Hello lovely subscribers and apologies for the looooong hiatus since my last post! Notwithstanding the fact that we’ve had a pandemic to contend with, there are some other very good reasons for my lack of blog productivity, I promise!!!
When you originally subscribed to this blog it was called StealthHealth, the idea being that eating well, keeping healthy and managing our weight in midlife is something that needs to weave seamlessly through our lives – not something we want to expend a huge amount of mental and physical energy on. A backdrop to our day if you will, rather than the main event.
My mission is still absolutely the same, a sensible, evidence-based approach to optimum health in midlife. However, since I launched the blog, and indeed since writing my first book The Midlife Kitchen, the conversations I was having with fellow midlifers (in real life as well as on social media) was increasingly focused on midlife weight gain. So many people were telling me that ‘hitting the middle’ was taking its toll on their waistlines, despite their best efforts to eat well and stay active.
Something was going on and I wanted to get to the bottom of it!
So, I started researching … is there really such a thing as middle-aged spread or are we just eating too much cheese (of course, that could just be me ;-)? What about hormones? Sleep? Stress? And where do exercise and alcohol fit into the picture? What the heck is going on in these midlife bodies of ours and how does this affect our weight and health?
After a few weeks of digging around I knew I was on to something. A quick book proposal later and my tenacious agent Antony somehow landed me a book deal just as lockdown began. I was delighted of course, but there was just one problem, the publisher wanted the 60,000 word manuscript with 80+ recipes completed in 10 weeks.
Fortunately lockdown was the perfect excuse to shut myself away and write for 8 hours a day, my husband was immersed in work (trying to save our ailing travel business - still on-going!), the kids were on-line schooling (at 13 and 18 they didn’t need my supervision, thank goodness!) and as I had to cook three meals a day anyway I might as well be testing recipes!
And did I deliver on time? Of course I did (just).
I’m so proud to announce that The Midlife Method: how to lose weight and feel great after 40 will be published by Headline Home on the 31st December. Here’s the blurb:
In The Midlife Method, food and lifestyle writer Sam Rice explores why it is so much harder to lose weight as we get older and what we can do about it. Rather than focusing exclusively on restricted eating, as so many diets do, Sam guides us through her 'method' for midlife weight loss based on extensive research into the specific physiological changes that occur in our middle years. She answers the questions that she herself asked when, in her forties, the weight suddenly started accumulating around the middle:
* Why is this happening to me?
* What am I eating that isn't helping?
* What foods should I be eating more of?
* How do calories fit into the equation?
* How much and what kinds of exercise are most beneficial?
* What other lifestyle changes do I need to make?
Including more than 80 delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch and family-friendly dinners, along with an easy 4-week meal plan, The Midlife Method shows how combining Light Days (active calorie restriction via calorie-controlled recipes) and Regular Days (focused on eating well-balanced, nutrient-dense food) can bring about healthy and sustainable weight loss.
But we don't just want to lose weight as we get older, we want to feel great too, that is where ‘The Midlife Method Healthy Habits’ come in. Learn how to exercise optimally, get a better night's sleep, manage stress and enjoy alcohol as part of a healthier lifestyle. If you feel stuck in a midlife weight rut then this is the book for you.
And so, I’ve decided to change the name of my blog to ‘the midlife method’ to tie in with the book’s release, but nothing has really changed. It’s still a place to get great, healthy recipes and to read my thoughts on the health issues that affect us in midlife. I’ve also added a forum area for group discussion – it could be about food/weight/health but I hope we can chat about all the things that affect us in midlife. Please sign up and join the conversation.
I’m very happy to be back in the saddle once again, and – virus chaos permitting – I will be blogging regularly and sharing with you all the exciting book promo stuff in the run up to publication date. I do have a little favour to ask, if you like the sound of the book and you enjoy reading my posts please support me by pre-ordering a copy. It’s available at all the usual online places - Amazon have a pre-order guarantee which means that you will pay whatever the lowest advertised price has been up to the day of dispatch (currently £11.99 in the UK).
Here are the links:
International : www.bookdepository.com/Midlife-Method-Sam-Rice/9781472278937
I’m so happy to be reconnecting with you all again and as ever, if you have any questions, feedback or would just like to say hi then please do get in touch.