First of all, what does the phrase “age well” mean? Is it by achieving a certain weight? No. Not by any means. Aging Well sets your body up for success by establishing habits to encourage overall health and wellness and lowering your current risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
As we age, we inevitably gain more and more responsibilities – it is a common theme. Whether it be raising children, taking care of our aging parents, climbing the ladder at work, or a combination of the three – we tend to neglect our own health and wellness, both mentally and physically, to compensate for the lack of time and energy to do otherwise.
The first and most important step in aging well is to put yourself first.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Galveston Diet was born out of my own frustration with mid-life weight gain and sense of loss of control I was experiencing. I spent years researching how to lose stubborn weight gain since my usual mantra of “eat less, exercise more,” (that had worked fabulously in my younger years) was no longer working. I finally came up with the perfect plan that takes into account our bodies changing physiology as we age, and that focuses on lifestyle modifications that are actually sustainable in the long run. The Galveston Diet focuses on [1] intermittent fasting [2] anti-inflammatory nutrition and [3] fuel refocusing. These three components work synergistically to obtain optimal scale, and most importantly, non-scale benefits.
Intermittent fasting is essentially fasting for 16 consecutive hours in a day and eating within an 8-hour, consecutive eating window. I promise it is easier than it sounds; many are initially daunted by the idea because we are groomed by a society that insists breakfast within an hour or two of waking is absolutely necessary for optimal health. The anti-inflammatory component is about as simple as it sounds – we decrease, with the eventual goal of eliminating amounts of pro-inflammatory foods consumed while increasing consumption of foods that actively fight inflammation. Lastly, the fuel refocusing section is all about macros. Calorie counting is non-existent on this plan – which is another common mental block initially tough to overcome – we aim to achieve an optimal ratio of fat: protein: carbohydrate that promotes fat loss in the weight loss phase; this ratio is again shifted during the maintenance phase when one’s goal weight is achieved.
Now, did I personally invent these three components? No – but I spent years researching and testing different theories found in the scientific literature, and these are the three that proved to provide the best results for myself, my friends, and the over 22,000 students enrolled in our program.
I did, in fact, obtain the weight loss results I was seeking after consistently following the program, but what completely shocked me was all of the non-scale benefits I experienced as well in myself, my friends, and my students.
Below are 10 amazing benefits you can experience when following the three components of the Galveston Diet [1] intermittent fasting [2] anti-inflammatory foods and [3] fuel refocus.
[1] Better quality of sleep – I am talking about the good stuff: obtaining an uninterrupted, sound night of sleep here. This was a game-changer for me as I didn’t even fully realize the poor quality of sleep I was obtaining before until I started getting a consistent amount of quality sleep, and boy did I feel a whole lot better!
[2] Decreased “brain fog” – by this, I mean more mental clarity. I was having less of those “losing my train of thought” moments in conversations, becoming extremely more productive, and overall feeling more efficient with my time and work. My cognitive capacity, memory, and functioning appeared to increase dramatically.
[3] Fasting improves neural connections & protects against the accumulation of amyloid plaques – I know that is throwing a lot of science words at you… so let me explain. Amyloid plaques are clumps of mis-folded proteins in the brain that can be very dangerous when accumulated. As we go through the natural aging process, the formation of these plaques will inevitability increase, but IF can drastically decrease the rate at which this occurs. This is fabulous news as, in conjunction, your risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases decreases, too. I’m talking Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.
*Not to be misleading… I am not saying you will not develop these diseases, but by making these proactive, preventative changes in your life, you automatically are decreasing your risk of developing these illnesses. Wouldn’t you rather age knowing you are doing everything in your power to combat these possibilities? I know at least I would.
[4] Decreased risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. – the common denominator here appears to be the association between increased artificial, added, processed sugar consumption, and higher risks of developing the diseases mentioned above. Fat tissue, in excess, essentially acts as its own organ and constantly inflames the body. This buildup of chronic inflammation dysregulates blood sugar, blood pressure, hormones, insulin levels; you name it – many of which are risk factors for obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
*Again, it is important to note that I am not advocating that if you follow the three components of the Galveston Diet, you will never be diagnosed with these conditions; rather, you are doing everything in your power to decrease the risk.
[5] Elevated Mood (and decreased risk of depression) – I genuinely felt happier after consistently following this program. Heck, my children even noticed my elevated mood! My mood swings, associated with the onset of menopause, dramatically decreased as well. There are studies that show risks of depression are decreased when a healthy diet with little to no added or artificial sugar is consumed.
[6] Fasting enhances the neural plasticity of mitochondrial networks. – Again, sorry for the medical jargon, but in plain English, intermittent fasting allows your brain to stay adaptable and flexible. After all, evolutionarily speaking, our ancestors “practiced” IF. Food was not readily available to them like it is in today’s society. Brief periods of fasting allow you to become more resilient to stress, hardships, and life in general. Mitochondrial networks are preserved so that they can continue to efficiently use energy and perform their daily functions. Remember, high school biology – “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”?! – that is the same concept here… we want to preserve our “powerhouses” and make them as efficient as possible.
[7] More energy – this benefit may coincide with the increased sleep quality. My energy levels are now off the charts. I am a woman in my 50s who works out every single day. Granted, I am not perfect and do sometimes miss a day because life gets in the way, BUT it is not because my body can’t handle it or I don’t have the energy for it. Years ago, that’s a different story – I could come up with a laundry list of excuses not to get my work out in, all boiling down to feeling genuinely exhausted. I simply did not have the energy. Now, not only can I do it, but I look forward to my daily workouts and have the energy to do so. For that, I am eternally grateful.
[8] Decreased joint pains – I think this non-scale benefit is due to the powerful anti-inflammatory component of The Galveston Diet. I am sure many of you know exactly what I am referring to with the term “joint pains” and let me tell you – mine are almost non-existent! What a blessing!
[9] Decreased intensity and severity of hot flashes – yes. You read that correctly. For any of you entering or experiencing menopause, let me tell you – this program changed the game for me! My menopausal symptoms are significantly decreased due to the anti-inflammatory nature of the Galveston Diet, which is exactly what I intended when I created it.
[10] Weight Loss – this is obviously a benefit and a huge driving factor when committing to a lifestyle change, but I challenge you not to let weight loss consume your motivation or be your definition of success. I listed it last for a reason – you WILL most likely lose weight on this plan but after reading all of the above non-scale benefits can we agree that there are multiple reasons commit to a healthy change?! To be completely honest, I get many more comments from enrollees that the non-scale benefits are the most life-changing and fulfilling changes, not the weight loss that accompanies it.
I hope you agree that the benefits above are appealing for a graceful, healthy aging experience. The Galveston Diet Signature Program is a self-paced, online course that provides a guideline for exactly how to do so. Combining intermittent fasting with an anti-inflammatory approach to nutrition and macro ratios that optimize fat burning is the key to success. Remember that lifestyle changes and habit creation that LASTS takes time, patience, and effort. We are human, so you will have some speed bumps, but the results, in the end, will feel so worth it. But I will say you will NEVER regret healthy aging!!
