My Workout Plan + Eating Philosophy

I changed things up when I hit my mid-40s and now I'm 20 pounds lighter and feeling better than ever.

Alright, friends. This has by far been the most requested post so I’m going to share my 3 non-negotiables for staying healthy and looking great, BUT HELLO CAVEAT, let’s remember what works for me might not be your thing. That’s totally cool.

Before we get into the before/after photos (yikes!) and my workout/food plan, I need to give you a little back story on the very slow and very tricky weight gain I experienced in 2019-2021.

Well, for starters, COVID. (Banana bread, anyone?) During the height of the pandemic, I wasn’t doing much but hanging at home, eating, drinking….you know…trying to evade The Germs.

This sedentary, snack-fueled, pandemic lifestyle just so happened to occur simultaneously with the onset of perimenopause. The most fun of all the pauses! I mean, how lucky! My whole life, my stomach had been the smallest, flattest part of my body (I’m more of a weight gain in the booty and thighs gal), but suddenly my midriff didn’t even look like it belonged on my own body. All the weight was headed straight to my gut…well, let’s face it…to my gut, my butt, my legs, my arms…it was non-discriminatory.

But the weight gain was sooooo slow and steady, you all. It really didn’t register that I had put on 20 pounds. That’s the kicker about your mid-to-late 40s…you might not actually be eating that much more than in previous years, but things shift rapidly in terms of weight gain and your body shape.

Long story short, I was on vacation with friends in the summer of 2021, walked into a bathroom of a resort pool in my bathing suit, happened upon a full-length mirror, and was pretty much shocked at the state of my body.

I just didn’t look like…me.

Here’s a photo from that summer.