THE ONLY TWO DIETING METHODS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR ME IN MY 40s

As a quadragenarian, I see my body changing and hardly ever looking like I did in my twenties. This is an ugly truth that we ought to embrace and feel comfortable with.

Welcome to a fascinating reality. Around age 40, both men and women start experiencing changes mostly in the physical and emotional realms. This is pretty normal and I would dare to say, it's amusing. As a 45-year-old woman, I can guarantee you that this is the best decade in anyone's life. Therefore, if you are in your late 30s, I recommend you start getting enthusiastic about what lies ahead.

“[E]ssentially, the big deal of reaching this age is primarily the realization that you have made it!”

What's the Big Deal of Being a Quad?

Becoming a quadragenarian carries too many sides that I consider have a lack of recognition. In my own experience, at age 40 I realized I had already reached my adolescent dreams — the ones I could remember: I am happily married, I have accomplished most of my professional goals, I became a homeowner, my husband and I ride motorcycles which actually portrays the type of marriage I once imagined, I am healthy, and I think I still looked young and fitted. There is nothing left on my old checklist waiting to be accomplished. Henceforth, essentially, the big deal of reaching this age is primarily the realization that you have made it! Here is when you understand that the hard part has passed and the rest is gravy. Based on the universal timeline, most likely you are now financially prepared to endeavor new projects, to travel, to take higher risks, to invest, and do everything with the knowledge you didn't own in your twenties. That's the big deal!

Nevertheless, the dark side of the moon also exists. I notice some subtle physical changes that were novel to me. For example, my hair wasn't growing anymore and it had a drier look; most of my joints were starting to call my attention through a slight discomfort; some parts of my body were getting notably fuller, consequently, my old clothes weren't fitting as nicely as they were before. The latter didn't worry me since I knew that limiting chocolates, ice cream, and sweets (my only addiction in life), as well as some "unhealthy" late-night dinners, were going to be sufficient to get back on track.

This Is When It Hit Me

My body wasn't reacting in the same way it did in my younger years. This was almost unacceptable to me since I had always been a dancer and a yogi. I had always been "the size-zero girl" — which was even concerning to my parents. What could be the reason? I always thought that I would grow old to be a skinny graceful old lady, but that wasn't the case anymore. I had gained more than 20 pounds.

Taking Actionable Steps

I had to do something about my weight. I wasn't feeling myself anymore and I wasn't feeling good either. Honestly, I felt somewhat embarrassed about my new appearance. I made the decision and started to cut some unhealthy foods that I thought they were having an impact on my body's new weight. This was uncharted territory to me because I had never been on a diet before.

Lose It App

The Lose It app was a lifeline to me. I discovered it by searching on Google "easy methods to lose weight." I downloaded it and very easily completed my personal profile. The equation was simple: my current weight minus my goal weight equals the number of weeks I was going to be eating mindfully. Very simple!

What the Lose It app does it's to make you aware of every food you intake and aids you to reduce the portions to avoid the excess. This is how it works: based on your profile and goals you get a daily calorie count that you will have to keep track of. Every time you are ready to prepare or eat a meal, you are going to have to scan the barcode on the product or products you use or look them up in the app's database. The total amount of calories applied will have to stay within your daily calorie budget. However, if you want to raise your this count, you may do so by adding calories burned through exercising. It's easy as pie! (A sugar-free pie, though. Ha!)

A very important thing to add is that I never concentrated on eating only healthy foods through this dieting system. What I did focus on was on making smart decisions about consuming either small portions of pizza slices, french fries, spicy chicken wings, beer, pasta, etc. or use my calorie allowance more wisely.

Through this method, I was able to lose 25 pounds within four months. I could see the results since week one, and this was very motivating to keep me going with patience. I have to add that this app also generated life-changing consciousness in terms of nutrition. Since then, I am excessively aware of how many calories I am intaking and where my limit is registered.

Intermittent Fasting

Last year my husband and I celebrated our 10th year anniversary. For a long time, we had been planning a wedding-themed photoshoot in our hometown, Monterrey, Mexico. I had ordered a beautiful wedding gown to wear while he wore a tuxedo. Rewinding back to my wedding gown, I had three weeks to lose five pounds to debut my dress. This is when I learned about intermittent fasting.

The system I practice is as simple as this: I wake up and drink a glass of water; later in the morning, I drink coffee. I eat lunch at noon (anything I crave). Later, I can eat a small leftover or snack but only before 4pm. No food goes inside my mouth passed 4pm and until the next morning. I sometimes allow myself to drink a glass of red wine around 7 pm.

Sounds like it's extremely practical, don't you think?

The Real Fasting With Purpose

I exercised intermittent fasting during lent this year and it lasted the full 40 days. Although I lost 10 pounds, the real purpose of fasting was to switch eating-anxiety to prayer or meditation. I noticed a calming sensation when instead of focusing on what snacks to eat to calm my anxiousness, I refocused my mind on counting my blessing or giving thanks for my blessings. This is what really works for me. Giving purpose to my efforts it's far more rewarding than just doing it for a superficial reason that most likely is not going to last long.

Whatever dieting method works for you, share it with me. I'm always open to recommendations. And, if you decide to try any of these two, let me know how it goes.