76 percent! That’s the number of U.S. males over 40 that are overweight and most of them suffering from long term consequences of heart disease and gastric problems.
Guys over 40 just want to feel great. We’re still relatively young and have our energy and mature enough to make wiser decisions and know when something isn’t good for us.
The notion of being able to still wear your college tuxedo is not just a dream – it’s completely achievable.
But somewhere along the way, we got distracted with the responsiblities of life, raising a family, our careers and the value of good physical self-care just fell to the wayside, leaving us lethargic, fogged out and living like zombies.
“Many are dead at 40 and buried at 80.” ~Benjamin Franklin.
If you’re like so many guys, your weight and physical well-being has gotten out of control. Years of drinking, smoking and grabbing a quick-bite on the go has caught up with you.
So what’s the answer.
Let’s begin with what is NOT the answer.
Fad diets.
Forget the word “diet” as it relates to a temporary activity that you’re going to commit to for a period of time that you’ll eventually abandon and return to your old habits.
Rather, we’re going to embrace the magic of, “Lifestyle Choice.”
Food is emotional and the words we use to describe food bring about feelings.
You tell the fellas, “let’s go good burgers and beers.”
You tell your spouse, “let’s go get a bottle of wine and an Italian dinner.”
You tell your colleagues, “let’s go to happy hour with half-priced appetizers.”
All of these phrases have emotional responses, so much so that the food choice directly responds to the activity we’re doing and the party we’re with.
The first thing to do in beginning your new Lifestyle Choice? Change your languaging.
You’re not going to give up alcohol, you’re choosing to hydrate.
You’re not giving up sugar, you’re choosing to consume nuts as a snack.
You’re not giving up colas and sugary drinks, you’re choosing water with lemon.
Life is a choice, and rather than give you temporary techniques to conquer your cravings that will only leave you frustrated with the never-ending diet cycle, let’s change your mindset.
Once you begin to practice this, you can then implement much easier choices BEFORE you’re sitting staring at a full, double-cheese pizza on the table.
The rules of health are VERY simple:
Clean blood
Clean gut
Barring any special needs, allergies or conditions of consideration, health operates in those two categories.
So how do you get clean blood? Good nutrients coupled with good elimination of toxins. So clean blood and clean gut go hand-in-hand.
The human body has trouble breaking down foods that the average U.S. male consumes TOO much of, meaning too many calories, and not enough of the nutrients the system needs to function well
It’s been reported that up to 30% of your calorie intake goes to support brain activity. Wow! That’s staggering! That literally means that to THINK right, you need to EAT right.
Most likely you are not fat, you are inflamed.
The body builds up mucus as a way of insulating itself. That’s why your sinuses hurt when you’re sick. When an excess of lactic acid builds up in the muscles, the soft tissue surrounding becomes inflamed.
So the first order to any man over 40 losing weight, is to reduce inflammation and when this is done properly, proper weight will usually balance itself.
So how does all this work and what do I eat to maintain optimal weight, performance so I can look and feel great?
Also simple and nothing new. This information has been repackaged thousands of times with even more studies show that are designed to do nothing but get you to buy the book, get the program and hire a trainer.
To reduce inflammation, avoid, eliminate and/or reduce the following foods I like to call, The Big Four:
- Gluten – highly inflammatory and found in nearly ALL foods. If it’s in a box and labeled a “snack”, it’s gluten.
- Sugar – Candy, sodas, chocolate – all obvious forms of sugar. But you would be surprised just how much normal foods are loaded with sugar. For example, the sugar content of most pasta and BBQ sauce is horrendous. Another thing to look for is corn syrup, which is now almost a staple in most boxed foods because it’s cheaper and mass-produced from corn. Colas are loaded with corn syrup.
- Alcohol – men over 40 should eliminate liquor as it’s horrible for the liver and beer since all beer is loaded with gluten and barley content that is inflammatory. Hence the phrase, “beer gut.” The man over 40 that still drinks, consumes red wine in moderation and usually as a conosoir since this enriches the experience.
- Dairy – the number one culprit of mucus is dairy. The “milk does a body good” commercial campaign was backed by dairy farmers associations and spent millions to convince you that milk is loaded with calcium and is good for your bones. It’s nonsense. No amount or kind of dairy is good for the body.
So you may be thinking this isn’t going to be any fun. Not true! That’s why this isn’t just another diet to suffer through but rather your Lifestyle Choice.
Nobody follows this perfectly. The purpose of this is to become aware and not fool yourself into thinking you’re eating things that are good for you when they’re not.
Notice your body. Notice the way you FEEL when you eat something. You could have an allergy. If you burp or have gas after eating, that means your body is having trouble digesting the food you just consumed.
Good eating is about knowing the truth about how food fuels or shuts down your body so you can feel good. Want to eat chocolate, great! Buy 70% dark cocoa chocolate and eat a couple of pieces rather than buying a candy bar.
Hungry for a snack? Choose gluten free pretzels, pecans or almonds. Pistachios are GREAT couch food because they’re good for you and keep you busy – great for those cravings!
Want to enjoy a cocktail with your friends or partner? Wonderful! Go visit an eclectic wine bar where you can sit and let the owner tell you how he bottled it.
Want a burger and fries? No problem! Skip Wendy’s or McDonalds and go to a local place that has grass-fed beef, fresh vegetables and cooks the fries in olive oil. It’s heavy, but you’ll leave feeling okay and the food is much more delicious.
Being mindful of your eating allows you to prepare, so you’re not stuck in situations where you have to consume food that’s not nutritious.
Forget the diets – they don’t work and they make you miserable.
Implement these guidelines above for just 30 days and you’re guaranteed to be slimmer, feel better and have much greater clarity through your day.
Here’s wishing you great health and optimal performance!
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