Simplify Your Life: One Food-Hack to Use Again and Again When Losing Weight After 50

Pearl One

If – like me – you have an interest in making the weight loss trek up the over fifty mountain a smidge easier I have two words for you: rotation-food.

I have a handful of “meals” that I eat almost every day. There’s my apple blueberry oatmeal bowl, my brown rice and stir fry veggies (Costco, freezer section shouldering frozen strawberries) and cereal in the mornings. I wish I could tell you that I eat a bowl of Grape Nuts, but no, the cereal is Frosted Mini-Wheats.

I also rotate in a three-bean salad two or three times during the week for the protein and I add whatever produce we have around like sliced cucumber and baby tomatoes. (In other words, I don’t need greens to make a salad.) One more food I recommend: Costco’s balsamic vinegar is seriously yum.

In the summer I add a blueberry or strawberry smoothie. And if the crops are good I eat strawberries, red grapes and watermelon all day long. I love rotation-food because it requires no thought. You might prefer more variety, but adhering with my rotation-food works in making this part-time job of ours a tad easier.

Is my eating always this clean? Not in a million years. For example, every Friday The Scarfer brings home leftover food from a work meeting. Usually he walks in with bagels (I love the cinnamon raisin ones), and a couple of times he brought home donuts. (I save mine to have in the morning with coffee.)

I want you to keep the bagels and donuts always in mind; that I’m not a perfect-eater. That said, I’m currently below my four pound weight window (because of the flu), but when I was actively losing I’d daily try to hit my “personal best.” Back then and even today, it’s all about solidifying smart habits.

If you’re struggling to stay on the Smart Eating Path, make life as easy on yourself as possible: decide what your rotation-meals will be today thereby eliminating a hundred decisions about what you’re eating throughout the coming years.

Do you already have rotation-food? If yes, I hope you’ll share in the comments below.

We all need great ideas. ♥

Pearl Two

When someone – a doctor, a friend, family – suggests that you lose weight, they don’t realize that they’re asking you to become a different person. But it’s enough for us to know: this trek we’re on is no day at the beach. We’re doing a brutally difficult thing. We’re shifting our very identity from “I’m a comfort food eater” to “I know how to deal with food-porn and I live at the weight I choose.” ♥

Pearl Three

Knee-Jerk Sequence

• Situation (something very concrete): I’m not adopting another dog for a long while.
• Thought: Life will be barren a little buddy.
• Feeling: So sad, I feel like crying.
• Action: I cry.
• Result: I just feel bad.

Chosen Sequence

• Situation (something very concrete): I’m not adopting another dog for a long while.
• Chosen Thought: I’m making the choice to not adopt another dog as long as my 12-year-old kitty is still with us.
• Feeling: Determined.
• Action: I return to spoiling Max.
• Result: Max gets the love and attention he deserves. When my last baby was still with us, Max got short-shrift from me. He got a lot of attention from my sons, but they’re off living their lives now and Max would have nobody, so I put him first. And it’s so cute to see him revel in the attention. ♥

Pearl Four

I usually lean towards memoir or literary fiction, but I decided to be brave and try something new and I really loved this book. Titled Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, it sucked me into the story right away. It opens with passengers on a plane, but no worries, the plane does not crash. It’s a story about women with a theme of would you want to know the date that you would die? But the story is light and friendly.

About Here One Moment, Anne Lamott said, “A riveting story so wild you don’t know how she’ll land it, and then she does, on a dime.” Did you catch Big Little Lies on the screen? So good if you need something to watch. Well, the original book was written by Moriarty. Great book-dessert for an 8 p.m. treat to keep you out of the ice cream. ♥

Pearl Five

Humans are creatures of habit. If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through it, the grit begins to grow in you.” ♥

Travis Bradberry

I have returned from the front lines of a terrible flu. There a flu out there that they think has one ten-day(ish) bout of flu and just as you’re feeling much better: another flu knocks you out.

Also, remember how I said that I’m looking for women over fifty who’re living with a scarfing husband? I realized that I wasn’t being very clear. I’d love to find women who have a partner at home who doesn’t make smart eating easy on her. The partner might keep cookies around or want a heavy dinner every evening. That kind of thing. If you’re partner isn’t onboard, I’d love to hear from you at Wendy@theInspiredEater.com.

Have a beautiful week!

♥, Wendy

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.

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I am not an expert, doctor, surgeon, nurse, dietician, or 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.