Pearl One
A dear friend and I did a “girlfriend’s cruise” together. Over lunch one day, she asked what I thought about intuitive eating, and in a flash I realized that I’d been intuitively eating all week on the cruise ship.
At hearing her question, it got me thinking about the various weight loss methods that I’ve been asked about over the last three years.
Take a look.
Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is a very cerebral approach to weight loss, only to be considered after you’ve preserved (maintained) your loss for fifteen years.
No, I’m not kidding.
It’s like we need to crawl before we can walk.
When we’re attempting to eat intuitively, we’re told to “listen to our stomach’s needs”, to “honor our health” and “discover the satisfaction factor.”
Honor our health?! What does that even mean?
I never fooled with intuitive eating until I lost the fifty-five pounds and preserved the loss for 18 years. I probably went overboard and could have give IE a chance at year-15.
In the years before? No way. (It was just a beautiful idea that did not produce hard-core results.)
Look at it this way, pretend we’re in third grade and intuitive eating is in a PhD program.
Intermittent Fasting
Others have asked what I think about intermittent fasting (IF). Initially I was interested in the concept of IF, but several red flags soon popped up for me.
One, I know that I’m outside of the norm, but I don’t think that choosing the open window (time-wise) of eating is a good idea. In my experience, the best plan is to eat a large breakfast, moderate lunch, a snack in the afternoon, and a tiny dinner at 6 p.m. (Decreasing evening eating is a heavy-lifter in our toolbox.)
And two, when we’re told that “we can eat whatever we want,” it means that we’re not establishing smart eating habits along the way that will create a forever-loss.
Overeaters Anonymous
Then we come to Overeaters Anonymous (OA). A reader asked me about OA and I told her, “I’ve never used OA myself, but I know women who speak very highly of their program.”
Why I didn’t use OA back in the day? I have no idea. A lost opportunity for sure. (I was young and likely too mortified to talk about my eating habits in public.)
If you know much about Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, OA provides a similar support-approach. There’s no charge and they’re not commercial. OA is 100-percent about working with those of us who don’t engage well with food.
It’s my belief that pairing OA and the Inspired Eater will produce astonishing results in your life. ♥
Pearl Two
I know.
It’s hard.
You’ll get no argument from me. Losing weight at our age is no picnic. And maintaining in December? Surprise! Not as easy as you might think either.
But amazing news: you and I can do hard things.
I repeated this gem of a saying to myself over and over when I was dealing with – like most of us — the hospital and some really invasive (rude) tests.
Because of these five little – but powerful – words I maintained my dignity when life was stuck in extra-hard mode.
I. Can. Do. Hard. Things. Use liberally throughout December. ♥
Pearl Three
In pearl three we closely examine Atomic Habits.
James Clear tell us in Atomic Habits, “The problem is not slipping up; the problem is thinking that if you cannot do something perfectly, then you shouldn’t do it at all…”
Ohmygosh, this quote is so me. Before I’d had my aha moment (late 90s), I was either starving (thinking that was how to lose weight) or eating everything that wasn’t nailed down.
I thought being really hungry was just part of losing weight. I assumed that thin people were just better at dealing with their hunger. And I know I thought that I was the only person on the planet who misused food. Seriously.
Where do you fall? Do you “all or nothing” it?
Because one of the biggest mindshifts you can make is allowing room for error or “slips.”
Shifting from “all or nothing” to “I’m only human and I’m learning as I go” will determine your ability to create a forever-loss for yourself.
We’re not in school anymore. The food we eat will not be graded. If we make a mistake and overdo it, the teacher will not talk to our parents, and chowing the cookies will not be on our permanent record. ♥
Pearl Four
I don’t know why I even picked this memoir up in the first place, but I’m so thankful that I did. It’s essentially a modern day’s hero’s journey.
I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart. Maybe he’s your favorite or, like me, maybe you don’t know who Kevin Hart is (“Wasn’t he in Jumanji?).
In this memoir, Hart is our hero who battles very difficult people at every turn and prevails in the end. While technically a memoir, this is really a motivational-map for success.
How did a kid “from the wrong side of the tracks” become one of the highest paid comedians in the world?! Hart details his life from being an unwanted pregnancy to the death of his mom and a lot more.
Trust me, this is a don’t-miss. If life is extra-hard at the moment this book will keep you going.
Six stars out of five. ♥
Pearl Five
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” ♥
Marcus Aurelius
It’s a short week (in the U.S.), so then why do these holiday weeks always seem so long?!
I’m putting together a book list for holiday gift-giving, stay tuned. It’ll be in this format, “For the baseball lover in your life.”
See you on Tuesday!!
.♥, 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. ♥
