What You Need to Know About the Stages of Losing Weight

Hi Thrivers!

The time-change hit me harder this year. My sleep schedule is way off.

Let’s go:

Pearl One

At this moment, there are four different kinds of ice cream in our freezer.

You see my problem.

Back when I ate right along with my scarfer – and ballooned to my highest weight because of it – I had to put serious planning into how to coexist with someone who eats like a fifth grader.

I often think about Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s grief scale.

You can use her scale on large sweeping topics like overeating:

Denial

It’s fine to eat two chocolate croissants. There’s no problem. Everything will work out in the end.

Anger

I was angry with him for not being willing to change his scarfer-ways.

Bargaining

I tried to talk my scarfer into joining me on the smart eating plan If we were both into smart eating our kitchen wouldn’t be full of junk-food.

Depression

I’m fat and ugly and I cannot seem to make living with him and his food habits work for me.

Acceptance

Acceptance isn’t about liking the reality; it’s about coming to terms with what-is. Its when you realize that he’s committed to the scarfer lifestyle and isn’t going to change any time soon.

I understand that as I go further into the smart eating world, my scarfer won’t be joining me. In fact, he’ll always have junk-food at the house. That’s just how it rolls.

Or you can use her scale on just one food item like ice cream.

Denial: I don’t each too much ice cream. Just a little at night. It’s all good.

Anger: WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! Every morning, I wake up disgusted with myself because I overate ice cream last night. Ugh.

Bargaining: I overeat ice cream, but I work out like a wild-woman!!

Acceptance: It’s a high fat, high calorie, high sugar food. Most importantly, ice cream is at the very top on the “soothing” scale. Ice cream is a comfort-food. Nevertheless, I need to figure out how I’ll manage when my scarfer brings ice cream home.

In the beginning I asked my scarfer to buy flavors I didn’t like. And also asked him to put the ice cream on the bottom shelf – in our freezer, it’s kind of dark and I don’t tend to bend down low – maybe wrapped in a brown bag or something like it.

Some women ask their husband to keep the ice cream out of the house, and eat it on his own time.

Eighteen years into the maintenance/preservation stage, I still ask my scarfer to keep it as out of sight as possible.

But I can still be lured so even now, I insist that the ice cream stay at the bottom of the freezer towards the back! Wrapped in a brown paper bag. ♥

Pearl Two

Speaking of ice cream, in the last few days I’ve struggled with, “oh, a bowl of ice cream sounds good right now.” (Say it in a whiny tone to really immerse yourself in my experience.)

In response to finding that I was looking long and hard at the freezer door, (yes, it happens). I realized that I needed a new reframe asap. One day it just magically appeared. I know where milk comes from, but when I said to myself that milk and all milk-products – ahem, ice cream? – are meant to fatten baby cows, now you’ve got my attention.

I love baby cows. I just don’t want to look like one.

Been using it all week: works like a charm. ♥

Pearl Three

The upkeep on this 59-year-old body is getting kind of pricey. Either that or I’m falling apart faster than everyone else. Yesterday I went to an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor), but before they’d do my audio test, they had to first clean out my ears. Which sounds gross, but apparently everyone needs their ears cleaned.

It was scary when the doctor started sticking things into my ear, but happily no pain. So, guess who needs hearing aids? No surprise there, my hearing has nosedived over the last two years. I’m so tired of saying, “excuse me, can you repeat?” all of the time.

I have to keep reminding myself, “We are not our bodies. We have a body” and we need to take care of her.   

As you go forward remember: never starve your body. Don’t call yourself mean names. And don’t put off the important health appointments (she writes as she puts off her mammogram and colonoscopy.). ♥

Pearl Four

All the Broken Places by John Boyne (love this author) details the lives of a mother and older daughter, Gretel, fleeing Germany immediately after WW2 ended.

The high-ranking SS husband/father has already been hanged.

In the beginning, we meet Gretel at the age of 91 living in a tony end of London in current times. In a parallel story we see a young Gretel who at aged 20 is trying to come to terms with feeling complicit in the war crimes. While her mother seems to have learned nothing, Gretel was waking up to the horror that, was their lives.

This is the same author who wrote, Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Perfect book-dessert. This is an amazing writer not to be missed. ♥

Pearl Five

“The most common approach is very seldom the most effective and most efficient.” Tim Ferriss

I’m trying a new way to make a salad that you can eat from all week long, no leafy greens involved. I’ll share next week!

If you missed last week’s post it’s right here. And I’d love a follow on Instagram and Facebook.

♥, 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!

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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. ♥