Podcast Ep.45: Weight Loss After 50 – The Harsh Truth
Well in this episode of the podcast we get a little personal and talk about…weight. We discuss the challenges of maintaining (or getting back down to) a healthy weight after you turn 50. We start off sharing about “the beach picture” from the 1970s and theories why obesity has become so widespread since then before diving into some nitty gritty with our own current successes in keeping weight off. Which of course leads to some of our favorite real food recipes for weight loss. Plus we update you on all the things being completed on the farmhouse (so many things, though they’re not all pretty…), and the cool things we’ve discovered.
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Weight Loss After 50
Here are links to some of the things we talked about:
- Above is the British beach photo from the 70s that started a discussion on obesity. Here’s another article where the photo was described as an “alien race”. Though I don’t agree with the author’s point – as the other articles pointed out we eat differently now (many more times a day, etc.) and we definitely have the power to control what we eat and how we look. Brian and I do it everyday and our point is – it’s not easy, but worth it for quality of life.
- Eye-opening article on how many times people ate in the 70s vs. how much we eat now.
- Article on how intermittent fasting can increase longevity.
And here’s our wrap-up on weight loss at any (adult) age, really:
- Eat less hours in a day (have an 8-10 hour “eating window”) – aka, Intermittent Fasting.
- Eat less times a day (just say no to multiple snacks).
- It’s okay to be hungry sometimes (try drinking water, coffee or tea, go for a walk, etc. to distract you – it will pass if it’s not time for a meal).
- Don’t just ‘give up’ – keeping healthy is key to enjoying a full life.
Farmhouse Updates

In addition to a new indoor electrical box and heating/air ducts to the upstairs (exciting stuff, right?) we were able to install the new door in we talked about soon after recording (with help from some dear friends)! Isn’t it beautiful?
It’s this door from Home Depot and so far we’re really happy with it. It was free delivery to the store and we saved hundreds ordering it online – specifically on the phone – instead of the store (so odd…) so definitely check all the places if you’re in the market for a door! The door was packaged really well with no damage. Installation was fairly smooth, though we had extra framing and siding to deal with that most others wouldn’t.
The light its already brings to the front rooms is amazing and the curb appeal pretty much skyrocketed in my mind. Of course you have to imagine it with all the siding replaced and the two black barn lights on each side, lol. But this is an area we are splurging on since it’s the first thing people see.
Healthy Recipes for Weight Loss

Here are the ebooks I’ve written with my weight loss story and the real food recipes we eat as a family that helped me lose it and keep it off. It’s still my strategy, but after 50 I find I’ve had to add other things like intermittent fasting to keep the weight from creeping back up.
Here are a few of the recipes highlighted in the books that I make pretty much all the time:
- Swiss Chard and Sausage Frittata
- Quick Mini Meatloaves with Chipotle-Honey BBQ Sauce
- Quick and Easy Parmesan-Herb Crusted Baked Fish
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
This is Really Cool!

Brian’s – Athletic fit jeans at Old Navy. Finally a jean for men with muscular thighs but isn’t baggy.

Jami’s – American Eagle Italian leather backpack from DSW.Ā Amazing price for a real leather backpack that’s large enough to carry my laptop, small purse, water bottle and more for travel.
Since recording I’ve used it on a trip and did find that the zippers are a bit rough opening and closing. Maybe a bit of WD-40? It certainly doesn’t hurt the pack and I LOVE it. Such a deal. (It comes in a fun stone color, too.)
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Jamie
I have a question about how u do IF, so u still get I. 3 meals a day or do u skip breakfast now? Was wondering if this makes a difference in how it actually works? Less total calories.
It probably is less calories, Teresa – I have thought about this, too. So, somedays I eat my granola at 11:30, have lunch at 3, then dinner at 3:30 = 3 meals/day with no snack. Other times I have lunch at 12, snack of dried fruit and nuts at 3:30, then dinner at 6:30. Both ways I’m losing some calories, either through no breakfast or no snack. I also don’t do IF on most weekends, so I can eat meals with my family. AND I have whole milk in my coffee and tea which helps to get to my eating window.
I’ve done all this and lost the 10 pounds, so I’m really happy that it works and fits so easily into my lifestyle! I’m comfortable where I’m at, weight-wise, so I don’t really plan to try any smaller eating window (though some days it happens naturally). š
I really loved this podcast about IF. Itās all over the web now and seems to have many benefits. I have been practicing alittle myself & hope to extend my eating window gradually to 18:6 from 16:8, happy to know u were able to lose those 10 lbs:)
Thanks
Teresa
I’m glad you found this helpful, Teresa!
Oh my goodness, I checked out the article in the guardian. 1976 was one of the hottest summers on record, it was an Indian summer, my parents put their pool in that year, I was 16. I absolutely believed I was fat then but probably weighed less than I should have. I literally cannot believe that no one in immediate sight was overweight let alone obese. I weigh less now than I have for 30+ years but Iām still not as slim as I was in my mid teens to early 20s. I loved the podcast, I took one of your articles about the size of our dinner services on board just over a year ago and with the help of a healthy eating plan I have lost 16lbs and feel so much better for me. I think the key is the type of calories we consume now and as you discussed the snacks and amount of times a day we āexpectā food. Thanks for this Jami really enjoyed the article and podcast.
Well, you have a personal connection there that brings it to life for sure, Julie. And I’m so glad that I’ve inspired you in any way – that makes me so happy. š Yes, this kind of stuff is super interesting to think about and figure out how to make it work for us.