BEHIND THE BODY

Diet • Fitness • Lifestyle for Women 40+

I haven't eaten meat in over 6 years.

So when I tell you to eat more protein, I'm saying it as somebody who has to work for it. In a typical week, I usually hit my goal, or at least get close. In a busy week or when I'm traveling, I often don’t.

And I have never once bought protein chips.

Walk down any aisle right now, and protein is in everything. Chips, cereal, cookies, pancake mix, water. Things that never had it before now have it. (My friend sent me this funny post that sums up this protein craze 😂.) And every coach you'll ever hear, me included, says protein is a fundamental for weight loss. So I get why it seems like the answer is to add it to everything you put in your mouth.

Protein is important. Eating it in every single thing you put in your mouth is not the point.

Here's why it matters.

First, muscle. After 40, we lose muscle every decade unless we do something to stop it. Sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) does not discriminate. The 2 things that stop it are lifting weights and eating enough protein, and ideally both. I made a whole video on the 4 things that protect your muscle while you lose weight. You can watch it here.

Second, it fills you up faster than carbs and fat and keeps you full longer. Your body also burns 20 to 30% of the calories in protein just digesting it. Carbs and fat come nowhere close.

This is what I want you to hear. If I didn't prioritize protein, I would default to carbs, fat, and processed food. So would you. It has nothing to do with willpower. Our food culture is built that way. We eat for convenience, and convenience usually isn't lean protein. Our brains want carbs, and they want fat.

That is why protein chips and the like don't fix anything. They're processed convenience foods with a new label that makes us think they're the smart snack choice. A lot of what gets added to snacks is an isolated powder (amongst other weird ingredients), and some of those don't give your muscles all the amino acids they need. But whole foods do: fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, beans, chicken, beef. I cap myself at one protein shake a day for this reason.

So this is the rule I live by, and in my opinion, for weight loss, weight management, and overall body composition and health, there's no way around it at this age: for every meal, protein on the plate first, and then you build everything else around it. If you want to keep your muscle and have the best chance of losing fat and keeping it off, we have to put our big girl pants on and eat freaking protein.

And if you don't, that's a choice too. Weight loss might be harder, and so will weight management, and there’s a good chance you might lose muscle over time. If it were up to me, I'd rather you ate the fish.

My Suggestion For You

"Eat protein at every meal" sounds simple, but it’s definitely not always easy. This is what an "off week" looks like for me, so maybe it can help you.

Some days I'm running from one thing to the next, or I'm in an airport, and dinner ends up being the first solid protein of the day. On those days, a shake or bar comes in handy. Then I give myself grace and try to hit it the next day, or at least get close. I'm not neurotic about it. I don't spend my life thinking about it. What I have is a habit, and one or two days off doesn't undo it. A week or more off is a different habit.

This is the standard I can make work, and that's realistic for my life. Protein first most days, a shake or a bar on the days you can't get to it, grace when I miss it, and back at it tomorrow. It gets easier the longer you do it. That's been true for me for 6 years without meat, and I'm not special. Take it or leave it, but if you take it, the benefits will compound, and future you will be grateful.

What I'm Loving This Week

I like sharing my healthy snack ideas with you because food can get boring, and I like having ideas to spice it up. (If you are a low-carb believer, you'll probably hate this one.)

One of my favorite post-dinner snacks lately is air-popped popcorn with zero-calorie spray butter and salt. It is so good. Popcorn has a good amount of fiber, and as the months get cooler, it is the perfect snuggle-up-and-watch-a-movie treat.

This is the popcorn I use, this is the spray butter I use, and this is what I use to pop it. So easy, so quick, and pretty healthy.

Yes, I know the spray is processed. Probably not the best thing for you. I still enjoy it at least a couple of times a week.

Because You Didn't Ask...

If you're not someone who golfs, you probably couldn't care less, and this is not even good enough to brag about. But I am so proud of myself.

Yesterday I broke 100 for the first time. I shot a 96. And I only lost 3 balls. We've been practicing every Wednesday for the last several months, and it is so motivating to finally see my game improve.

I told my husband that as soon as I start taking this as seriously as I take my nutrition and workouts, I'll beat him every time, and then I'm joining the LPGA.

Great chat! Let's do it again next Tuesday.

Xx,

Andrea