Latest / Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40 / 5. How to Eat for Energy & Confidence Without Tracking, Dieting or Restricting

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5. How to Eat for Energy & Confidence Without Tracking, Dieting or Restricting · Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Up Podcast, where we simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits for women in midlife.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Joan Dandano, your midlife health and wellness coach.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I help women simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits to find clarity, build confidence, stay consistent in midlife and beyond.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Together, we'll build habits that serve you today and create the future version of you that you know you're meant to be.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: After three decades of lifting weights, prioritizing protein, and coaching hundreds of women just like you, I've learned that success isn't about the scale or the size of your genes.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's about how fully you live your life.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Here you'll find strategies that actually work, systems that simplify, and a roadmap to help you turn intention into lasting change.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're ready to feel strong, capable, and confident in this season, then you're in the right place.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: This is the Midlife Glow Up Podcast.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been eating healthy and doing all the right things, but you still feel low on energy or frustrated by slow progress or stuck with your results, you are not alone.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered why this happens?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Why it feels like you're doing everything right and yet the scale just won't budge?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: There is a reason, and it's simpler than you might think.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: So when I ask women to tell me about their nutrition, almost every single one of them starts by describing dinner.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: They tell me about the protein and the veggies and how balanced it is and how intentional they are and they've thought about it for a few days and they've gone grocery shopping.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: But then I say, well, what about the rest of the day?
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, uh, I don't know.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: I just grab a latte from Starbucks drive-thru, or maybe I have a bar in my purse for when I'm running around and doing errands.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's something that is almost like an afterthought.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Something that, and sometimes they skip altogether.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I think it's intentional, like, oh, if I just don't eat, I'll lose weight.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: But other times I think it's very unintentional.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: We're not purposefully sabotaging our results, but we just aren't giving our nutrition the attention and intention that it deserves.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that lack of consistent fuel adds up over time.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Most women in midlife simply are not eating enough protein.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not our fault.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: For decades, no one was really talking about how our needs change as we age.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: We were actually taught to eat less and not to fuel more.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: We were taught to diet and restrict and deprive and shrink.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm so glad that that narrative is changing these days, and we are being encouraged to really fuel our bodies.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: In midlife, our body needs are different, and meeting those needs now can change everything.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: When you don't prioritize protein, you're losing muscle, your metabolism is slowing down, and your energy is dipping.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: When you do focus on protein, everything else starts to fall into place.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing: it's very hard to overeat protein.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's really easy to overeat fat and carbs.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's incredibly easy to under eat protein without intention, food prep, and practice.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly why I created the four by four fist method, a simple framework to help you stay on track without having to track every morsel that you eat.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: So by 4 p.m., can you identify four sources of protein, each about a fist in size?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, then you're roughly hitting 100 grams a day.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Isn't that amazing?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's so simple.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot wait to share more in this episode as we dive in.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: But here is the message that I want you to take away from this is it's not about dieting, it's not about willpower, it's not about depriving ourselves or restricting ourselves.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's about dedication and not just to the process of eating protein or being healthy.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's the dedication to that future version of ourselves.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: We want to build muscle, we want to protect our bones, and we want to fuel our life so that we can feel strong and confident today, but as we also move forward through the decades.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: So the goal of nutrition in midlife is not to eat less, it's to feel nourished, balanced, and energized so that we can support our changing body, our hormones, so we can fuel our busy life, and so we can show up fully for what matters most: the experiences, the people, the things that matter most in life.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: So proper nutrition in midlife is all about supporting our muscle and our bone health, number one.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, balancing our hormones and our blood sugar.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, improving mood and reducing brain fog.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: And number four, supporting sleep and stress resilience.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's tons of other benefits of proper nutrition, but those are the main ones.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: But most of us, we know what to do, right?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: We know we should limit processed foods, we know we shouldn't overdo the alcohol, we know that we're supposed to get plenty of colorful veggies and whole foods, but actually living it out day to day feels hard because we are creatures of habit.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: So we fall into routines, eating the same breakfast, grabbing the same snacks, skipping meals when we're busy, and those patterns become our default.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Even when we want to change, our brain resists it because our brain loves familiarity.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that's exactly why we need a simple system, something that can take out the guesswork of eating well and help us create new supportive habits that actually stick.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because nutrition isn't just about knowing what to do, it's about making it easier to do even on the busy days.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: But there's a whole other layer to this that complicates nutrition, and that is that food is not just physical, it is emotional.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: We have comfort and connection tied up into food.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: We nurture ourselves and the people that we love with food.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've ever come home from a long day and you started cooking dinner for your family and you found yourself halfway through a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa before the meal even was set on the table, this is so common.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not lack of discipline, it's just underfueling all the hours of the day leading up to that dinner.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: When you start nourishing your body consistently throughout the day, you will stop hitting that breaking point and you will eventually shift from guilt and frustration to intention and fuel.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so how do we do this?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds great, but what is it?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: So to simplify nutrition and stay consistent, I would encourage you to focus on three main things that matter most.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, shocker of all shockers, we must prioritize protein.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to roughly say around 100 grams per day.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, add color and fiber.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we're filling half your plate with veggies and whole foods as colorful as possible.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then number three, we're simplifying with food prep.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So we're prepping a few things ahead of time, maybe protein and produce, so that we reduce decision fatigue when it comes time for the meal.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if we can get these three habits solid as the foundation of our balanced, sustainable nutrition, we will be golden.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: We will be set for success in the future.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: But it all really starts with protein.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: So why is protein the foundation?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Why is it so important?
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: It is a non-negotiable because it preserves our muscle mass.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it helps us to fight osteoporosis, osteopenia as we age, as well as sarcopenia.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: So the loss of lean muscle and the loss of bone, especially post-menopause.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then it helps us also regulate blood sugar and metabolism.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: It keeps us fuller longer, it reduces our cravings, and then it provides steady energy throughout the day.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: So research shows that women can lose up to 10 to 20% of bone density in the several years around menopause due to the deep drop of estrogen, up to 8% of muscle per decade after age 30.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: So protein paired with strength training is your best protection for this inevitable change that happens in this season of our life.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, how much protein do you actually need?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the RDA says in order to prevent deficiency, you know, protein deficiency, we need 0.8 grams per kilogram in a day.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Get this.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Women, 40 plus, need double that in order to support strength and satiety.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: But post-menopausal women need up to two grams per kilogram per day in order to counter that accelerated bone and muscle loss.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: So to keep it simple, I'm going to encourage you to focus around aiming for that 100 grams of protein per day and then spread it across your day, like 20 to 30 grams three to five times a day, front loading your protein early in the day so you don't fall short later in the day.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: That's the key.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: So the four by four fist method is the answer, in my opinion, to making this so simple.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I literally stumbled upon this just by happenstance, just because I myself, it was summertime and I was busy and I'm thinking, gosh, what time is it?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, have I eaten today?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I just started counting on my hand, like one, two, three, four.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm good because I'll get protein at dinner.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought, you know what, this would be really helpful if I put this into a formula that people could actually remember.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's awesome that it kind of, you know, sounds good four by four.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: And then that fist gives you the visual of the amount of that serving size, about around 20 to maybe 30 grams in a fist is going to be about a half a cup, maybe four ounces, which is about what we need at each serving size throughout the day.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it really simplifies it.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about each fist.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: And when I talk about this fist, remember we're talking about a source of protein, and that's about your serving size.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so fist number one in the morning, maybe we're getting either eggs or Greek yogurt, or maybe we're having a smoothie.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: So one of those fists is your first morning source of protein.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: Fist number two, mid-morning, maybe we're having a shake, maybe we're having some cottage cheese.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Fist number three for lunch, maybe it's chicken or tofu or lentils or tuna, another fist.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then fist number four in the afternoon, maybe it's at a mame or a protein bar or some hard-boiled eggs.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: When you lead with protein, the rest of your nutrition naturally falls in place.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: You're likely not going to come to the table with a chicken breast on your plate and call it a meal, right?
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: So before we start overhauling everything and thinking about protein and fat and carbs and how are we going to fit it all in and make it taste good and blah, blah, blah, I encourage you to just focus on the protein.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: The other stuff will come, I promise you.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: If you're having a little salad, throwing some sweet potato on the side of your chicken, obviously that balances out your meal and it gives you a lot more nutrition than just the protein.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: But when we lead with protein, we're much less likely to overeat the carbohydrates and the other things that are so easy to overeat throughout our day.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: So after those four fists, you're likely going to have that dinner that you've thought about, that you're preparing for your family, or maybe it's just you and your husband, or you know, even if it's just you at home, you're probably thinking about dinner.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: But the other meals of the day sometimes tend to be an afterthought.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: So this is why the four by four fist method is brilliant because it's front loading that day.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do you make this actually fit into your life?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: The good news is the four by four fist method is not a diet.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a very flexible framework that you can easily stop yourself around four o'clock in the afternoon and just think back on your hands.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: One, two, three, four, did I do it?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then move on.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing is you get to mix and match foods that you enjoy.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not a strict diet where it's saying you can't have this and you have to eat this at a certain time and a certain amount.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's allowing you to use what you naturally like, right?
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then mix and matching those foods to make sure that you're hitting that protein number and then the rest of your plate is an enjoyable experience for you.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that you get to do here is plan around your schedule.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have some mornings that are busier than others, maybe you have a shake.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy, it takes like two minutes to throw together.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: You can drink it on the way to work.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: Other days you might have a little bit more leeway or flexibility.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe that's a day when you're having eggs and oatmeal and it's actually a sit-down breakfast, right?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: I love to plan leftovers for lunch.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: It just makes my life so much easier.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll often make a big batch of chili on the weekend and then have that ready to go for lunch.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Something like that definitely has a fist of protein in it.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: If it's got ground turkey and beans inside of it, it's going to hit that fist number throughout the day.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, number three is prepping ahead so that you're not scrambling.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: So often we find ourselves last minute, hungry, without a plan.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then that's when we fall into that default mode of skipping meals or just eating a bar or going through the drive-thru.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: So that prepping ahead is key to making this actually fit into your life.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is where the intention and the attention is so, so, so important.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, just remember it's always progress over perfection.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if you missed a fist, make it up later.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Often I have clients who will just do double fist in the morning.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: So they're going to have eggs and Greek yogurt in the morning because they're a teacher.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: They can't like actually be eating something, you know, during the day with their kids in the classroom.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I have a therapist who will bring, you know, a shake with them and put it in an opaque container so that as they're on with their clients and in the Zoom room or in person, they're just sipping what looks like water, but they're able to keep up with their, you know, nutrition throughout the day.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Once you've mastered the four by four fist method, then you can build upon it.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where we start to really get intentional with adding color and adding fiber with veggies and fruits and whole grains.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then the next step is really to find those simple food prep systems, the repeatable meals that fit your lifestyle.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: And that when you go to the grocery store, you don't even need a list.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like you know exactly what you're gonna get.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna go home, you're gonna make things ahead of time so that your future self is thanking you.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like on Tuesday, when you're you open the fridge and you're running out the door, you've got something ready to go, you thank that Sunday self.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, I want to talk just a little bit more about food prep.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, food prep is what turns good intentions into action.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: It helps you actually follow through with what you you want to do, what you hope to do, what you intend to do.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Food prep is the follow-through.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm telling you, food prep means different things to different people.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: You do not need to cook gourmet meals.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: I don't ever, I hardly ever, ever do that.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: You just need a system that makes healthy choices easy, that makes healthy food fast food.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, what do I mean by this?
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Prep some protein ahead of time, prep some produce ahead of time.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: I really encourage you to actually make a meal in a grab and go container.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of, you know, cooking a big batch of chicken and then putting it in the container in the fridge, like when you open the fridge and you're hungry, do you feel like chopping chicken?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Probably not.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: So if you go ahead, chop it up, add it with the produce, add it with the healthy carbs, put it in a container so it's ready to go.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: When you are busy and stressed and hungry and you open your fridge, that is so empowering that you already have something ready to go.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: You bought it, you did the work for it, you might as well now enjoy it and know that it's helping you to actually reach your goals.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing about food prep is that again, it reduces that decision fatigue.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: So when we are busy and stressed and hungry and we don't have something already ready to go, we are going to likely set ourselves up to make a poor decision, either not eating, skipping that meal, or grabbing something that is convenience or even fast food.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: So to recap, nutrition simplified is number one, prioritize protein.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: And how do we do that?
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: The four by four fist method.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: By four o'clock in the afternoon, can you think back throughout your day and identify four sources of protein, each about a fist in size, leading up to that dinner?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: So that if you don't hit it, but you know you're getting protein at dinner, you're still gonna hit that 100 grams.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: If you hit it before dinner, you're going over that 100 grams, and that's just helping you to build muscle and build bone.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, add color and fiber.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: And number three, set your future self up for success with food prep.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to share a quick client win.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: My client Anuja came to me in January of last year after spending 20 years in a high stress corporate job.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: She wanted desperately to feel healthy again, but she didn't know where to start.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: And she had gotten some scary lab work and she was just like, I don't know, I gotta do something.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: I know I need to change, but I really just don't even know where to begin.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: So the number one thing that we did over the first couple of months working together was focus on protein.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: She started with a protein-rich breakfast.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: She loves her protein shake, so that is what she has still been doing every day since January when we started working together.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing that she did was keep healthy options ready to go for when hunger hit.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: So she would bring healthy options for lunch and snacks to work with her so that she had those ready to go.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: We did not track a thing.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: She did not feel like she was dieting because she was actually eating more than she was before, just with more intention and more consistency.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: And over time, she lost 20 pounds.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: She feels amazing, way more energy, and she's super proud of her new habit and her new lifestyle.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: And her husband is so proud of her.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: It was so amazing.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: I got to meet him in person a couple weeks ago, and he just gave me a big hug and was like, I just can't tell you how amazing it is to see my wife just holding her head up a little bit higher.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: That is what simple nutrition can do.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to tell you again, midlife nutrition is not about restriction.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: When we fuel our body with purpose, then we're able to gain strength and clarity and confidence.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Before I wrap up, I want you guys to know that this is just the beginning of talking about nutrition on this podcast.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: So know that in upcoming episodes, we'll be diving deeper into all of this, including my top tips for simple food prep, like how to make healthy eating realistic and not overwhelming, my favorite easy protein sources and how to hit your goals without spending hours in the kitchen.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: It really is possible, I promise.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then how to shift from a mindset of restriction to one of nourishment so that food actually becomes a source of energy and confidence and joy.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure that you're following the show and you're subscribed so you don't miss any of these practical, real life strategies to make nutrition truly work for you in this stage of life.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're ready to simplify your nutrition and finally feel energized again, like Anuja did, then I would love to help you.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: I currently have two one-on-one coaching spots left for 2025.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: So this is where you get personalized nutrition guidance, fitness programming, and mindset support to actually help you grow up from the inside out.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: So be sure to click the link in the show notes so you can learn more and apply.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being here, you guys.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: I look forward to having more conversations about nutrition in the future.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, my friend.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, progress over perfection and consistency over intensity.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: Follow or subscribe so that you don't miss next week's episode.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: And share this one with a friend who's glowing up right alongside you.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing, and bye for now.