3 Best KeptSecrets ToAvoidingWeight GainOver 40

Quickstart Guide

By Deborah MurtaghLeading Women's Weight Loss

and Holistic Wellness Coach

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

DISCLAIMER

Please note that the following information is meant for information

purposes only and should not replace medical advice.

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

There is a Maya Angelou quote that I love, it says ‘do the best you can until you know better.

Then when you know better, do better’.

In this little guide I am giving you some of the secrets I have learnt in over 23 years as a

weight loss coach, so you can take this new knowledge and enhance your life, do better

- and please share your new knowledge with others so they can do better too.

In the guide I cover stress and how it can contribute to weight gain, how to eat to avoid

expanding our weight during menopause and why mild thyroid problems may be causing

you to gain weight but not show up in your blood tests.

I’m on a mission to empower women with the knowledge they need to change. Believe

me when I tell you that the effects of aging are not inevitable, or irreversible and you can

survive your 40’s, menopause and beyond and still maintain a healthy figure.

I want YOU to feel amazing for your age, so

start by reading this guide and make one or

two changes in your life. This leads me to an-

other Maya Angelou quote:

‘We delight in the beauty of a butterfly, but

rarely admit the changes it has gone through

to achieve that beauty.’

Love Deborah XXX

welcom

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40 thyroid

Thyroid Testing at Home

Because mild hypothyroidism may not show up in blood tests, many women

put undiagnosed symptoms down to age, stress at work, or life in general.

This test will help you determine whether you are suffering from hypothyroidism

and all you require is a thermometer and a few minutes each morning.

The test involves taking your rested body temperature each morning. This will

not only ascertain healthy thyroid function, it will ensure no thyroid issues have

occurred as a result of yo-yo dieting.

Any temperatures below 35.6 is considered low and may mean your thyroid is

underactive. Our natural rested body temperature is 35.6, so while slight

fluctuations will occur, consistently low temperatures may indicate your thyroid

is underactive.

I recommend that you chart your temperature for one month. During and

around ovulation your body temperature will naturally rise, so plotting results

over 30 days will help account for these natural changes.

To do the test, simply place a thermometer next to your bed and take your

temperature upon waking each morning. Do no get up beforehand, it is

important that your body is totally relaxed. Chart your temperature in the

table provided daily.

Please contact your medical advisor if you have questions, if you are unsure

about your results, or your results are consistently below 35.6.

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Day Temperature (rested) Variance (from 35.6) +/-

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

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menopause

Menopause Meal Plan

Menopause has long been associated with some unwanted additions to our body

- kilograms or pounds on our waistline. To enjoy the second phase of life in a body

that feels great, just follow these simple food guidelines.

For those of you who don’t enjoy ‘healthy’ foods, I have some good news - our

entire palate can change in around three weeks based on the foods we eat. In as

little as 21 days you may find the foods that were contributing to your expanding

waistline no longer appeal. This natural ability and adaption constantly amazes

my clients.

Theoretically we could change our palates around 1,500 times over a lifetime, and

it is why the 7 year old you had to be forced to eat mushrooms, while the adult you

quite enjoys them!

Examples of what to eat to manage your waistline over 40 and what to avoid are

listed below. Please ensure you eat only fresh, organic, grass fed, preservative free

in season food.

By the time we reach our 40’s our diet truly does catch up with us. We almost in-

stantly see the affects of life show on our body, so healthy eating is the best way to

avoid the ‘snowball effect’ of ageing from blind siding us.

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Eat These foods are not only anti-inflammatory, they are nutrient dense and satiating,

meaning we need to eat less of them to feel fuller. Below are examples of some of

my favourite foods:

Fresh, organic vegetables (only in season)bean sprouts spinachbok choy kalecucumber zucchiniedeme beans red capsicumpumpkin silverbeetgreen beans sea vegetables

Fresh, organic fruits (only in season)grapefruit tangerinelemon/lime blueberriesorange cherriesraspberries grapesboysenberries green kiwifruitstrawberries mandarin

Organic, grass fed meats and proteins chicken eggsduck cottage cheeseturkey fisheye fillet or porterhouse steak shellfish (preservative free)lean lamb loin tempehpork tenderloin oysters

Healthy fats (oils should be extra virgin, cold pressed)macadamia oil nuts and seedsavocado oil butter (grass fed)duck fat coconut oil

menopause

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Avoid

Stimulants can increase hot flushes during menopause and should be avoided. If menopause is not

an issue for you, please consider controlling these stimulants in your diet to aid your nervous system

and manage stress (which we cover in the next few pages).

Stimulants include coffee, excessive alcohol and sugar! Before you throw this guide down in disgust

though, please hear me out because I know from experience that every client who has removed

these stimulants reports a dramatic reduction of both the frequency and intensity of hot flushes.

Coffee can not only aggravate your nervous system (which needs to be calm for optimal weight

loss) it can interfere with sleep (also needed for optimal weight loss).

Similarly alcohol and sugar can increase hot flushes and excessive alcohol can cause leaky gut,

which is a pro-inflammatory condition that prevents the absorption of nutrients (meaning you will

feel a lot hungrier all the time).

We all know sugar is bad for us, but in particular we need to avoid corn syrups, agave and honey,

no artificial sweeteners, including Splender, Aspartame, saccharin and other engineered sweeten-

ers. These are all a fast road to belly fat.

I also suggest you avoid ultra processed foods altogether. Ultra processed foods are easy to iden-

tify, the ingredients list is scientific and designed to taste good so you buy more, not for human

health.

I recommend you also avoid colourings, flavourings, MSG, flavour enhancers or e-numbers and

preservatives.

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Dealing with Stress

Who isn’t stressed these days? Money, work, relationships, family and even

exercise and dieting can all place our body under stress, which activates the

sympathetic nervous system to turn on our fight-or-flight response.

Our adrenal glands then release cortisol and if we live in a constant state of stress for

prolonged periods, high levels of cortisol can affect our metabolism long term.

It can also impact on our weight gain. Primarily cortisol is a craving hormone, which

sends signals to your brain to eat carbohydrates as these are easily converted into en-

ergy which is required during fight-or-flight.

The major issue with stress as we age is that it causes comfort and binge eating both

physiologically and psychologically. For many people eating is a way to deal with

stress and it can become an addiction. This naturally leads to weight gain, which is

why any weight loss programs you embark upon needs to be holistic covering mind,

spirit, emotion and body. Dieting alone will never work for comfort or stress triggered

eaters, we must address the mind.

Knowing what stress does to our body, it makes good sense to find effective coping

mechanisms for dealing with stress. Here are a few of my favourites that I encourage

you to introduce into your life. Below is a stress planner so you can ensure you include

some stress coping mechanisms into your life:

stress

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

1) Listen to calming music - With online music applications we have a world of music at

our fingertips. I listen to a variety of music, but my choice for stress is

meditation & yoga music, usually with an Asian vibe. Please experiment and find what

you find most calming, but make sure it is slow.

Slow music changes the subtle energies of our body and can have a dramatic

impact on our stress levels. It works by activating our para-sympathetic nervous sys-

tem, which heals and restores the body. Reduced heart beat, blood pressure and the

release of endorphins into the brain, all can occur listening to slow music to uplift our

spirits, help with pain reduction and decrease anxiety.

The famous philosopher Nietzsche said “We listen to music with our muscles,” and if you

try this for a few weeks when you are feeling stressed you will notice a dramatic differ-

ence.

2) Go for a walk - Not only do you do some gentle movement you get some air and

hopefully sunshine. I recommend in nature, but if that is difficult just walk anywhere!

3) Consciously work at reducing stress. Despite what many of us would like to believe,

ignoring a problem and hoping it will go away is not a effective coping mechanism - it

actually increases stress. We have to face whatever is causing stress in our lives in order

to reduce it.

stress

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

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It could be a job you hate, a mortgage that is too high or an unhealthy habit. This ap-

proach may require facing something you’ve put off for a long time, but you can also

get support by learning to ask for help, finding a coach who can guide and support you

through positive changes, or embark on a spiritual journey to help consciously reduce

stress in your life.

Stress is both environmental and emotional, so both aspects need to be addressed for

long term success.

4) Love whole foods- Food either satiates and heals our body, or inflames it and leaves

us feeling tired. By choosing healthy food our body will be naturally be less stressed, your

weight will be manageable and this will lead to an even greater reduction in stress.

5) Yoga - is one of the best forms of movement for stress reduction. Hatha yoga is

relaxing and energizing and is especially great for beginners. I call yoga a moving

meditation because it teaches us to be fully present in our body and helps us reconnect

with our body.

There are many simple yoga video’s online and if you combine the movements with the

correct breathing to attain a stillness of mind, it will induce a sense of calm you can carry

beyond the practice or to help face a stressful situation.

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

6) Do something you love - Write a list of things you’d love to do, but haven’t had the time

or energy to focus on. I recently started to learn to tango. Luckily my partner Michael was

open to supporting my dream.

On our first night I was overwhelmed with joy, knowing I was finally doing something I’d

dreamed of for years. So I suggest you really look at what you CAN do that inspires you,

provides focus outside of work, or fills a part of your soul that may be missing. Be playful and

childlike, there are no rules here! Going back to an art class, learning music, or even joining

a book club could all help reduce stress by creating more balance in life!

7) The Art of Zen - Learn to meditate. You can teach yourself online, go to a class, or ask a

friend to teach you. The effects of meditation on stress could fill several text books, but the

hardest part is starting - if you can sit comfortably and breathe though, you can mediate!

Be aware that it’s natural that when you first start meditation for your thoughts to get LOUD-

ER , but persist and soon you will be able to clear you mind and focus on your breath, or

counting or a positive mantra to help reduce your stress levels.

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

week one Relaxation activity

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week two

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week three

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week four

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week five

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week six

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week seven

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week eight

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8 week relaxation activity planner

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Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

Deborah Murtagh’s

Quickstart Guide to Weight Management Over 40

‘Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step

of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step.’

I believe you are reading this guide for a reason, you are looking for a change in

your body, mind, emotions, spirit and life. That is why I want you to put down this

guide and do something, anything, that I have outlined that sparked something

in you.

It might be as simple as eating a piece of fruit, or NOT eating that cake, it could

be joining a dance class, or putting the thermometer next to your bed for your

thyroid test tomorrow morning - whatever it is, the first step is so powerful and to

become empowered, we have to fill our lives with small, positive and powerful

acts!

Once you do the smallest of steps, you are already

on your way to managing your weight, even over 40...

time to begin

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