I am often asked what I eat. The most important thing concerning my nutrition is what I DON’T eat. I don’t eat added sugars The naturally occurring sugar found in natural, whole foods is fine but if any kind of sugar, regardless of how healthy the name sounds, is added to a food, I don’t eat it. I follow David’s Way of eating and eat a lot of protein and moderate complex carbs and have a “Over 50 Female” twist on my entire nutritional program.

The Day Begins With Protein!

First thing every morning I have a protein shake made with soy milk and soy protein. The reason that I use soy is that soy has phytoestrogens that act like estrogen in the body. Over about 50, most women are deficient in estrogen. If you train hard and push to get lean, soy just might help you keep your curves. Because it mimics estrogen, consult your physician to get his approval to use this wonderful superfood. While many men worldwide do consume soy, I would never encourage a man to use it because of the estrogen-like nutrients that it contains. Soy contains complete protein, carbohydrates, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, calcium, folic acid and iron. Soy is considered a high quality protein that is low in saturated fat.

I particularly like this soy protein. It’s easy to get, just order it from Walmart. You will get it ready for pick-up pretty quickly and it’s 38 servings for about $20. You can’t beat that for convenience or price. It dissolves well in my shaker bottle. A previous product that I used was very hard to get and cost about 3 times as much. If you buy soy protein powder, make sure that you are getting an unsweetened product. When I first started using it, I bought one with 27 grams of added sugar by accident! You will want to add a 0 sugar sweetener of your choice. “Swerve” is a natural sweetener with 0 sugar and it doesn’t normally cause gastric distress, but any 0 calorie sweetener of your choice is fine.

I use this shelf soy milk for my protein shakes because I have so much trouble finding a soy milk that has 0 added sugars. “Silk” does make a good refrigerated one but my local stores don’t carry it, so I found this one at Walmart and it’s great. I just pop it in the fridge and it’s good to go when I need it. BEWARE of added sugars in so-called “healthy” nut and soy milks! Read the labels carefully. If that chocolate soy or almond milk seems too good to be true, it probably is.

I add peanut butter powder to my protein shake. It adds a little sweetness and 6 grams of protein. I buy the house brand at Walmart because it’s cheaper and I like the taste better.

Get creative and add whatever 0 sugar ingredients that appeal to you if you want to try a morning protein shake to get you going. This is not my entire list of ingredients, just a base for whatever the shake may become.

What’s for Lunch?

I feel my best and seem to be my strongest when I eat a lot of fish, so tuna is a natural choice for me to carry to work. It’s cheap and convenient. The pouches are the bomb for convenience but if you want to stick with the cans, you will save a lot of money. I add two boiled eggs, Duke’s mayo (it’s naturally sugar-free), dill pickles with a little 0 sugar sweetener added to make them sweet and an apple for a huge, satisfying lunch. I almost always have a baked sweet potato on the side. Sweet potatoes are considered a superfood. They have cancer-fighting and immune boosting benefits. They are good sources of anti-inflammatory nutrients, vitamins A and C and are low on the glycemic index which means that they have very little effect on blood glucose levels. If you don’t dump insulin all the time, you don’t build as much belly fat.

Snack Time

Rule #1 concerning snacks, ALWAYS have them with you! If you let yourself get too hungry, you will eat too much of the wrong things. I carry boiled eggs, almonds, full-fat Greek yogurt, Frigo String Cheese, apples, and sweet potatoes. Eggs contain acetylcholine which keeps me more alert, almonds pack another punch of protein and a good serving of fiber. The combination of protein and fiber will keep you satisfied for a couple of hours. Eating Greek yogurt has been associated with having less belly fat. I use the full-fat variety because it’s just better. I have a significant number of calories to eat to fulfill my weight lifting needs so I have room for the good stuff. If you have tried the fat-free or low-fat variety and did not like it, I encourage you to try the real thing. You can flavor it with Crystal Light, peanut butter powder, nuts, fruit or Vanilla Splenda Liquid or a combination of any of these. Lemon juice and a 0 sugar sweetener makes something that tastes like lemon pie, but so does the lemonade Crystal Light. The calcium in the string cheese helps burn belly fat and I think that Frigo is just the best. The carbohydrates and fiber in the apples and sweet potatoes are filling and satisfying. We have to have some healthy complex carbs like those in these two convenient snack foods.

Notice that I am using the cheap house brands of almost everything. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to be healthy. That’s a lie out of Hell. Also notice the red ribbon on the upper right side of this carton, “Made With Whole Milk”.

Time to Lift!

I also love oats for complex carbs. There are so many ways that you can eat them. David wrote an article, “Eat Your Oats!” where he discusses the merits of this, yet again, superfood. The complex carbs provide hours of energy and keep you from getting hungry for a long time. I always try to eat oats before I lift. They are also a protein source that can contribute to muscle mass growth and maintenance. I put the oats into a pot and measure water in a measuring cup and add about 25% more water and beat in two eggs into the water. I pour this mixture into the pot with the oats and bring them to a simmer for a few minutes and I have something like an oat pudding. I add 0 sugar sweetener, coconut oil and nuts for a wonderful, sweet treat that will fuel my lifting sessions. I usually add Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Syrup to this heavenly concoction. Coconut oil has been associated with a decrease in belly fat in a few studies. (1) I may use butter instead but do like coconut oil, so I use it most of the time. You can get either flavored or unflavored coconut oil.

Dinner’s Ready!

I have a high-stress job and I usually lift after work. I want healthy, QUICK, inexpensive meals that I can whip up fast that will fuel my workouts. I usually opt for seared salmon, a baked sweet or white potato and green beans or a romaine salad. I use coconut oil, Saigon cinnamon and Maple Groves Sugar Free Syrup on a sweet potato and olive oil on a white potato. I use Heinz No Sugar Added Catsup on my salmon and olive oil on a romaine salad. I usually eat two servings of salmon or whatever protein that I cook. Sometimes I may cook chicken tenderloins by just adding them to a cast iron skillet sprayed with olive oil cooking spray and putting a tight lid on and letting them simmer. I also eat beef and thoroughly enjoy a half pound, 93% lean ground beef steak browned up nicely until the outside is a little crunchy drained on paper towels before I eat it.

I NEVER Go Hungry

As you can see, I eat plenty. I avoid sugar and never miss it. If you don’t eat sugar, you don’t crave sugar. At 64, I work a high-stress, full-time nursing job. I am the Charge Nurse and work very hard and always have the energy and stamina to do so. I also care for a special needs family member. I am on a high-volume weight lifting program and do it consistently and walk outside as often as weather permits. If you think that losing weight and being healthy means starving, you are wrong. Choose your food wisely and reap the benefits.

(1) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-coconut-oil-help-you-lose-weight#evidence