The Power of an Epiphany & How a 73-Year-Old Slayed 30 lbs.

Beautiful wreath at Notable Wreaths.

Dear Thrivers,

Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you read the Aunt Bea post (you’ll find her to the right under my short bio). After you enter your email address, Aunt Bea will be sent to your inbox. If it didn’t arrive, 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! ♥

Onto our Friday pearls!

Pearl One

The importance of an epiphany: ‘Something has fundamentally shifted and we’ll never be the same again.’ For so many of us, our epiphany re: weight loss came when we saw a picture of ourselves at a heavier weight than we preferred.

But an epiphany can be small like when I finally understood that I had to wear protective earphones when my son plays piano loudly; or huge, as in: it occurred to a friend at a gut level that she’d never get her dream job without a higher degree (her words).

I see our lives bursting in epiphany-wisdom in various layers throughout the years; one year we may get it that eating pizza regularly will forever clash with our health goals. While another year we might understand that cheese itself isn’t helpful to our smart eating lifestyle (which is why I call cheese a spice).

An epiphany takes time to bake in the oven. It can’t be rushed. We won’t have five in a week or even in a month. Sometimes they appear at the weirdest times (while cleaning the shower) or in wondrous moments (when beholding a rainbow).

Make room for the epiphany in your life. And the moment it descends write that beauty down because some things are too wonderful to leave to our over-50 memory. (Well, I’m just saying.) ♥

Pearl Two

First, a note about ‘success stories.’ While the thriver’s story today is about losing a significant amount of weight, I want you to know that success is also about creating a strong new habit (or dumping an old one), speaking up when ordering in restaurants, or sharing a new ‘aha’ in your life.

This Success Pearl comes from B. —

I’m 73 years old and want to remain thin, active, and healthy! I never want to ‘Go on A Diet’ again.

As a child: Mom was a good Southern/country cook and I was never a picky eater — but we ran and played and didn’t gain weight. As an adult I began to gain. My husband and I were child-free, and we indulged ourselves. The kids came later, but the habits were established.

This time I lost 30. Twice before I lost 50 lbs. (and gained all or most of it back). Every time I’ve been successful, I counted calories.

The hardest part was getting off-track at holidays and family gatherings, beating myself up and then giving up! I was so disheartened at losing seven then gaining it back over and over again.

The Inspired Eater gave me my new mantra: It’s a lifestyle! I have an eating plan, make sure I have healthful snacks in the house and write down every bite. 

This time I made a New Year’s resolution — unusual for me. I resolved to Just Count Calories and not fret about the weight. I made it my mantra and it was freeing for some reason. I guess it was the beginning of a lifestyle change.

My thoughts for others would be: buy yourself a steno pad. Plan what you’re going to eat. Write down every bite. Don’t con yourself. Don’t beat yourself up! 

I wish I had known that Dieting Means Temporary Weight Loss. 

My BMI is now 23, I’m at my lowest known adult weight and never imagined that I could be so. In fact, my weight is still inching down. 

I’m a licensed childcare provider. I cook good food for my little ones. My best habit is eating what I planned to eat. The negative habit I got rid of was overindulging in the foods I prepare for them and finishing off the leftovers.

I’m surprised that I have been this successful without a lot of self-deprivation or self-pity.

Another mantra: I am not a garbage disposal and I will never go on a diet again.

Well done, B.! It would be wonderful to catch up with you in six months! ♥

Pearl Three

Let’s live differently and capture it with a cool journal writing prompt. So much wisdom comes from writing about our challenges versus just pondering them. I write in my journal about something bugging me almost every day.

Don’t deny yourself this powerful method of discovery.

Ask yourself the following:

What lifestyle would I design for a dear friend who had an ultimate plan like mine (e.g. developing smart eating habits)? Get super specific and write about how an average day would go.

What would I want her to know?

What three things could she do that would make a huge difference?

What are three inescapable facts you know she’ll need to understand?

What would you tell her about the challenges that’ll come her way and what do you tell her about handling them?

If what she’s shooting for is difficult, what do you tell her about hard times and ‘staying the course’?

Now apply the answers to your own life and keep this wisdom where you’ll see it daily. ♥

Pearl Four

Food Alert! Five thumbs up on the yum-o-meter! I’ve written about these tasty guys before, but I “found” them again at Costco (meaning I’d forgotten) and want to share them with you (in case you’ve forgotten too).

They’re called Spinach Egg White frittatas and you get 20 in a box for around $14 (yes, they’re pricey). The words “egg whites” kind of freaks me out a little – not a huge fan – but these mini-frittatas are truly tasty. You’ll find them in Costco’s frozen section generally to your right as you enter the store; also near the bagged frozen fruit. (Calories for one single frittata: 70, fat: 4 grams, fiber: 1 gram, protein: five grams, sugar: one gram.)

The taste is great and the convenience just as awesome because we can nuke for a minute and be out the door with something delicious in our cold-tote. ♥

Pearl Five

Everything gets easier when you stop expecting it to be easy.” – Tim Grover ♥

With the three-day weekend upon us, design each day so that Tuesday-morning ‘you’ will awaken very pleased.

Shoot me an email if you’d like to be a success story. Oh, come on, brag a little! It’ll help the rest of us. Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com

See you on Tuesday!

♥, Wendy