I changed the way I eat in my 40s, these 5 things made the biggest difference.

Last week I shared what eating around 140g of protein a day looks like for me and it was super popular because it quickly became one of the most-read blogs on my website.

But I certainly haven't always eaten that way.

If you'd met me 15 years ago, my nutrition looked pretty different. I was carrying more weight than I wanted to, my energy wasn't great and, although I thought I ate reasonably well, I didn't really understand how much the way I was eating was affecting how I felt.

And, like many women my age, for a lot of my adult life I was also chasing a number on the scales.

Often that number was based on what I'd weighed as a teenager or in my early 20s, rather than what was realistic, healthy or sustainable for the woman I am now.

I've also tried plenty of different ways of eating over the years. Keto, Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, low-carb... I've given a lot of them a go!

And most of them worked for a while.

The problem was that they were too restrictive for me to sustain. After a few months I'd get sick of the rules, stop doing it and eventually find myself looking for the next thing to try.

These days my approach is very different.

There wasn't one big transformation or strict diet that changed things. Instead, I've gradually changed the way I eat, learnt what works for me and, importantly, stopped trying to eat in a way that I couldn't imagine maintaining long term.

If I had to narrow it down, these are five of the biggest changes I've made.

1. I prioritise protein

No surprises that this is number one!

Fifteen years ago, I wasn't thinking about protein at all. I'd have some with dinner, but breakfast and lunch could easily be pretty light on it.

These days I actively build my meals around protein.

Breakfast usually gives me around 40-50g, lunch around 35–40g, and dinner includes a good serving of meat, chicken or another protein source.

I didn't suddenly start eating 140g of protein a day. I built up to it gradually.

For me, increasing my protein intake has been one of the biggest changes I've made. My meals are far more satisfying, my energy is steadier and I don't spend the afternoon or evening looking for something else to eat.

2. I eat proper meals

I generally eat three meals a day and don't snack very often.

That wasn't always the case.

The difference now is that my meals are substantial enough to actually keep me going. I'm not trying to make breakfast or lunch as small as possible in the hope that eating less will help me reach a certain number on the scales.

I want each meal to contain enough protein, vegetables or fruit, fibre and overall food to leave me comfortably satisfied.

When your meals are satisfying, it becomes much easier to stop thinking about food between them.

3. I stopped cutting foods out

This is a big one for me.

After years of trying different diets and cutting out carbohydrates, sugar, dairy, gluten or whatever else the particular approach called for, I don't have a long list of foods I "can't" eat anymore.

The majority of what I eat is still fairly simple, nutritious food, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and good-quality carbohydrates.

But I also eat bread. I eat potatoes. I eat chocolate. I go out for dinner.

I don't need every meal to be perfect, and I don't want food to come with a long list of rules.

This has become even more important to me as a mum.

I have two daughters, including a teenager who, like most teenagers, is exposed to a huge amount of messaging about bodies, food and weight through social media.

I want them to see me eating well because I want to feel strong, energetic and healthy, not watching me constantly dieting, cutting foods out or talking about needing to be smaller.

That doesn't mean I don't care about my body composition or my health. I absolutely do. But the way I pursue those things matters to me too.

4. I plan ahead – but I don't meal prep my entire life

This one is probably less exciting, but it makes a massive difference.

Eating well is considerably harder when you're hungry at 1pm and there's nothing organised for lunch.

I don't spend my Sunday afternoon filling 21 containers with perfectly portioned meals.

But I do think ahead.

I'll cook extra chicken or mince so there's some for lunch. I'll make chia pudding the night before. I'll make sure there are easy protein options in the fridge and freezer. And when I'm particularly busy, I'll think about what I'm going to eat before I get hungry.

A little bit of planning removes a lot of the decision-making.

5. I stopped chasing a number on the scales

This has probably been one of the biggest mindset shifts for me.

For years, I had an idea in my head of what I should weigh.

I'm far more interested now in how I feel.

I want good energy. I want to sleep well. I want to feel strong when I train. I want my clothes to fit comfortably. I want to maintain muscle as I get older. I want good health markers and I want to be able to keep doing all of this for years to come.

Of course weight can be one useful measure of progress, particularly if fat loss is your goal. But it doesn't need to be the only measure, and I certainly don't think we need to spend our 40s and 50s desperately trying to get back to what we weighed at 18.

What I do now is actually pretty simple

There's no special diet. No foods I've sworn off forever. No starting again on Monday because I went out for dinner on Saturday.

I have a handful of nutrition habits that work really well for me, and I come back to them again and again.

Are there days when I don't get enough protein? Absolutely.

Do I sometimes eat more than I need? Of course.

But one meal, one day or one weekend doesn't undo what I'm doing the rest of the time.

And perhaps that's the biggest difference between how I approach nutrition now and how I did 10 years ago.

You don't have to change everything at once

If you read this and recognise some of your own story, years of diets, cutting foods out, chasing a number on the scales or feeling like you should know what to do by now, you don't need another set of rules to follow.

Most of the women I work with already know quite a lot about nutrition.

What they often need is help working out which changes are going to make the biggest difference for them, and how to make those changes work in real life.

That's a big part of what I do with my clients.

We look at what you're currently eating, what's working, where you're getting stuck and what we can change without turning your entire life upside down.

If you've been thinking about making some changes but aren't quite sure where to start, you're welcome to book a free 30-minute chat with me. We can talk about what's happening for you, what you'd like to change and whether working together might be a good fit.

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