It’s not just a “nice idea” to know which smart foods you love. It’s imperative to your success. Period. End of story.
Dear Thrivers,
I have heard from so many that you’re only interested in buying the Inspired Eater: the Paperback.
Fair Enough.
Like you, I much, much prefer a book in my hands.
So, I’ll be spending this weekend bringing the paperback to life (I hope). ♥
Ready?
Pearl One
- I love the frozen veggies at Costco (a giant bag labeled “Stir Fry” next to frozen strawberries and blueberries which I also grab).
- My other Costco faves: frozen dark sweet cherries (for oatmeal), all the fruit especially the red grapes that I eat with cottage cheese, Sweet Kale (in cold section behind fruit), frozen dark sweet cherries, packaged plums (also just made for eating on the run from your cold-tote).
- I also love the focaccia in roasted tomato & Parmesan (find in bread section. The chewy texture makes it so tasty. (My son even commented.)
- My other TJ faves:“Multigrain Trader Joe’s bread” that sits on the top shelf in the bread section f, I only eat half at a time, major-delish) vegan chicken (near OJ), small yogurts (also near OJ and perfect for your cold-tote), nuts, the hummus (any and all), and when I was eating sugar, the macarons (in the middle cold aisle).
- And just adding for fun: I really, really, really love my overnight oats recipe (at the very end).
Here’s my point: if we’re wanting to be lean-after-fifty, you and I cannot live our eating lives without employing serious forethought. It’s critical that we figure out which foods we most love, and carve out the time needed to drive to the right stores and shop for exactly what we want. Which is precisely why I call losing-after-fifty a part-time job because so much is required to make losing and preserving a weight loss for the long run, a reality.
Our days of living “afterthought” lives are over. (And, for those who grew up rail-thin, you likely need to mourn your old way of life before you can embrace your new normal.)
Our lives today require a deeper knowledge of ourselves (what foods we love, what motivates us, what drains us and so forth) and mondo preparation for the daily and weekly engagement with our food-on-steroids planet.
If getting to — and preserving — your preferred weight is something that matters deeply to you, plan to plan for — like — ever.
Do you have favorites at Trader Joe’s and Costco? Please share your finds with all of us in the comments below. ♥
Pearl Two
Every day of our lives we’re practicing how to flourish as women who’ve made it a part-time job of losing weight after age fifty.
We’ve learned that embedding smart eating habits is not a one-and-done type deal, but instead requires a lifelong commitment.
We know that it’s brilliant to lose weight and maintain the loss forever because it helps our hurting back so much when we’re at a lower weight.
But, we also know that it’s okay to commit to losing and preserving solely because we want our size-12 jeans to fit again. We know that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be cute and comfortable as we live our lives.
We understand that losing and maintaining for a lifetime is a process, that we’ll never “be there” because there is no “there” to get to.
Our daily practice is the only “there” we’ll find.
And so, we practice spending Sunday afternoons air frying, cooking, baking and prepping our food for the coming week. We practice going to bed with an amazing read at around 8 p.m. no matter if others laugh at us. We practice going to sleep a smidge hungry because a very light hunger is to be expected. (Note: if I’m actually hungry-hungry, I’ll eat half an apple or banana.)
There’s no destination. There’s only our practice. ♥
Pearl Three
Every month we’re working a new challenge.
The challenge in September is: journal write three paragraphs to the following words (and it’ll be a new word each week), today’s prompt:
Deep-fried Oreos.
Go! And if you’re up for it, share your response in the comments below. I’m greatly hoping you do, I can’t wait to read your thoughts! ♥
Pearl Four
Books love us and want us to be happy.
I’m in and out on the writer Bill Bryson, but when I’m “in” I’m all-in. A few years back I stayed up way too many nights reading A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson. I was one-more-paging-it into the wee hours.
In this non-fiction, the author and a friend walk the Appalachian Trail. Bryson’s buddy is a colorful character and adds plenty of drama and comic relief. Bryson didn’t attempt to hike the AT all in one go; he’d planned to hike it in chunks so that he could go home, spend time with his family and then return to the trail. Bryson details where he slept, how he ate and so forth, but he also sprinkles in absorbing history about the trail and the wildlife like black bears that call the trail home. Highly recommended, five-stars.
So, after a foray into the woods, Bryson then set off for Australia. Smitten with Nemo’s temporary home, he delivers the best of what the country has to offer in In a Sunburned Country. That said, I have these important words for you: box jellyfish, spiders the size of dinner plates (his words), and paralysis ticks. Australia might have the deadliest creatures on the planet, but Bryson also points out that Australia is known for her friendly people and gorgeous birds (pelicans, parrots and Cockatoos to name three of the 850 species). Fabulous book that you’ll remember for a lifetime. Five-starfish. ♥
Pearl Five
On self-talk. Add the word “yet” when you find yourself saying you can’t:
“I’m not there yet”
“I can’t do that yet”
“I’m not brave enough yet”
No matter what it is, you will get there. Lovely girl, you are strong.” ♥
Nicole Marie B.
I love the word “yet” because it’s a phenomenal bridge word: it helps us get that much closer to our new reality. As we cross the “yet” bridge we go from “won’t happen for me” to “it hasn’t happened yet” to “something’s shifted. It’s happening!” ♥
If this post speaks to you it would be so awesome if you’d share it with a loved one.
♥, 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.
My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks.
My five-star book list.
My Favorite Overnight Oats recipe:
Half cup oatmeal
Half cup almond milk (or you’re preferred milk)
A quarter-cup vanilla yogurt
I let the oats soak overnight and the next day add a cup of blueberries, half a chunked up apple.
Yum. Mee. ♥
