Almost every day, I hear statements like these:
“Honestly, I know all about nutrition, I watch what I eat… but I’m still struggling with belly fat and a few extra kilos.”
And I believe you might be dealing with the same thing.
You read articles, follow viral recipes, and do everything according to the rules. Your meals are made up of healthy foods.
Oats.
Fruit.
Stews.
Vegetables.
Soup.
And yes, all of that is healthy.
But is it what your body actually needs? And is it put together in a way that helps you reach your goals?
Whenever I take a closer look at food journals and dig deeper into eating habits, the story usually looks something like this:
- Breakfast: oats + banana + honey + chia seeds + flaxseeds
- Lunch: vegetable stew
- Dinner: something light or just fruit
When you look at it like that, it seems as though you’re really making an effort and paying attention to what you eat…
…but these meals contain very little protein.
So what happens throughout the day?
- You get hungry again very quickly
- Your cravings for sweets become stronger
- You have low energy levels
- Your concentration is poor during the day
- Your body struggles to build and maintain muscle mass
- Your hormones don’t function as they should
- Body fat is not being effectively burned
And then comes the most common question: why can’t I lose belly fat and why am I not losing weight?
There’s nothing wrong with stew.
And there’s certainly nothing wrong with soup.
And oatmeal isn’t the problem either.
The issue is what these meals are missing.
And also the amount of these foods when there isn’t enough protein included.
A meal that looks like a plate full of vegetables and potatoes with a slice of bread on the side will never be the same as a meal with half that amount plus a serving of meat.
The same goes for breakfast. A breakfast made with two cups of oats, a banana and various seeds is nowhere near as balanced as one with less oats and a few spoonfuls of skyr or Greek yoghurt.
Soup is great. But it’s not a complete meal.
You don’t need to cook three different meals.
You don’t need to buy foods you never eat or ingredients you wouldn’t even know where to find in the supermarket.
You simply need to know what to add to each meal.
Small changes and additions can make a huge difference:
- Add Greek yoghurt or skyr to your oats
- Add a serving of meat or fish to your lunch
- Add 2–3 eggs to breakfast – or even to lunch if you’re short on time, it really doesn’t matter!
I know you may think that “you don’t need that much protein” because you’re not a professional athlete, but the opposite is actually true.
Women aged 35+, especially those with sedentary jobs or lifestyles, often need a higher protein intake. As we age, active muscle mass naturally declines and the body becomes less efficient at absorbing protein from food.
Plus, protein isn’t only important for skeletal muscle. Without enough protein and the amino acids that make up protein:
- You won’t feel satisfied after meals
- Your body lacks the building blocks needed to produce serotonin (the feel-good hormone), which means a poorer mood
- You can’t effectively build muscle (which is exactly what most people mean when they say they want to “tone up”)
- Body transformation becomes much more difficult
…and that’s what you ultimately want.
You don’t need avocado, quinoa or anything complicated that takes time to prepare.
You don’t need exotic ingredients or complicated recipes.
If your mum or mother-in-law cooks lunch for the whole family – GREAT.
Simply add what your body needs at this stage of life.
And that’s what works long term.
Over time, the difference becomes clear between:
- I eat healthy, but I’m not getting results
- I eat simple meals, I don’t overcomplicate things, I know what I need and I get results
Yesterday, after my 6:00 a.m. workout, I ate 2 rice cakes, cream cheese, fresh cucumber and 120g of ham.
Because it was the only thing I could quickly throw into my bag.
I didn’t have time to soak oats or make an omelette.
No, it wasn’t the perfect warm meal.
But at that moment, it gave my body exactly what it needed.
Without worrying about whether fat would accumulate around my stomach.
If you recognised yourself in any of this, I simply want you to realise that you’re not doing anything “wrong”, and you don’t need to cut foods out of your diet – despite what we’ve been told for years.
It’s just that no one has ever told you that instead of taking something away, you may simply need to add something.