Photo and darling pumpkins by TildaLovesTeddy.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Losing weight for the long run. This time? We’re shooting for permanent results.
Pearl # 1
We’ve been told forever that a human being can lose two pounds a week safely. But we weren’t told what ultimately matters most: how do we keep the weight off for good?
From today until Thanksgiving we’re looking at nine weeks, and until Christmas it’s thirteen.
Given our culture’s two-pounds-a-week doctrine, we should be able to lose eighteen by Thanksgiving.
Eighteen pounds!! Doesn’t that sound awesome?
It does. Except it’s a snow job.
You and I are black belts at losing for something big – a wedding, a reunion, or in this case, a holiday – but as someone on the front-lines of maintenance knows two pounds a week is a lovely thought every now and then, but losing two pounds on the regular? You’ll end up gaining it back.
I lost an .8 ounces here, a pound there. I didn’t give any thought to the scale. I only focused on developing smart eating habits.
While we might be able to willpower ourselves into a large loss, we cannot willpower our way through maintenance. The only way to reduce for the long-game is in establishing rock-solid habits that we embed into our very hearts and soul.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving.
The holidays aren’t officially here for nine weeks. Let’s lose differently this year:
- Lose slowly. Meaning don’t awaken the inner “I’m dying!” voice who notices fewer calories coming aboard and sounds the alert. Let’s don’t be hard on her, she’s only trying to keep us alive. By losing slowly we’re keeping her cozy and quiet.
- Embed habits. Pick one – maybe two – habit(s) that you want to establish in your smart eating life this fall. For example, you might want to establish the habit of no eating after 6:30 p.m. Or that you’ll eat a veggie at every meal (mine).
- Increase your ability to be patient (i.e. chill). Are you and patience on good terms? The most patient among us are the victors. When our “it’s taking too long” voice invariably shows up: have a thought in mind to whip out like: hey, a college degree takes four years. Or: a baby takes nine months. Or even: I’m strengthening my patience-muscle — it’s way too wet-noodle-ish.
- My favorite way of beefing up my patience-muscle, is singing in my mind Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” The song nails it, you can stand me up to the gates of hell, but I won’t back down. ♥
Pearl # 2
Success-stack. Big or little, it doesn’t matter. Your success-memory just has to mean something wonderful to you. Maybe you scored the highest on the Pilates certification. Or you’re happy that you organized the cupboard under the sink after years of neglect.
Stack your five happiest successes and write them down where you can see them DAILY.
Most of us are champions at remembering the negative, but terrible at keeping the positive at the forefront.
Don’t be “most.” Be unique. Be proud of your successes. Own what you’ve brought to life. I homeschooled my two from Kindergarten through high school. And they’re crushing college. Dang right I’m proud.
Now you. ♥
Pearl # 3
Tracker vs. journal-writing. We have some lovely new readers to The Inspired Eater so I thought a quick primer on the difference between journal-writing and tracking would be helpful.
Tracking — Find a pretty notebook and a great pen, and install both in their home: the counter immediately next to the fridge. I’ve tracked my food since the late 90s. Studies shows that the most successful maintainers made tracking a solid habit. You want the habit to be like brushing your teeth.
Journal-writing — Whether done in a beautiful spiral notebook or on your computer (I love OneNote), make a habit of writing daily in your journal. I give regular prompts in these posts (prompts that I use on my own daily difficulties). There’s something magical about writing about various parts of our lives. And while I don’t literally believe in magic, I do believe that something unusual happens when we put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). You’ll learn so much about yourself as you evolve into “the upgraded you” who lives a smart eating lifestyle. ♥
Pearl # 4
Welcome to My Week of Self-Sabotage. The mean little voice that bugs me daily is such a sweetheart. This is what I heard this week:
- You can barely keep the kitchen clean, why do you think you can (enter your own project here) and maintain the momentum?”
- You might call it ‘late blooming,’ I say never blooming.
- You know how this works: the more committed you are, the harder you’ll fall.
My self-sabotage voice is so much fun. Muzzling her is a muscle that only gets stronger with use. When your self-sabotage voice shows up say to her:
- I hear you, now go to the back of the line.
- Your thought is noted, but your skills aren’t needed on this project.
- You might be along for the ride, but you will stay quiet in the backseat.
Learning how to identify and ignore your self-sabotage voice is a superpower. ♥
Pearl # 5
“The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime.”
Croft M. Pentz ♥
If you found this post helpful, I hope you’ll share with a friend or family member.
Health is hard, no doubt about it, but we can do hard things.
♥, Wendy
P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!
You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.
I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥
27 Comments
I love your messages to your self-sabotage voice.
Thank you Lauren!
Just discovered your blog Wendy, great messages! I couldn’t agree more, look after yourself, look good/feel good and you’re far more likely to succeed. People usually talk about losing weight for the Summer but I find the opposite – wearing loose pants and too many ice creams through the warmer months means I’ve gained half a stone. But that’s OK because it’s do-able once I put my mind to proper meals again. I don’t let it get out of hand and it makes me feel good that I’m on it!
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
I agree that the other seasons are harder than summer. Going back to jeans in the fall used to be a real of worry of mine.
I’ll check out your blog!
Thanks for sharing at My Big Fat Menopausal Life’s Share the Wealth Party! Have a great week.
Thank you back!
So many fantastic pearls here. And they can be applied to more than weight loss!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Yes, everything totally applies to all issues.
W.
Some fantastic tips to help during hectic times x #pocolo
Thank you Sam!
Another useful post. I do like to build up good eating habits one at a time. This week I need to concentrate on drinking more this week as I’ve fallen out of the habit recently. Thank you for the self-sabotage tips too. xxx #Blogtober2021
You’re not alone. Food is the substance of choice for so many of us.
W.
Great tips! And I love the featured photo so much! Those colors on tiny pumpkins are more than beautiful!
Aren’t they amazing?
W.
Your posts make me smile. I love your thought process and practical advice. Thanks for linking up this week. #HomeMattersParty
Your posts make me smile. I love your no nonsense advice for our daily challenges. Thanks for linking up this week. #HomeMattersParty
Thank you Donna!
This is so useful!
Thank you! Very appreciated!
W.
I won’t back down – great tune, and a great mantra – thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo
You said it! If Twitter is right, today is Tom Petty’s birthday (10-20).
Thanks for commenting!
W.
Tracking my food and activity is the key for me and discovering I have spare calories to eat doesn’t make me have something extra, but I will make sure I eat more fruit if I see I haven’t had my 5 a day. Thanks for linking up with #pocolo
Smart!
Thank you for #pocolo. Readers from across the pond is super cool!
W.
This is really helpful. With the holidays around the corner, we’re going to be inundated with so much tempting food. I like the way you share real, actionable steps to tending to your weight.
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
A billion thank yous for featuring my little pumpkin post!
And I totally agree with you re: holidays.
W.
I definitely try to keep the motto “slow and steady” when thinking about weight loss. I’d much rather drop pounds slowly and keep them off!
You said it. 🙂
Wendy