How to Boost Metabolism After Age 50 (By Adding More Of These Foods)

Well, hello friends. Oh my goodness. I was thinking about how do I tease this episode because I do the interview when it's an interview podcast, at least I do the interview first and then I come back and tease. And there's just so much packed in here that if you're struggling to lose weight, you've been dieting or yo-yo dieting, you, you diet, you lose, you stop, you gain, you go back and forth and you roller coaster, you know those days are actually over. That a lot of times when you go back to dieting, that doesn't even work. So this is your episode if that's you. However, if you are not somebody who necessarily needs to, wants to lose weight, specifically fat because we don't want to lose the muscle, you know that, stay tuned because we're going to reinforce a lot of the beliefs that you do have. We're going to challenge some of the beliefs that you probably have around food, around dieting, around eating the right thing. And I think no matter who you are, you will get something out of this episode. Okay, so you see the title, how do you boost your metabolism after 50? First of all, I want you to remember the science, science that came out, I believe, in about 2021 that proved that between the ages of 20 and 60, metabolism holds relatively still. And 20 was the age chose because we're then kind of in the adult world, we're not teenagers anymore. So in our adulthood, from 20, and it may have been 21, to about 60, metabolism holds true. So even through pregnancies, menopause, that alone is not a change or a stimulus for change of the, metabolism. Lifestyle habits come into play quite a bit. So when we look collectively at people globally, we also find that people don't necessarily slow down, gain fat, gain weight just because of menopause. So tune into this episode if you felt like, man, no, really hit me. And it might have, but it might have because the change in hormones changed your sleep, which in turn changes your glucose and your insulin, which in turn changes your inflammation. And there's a domino effect. But it is not only just, okay, boom, automatically you got in line for menopause and now you have weight gain or slowed metabolism. It actually isn't true. There is a bigger shift at 60. So definitely we could say for women, that is, we are postmenopausal for most. I mean, there may be a few of you out there. I want to know about it if so. And there's also the age, like the age factor, 60 versus 50 versus 40. We're probably going to have some decline because of muscle loss. Even if we're exercising and eating a little bit more protein, we cannot escape the fact we are getting older. Now you don't have to show your age, you don't have to choose it, but you're still getting older. And so there is that factor. This episode is for you though, if you want to boost metabolism after 50 by eating more foods. We're going to talk about what they are. My guest today is a returning guest, but it's been a minute since she's been on. Nagaina Abdullah. She's a weight loss coach for women in midlife, and she's the founder of the top-rated website masalabody.com. .com. Nagina is a little educated. Stay tuned for this. She has a degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley and earned an MBA at NYU. She's helped more than 1,500 women in midlife specifically successfully lose weight permanently and create a lifestyle change. And she's been in your shoes. So if you're wondering if she's just talking out of one side of her mouth, but she's never had a weight problem, That's not this woman. You're going to find out. I'm going to point you in one direction. So as you listen later in the episode, one of the last questions we talk about at the very end— so stay to the end and listen to this one— was about eating before exercise. And I do want to make the clarification that, yes, the science is pretty clear that you could work out fasted, in a fasted state, meaning you haven't eaten anything, hadn't had any calories. And it may or may not matter. It doesn't show that you burn more fat or that you burn less fat, whether you do or you don't eat. However, if you're here, you're listening to this because you do have a weight problem or weight loss resistance problem, and you do want to and need to kick your metabolism in. I do believe that if you're holding on to weight because your body is stressed and it's inflamed because of the stress, that eating helps to settle and bring that stress level down. That's one of the most underused— you'll hear me say this in the episode— and abused, overlooked components of fitness is recovery. If we're not recovering, we're not going to see the benefits and the results from exercise. So an important distinction to make is, you know, we're talking probably compounded cumulative effect of under-recovery, and we're just making it worse by going into the next workout not eating. And I do think that is the way, but I wanted to point it out because I've shared in prior episodes, previous podcasts, that the research does come out in the wash to say that it doesn't seem to matter in terms of most people are going into their workout fasted for the purpose of, "I'm going to burn more fat." But some are just going into that workout fasted because they get up really early in the morning, they have to fit it in, and they're not hungry yet. And so they're not trying to force-feed themselves. And other women just feel like, "I feel more comfortable And I feel as if I work harder if I don't eat than if I do. They're all valid reasons not to. And here's the deal. If you're getting all tied up in knots about doing this and you're wasting your time thinking about it instead of working out, let's just do the workout. But I do think and find over a decade, uh, 4 and a half decades of work, that most women can work out harder and/or longer work at their capacity better if they're fed than if they're fasted. But that's not something that happens immediately. We have to increase slowly. And you'll hear Nagina, my guest, talk about that in Simply Women Who Are Used to Skipping or Skimping on Breakfast. You don't just suddenly start eating breakfast and you're gonna drop fat, but it may be a part of the equation that you won't experience the benefit for like day one. It's something you have to convince your body that it can now trust that you're going to give it food on a regular basis so that it doesn't store every morsel that you're giving it. Okay, that was a long and lengthy intro, but I think worth it. And you may want to come back and listen to this intro after you've listened to the end. I just wanted to make that clarifying point. I think you are going to love this episode. Please stay till the end because 'cause it's all very good. We didn't save the best for last. We started with some of the best, we finished with some of the best, but there's lots of best stuff in the middle too. Here we go. Well, look who's in the house. Hello, beautiful.

Hi, Deb, how are you?

Fantastic. So glad to have you back. So we will, by the way, for all listeners, whether you're new or you're an OG, that stands for old, GOAT, I mean greatest of all time. Somebody asked me, "What's OG?" So there you go. I will link to the previous time when Gina was on, and she was such a hit. We've got her back today. And we're right at the time of year, and no matter when you're listening, this will be true, when a lot of times we're thinking about what we have not been able to do, our lack of success, potentially, in controlling our body weight, body fat specifically. So I brought in the expert. With the big guns and we're going to talk about it. So if you are fortunate enough to see a little clip and you've seen it here, or you might be watching on YouTube if you're very lucky, you are seeing a beautiful face and it's radiant in front of you right now. And yet she's probably been, if you're listening and you're struggling with weight, she's been in your shoes. So we're in really good hands here and you've heard that But, uh, Nagina, let's talk about the basics and just back to reminding every woman here why what her mind is probably going to default to won't work. Why doesn't dieting, calories in, calories out, counting up, down, and sideways, why doesn't restriction work to lose weight in midlife? And, you know, I think for a lot of women, they're wondering, why doesn't it work now? It worked last year, even.

Yes, absolutely. Well, calories in, calories out, you know, it definitely could have worked for many of us in our 20s and 30s where eating less helped us to lose the weight that we wanted to. But what happens in midlife is that our body is not able to absorb the nutrients as effectively as it was before, and our body actually needs the nutrients from food. It's not only about the calories. So instead of only looking at calories, what's more important now in midlife and beyond is to look at the quality of the food that we're eating. And what that means is, is the food nutrient-dense? Is it going to keep me full for a long time so that I don't cry out and have cravings for sugar, which will happen if we're only looking at calories, calories out, calories in, calories out? And this is, you know, a good example of this is for those of us who have tried Weight Watchers, which I have, I have, you know, I actually lost 15 pounds with Weight Watchers. But the moment I stopped that, I gained it all back. And so I have yo-yo dieted my entire life until I found how to create a lifestyle. And now I've kept 40 pounds off for over 15 years. And when I was doing Weight Watchers, I learned to count points. There still is the point system. There's more, you know, there's other ways of doing Weight Watchers now. But what, what we're taught in Weight Watchers, the good thing is that to look at portion sizes, which is very helpful to be aware of our portion sizes, that was a helpful learning. But what else? The other thing that we learned from Weight Watchers is to eat smaller portions of processed foods. And that's a way that a lot of people diet is eating less, less, less amounts of food that isn't good for us to begin with. And when foods are processed or foods are not real foods, a small amount is a high calorie, has high calories, and it also doesn't keep us full for long because it doesn't necessarily have the protein, the fiber, and low sugar that is helpful for our energy to stay stable and helpful for us to stay stay full for a long time and increase our digestion and make us feel better. So focusing on those foods that are not like that, that are not quick and processed, is, is a way that we are going to understand the value of food. You can eat so much more when it's real food and you don't really have to worry about calories. Instead, it's more about looking at, am I getting enough protein? Am I getting enough healthy fats, healthy carbs and fiber? Instead of am I eating too Am I eating the little amount of calories I'm supposed to?

So good. And I think this is— nobody asks that. I mean, I would say this is not the default. Like, am I getting enough? You know, no woman asks that. I remember, and I'm going to refresh potentially listeners' memories. I just moved and I was at a new facility, probably doing all the important things like eyebrow waxing or something like that. And, you know, you chit-chat. You know, with people who you're there for the first time and they're just getting to know. And a woman said, well, they, they learned what I did. And she's like, oh, well, I work out. Because then you hear everybody's life story about their workout. And, you know, she said, I, I in fact, you know, did like a bikini competition. So I'm not training right now because I'm going through divorce, but I'm eating all my food, just making sure I'm eating all my food and staying fit. So I'm lifting. And I was like, in 4 and a half decades, like, said no woman ever to me. They would do the opposite. Like, I'm not lifting as much, I'm not training, so I'm going to eat less. And I was like, I love you so much. Like, I'll be back. Like, my eyebrows, not that great, but this, I, I'm in for it.

Conversations, yes, at the salon definitely are so good.

So I want to ask you something. You've actually answered it in some of things you said, but I think it bears repeating for the woman in the back who might need to hear it again. So based on what you said, are supplements the solution? Many think they might be because then I can skip the food and the calories, but I can get the micronutrients in.

Yes, exactly. I mean, that is— that's a, that's a common question out there. What supplements should I take? And a lot of women are taking 6 to 8 or more supplements, which, you know, are definitely an investment. And the thing is, okay, in midlife, there are some areas, there are some minerals, and there are some nutrients that we are— that are really hard for us to get from food. But they're only— if you're not eating the right foundation, there's no way that supplements will, will help you. It's like you're skipping the whole alphabet and you're getting to the very end. I mean, you have to actually do the foundation, which is eating the right foods. And then, when you have that, you're going to see so many results. And then, you may need a few things for the final touches. It's kind of like the frosting on the cake. You can't just forget about the whole cake and eat. If you just eat the frosting, that's what's happening with the supplements. And you're likely not going to see a lot of results if you start relying on supplements or you start relying on fad diets, um, or fad ways of eating versus actually looking at, am I getting enough of the right macronutrients so that my body can process food, it can detox, it can release inflammation? Because actually eating more food will help you release inflammation and release belly fat and body fat because your body's out of survival mode. And so you just want to make sure you're eating the right foods and keeping your blood sugar even so that you're not storing fat. But when you're doing this the right way, it is so surprising to so many women how when they start eating more of these metabolism-boosting foods, their fat starts melting away and they can't believe it because they've been dieting for their entire lives.

And I think if you were not paying attention, you should stop right now. You should back up 30 seconds and play that again. So when you start eating more of the right foods, your body will release the fat and the inflammation. Hello, hello. Like, you get the best of everything. We've thought for so long it's about deprivation. And again, in our 20s, I like to say, Nagina, we got away with it. Like, not maybe that it worked, but that we got away with it might be a better way. And I wonder today, in the, the way life stressors and toxins have changed, that today's 20-year-olds may not be able to get away with that as well. I think we see a weight problem in some of them who are also overstressed, over-toxined is what I mean, not Botox, by the way. But do you agree that, you know, that may show up sooner in young women if they're exposed to processed foods, toxins, stress?

Oh, absolutely, because the processed foods that, that kids and teens and, and people in their 20s and 30s are eating are so much worse than when I was a kid, you know, and I still ate so much real food because snacks were not that big a part of the culture. Now, convenience foods are something that a lot of kids grow up on. And so if they have that building up in their body and they also don't have the skills of being able to cook or put together real food or be able to make their own foods and control the ingredients versus eating out, it will very likely show up earlier and The toxins in our environment are definitely a big contributor to inflammation in our bodies. And so all of this is happening and it really takes it, you know, it does, it's not hard. It's just about knowing what to put into our bodies versus just going for the convenience. And, you know, I actually look at food as the ultimate form of self-care because a lot of times we may be trying to go and do things on the outside or put, put skin, you know, put, put lotions on our skin. But there's nothing better than feeding yourself the right way that actually makes you feel good, have high energy, as well as makes you have beautiful skin and just live in a body that's lean and healthy. And so taking that little bit of effort to make your food or to make choices about your food is going to take you further than, you know, going to the salon or going on a vacation will ever take us. And so why not do those things once in a while or whenever we want to, but really every day focus on taking care of ourselves in the true, real way that is actually helping our whole body.

I love that so much. And I have said this really recently, but I think it might be my— might be my repeated statement for 2026. And I think that there is so much focus and we talk so much about longevity, and yet I think we're like, well, we're trashing today while we're doing it, you know. We're getting way ahead of ourselves. And we're similar to like the micronutrients are so very important, and yet in food, not necessarily take your amino acids and your this and your that and your extra supplement for this. I think everybody's so concerned, should I be taking that, should I be taking this? I'm like, are you eating vegetables?

Yes, I so agree. I so agree. Yes, there's so So many questions that people are asking, like, should I have this? Should I have collagen? What about my protein powder? What about, like, should I add this or should I take this out? But yet the regular meals are not necessarily balanced. And I think that a lot of women feel like they're eating healthy. In fact, a lot of women tell me every day, I eat healthy. I don't understand why I'm not losing weight. I don't understand why I'm not able to get to my goals. And the thing is that there is— there are certain foods that are causing a lot more fat storage that we're taught are healthy, but they're actually— they're actually not good for weight loss. They're not good for fat storage. And, and we're also— and many women are depriving themselves. And when you restrict yourself in the name of things like intermittent fasting or, you know, or just eating less to be able to, to lose weight and feel better, it's not working anymore. So if it's not working for you, there's something happening with your body not receiving that. It's true that in midlife our bodies really change and they really need more to, to get things going, to get your metabolism going.

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Okay, absolutely. And this is an area that we have not really heard a lot about because, you know, once women go into the stage of perimenopause and then menopause, it's very common to see a lot of fat accumulation on our belly. That's very normal. In fact, It's very confusing when it starts happening because a lot of times people feel like it's happening earlier than they thought it would happen. But the surprise here is it's not only fat on our belly. A lot of it is actually inflammation. And what— why that's important is because if you are doing the same things to release fat that you were doing before, it's not going to work because inflammation is completely different than fat and it requires a different action in order to remove it. Now, the reason that this is happening is because in starting in perimenopause, in menopause, our hormones are declining, and especially estrogen, which is declining, that protected us from what's called inflammatory cytokines. And these cytokines were suppressed. They were not released as much before. But once our estrogen starts declining, starting in perimenopause, these cytokines are released and we start feeling more inflammation, seeing more inflammation. And the other thing that starts happening is that we are— our insulin— we become what's called insulin resistant or more insulin resistant than we were before. And that means that when we're eating something, a carb or sugar, something that we could easily eat before, we quickly see our weight go up or our bloating go up for a few days, but it might stay up, whereas before it might have gone up like for 1 or 2 days. You might see an increase in your weight or increase in your bloating for weeks, in fact, maybe even months. And this is because our body is not responding to insulin being released as easily as it was before. And so our blood sugar could naturally be higher. And when our blood sugar is higher, then it's— we can't burn fat. Instead, instead, we're storing more fat. And so the way to really change this, and we can change it, we don't— we do not have to accept this is how our body is going to be. It takes a different approach now. And so what we, what we want to start looking at is, first of all, how can I become more insulin sensitive like I was before? And then also, how can I release this inflammation and release some of this body fat? And by taking this, some of, some of these steps that we can talk about, you know, you absolutely can lose all of it and actually get back to your pre-menopause body if you, if you loved that body. Or you could get to an even better place and get to the best place that you ever have in your life by addressing these things in the right way versus only restricting food, which is actually going to make the bloating worse because we actually need to add foods so that it can soothe our inflammation and it can give our body fuel so that our liver can detox further, our adrenals can be calm, we can lower our stress and allow our body to just release the inflammation and the fat. And we can— we can— we— it's very possible to do all of this in a relatively short amount of time as well.

And that's what we all want to hear. Immediate gratification is good. Talk a little bit about kinds of foods that women should increase, eat more of, you know. And I think that's such a shocking question, number one, because most women are like, well, what should I avoid? What should I take out? And we are often talking— and I'm guilty of this— talking about, you know, an elimination diet. Let's test different foods and see if these are things that your body no longer tolerates for at least this temporary moment that you're in. But it's so refreshing to ask, what foods should midlife women add?

Oh, thank you. And that's definitely what I— you know, the perspective that I come from is adding these foods is gonna make it it so much easier for you to control your appetite and make sure that you're getting the right foods in. And it's going to be natural for you to not want to eat some of the foods that are actually causing some of this inflammation. And so we really want to focus on what we, what we need to eat because we need to eat something. We're humans. We have to eat food. Our body is wanting certain foods. So first of all, let me talk about the food that we need to burn fat. And then I'm going to talk about two foods that we need to release inflammation. And the first, the most important food that women in midlife should absolutely be eating is what I call protein more. And so that means eating more protein than we were before. And I like to advise starting with your breakfast because a lot of women are either skipping breakfast or having a quick coffee or a quick piece of fruit with orange juice and, you know, or with some kind of, you know, something really easy so that because they're not hungry or because they don't have time or because they're trying to cut calories.

Can I interrupt you right there? Because I think you just nailed a lot of women here. Like, I'm not really hungry, not really hungry until 10 or 11. Talk about that just for a second. And, and I think my answer to that is always, well, we need to get to the bottom of that because you're a woman who makes a lot of decisions during a day, you're exercising, You should be hungry. So what is your answer to that, and where would you go with it?

Yes, thanks. We need to, we need to take a pause and deep dive deeper into that because it's very, very common and it's really important. Um, and so the thing is, if you haven't been eating for a while at that time of day, your body's not used to it, and also your metabolism is slower. If you're not giving your body enough food, your metabolism slows down. What that means is that it's not burning as many calories as it could be if you were giving it the right amount of food in regular intervals throughout the day, because it would feel more at ease that food is coming, and then it could burn fat. Instead, now our bodies would— anyone who's, who's skipping breakfast is going to— exactly, is going to hold. Yes. And, and hoard the fat, you know, like hoard the fat and hold it because, because your body needs to have some energy source. And, and so the thing is, once you start eating something in the morning, you don't have to go to eating a full breakfast. You could go to eating a few things. You're, you know, like a smaller amount, having something that has some protein in it. I can give some examples. What's going to happen is that you will actually feel more hungry really soon after because your metabolism is going to speed up. And once your metabolism starts speeding up and you get hungrier, that's a great sign. That means that your body needs more and it's burning more as well.

I love that. I left that sit for just for a minute, so don't cut that out to my podcast editors. I wanted that pregnant pause there, right? So being hungry is a good thing. I think it's different, and maybe we should distinguish— this is not necessarily cravings. This is like rebooting, right? It's like bringing yourself back online. Now you're gonna show 4 bars instead of 3. You're, you're bringing it back up and ramping it back up, and that will even out a little bit. Have you experienced that with clients you've worked with who this was one of the things they've done? I think so often women, they won't skip dinner as often because they're eating maybe with a family, and yet skipping breakfast seems easier, and it somehow seems a little virtuous.

Oh my gosh, absolutely everything. You got it right. Everything is right on. Um, and you know, this— the— though all of these, these things, a lot of it comes from our diet mentality of I have to eat less, I must eat less, or also it's easier and you don't really know what to eat, and so as a result you just don't eat. But this adding, adding the pro— adding protein specifically 30 grams of protein to your breakfast, is the number one thing that my clients say activates their fat loss. And once they start doing that consistently— that doesn't mean like one day or two days, it means like for 5 days, do it for 5 days— you're going to see your weight start to drop. Like, it's going to happen. There's just no way it can't happen. And so you just have to make sure you're eating the right amount every day and you're not letting your blood sugar go up and down throughout the day. You're keeping it even. And so adding that protein— protein is the number one food that brings your blood sugar to an even place. And so you're not actually storing fat with it going up and down, which is what happens if you eat something like— if you have— if you have like a fruit with nothing with it, your blood sugar is going to spike and then it's going to— and then your insulin will release— will be released and it's going to take that sugar out of the blood and store it as fat. And so what will happen is that then you're going to feel hungrier at some point or you're going to feel a real low energy at some point. A lot of women feel that low energy in the afternoons and you don't have to feel that low energy. Like you can actually have a very productive day all day when you're eating the right amount of protein because protein really blunts the sugar, the high sugar response. It's so effective for those women that wear a continuous glycemic um, monitor, you'll see that when you add protein, it's better than any medication, it's better than any supplement. If you have protein in your day, you are losing fat by adding that protein in your day. It goes against everything we've learned, but yet once you do it, it happens right away.

So yeah, yeah, so good. And we can point back to some of the research of, um, Bill Campbell, PhD. Bill Yes, Bill Campbell. I— Bill Phillips is always what I want to say. The author Bill Campbell, PhD, does some of this research in his lab, and he's really turned toward midlife women because he's married to one. Go figure. But it became really important. But, you know, many of the studies he says and talks about and that he's experimenting with look at not changing caloric content, but changing the amount of protein that makes up that caloric content. And just that inspired fat loss, just that. And so those of us who don't want to give up food, we don't like that idea of deprivation, you know, that would be one change that is an easy one to make without feeling like we just took something away. In fact, if you're used to eating other things, it could feel like you're adding because then you're more sated, you're more satisfied.

Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

Talk a little bit about your feelings on intermittent fasting. I think we touched on it very briefly, but I don't want to skip over anything. And, and is this a part of what you see as beneficial? Has it been less so for women in midlife? Where do you stand on that?

Yes. Okay. So, so the first thing is that intermittent fasting can be used as a tool to release inflammation. I've seen it be very effective as a tool. That means that you're not doing it every single day, because when you do intermittent fasting every day, for the women that have been doing that for weeks or years, you are likely—

decades.

Yes, decades. You know, for the reasons that we've talked about are, you know, and a lot of times it's because you heard that someone's cousin's sister lost 30 pounds, and, and that's why you want to do it. And that's actually, you know, if it doesn't work for you, you have to really work with your own body. And so the way that I've seen intermittent fasting be effective is for women that are overeating. So if there are women that are overeating, intermittent helps— intermittent fasting helps give you a structure in the beginning of your day and in the end of your day so that you're not overeating calories. But most women in midlife are actually doing the opposite. They're already undereating. And so when you intermittent fast, you actually create more harm to your body because you're restricting the amount of time that you eat and your metabolism is slowing down even further. And so that's really important to know, like, where am I falling? Is intermittent fasting for me? But I have seen it, you know, to talk about the positives of it. Personally, I, I had a lot of bloating that happened to me as I started my menopause symptoms. And, and so I started eating more of the, of, of bloat-busting foods, which I still have to share 2 of those foods that really, that release inflammation. I started eating so much of those foods for 5 days of the week. And then for 2 days of the week, I did intermittent fasting and ate less on those 2 days. And that created the, the, um, the process called autophagy, where your body releases cells that are dead, that are zombie cells that have been inflamed and that are just there, and they needed a way to release it. And so this process helps you, helps you get rid of it, but it's a very temporary process. I did it for a few weeks and then it was done, it was over, it didn't create any more results. So it's better to work with someone that understands how to do this intermittent fasting in the right way, um, than to just add it in, because you could be really harming your body, your thyroid could be underactive if you're not feeding your body enough. Um, and you know, you could— it could be affecting your gut health. You're not going to be able to process foods if you're under-eating too much.

So good. I think— yeah, okay, so everybody is on the edge of their seat. So there's more food that will release fat. Hello, we're listening. You have our attention. They're like, Debra, would you just stop talking and let her go?

Yes, yes, yes, absolutely.

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So I talked about protein, you know, really being important to release fat. And so in order to release fat and inflammation, the other food that we need is fiber. And fiber comes in the form of vegetables or fruits. And what I recommend are more low-sugar fruits, because what— the way that women in midlife are losing weight is to eat enough metabolism-boosting foods. So more protein, more fiber, but also keeping your blood sugar even instead of making it go up and down by eating higher-sugar foods. And sugar is also in foods that are not sweet. So it's really important to know where sugar's hiding. So, so when you eat a low sugar fruit, that really keeps your, your blood sugar even. And it's really important to combine any fruit that you're eating with a protein because protein digests more slowly. And so you're not going to get those blood sugar spikes. So fiber is really important because it pushes— it helps to— first of all, it's, it's slower in digestion, so it keeps you full for longer. So you don't crave other foods like sugar, for example. You actually don't even— you don't crave it. You just choose it. And, and when you're— and when you're— when you have fiber, it's also pushing food out of your gut. It's pushing it through and allowing you to excrete it. Now, if you have lower amounts of fiber, that food may be sitting in your belly for longer, but you can actually test this out by adding some higher fiber foods. Now, fiber is in vegetables. It's really important to eat at least a cup of veggies with all of your meals except for breakfast. You could eat 1/2 to 1 cup of low-sugar fruit like like berries or tangerines or a small apple. But you can also use foods like— you can also use seeds. And so I really recommend, if you're able to handle it, having 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed in your smoothie or over your salad, as long as it's crushed flaxseed, or having 1 to 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. And what you will notice is that after adding this, you're going to likely have to go to the bathroom, number 2, pretty, pretty quickly. And that's a good sign. That means that you're pushing food out of your body and you're losing the bloat as well. And so when you do this systematically every day, it really helps to keep that, that bloating and that inflammation down. So, so that's fiber. That's, that's the number 2 one.

Fantastic.

Yeah. And then the 3rd one is something that's unconventional and maybe pretty surprising is actually adding carbs to our diet, adding carbs. And this is so surprising. Shock. Yes. And do you agree, Debra, like, to do— to, like, to add carbs that we—

somebody out there is saying she's the devil. Oh my gosh.

I do.

I— to destress. Like, it's, you know, I look at it when we're talking about exercise from recovery is the most underused component or most abused component of exercise. A lot of women are not exercising too much, but they're recovering too little. And this is the number one place we need carbohydrate, you know, and not carbo-loading like we used to. I mean, I used to have two bagels for breakfast. It makes me cringe. But, you know, we're in the right time and in the right place. I find that we're creating serotonin, we're in a better mood, we poop better. I mean, so many good things happen with carbohydrates.

Yes, absolutely, absolutely. We— and, you know, I almost— I, I also didn't believe this because I was low carb like a lot of other people. I was low carb when I was in my 30s, and, and so I was really scared of adding carbs. And here's what happened when I started adding carbs in the right way. Um, I started adding it and my stomach flattened in the first week. And it was— what happened is that my body was in need of these carbs. My body had been lacking them for so long. The first time I ate a potato after going low carb for years, it was like I gave my body— it was like I gave my body an internal hug. It was like a hug, and it was saying, thank you, I feel so relieved, I've been wanting you for so long. And then my stomach flattened as a result. And so what's happening with carbs, especially in midlife, is that our body needs the nutrients from carbs. So our thyroid operates from carbs, and many women are facing hypothyroidism and also Hashimoto's in midlife and that's because of an underactive thyroid. And the number one food that feeds our thyroid is carbs. So when you have carbs feeding your thyroid, that means that you have a faster metabolism because it's our metabolism-boosting gland. Now, in addition, food— carbs feed our gut and produce healthier gut bacteria that allows us to digest our foods more easily. And so if you're feeling digestion issues, if you're feeling like you can't quite you know, move everything out of there, or if you're just feeling stuck, it's likely that you're depriving yourself of these carbs. And I call the carbs, you know, that I recommend, I call them soothing carbs or slimming carbs because it's not about eating all the carbs out there. It means eating the right kinds of carbs. And those carbs are the ones that don't spike your blood sugar. So you're not, you're not actually storing fat by eating these carbs. Carbs, you are keeping your blood sugar more stable, but you're giving your body the nutrients and the benefits of having these carbs. Um, and so some of those examples are things like, uh, having resistant starches. So resistant starches are potatoes, sweet potatoes, even oats, um, you know, any— even rice. And what you do is you cook them and then you cool them, and then you can warm them back up. But what happens is when you cool these foods, they are very high in starches, and so when you cool them, they resistant. So they don't— they help to blunt the sugar, the blood sugar increase. And, and so that way you can have them and not gain weight. But you always want to combine your carbs with a protein or a fat so that you don't spike your blood sugar. You know, you really keep it lower. It's really important to do that so that you're not storing that fat. Now, in addition to those, beans and lentils are amazing options because these are all high fiber foods. As well. So fiber is causing you to digest these foods more slowly and prevent that blood sugar spike. There's also, you know, a lot of other foods like quinoa, Ezekiel bread for those of you that eat gluten, and, you know, a sourdough or rye bread are good options if you're really wanting bread. Those are some good, better breads for you to have that are carbs. Pasta is also a resistant starch. So you could, you know, you could cook it and cool it, but it's still processed. So I would still recommend having the other carbs that I mentioned. And so, you know, by, by having these carbs, by having the fiber and by adding protein, you create a lifestyle where you're feeling full, you're feeling satisfied, you are just burning fat and you're releasing that inflammation. And so that carb is going to help you release the inflammation. It's helping you to excrete foods. Fiber is going to do the same and it's also going to keep you more full. And protein is really going to get your metabolism revved up.

Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Okay, I want to ask you something you have done throughout this, this episode without trying. It's just who you are. So I know that there's an answer to this. I'm not sure if you will tap into it and if it's a big part of your, your program and the work that you do with people, but talk to me about the importance of mindset in starting this for a woman who's in midlife, who's potentially got decades behind her of— she's learned other things. She, when she learned them, then she adopts them, and she's been believing them for decades that this is the way. And now we're kind of at a fork in the road, and she's got evidence this is not the way, and you're suggesting some other things. We can't deny biology. So if you start things and they begin to work with your biology, you do become more convinced. But what level of success does mindset have in weight loss?

Oh, absolutely. It's so important because mindset is what keeps you going and keeps you, keeps you motivated and keeps you believing in yourself. The first thing around mindset and getting started in, in, in weight loss during midlife is, is to know that this doesn't have to be like the dreadful diets and the restrictive, hungry ways that we used to eat before. It's actually very enjoyable, and you can become a better version of yourself by, by eating like this. And the thing is, you don't have to do everything all at once, because even if you're one step better than you were before, that's going to make a difference. So really starting a healthy journey, instead of looking at it as like a short-term, um, quick fix, it's much better to say, I'm going to change my lifestyle and I'm going to take it step by step. I'm not going to get overwhelmed, and I don't have to worry about all the information being thrown at me right around me. I'm just going to take one step and do one thing. So, you know, like for example, that one thing could be Having, you know, more protein at breakfast, having 2 eggs or having, having some turkey sausage or having a protein shake or Greek yogurt at breakfast, doing one thing that moves you forward in that, in that journey. And then when you're on the journey, it really helps to listen to, to things that show you that and, and look at things, look at pictures, look at videos of other women in our age range that have achieved this, because a lot of times around us, it almost is accepted that in midlife we are going to gain weight and we're going to feel frumpy and we're going to feel tired. And that is— that does not have to happen. You could be at the— you could be the most in shape that you've ever been. You just have to know the roadmap, which is different than before. And so looking at others around you and really being inspired, I think, is very important to surround yourself with other people that are on the healthy journey. And even those of you that are watching or listening right now, Well, you know, you're doing that in this, in this way by listening to a podcast that is showing you this could happen. And it really can. And, you know, one more thing is that in midlife, if we, if we don't take actions to get healthier, it's going to go— it's going to get a lot harder very quickly. And we're, you know, before, like you said, we could get away with being unhealthy, or we could get away with doing things things a certain way.

Yeah.

But now if you keep taking those actions, you're gonna truly become unhealthier inside, and it's going to show up outside, you know, pretty, pretty quickly.

Yeah. Amen. And I'm so glad that you said that. I, I do think we've got to feel urgency, and I think often we feel it more because of the way we look or we feel, or we walk into our closet every day to get dressed and it's like, uh, you know, they're all hanging here, but I can't, you know, don't feel good in them, they don't feel good on me. You know, I think there's that immediate thing, but we do need to think a bit about— and going forward, if this is my today, what is my— what do my tomorrows look like? Yeah, I could probably keep you here all day. I've got some other questions because I would love to call you the Spice Girl, because I think I can. I've been waiting also to do that, and yet I'm not gonna do it because you have special little thing. You have a couple of things coming up, but you also have this Spice Girls sheet that I'm gonna put in the show notes. But I really want you to talk about the opportunity to kind of touch base with you in the 5-day metabolism booth you have coming up. If somebody is listening and they get here in time and they come to the link, what will they get to do and experience during those 5 days?

Oh yes, absolutely. So I am going to be hosting a 5-day metabolism boost for midlife women where I teach for 5 days, um, really in depth about exactly the what to eat for breakfast to increase your metabolism. In fact, I have a 4-part metabolism boosting breakfast routine which includes my recipe for infused debloating water that has changed so many women's lives and so many women's stomachs. Um, and I— we also teach you the fat burning food framework. So everything I've taught you today, you know, very briefly around how to add soothing carbs, how to add, how to add fiber, how to add protein more. I tell you exact food combinations and exactly what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I also have an entire day focused on how to get off of sugar without feeling tired or hungry. And so it's all free. You know, all you do is you get started. We have our link below. And, and, and get your spot there. And, um, we also have a really great extensive workbook that you're going to be able to take notes on and has so much information that you'll get for free as well. I mean, really, truly, people will charge over $3,000 to attend something like this, but I'm just letting it be free because I have so much that I want to share for women. And, uh, and I want to teach you how easy it can be in midlife. And it's all and there are replays in case you're not able to attend live. But of course we have so much energy when you attend live.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So good. And if you can do it, I think the great thing about this is anything that's 5 days, I think that feels like, okay, I can do this and I'm focused on it. And if I get a quick win, so much the better. Now I've got a little kickstart. I know I can do this. I feel better already. So for those of you who are lifting, you're walking, you're definitely if you're driving, don't write this down, but it is flipping50.com/5-day-metabolism. 5-day metabolism. That link will be in the show notes. So jump over here, you're gonna see Nagina's beautiful face. If you come to the website, you'll see that, and that'll be your link to you to click on that. You'll know you get here. And so don't miss that. But then if you happen to want to collect all the things and the goodies, you're that girl, you could come. She's got a sweet spice cheat sheet. And I have heard her teach many times before. I've sat in a den with her, so we've broken bread together. And carbohydrates— see what we do? But she really is— part of her magic is teaching how to use spices for flavor and to get the satisfaction that we all crave. So I think some other genius, you know, said, what are you hungry for? And sometimes I think we're just— we're eating trying to cheat the system to lose the weight and we never end up feeling like we've filled ourselves up, you know? And that's so different when you cook in a way that feels satisfying and sated and you smell and have the aroma of foods. And she teaches you how to do that. So I want you to get all of that. So, all right, Nagina, thank you so much. Any parting words you wanna share with anybody?

Oh my gosh. Well, thank you so much, Debra. That was— that's been so amazing. And, you know, in the Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet, I show you the sweet spice and I show you 3 health benefits of using the spice. It's really a regular spice in most of our pantries. And one of my favorite parts of the Sweet Spice Cheat Sheet is that I share a simple belly fat burning tea recipe that helps you even sleep better at night. So, that's really amazing. And then, my final parting word just because I really wanted to add in this piece around so many women ask me how to— should they be fasting before working out? And since you're so amazing at working out, I cannot believe that women are working out and doing these strenuous workouts or whether it's cardio or fitness, strength training and not eating. And it's actually hurting us and working against us. So really having a meal before is actually going to help you more than it's going to cause a lot of stress to your body and you're going to hold fat more if you don't feed yourself. So just really thinking about having at least 10 to 15 grams of a protein, 10 to 15 grams of a carb. It can be light. It can be, you know, and that's going to really be all you need. Protein shake would be great, a Greek yogurt. There's multiple other things you could do— oatmeal with a little bit, you know, you know, something, some berries in it. That would be really helpful. But this is really going to help you get better results and burn more fat from your workouts too.

So good. Awesome. Thank you so much for being here. All right, everybody, we'll put everything so you can connect in the show notes. And thank you again for being here.

Thank you.