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When I was younger I was stick-thin, despite a consistent junk-food diet of chips and Big Mac burgers.
‘Make the most of it now,’ an older relative warned me, ‘when you hit 30 the pounds start to pile on.’
Sure, I thought in my arrogant thinness, like THAT’S ever gonna happen.
But she was right: almost overnight my metabolism slowed to a crawl and my fat-fuelled diet caught up with a vengeance. Teamed with that, I’d moved in with my now-husband and we were not exactly making healthy eating choices (we were doing that new-couple thing where we watched entire dvd boxsets while polishing off tubs of Ben & Jerry’s).
It actually took me a while to realise I’d lost my skinny super power. It was only when I tried on a pair of winter trousers and nearly cut myself in half trying to do them up that reality hit home.
Then it became a to-and-fro battle against nature. I started going to the gym, but then had two babies in just over two years. When I emerged from the baby fog in my early 40s, peri-menopause slapped me in the face with horrific insomnia and a waistline that just kept growing.
I joined a new gym, determined to turn over a healthier leaf and fight that 40+ weight gain, then covid locked everything down.
I realised if I couldn’t exercise the weight off (I simply don’t have the willpower without an instructor barking orders at me) I’d make healthy eating choices instead.
What happened next was a complete overhaul of our diets – out with the takeaways and processed foods and in with loads of fresh vegetables and nutritious dishes. Yes, it took more effort, but the benefits were instant and unavoidable; the meals were tastier and more filling and as those lockdown pounds began to fall away and my energy level and sense of wellbeing began to grow.
It made me realise the importance of what we put in our bodies, something I’d chosen to ignore before because I wasn’t ready to give up the convenience and sugary rush of junk food.
It’s also made me look at low-calorie, healthy food plans in a different light.
What you put in your body needs to be carefully thought out, as it has a big impact on your health, but at the same time eating should be enjoyable – which I why I wholly disagree with restrictive diets that suck the joy from one of life’s simple pleasures.
MAKING HEALTHY EATING CHOICES TO COMBAT 40+ WEIGHT GAIN:
Modern plans, however, expertly balance both sides. The 1:1 Diet, by Cambridge Weight Plan, has a range of calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced meals, such as Apple & Cinnamon porridge, Macaroni Cheese pasta, Veggie Chilli & Potato Wedges and Vegetable Soup with Croutons, plus a range of tasty, no-guilt snacks – from BBQ Pop Squares to Salted Caramel Bites – to munch on in between meals.
The plan encourages you to make healthy eating choices, but also to take up a more active lifestyle (this could be anything from leisurely dog walks to hard-core gym sessions – whatever suits you best). Added to that, you have your own personal consultant to advise and encourage as you implement these lifestyle changes.
As you progress along your customised better-eating plan, you start to take control over your new and improved diet. You gradually decrease the number of prepared 1:1 Diet dishes and swap them out with a healthy home-cooked dish of your choice. There’s a pile of mouthwatering recipes on the website, from Roast Chicken and Pumpkin traybake, to Thai Prawn skewers to Courgette Lasagne.
Before you know it, your diet has been completely overhauled.
That’s what I like the most about the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan; you’re not locked in to these branded low-calorie meals for life. Instead, it puts the power back in your hands by teaching you how to make better food choices, so YOU can improve your diet and your well being, and combat that 40+ weight gain. This long-term approach reduces the ‘yo-yo’ effect of old-fashioned diets, as your eating habits have evolved away from high-calorie junk food and replaced with nutritious, filling meals.
When your motivation wanes, your personal consultant is on hand to give you that extra push and remind you how far you’ve come. It’s the perfect healthy eating partnership.
Photo courtesy of Leigh Skomal on Unsplash
