Weight loss may feel more difficult for women in midlife but a few key lifestyle changes can reap major rewards.
According to a weight loss life coach who specialises in helping menopausal women, drinking enough water is essential if you want to shift excess fat.
Ladies tend to gain weight – particularly around their bellies – when they go through menopause, due to factors including a reduction in muscle mass, lower oestrogen levels and menopausal symptoms that make it more difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle.
In a YouTube video on “weight loss at 50 and beyond”, Pahla B said: “Around here at the Pahla B fitness channel, we are all about making peace with your menopausal body.
‘Drinking water is more important than you realise’
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“And I think that one of the best ways to make peace with your body is to get to a healthy weight that feels comfortable and right for you.”
Of course, a nutritious diet and an active lifestyle are key for weight loss, but those are not the only two factors that can see a shift on the scale. Indeed, the slimming guru shared the lifestyle habit that’s worse than eating the wrong number of calories.
She also stressed the importance of staying hydrated for women over 50, stating: “Drinking water is more important than you realise.
“We can actually, as human beings, adapt to almost anything. We can adapt to extreme heat, extreme cold, not eating – and sometimes not sleeping.
“But the one thing that the human body can never adapt to is not drinking enough water.”
Pahla explained that it’s the “magic substance” that “makes every single process in your body go”.
This means that when a person is not adequately hydrated, the body has to “make choices” about which processes to carry out “efficiently” – and consequently, some important ones are neglected.
The expert revealed that “some of the first things to go are high-level critical thinking and digestion”.
She said: “So, when you don’t drink enough water, you can’t make good choices and your body can’t use what you’re eating.”
Pahla B has guidance in her ebook on “the super simple formula for figuring out the exact right amount [of water] for you”.
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‘When you don’t drink enough water, you can’t make good choices and your body can’t use what you’re eating’
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However, other experts have also shared the importance of drinking water for weight loss and the ideal quantities for seeing results.
One fitness and nutrition coach stated: “We all have a different need but I would say the best place to start is half of your body weight in ounces. It’s a quick calculation and it’s a great way to start.”
According to the expert, this number should be the minimum amount of water consumed per day.
To use this formula, slimmers must first find out their weight in pounds. Someone who is 150lb (10st 10lb) should aim for 75 ounces of water (around 2.13 litres).
