If you are a woman over forty years of age, this post is for you. That’s not to say that everyone who isn’t 40+ and female should tune out or browse on; much of the knowledge and advice that we share in this post will be practical for anyone looking into weight loss without surgery or perhaps a weight loss center in Springfield.

In today’s post, we are going to focus on which food and drink to avoid and what you should look for if you are serious about losing weight. With the number of culinary choices available to us in Springfield (and in our nation in general), it’s difficult to sift through all of the junk that is designed to make us feel happy and buy the product again so that we can find food which actually is good for us. Many of us just refer to it as “healthy food”. Remember that?

You can barely drive down a main street in anytown, USA without being presented a whole mess of options that you will likely only regret in just a few hours. You certainly will be regretting it in a few months once the game of attrition takes over.

And we aren’t just talking about fast food joints, either. Even going to the grocery store becomes a daunting task when we are faced with hundreds of choices of candy alone. Then you have your salty, fatty potato chip aisle, your cookie and cracker aisle, and a fridge as big as a bus that exclusively houses ice cream choices. Good luck trying to make serious changes in your life if you don’t have any kind of nutritional guidance.

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A Good First Step

Of course, that previous description probably doesn’t quite fit you to a T. After all, you’ve made it to this blog post, which tells us at Springfield Weight Loss Center that you are interested in making positive changes in your life. Perhaps you are considering your options. Getting nutritional help as a supplement to any weight loss plan is absolutely essential. But do you know what isn’t essential? Weight loss surgery. There are ways to lose weight without surgery right under your nose. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we have a promised blog topic to get to: weight gain causes for women over forty. Keep reading if you are interested in learning some easy food and drink to avoid. It’s the kind of thing that can make a significant impact if applied correctly.

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Fish Oil

First up is fish oil. And although it doesn’t have to do with weight loss in particular, it does have to do with women’s health. “Women may want to give fish oil supplements a try if having two servings of fish a week is problematic” -JoAnn Mason, MD, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. And no, it isn’t about weight loss in Springfield, but it is an important change you should consider making if you are a woman over forty. But why? After menopause, heart disease risk usually rises. And although research is still ongoing, current studies point towards being helpful in preventing breast cancer. Fish oil is also often used to increase joint mobility as well. Consider consulting your physician about how you can incorporate a fish oil supplement into your weekly routine.

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Wine

With regards to weight loss and weight gain in women over 40, let’s start with something that isn’t complex. But fair warning, just because this is a simple change to make doesn’t make it an easy one. It has to do with the proper amount of wine consumption. Having a glass of wine at the end of the day can help your heart’s health, but often that one glass you have to relax turns into an empty bottle by your bed. It’s a fact that wine contains, on average, 120 calories for every five ounces. That can be easy to miss because it doesn’t feel as heavy as beer, or you know, actual food. Start with a small change, but stay consistent. You’ll start to notice the pounds come off, as long as you don’t replace that guilty pleasure with a similar one…

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Be Careful

“Be careful about what?”, you may ask. Corporate America, that’s what. The machine of unchecked greed and excess knows no bounds, and that means you are subject to those consequences in more ways than you may realize. Consider this: if you are over forty, you have been consuming toxins that we haven’t been able to test for, until now. Chicken is full of hormones and fruits are covered in pesticides. Pop and energy drinks alone account for more than 35 percent of added sugars in the USA, when fats and sugars shouldn’t account for any more than 15 percent of our daily caloric intake. Think about that figure for a second. It’s staggering, isn’t it? But alas, we are depressing. So instead, go organic! Eat hormone-free meat and organic fruits and vegetables.

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Bloating

Many women who are over forty, whether they are in shape and healthy or not, experience painful bloating during menopause. If you are experiencing bloating, try cutting back on your salt intake, because salt causes your body to retain water. Don’t forget to get your whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, as most are fiber-rich and cut back on the bloating issue.

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Processed Carbs

But make sure you avoid carbohydrates that have been refined and processed as much as you can. This is especially the case regarding white rice, white bread, white potatoes, and white pasta. These processed foods are very high in glycogen, which contributes to your blood sugar rising an inordinate amount. Such a spike causes your pancreas to work harder to produce the necessary levels of insulin your body needs. But more simply, this whole ordeal makes you hungrier sooner, as your blood sugar has spiked and your body is attempting to regulate these imbalances processed carbs have caused. This is a little-known epidemic in western society.

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Phytoestrogens

For women over forty who are trying to get in shape, a great solution is to find foods which are high in phytoestrogens. These types of food, like sesame, soybean, flaxseed, and some nuts, will typically increase the estrogen production of your body. Of course, it’s a good idea to talk to a nutritionist or a physician to confirm that this a wise move for your body. At Springfield Weight Loss Center, we have a diet and weight loss program that is formulated around what your particular body and system needs. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach. That’s one of the biggest ways we separate ourselves from other local weight loss clinics in the area; we put our clients first.

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Boost Your Metabolism

You might have heard this and that about your metabolism and how it changes. It’s something most of us are aware of being a factor, but how much does the average person really understand about something that plays such a significant role in weight loss and weight gain? It’s important to implement changes to your body in a natural way, rather than hijacking what your body is already doing. For women over forty this is especially the case, because with each passing decade our metabolism slows right around 5 percent. This speaks to the principle which many experience before they understand; it’s much harder to lose weight as you get older.

There are a few things that you can do when it comes to nutritional practices which can have an impact on your metabolism.

Eat small meals. Practice portion control. Maybe six per day.
Eat protein-rich foods because your body will burn more calories by digesting protein over fats, oils, carbs, or sweets.
Eat breakfast every single day to kick-start your metabolism. You’ll be burning more calories throughout the day the sooner you eat! That’s a pretty, pretty good deal.
Drink plenty of water. This cleanses your system of toxins and increases your metabolism.
Workout harder, and shorter. Exercising casually for three hours is worthless compared to working out intensely for forty-five minutes. Your metabolism responds to extreme effort in short bursts. It’s not easy, but change rarely is.

For more information about metabolism and weight loss in Springfield, click that hyperlink right there!

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Weight Loss Without Surgery

We aren’t in the business of using scare tactics here at our Springfield weight loss clinic. But we are in the business of informing our clients and potential clients alike. There are myriad complications that can arise from weight loss surgery. Among them are stomach perforation, gallstones, bowel obstruction, vomiting, ulcers, respiratory problems, hemorrhaging, and more. Can you tell we really don’t like surgery for weight loss? Luckily, a weight loss surgery alternative is right in front of you in the form of Springfield Weight Loss Center. Getting weight loss surgery is somewhat akin to applying a bandage to a wound (or the symptom) rather than addressing the problem itself.

At Springfield Weight Loss Center, we go after the root cause by addressing your own body’s imbalances and needs. That is another differentiating factor when it comes to separating ourselves from other weight loss clinics nearby. We aren’t in this for any kind of quick-fix. We are about helping people lose weight and get healthy from now on. Serving areas like Chatham, Sherman, Williamsville, Farmingdale, and beyond, we are the weight loss center of choice for folks all around the region. Get in touch with us today and take your first step towards health and wellness with Springfield Weight Loss Center!