32. How to Transform Your Eating Habits for Successful Belly Fat Loss.

Can snacking be the secret culprit behind stubborn belly fat during menopause? Learn how to master your eating habits and break free from the cycle of cravings in this episode of the Thriving Through Menopause Podcast!

Together, we’ll uncover practical strategies to reduce belly fat and achieve menopausal weight loss by focusing on whole meals rich in protein. Discover how transitioning from frequent snacks to complete, satisfying meals can stabilize your insulin levels and prevent fat storage.

Plus, I’ll share tips on maintaining a healthy eating environment with easy, on-hand options like boiled eggs and Greek yogurt, along with the crucial role hydration plays in managing hunger.

This episode is more than just dietary advice; it's a supportive guide to transforming menopause into a period of growth and self-care. We delve into how you can seize this life transition as an opportunity for renewal.

Stay connected with our community through social media for additional resources, tips, and advice. Help us spread the word by subscribing, sharing, and leaving a review.

Tune in next time as we continue to inspire and empower you on this incredible journey.

Thank you for being part of our Thriving Through Menopause community—let’s thrive together!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello my friends, welcome, welcome If you are new here. I am very big on helping you lose the belly fat and lose weight. In order to lose belly fat, we have to lose overall body fat. So one tip I'm going to give you today is going to concern snacking.

Speaker 2: 0:22

Welcome to the Thriving Through Menopause podcast. Dr Inaka Yembe, your host, is dedicated to helping you navigate the transformative journey of menopause and perimenopause, particularly focused on achieving menopausal weight loss and reducing belly fat. As a post-menopausal physician herself who has helped thousands of women experiencing the significant life stage, she understands the unique challenges you face. Listen in as we explore a wide range of topics aimed at supporting you in your health and wellness journey. Hopefully, the practical tips and strategies offered potentially help you adopt an empowering approach towards menopausal weight loss and belly fat reduction. And now here's your host, dr Inaka Yembe.

Speaker 1: 1:07

So back to snacking. One of the things that I tell my coaching clients is to get away from the habit of snacking. Now, some of us just have that habit, and so how do we break it? First of all, what is the reason why we want to stop snacking? Two main reasons. Number one you may be spiking your blood sugars and your insulin levels may continuously stay high. Why? What does insulin do? Insulin is a fat storage hormone. Very important. Insulin is a fat storage hormone.

Speaker 1: 1:41

So if you are snacking throughout the day and some of us are not eating even two, three meals a day, maybe eating just one time, snacking the rest of the time you may be keeping your insulin levels chronically high and that hormone is telling your body to store fat. And here you are the belly fat is not going anywhere, even though you're just eating one meal and several snacks. All right, some of you may argue that well, whatever I'm eating, I'm eating nuts, I'm eating things that do not have that much carbohydrate. That's true. However, some of these low carbohydrate foods are awfully high in fat, so you may actually be eating too many calories with your snacks. In fact, if your total calorie consumption in whatever you're eating right now is greater than 240 calories.

Speaker 1: 2:32

That's a meal. So if you look at the nuts, you just need a handful of peanuts. That could be 250 calories. That, technically, is a meal and not a snack. So what do I need to do to get away from snacking? The very first thing to do is to eat whole meals, enough that you are comfortably full. Prioritize proteins.

Speaker 2: 2:57

I say this all the time.

Speaker 1: 2:59

If you eat clean proteins, as in, say, chicken breast or turkey or salmon or fish shrimp If you eat the correct amount according to your goals, you will notice that consuming proteins at least 30 to 35 grams of protein per meal keeps you full and will reduce the tendency of wanting to snack. If you're somebody who snacks later on in the day most of us do For example, five o'clock, six o'clock, we're home, we've had all our meals. Then we're now feeling like we're snacking. I want you to go back and think about what you ate in the meals prior and prepare yourself for the next day. More often than not, you did not have enough proteins in the previous meals. Example most of us wake up in the morning. We don't feel like eating breakfast, so we miss the opportunity of getting in 30 to 35 grams of protein in the morning. You come to lunch. Typically most of us will go out and get a salad, put some healthy vegetables on there, some dressing still lacking in protein. You come in the evening. Now it's five o'clock, you are hungry and you're ready to snack on anything that comes your way. So number one tip for you is to load up your early meals in the morning with enough protein. Eat the eggs, egg whites, turkey, chicken breast, protein shakes. Eat those proteins early in the morning so that they will help you curb your cravings later on in the day. First two meals should be bigger meals. Last meal should be a smaller meal.

Speaker 1: 4:42

The very next thing to think about is to think of all your meals, including snacks, as complete meals. That's what I do. I don't really prep any snacks per se, but things like if I'm going to have yogurt with protein powder and maybe a few berries for me, I consider that a meal and not a snack. So I like to have meals and not snacks. Get away from thinking about snacks. If you make your snacks or treat your snacks the same way like you treat whole meals, you're going to have a higher chance of losing body fat. And what do I mean by whole meals? 30 grams of protein, have some vegetables in there and some healthy carbohydrates. I just give you an example. Another good example is say, I want to have some hummus with some carrots. Consider that a meal. Yes, a smaller meal, but not a snack.

Speaker 1: 5:42

We want to also get away from keeping the snacks in our environment. Listen, when that snack monster hits, it's just so hard to fight it. So last thing I need is to have the snacks around me, because they're just easy access. If I can't control my snacking, I'm better off not having them close by and instead having healthy things. I like to keep boiled eggs. Yes, you can have maybe some turkey slices or some chicken cubes I like to have those on hand. Or some Greek yogurt just something, so that when the snack monster hits, I have something that's healthy on hand. Some of you are doing the keto diet. Yes, I get it. We want to cut back on the sugars. Yes, I get it. However, some of these keto snacks are awfully high in calories. It's the same thing. Just get something that's healthy, unprocessed, and have that in your environment, all right.

Speaker 1: 6:38

The very last thing, last tip of course you've heard this over and over is hydration. Sometimes we just want to get something in our mouth and we think we are hungry. We may not be hungry, you may be thirsty. Make it a habit. Keep your water on hand Anytime you feel like putting something in your mouth, put the water in first. If you're still hungry after 30 minutes, I get it. Go for your meal at that time. So meal prep every single thing that you're going to eat throughout the day and treat every single one like a complete meal Proteins, vegetables, healthy fats and some heavier carbohydrates for your first or your earlier meals and towards the evening, make your meals more of proteins and vegetables. So I hope this helps you to get away from the snacking. I hope this helps you to get away from the snacking. Snacking is not good for those of us especially in menopause, who are trying to lose their belly fat.

Speaker 1: 7:43

You want to go away from the snacking All right next belly fat challenge is coming up next Monday. Get ready, get ready. I'll be bringing you some more tips. Like I said, tag your friends and ask me questions so I can bring you some information that would help you the most. Thank you, my friends, and have a fantastic week ahead. Bye.

Speaker 2: 8:06

Bye. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Thriving Through Menopause. We hope you found valuable insights and practical advice to support your journey. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast, share it and review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Remember, menopause doesn't have to be a challenge. It can be an opportunity for growth, renewal and self-care. Connect with us on social media, where we share additional resources, tips and advice to help you along your path. Once again, thanks for listening in and we hope you'll join us again on the next episode of Thriving Through Menopause. Until then,