Let’s Have a ‘Hot Geriatric Mom’ Summer, Mamas!
Oh… ‘hot girl summers’ and ‘living our best lives’…
All of that takes on a whole new meaning as a woman of ‘advanced maternal age’, am I right?
Even two years after having my baby, I don’t feel like my pre-IVF and pre-pregnancy self. I’m giving myself lots of grace because I know all of us mamas deserve that, and more!
During postpartum, I had pre-eclampsia; which was okay. It felt like it went away a few weeks after Annabelle was born, and it did; but I still had swelling in my legs at times.
One night while I was scrolling Pinterest, I came across an article about lymph-node drainage and how important it is for new Moms to do; especially for women who have had a c-section.
This is because some of our key lymph nodes are located in our pelvic region; and are sliced through during the surgery. (Yikes, I know!)
A clogged lymphatic system due to c-section incisions can lead to water retention… aka super cute swelling like the kind I was experiencing.
On top of postpartum things like a backed-up lymphatic system, some of us ‘geriatric mamas’ find it hard to get and keep the baby-weight off due to the natural decline in metabolism that comes with our ‘advanced maternal age’.
All of this plus many other fun and ‘geriatric’ things can put an interesting spin on having ourselves a ‘hot mom Summer.’
…But I still want to have them! I want to feel like the best version of myself at the beach with my miracle baby girl this Summer!
So, I put together this list of things we can all do to have our ‘hot geriatric mom Summer’!
Let’s get into it…
1. If you think you’re retaining water, go get yourself a lymphatic drainage massage! At the very least, you’re treating yourself to a great massage, and there’s no downside to that!
This experience has been life changing for me! A Massage Therapist will be able to tell you how your lymphatic system is doing, if there’s a blockage and where it’s happening, all while you’re getting a relaxing massage.
They’ll also be able to give you healthy, at home solutions like: drinking ginger tea, skin brushing, and drinking lemon water to help keep the lymphatic system moving between your massage appointments.
2. Focus on eating lean proteins.
For losing unhealthy weight the ‘geriatric way’ my Massage Therapist also gave me some helpful eating tips.
She works with a lot of postpartum women over the age of thirty five who struggle with getting to their goal weight after having their babies.
What I’ve learned from her (and experienced first hand now), is that as we age, the intermittent fasting and cardio combination doesn’t work as well as it used to anymore.
What she says works more effectively for our age group is to focus more on eating lean proteins plus strength training. Lean proteins can mean so many things for each dietary type; so google was my resource when I was looking for plant-based options.
3. Build lean muscle to burn unhealthy fat faster.
My Massage Therapist also explained to me that building lean muscle from strength training is the most effective way to burn unhealthy body fat at my age, because our muscles need fuel and will actually eat through body fat first to sustain itself.
For efficiency and faster fat burn, she told me to focus on building the largest body muscles first; which means legs! Leg muscles are the largest muscles in the body and will burn through the most fat, so start muscle training there if you want to see fast results. Have you ever noticed that when you start doing squats consistently, the rest of your body seems to slims down a little? I know I have. Maybe she’s onto something here?
Fair warning though… It now takes my body at least five days to heal from an abrupt and intense leg workout; so slow, steady consistency will most likely save you from the agony of severe post-workout pain. A little pain feels right after a workout; but we still need to be able to walk or run in order to keep up with ‘geriatric moming’ our little ones!
4. If all the previous stuff sounds boring, just do like the French and Korean women do… and eat an exciting variety of flavors in very small portions until hunger goes away. Here’s how:
They focus on the social aspect of eating:
At meal times, women from many cultures outside of the US will spend more time talking and engaging in conversation than on consuming their food. This is because for them, mealtimes are meant to be social occasions spent with friends or family. Overall, they consume less calories than someone who’s only focused on the plate of food in front of them.
When they’re eating with other people, they enjoy the fact that they’re socializing and use that as a way of distracting themselves rather than being hyper focused on finishing all of their food. By default, they’re allowing their bodies to begin to feel full when they’ve had enough food (before they’ve already consumed so much that they feel stuffed and uncomfortable).
They only eat until their hunger goes away:
As soon as they stop feeling hungry, they put down their forks. They eat when they’re hungry and then only eat until their hunger goes away. For me personally, this is much easier said than done! But, in reality, they know that when their hunger goes away, that’s when their bodies are satisfied.
They know that eating until they hate themselves and feel like they’re going to burst isn’t healthy, so they don’t eat until that point. In many cultures, it’s simply not acceptable to feel stuffed and uncomfortable from overeating.
They’re able to spare themselves from the pain and the excess calories that go along with eating until they can’t take another bite, and they also don’t finish all the food on their plates if they’re feeling full before their plate is empty. If their meal is something they really love eating, they’ll save the leftovers to enjoy when they feel hungry again.
They eat a lot of healthy foods and they don’t drink their calories:
They eat a lot of fresh, whole foods; especially fruits, veggies and homemade watery soups. They like their coffee black, and they love drinking water! Calories are not typically consumed in their beverages because they would rather enjoy them in the form of good quality food.
They do eat lots of flavorful foods in moderation:
It’s all about portion control. We can still enjoy burgers, chocolate and other treats if we eat them in very small portions. Women from naturally thinner countries than the US know it’s not always about what they eat, but that it also comes down to how much of it they’re eating.
A lot of times, they’ll have a dinner plate with little bits of different foods so that they can enjoy lots of great flavors without over eating.
Also, since food is plentiful for most of us, they know that chocolate, pastries, potato chips and other indulgent foods will always be available.
They’re not food focused:
They have work and hobbies that they enjoy immersing themselves in, so they stay busy outside of meal times. Snacking is oftentimes considered an inconvenience. If they want a boost of energy, they do love iced americanos and shots of espresso! Can we say, “shots please?!”
They’re physically active:
They’re naturally very active because they use more public transportation which requires walking. They know it’s important to move their bodies on a daily basis and they make it a priority!
5. If you’re a Mama who needs to feel sufficiently ‘stuffed’ after a meal to be satisfied, no worries! This part is for you… You can always ‘pre-load’ before meals:
Pre-loading is a concept documented by a well-known plant-based physician and nutrition expert, named John McDougall, MD. Dr. McDougall has an effective Maximum Weight Loss Program.
Step one of his maximum weight loss program is to start each meal with a watery, non-starchy veggie soup, or an oil free salad, or some watery fruit. AKA, pre-loading.
The idea behind the pre-loading concept is that you’ll fill up on lots of low-calorie density foods before digging in to the rest of your low-calorie, high lean protein meal; which can also help you lower cholesterol levels, stabilize high blood pressure and lose unwanted weight in a healthy, nutrient dense way.
6. Before digging into snacks when you feel hunger coming on, double check to make sure it’s not thirst that you’re feeling.
I read somewhere along the way that a lot of times it’s hard for us to know the difference between feeling hungry or feeling thirsty; so if we drink a full glass of water, wait fifteen minutes, and still feel hungry, that’s when it’s time to eat. If we feel satisfied, we were most likely just thirsty.
7. Embrace flattering Summer wardrobe pieces:
Let’s lean in to imperfect Summer beauty… and go shopping! Treat yourself to some post-pregnancy and mama body Summer pieces that flatter your favorite features, so you can feel like the best version of yourself without having to put in a lot of extra effort.
(My body has changed so much since having Annabelle, so I’ve been so thankful for one-piece v-neck swimsuits and midi wrap skirts!)
A little bit of guilt-free shopping and bonding with other ‘geriatric mama’ friends by sending late night links to cute clothes, (and hilariously accurate ‘Summer mom bod’ reels), is a fun silver lining to the changes that happen to our bodies during and after pregnancy… and also during ‘sexy menopause’!
And last...
The best and last thing about having a hot ‘geriatric mama’ Summer is enjoying fun in the sun with the little humans that we waited so long to love. So, enjoy every second of it, beautiful Mama!
Here are some of my favorite flattering post-baby Summer pieces:
Firpearl Women's Tummy Control One-Piece Bathing Suit- V Neck, Hand-Braid Macrame Ruched Slimming Swimwear. (So cute! Jessica and I both have this one. Ordered it twice because I accidentally left it in a hotel room on my Birthday getaway last year.)
CUPSHE Twist Front Cutout Adjustable Straps Ruched Swimwear- I love that the details on this one draw more attention upwards than at the tummy. It’s also really cute.
CUPSHE Women's Solid Hollow Out Sleeveless V Neck Cover Up- Just about anything mid-length and cropped works for my height; and this cut is very forgiving.
Long Skirt for Women's High Waist Summer Beach Boho Tie Waist Wrap Skirts- I now live in skirts like this one on summer days at the beach, and for evenings out.
Midi Skirt for Women Summer Elastic High Waisted Side Slit- And like this one.
This article was originally posted on June 9, 2023 and was last updated by Sonia on April, 26 2024.
… And here are my additional tips for accelerated results, just in case you’re in a hurry to lose the unwanted weight for a special occasion, and then maintain with the tips above:
Additional tip #1:
Intermittent fasting for fat loss; here’s a video to explain:
Additional tip #2:
Mixing 1 tsp of psyllium husk (a fiber supplement derived from the seeds of plants) into a glass of water and drinking that a few minutes before eating a meal will help you feel full and therefore not over eat. According to EverydayHealth.com, it’s well known that fiber is important for managing both type 2 diabetes and obesity. This is the psyllium husk that Sonia I’ve been using:
Additional tip #3:
Drink green tea and/or black tea as ‘Nature’s Ozempic’. This is a reel that I’ve shared on the podcast by Maggie Hennigan who is a Fat Loss Dietician with the instagram handle: @BringingBalancedBack.
Watching videos like these are my new guilty pleasure after Annabelle goes to sleep: