Body Composition Transformation: Step 1 - Nutrition for Longevity

You may have read about my humbling declaration that I need to lose body fat and swap around some of my health and wellness habits if I want to live a long and healthy life.  You can read that article HERE.  I put it out to a vote and all of you who voted declared that you want to know what I'm doing to *attempt* this body composition transformation while I'm doing it (vs. the before and after glimpse).  For the first time in my life, I am not using my weight as my driving force rather I am completely focused on my body composition - specifically, drop fat and increase muscle and overall wellness.  All the data, all the thought leaders, all the longevity experts agree on maybe only one thing:  muscle quality and quantity are directly reflective of how well you age (healthspan) and how long you live (longevity).  So here goes my middle-aged-mom-bod attempt to put me on a program with the help of a few expert friends, lots of podcasts, a zillion books, and some basic common sense.

• Cut the artificial and refined sugars - the white stuff (more addictive than the illegal white stuff FYI)
• Load up on lean protein - 0.8-1g of protein per pound of ideal body weight PER DAY - this is a huge challenge for me - that is A LOT of protein, especially for someone who aims to eat more plant-forward
• Get in some movement after meals or throughout the day, even 10-15 minutes of walking works wonders
• If you are going to have a cheat treat, make sure it is sweetened with something natural like monk fruit, honey, maple syrup, or dates

• Invest in a body composition scale, food scale, and tape measure.  I chose Renpho because it was super reasonable, easy to set up, and all the metrics sync into 1 easy-to-use app that also syncs with health apps on your phone or watch.  I hop on the scale every morning (for body fat ⬇️ and muscle ⬆️), calculate most meals (primarily for protein), and measure waist & hips once a week.
• Put on a continuous glucose monitor.  This is a wearable that I don't even notice, yet it has helped keep me accountable for sugar cravings.  I can see when my glucose dips and I need a protein-forward snack so I don't crave sugar, and also what foods drive a spike in glucose (hint: carbs and sweets).  It's also interesting to see what protein does to a carb-heavy meal - it actually steadies blood glucose, and what moderate exercise does after a cheat treat or a glucose spike - it brings that spike right back down!  You can get $50 off right HERE.  And if you need a little extra nutrition help, you can schedule a consult.
• I joined Function Health to get a baseline of 100 biomarkers.  Results are still coming in from my first panel, but I do have a couple of biomarkers out of range, one of which is an autoimmune indicator, that I will need to pay some attention to through lifestyle and supplementation.