends and family who know me well know that I've always been into health and fitness. For the past 30 years I have made exercise and health my priority. I've always made time to workout, even when my kids were little. I would seek out healthy recipes, juice, listen to podcasts, watch youtube videos about wellness, try different supplements and try to lead an overall healthy lifestyle. But as I was turning forty years old women older than me would say "your body changes after 40, you'll gain weight and there's nothing you can do about it." I would smile politely and think to myself that will never happen to ME! Well it did happen to me, I was 42 when the shift started. Without changing anything I started to put on weight. I was frustrated but would blame myself for lack of motivation, lack of self control around food, not enough cardio, too much alcohol. I tried every diet you can think of including a popular, celebrity backed diet and workout program with very restrictive calories. I did lose 10 pounds but after 9 weeks on the program I gained it all back and then some. The less I ate the more I gained. The more I worked out the more I gained. I was yoyo dieting and I thought this will be my life from now on. I felt defeated and thought maybe this is what happens: you get older and mother nature kicks in and I will be an overweight, middle aged women who needs to go up a dress size every few years.
But Vanity is a major motivator. I decided to do some research and I discovered the whole food plant based diet (WFPB). Now I know you're probably thinking, oh I can't go vegan. But what if changing what you eat makes the difference for your health and fitness for the rest of your life? You see, we are all so stuck in our ways that we don't want to do the hard work to make sure our bodies are thriving, healing itself, preventing diseases and, if you want, building a strong healthy body. What if I told you this one diet will be the answer to all your health and fitness needs? Would you try it?
My husband had his blood work done around the time I discovered WFPB. The cardiologist told him he had high cholesterol and that he should immediately start medication. Through my research I learned that you can reverse and even cure many diseases with a WFPB diet including Type II diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. I was floored. If this diet can reverse diseases including some of the most common ailments plaguing more than 50% of the adult population in the US, why aren't more doctors talking to their patients about it? My husband and I discussed his options and he decided to put off taking any medication and embark on this new lifestyle with me. Sure enough, after only 6 months on a strict WFPB diet, he lowered his cholesterol naturally, with food. When he broached the topic with his cardiologist he was told that most patients don't want to go to "extreme" measures and change their diet. As if heart disease, type II diabetes and cancer are not extreme diagnoses in one's life. The sad truth is that had I not researched this diet, my husband would have been like the millions of other people taking prescription medications for the rest of his life. I am not saying that medications don't have their place because they do. And modern medicine could be a life safer. But wouldn't you want to try to heal your body the natural way first? Would you not want to do the work that it takes to be the healthiest and best version of yourself free of medications with a multitude of side affects?
For most people the answer is no. Because we don't want to give up our lifestyle, because we don't have the knowledge, we don't want to give up mouth watering cheeseburgers and cheese, bbqs and desserts.
Which brings me to my original point, if you want to lose weight (at ANY age) and you want to be the healthiest and best version of yourself you must put in the work. And the work simply means to figure out your goal is and then do the work required for you to get there. I am a bit obsessed with my health but that is what makes me successful at it.
The fact is that a WFPB diet can change your life for the better. And it can be the easiest, least expensive diet in the world. Personally I love food and I want my food to taste good. For that reason I'm always cooking and making foods that I enjoy. But WFPB doesn't have to be complicated. Foods like salads, beans, rice, potatoes and fruit are easily bought at any grocery store. Part of what makes WFPB so healthy is that you eliminate all packaged foods and all oils. Healthy fats such as avocados, nuts and seeds should be used sparingly, especially if you're over weight. But it's that simple. No fuss, no major secret.
And that's how I cracked the code for my own personal weight loss. I transitioned to a whole food plant based diet and the weight started to come off. I realized that most of my calories were coming from oils and fats. I was eating very little of the good stuff and too much of the foods that were fueling my weight gain which included poultry and beef. I also stopped getting migraines, which I had suffered with for many years, I cured my gut, and my skin cleared up. There are millions of people eating this way and benefitting from the results. You don't have to accept the idea that your weight gain is permanent, any ANY age.
Maria
xoxo
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