Christie McGee, 50, has always loved fitness but didn’t pay close attention to nutrition until a couple of years ago. Following a period of rapid weight gain in her forties while pursuing graduate studies, McGee became motivated to make lifestyle changes.
“I was exhausted all the time. I didn’t feel well or sleep well, and I couldn’t fit into my clothes. I just wasn’t happy. And the fear of getting older and the risk of chronic diseases terrified me,” she says. “I didn’t want to get to my 70s and not be able to walk up the stairs without getting winded.”
She was routinely working out and didn’t understand why she was gaining weight, so she dove into research, reading more than a dozen books about nutrition. She quickly realized she needed to adjust her eating habits.
McGee replaced processed and fast foods with home-cooked meals made from whole foods like animal protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains.
She began tracking her macro intake to ensure she consumed the right amount of carbs, protein, and fat for her body as it transitioned through menopause.
“It’s all about balance,” McGee says. “People think you have to be so restrictive, but you don’t. You just have to be conscious.”
As people age, the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, or dementia, can increase. McGee says her research indicated a potential correlation between what people eat and how they take care of their bodies, which motivated her even more to make changes.
“Food and exercise truly are medicine,” McGee says. “As a nurse, I’ve seen people get older and not change their habits. They end up having heart attacks or strokes or all these health problems that compound.”
McGee has lost about 75 pounds since she changed her habits three years ago. Her cholesterol and blood pressure have also lowered to healthier levels.
“I feel amazing,” McGee says. “I completely transformed my body, and it was all just hard work, motivation, and eating the right things.”
McGee also revamped her fitness routine. She replaced her intense daily cardio workouts with walks and now runs and cycles a couple of times a week. Coupling that with strength training four times a week has been the key to recompositioning her body.
“That’s been monumental,” she says. “I never thought I could have muscle definition at my age, and I probably have more now than I did in my twenties. It just comes down to eating protein and doing the weights.”
McGee now wants to share her journey with others through nutrition counseling and is working toward earning a certification in nutrition coaching. She is especially eager to assist women during their menopausal years. She didn’t think it was possible to lose weight during menopause, but she proved to herself that it was a misconception.
“I just want women to realize that it can be done, and it can actually be easier to do once you’ve raised your kids,” McGee says. “So many women my age feel stuck with their menopausal belly or like they can’t build muscle. You can. You just have to eat the right food.”
McGee says it doesn’t require anything drastic to see and feel results — just small changes to diet and movement.
“I want people to know that you don’t have to give up in your forties and fifties,” McGee says. “It can actually just be a rebirth.”
By Maya Smith
Photo by Tindall Stephens
