Woman as they age , their bodies go through changes or shall we say metamorphosis. From the slim teens to the plump motherhood to trying to lose weight stage and then hormonal changes of menopause. During all these stages , women should watch what they eat.
Never treat your body like a leftover bin. Most of us whilst clearing up after meal will suddenly realise that what is left over is so little that to move it to another small vessel is an unnecessary chore so maybe it is best that it should go into the stomach. Now that is just additional food into the system, maybe at the end of every meal or at least once a day. If one can be very conscious of this, then can avoid the excess calories. This is an important aspect that a woman should be careful from right after babies arrive as it is natural for a mother to finish off the left overs from her child's plate.
For a woman in her fifties or just pre-fifties, children have all grown up, even late babies are all college going , so now is the time for the woman to sit back and check out what she is consuming and how she is taking care of her body that is fluctuating, yoo yooing up and down. Watch out if your body has settled into a rhythm then the tendency to overeat is common.
Some tips:
- Wake up in the morning and drink a glass of warm water, either plain or with a little lime and honey (if u prefer) . Avoid sugar and salt.
- Do morning exercises,(stomach crunches if possible) walk, prayers / worship etc . All this is based on the time available
- Now you can have your morning cuppa (between 6.30 am or 7.30 am). Preferably without sugar. Tough in the beginning to get off sugar but if you can start weaning off sugar in tea and coffee in your 40's then by the time you are in your 50's you will not want sugar in your warm beverage.
- Move into organising breakfast . This should be filling and healthy as you are breaking your fast and also need energy to tackle the various tasks for the day. Hence, should be full of Carbs, proteins, vegetables, lots of fruits etc. If I skip breakfast , by 11 am I am yawning away and if in a meeting then as yawning is contagious all will be yawning too.
- Mid morning some will have a warm cuppa but no snacks and if at all hunger pangs hit then have a fruit or two. If you are working in an office, never keep a big bottle of water close by. Keep only one glass quantity. Get up and go to the refill area. That will make you get up from your seat, take a few steps, climb a stair etc.
- Lunch is equally important and your plate should be full but carbs should be less , unless of course you are doing a lot of physical work. Rice should just be a spoon or max two . Spoon should be tablespoon. Quantity of vegetables should be treble. It should be 6 times(2 helpings of vegetables) the quantity of rice that is put on the plate. If carb is roti or bread then maybe two small with no oil or butter. Meat items or fish etc can be consumed if oil is less. Maybe 2-3 small pieces. Ensure your plate is full with vegetables 3/4 and balance 1/4 for carb and non vegetarian items. Lentils and curds etc can be consumed as per choice. Avoid pickles. Eating a small piece of dessert. I sure find it tough to bypass this and have a small piece of either a chocolate or some sweet item.
- By tea time one is definitely hungry and I for one want to reach out and gobble anything and promise myself that I will not consume cookies but my hand will automatically reach out for the cookie jar. So this is a time that one has to be very careful what is consumed. Between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. hunger pangs play havoc and if a proper meal is consumed then it is great or else have something that is not high calorie.
- Most people shop for vegetables or groceries in the evening and if the same can be clubbed with a walk , then the walk becomes interesting and the daily dose of exercise gets done. You get to meet people, say hello to the shopkeepers, listen to people talk, observe humanity etc.
- If you had a very energetic and tiring day end the day with a dinner with little carb but if your day did not comprise of high intensive physical activities then have a meal of only vegetables and protein (meat or lentils/maybe a little paneer.). Fruit can be consumed too.
- Once in 3-4 days pamper or treat yourself to something special. I read somewhere that a piece of cake takes 3-4 days to get digested.
Ultimately you need to empower yourself with the ability to manage your life well, take care of yourself first in respect of your own health and stress and thereby you can take care of your loved one's . Maintaining a strict diet is needed as the present and urban lifestyle does not allow us to work in the agricultural land as our forefathers did.
