Weight Loss Tips for Post-Menopausal Women

By Susan Schenck

I am post menopausal, nearly 56 years old, and have achieved my ideal weight of 122 pounds and maintained it for three years. Here are a few tips I have learned on my journey:

1. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to whatever you are eating. It helps control the release of insulin, the hormone that tells the body to store fat.
2. Fill yourself up with a vegetable salad before you eat your main meal. Nonstarchy vegetables such as cucumbers, asparagus, lettuce, celery, and more are actually negative in calories (since they stimulate the body to burn so many calories in their digestion) and fill you up so you aren\’t hungry. The seeds in cucumbers tend to be bloating, so you might want to cut them out.
3. Keep a food journal, writing down everything you eat and the foods\’ caloric content. I\’ve found in decades of dieting and weight maintenance that this, more than anything, will keep you from overeating!
4. Studies show that cooking food raises the glycemic index, meaning that more insulin will be released. Sometimes it even DOULBES the glycemic level. Eat as much of your food uncooked as possible to keep slim. But if you are a raw fooder, don\’t depend on nuts and seeds for protein as they are very high in fat, and only 10-30% protein (with the exception of hemp and chia seeds). So you have to eat a ton of calories to get that minimum protein.
5. Eat an apple or two a day as the soluble fiber, known as pectin, can decrease the appetite for up to four hours, and even though apples are sweet, they stabilize the blood sugar. This is due not only to their fiber content, but also phloreitin, a flavonoid-type, blood-sugar-stabilizing phytonutrient found exclusively in apples. Be sure to make that an organic apple: apples are one of the worst things to eat if commercial, loaded with pesticides!
6. Use low glycemic (and very low calorie) sweeteners such as yacon root syrup and stevia. Stevia has zero calories and is a natural plant. Sometimes it has a bitter aftertaste, but you can mix it with a bit of raw honey (rich in enzymes!) or yacon root syrup. The greatest most recent weight loss product I have discovered is yacon root syrup. (Of course, I use it in RAW form.) It is only 14 calories a tablespoon, compared to 60 for agave or honey. It looks like molasses. It is sweet, though not as sweet as sugar, honey, or agave. But the great thing is this: not only is it low calorie, but it has no effect on the blood sugar. It does not spike it at all, as it is so low glycemic! This means it doesn\’t set you into that spiral of craving more sweets.
7. Start your day with a high protein breakfast. This way your blood sugar remains stable all day, keeping hunger at bay! I eat eggs or lightly steamed meat (fewer toxic byproducts). I am never hungry after that-I just graze the rest of the day on salads, olives, etc.

Susan Schenck, LAc, is a raw food coach, lecturer, and author of the 2-time award winning book, The Live Food Factor, The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet, which has gained a reputation as the encyclopedia of the raw food diet-as well as Beyond Broccoli, Creating a Biologically Balanced Diet When a Vegetarian Diet Doesn\’t Work. Go to www.livefoodfactor.com to get the first chapter of her book by signing up for the newsletter.

Susan Schenck