Keeping food simple

Like many of you, I spent years caught in restriction and food guilt. If I had put the time I spent policing every bite in my twenties and thirties into learning a language, I’d be fluent in five by now.. Something had to shift, and for me, all roads lead back to strength training, because once I started lifting at 40, I couldn’t do it while being hungry in the way I used to. My body needed fuel to lift and build strength; otherwise, I simply couldn’t get through a session.

Alongside that came a mindset change: taking up space. I allowed myself to be more, want more, and yes, eat more. It was a revelation. I haven’t looked back at another diet or at going hungry. I use a simple framework that involves keeping food simple, which takes up about 5% of my brain space, and then I get on with my life. It’s not sexy, but it’s kept my weight steady through perimenopause in my 40s. I’m about 5kg heavier than I was in my 30s, part muscle, part age, but if I dip below this now, I get tired and my body pushes back. I no longer chase skinny either, it's all about strength and ageing well.

Lots of variety for weekly traybakes at the local market

What My 80/20 Really Looks Like

Eighty per cent of the time, I eat in a way that supports training, energy and mood. Twenty per cent of the time, I make room for life, cake and wine included. This is not a loophole; it’s a boundary that keeps me consistent.

My Daily Non-Negotiables

Protein first: I aim for at least 150g of protein daily.• Hydration: at least 1 litre, but I feel noticeably better over 2 litres. and my skin looks better. Repetition on purpose: I eat a lot of the same meals. Boring to some; brilliant for results.

Coffee On An Empty Stomach (And A Diet Coke Most Days)

I start my morning with coffee on an empty stomach. It suits me. I’m not pretending it’s a health hack; it’s just my rhythm. This has nothing to do with fasting or time-restricted eating. Those days are long gone. I love my afternoon Diet Coke. It’s a circuit-breaker and a lovely ritual.

Repetitive Eating Is A Feature, Not A Flaw

Decision fatigue derails more goals than “bad” food ever did. I keep 6 - 8 meals on repeat and rotate vegetable tray bakes. This frees up time and headspace for my business, training and life. As a personal trainer who programmes home workouts for midlife women, I care about sharing with you what’s effective, not what looks exciting on Instagram. So with this in mind, I throw most of the same things in my trolley each week.

I Have Something Sweet Every day.

Sometimes I have 2-3 squares of dark chocolate, and other times, it's a grenade bar. (A chocolate protein bar, but before you throw your arms up, I personally think it tastes as good as a Mars bar; it's just a lot less sugar and has some extra protein thrown in. I personally agree it's all marketing hype, but if it's marginally kinder to my insulin, then why wouldn't I choose this? It makes sense.)

Simple Rules That Keep Me On Track

•Eat 3 grown-up meals with at least 30g protein each.• Fill half the plate with colourful vegetables where possible.• Lift weights 3 - 4 times per week. Walk whenever I can.• Sleep like it matters (because it does). Keep ultra-processed foods to 20%.• This 20% gives you psychological breathing room so you don’t “start again on Monday” for the 400th time.

How I keep food simple, A Week Of Real Meals (The Unsexy Truth).

Breakfasts:•: • Eggs on toast with extra egg whites. This will switch to porridge in winter with a scoop or protein powder with berries and nuts.

Lunches:•: • Leftover chicken, quinoa, rocket, olive oil, lemon.• Tinned tuna, white beans, tomatoes, capers.• Prawns and lentils (Merchant Gourmet in the UK do great flavours in pouches, Mackerel mashed onto some Ryvitas with creme fresh and sriracha is fabulous

Dinners:•: • Salmon, or sea bass, chicken with a variety of seasonings, or chicken mince. Traybake of mixed vegetables and then either sweet potato or quinoa.

After dinner - 2-3 squares of 90% chocolate, chocolate protein bar

Snacks (If Needed):• Greek yoghurt.• Leftover protein from dinner or a protein shake. That’s it. Nothing fancy. It works.

Training, Food, And Taking Up Space

Lifting taught me to take up physical and mental space, to stop apologising for needing fuel. If you’re new to this, start small: get used to adding extra protein into your weekly shop and adding it to each meal. Drink more water and go to bed a little earlier. This will also help to regulate your hunger hormones. Then you can start building up. Adding in two homework outs a week on top of these small changes will really start to accelerate your energy and metabolic health

Final Thought

Your body is not a problem to solve. Feed it, lift for it, rest it, and make space for the bits of life that taste like cake. That balance is what keeps you moving forward, not perfection.