Photo, gorgeous phone case, (& more bejeweled pieces) are by celdeconail.
Pearl # 1
Full disclosure: There is a wrinkle to losing after 50.
Back when I was “well-insulated,” I never had dark circles under my eyes.
Ever.
My face was a blown up balloon: smooth, no wrinkles, and definitely no dark circles.
When I took off the final pounds, several stayed poofed on my face. Then menopause hit.
When that thrill ride was over, I emerged a raccoon.
I tried everything: concealers (Shape Tape and the popular Maybelline one) and a rainbow of color correctors. I even tried carefully dabbing zinc sunblock under my eyes (just to see what would happen).
Nothing happened.
And therein lies the adage women have heard for ages, “You need to pick: your fanny? Or your face?” meaning if you lose too much weight your face deflates like a balloon.
When I first caught sight of my dark circles, I was not happy and decided to gain five pounds. Still nothing. I kept the five pounds on for six months to see if anything would improve.
Nothing improved.
My Takeaway
At 67, Oprah looks fantastic. Sure, she’s a a billionaire and so forth, but partly her looks are due to not over-losing in her 60s. Keeping some weight on keeps her face filled.
In retrospect, I likely needed to gain ten to fifteen pounds, and then let them hang around forever to really impact my dark circles. But jeans, nicer clothes, undies, everything I had were in a specific size and blah, blah, blah.
Don’t make my mistake.
As you slowly lose – giving your body generous amounts of time to adjust and stabilize along the way – ditch the idea of getting down to your college or pre-baby weight. Shoot for a happy middle between your fanny and your face.
Because not only can’t we eat like when we were young, turns out we can’t lose like we’re young either. ♥
Pearl # 2
You know, “calories in, calories out?” Well, I’m no scientist, doctor or nutritionist, but I think one day they’ll arrive at the idea that there’s something to the timing of calories rather than just the amount we take in.
I’m not talking about intermittent fasting. Or maybe I partially am. I’m talking about eating the “fun” calories for breakfast, having a moderate lunch, a small snack in the afternoon and a tiny plate at dinner. By 6:30 p.m. I’m done eating for the day. (If I eat breakfast at 8:30 a.m., a 14-hour intermittent fast isn’t bad.
I started this eating plan in January and have been surprised at how chill it’s made me re: healthy eating. I haven’t been struggling with staying within my preferred one to three pound range.
I wrote more about success with this type of eating here and here. ♥
Pearl # 3
Welcome to my mind on self-sabotage where every incredibly awesome idea comes to die.
This week I had self-sabotage thoughts on a constant-loop. I wish that we could surgically remove these Eeyore thoughts. This is what I heard this week:
- “All your effort won’t do much and you’ll feel like an idiot again.”
- “You’re spending too much time on this. You’re stealing from your family!”
- “Your life is good, you’re nuts not to kick back with Netflix and chill.”
Here’s what I do with these thoughts. If they happen after 6 p.m. I remind myself not to listen to them at all. I pretend they aren’t there and grab a good book to quiet them down. If they happen during the day, I listen closely. Maybe they have a point. I give their ideas serious thought, and then implement fifty percent of what they’re pushing for. Our ultimate plan: identify self-sabotaging thoughts as the life ruining wet blankets that they are. ♥
Pearl # 4
Best Hack in the World Alert! I was late to the cell phone party, so you might already know about this hack.
I’ve never been a fitness enthusiast. The best I’ve ever done is almost three years of weekly yoga/Pilates classes, but my instructor moved. (Lamo reason for not finding new classes, I know.)
Motivating myself to use my indoor recumbent bike has been a massive fail.
But here’s what I figured out: I put the Netflix app on my phone and told myself that I can only watch a show when I’m pedaling the bike. I know!! Brilliant, right?!
I went from thirty to fifty minutes on the bike. I can’t wait for my endurance to build so that I can binge-watch. ♥
Pearl # 5
Obstacles are placed in our way to see if what we want is really worth fighting for.” – Anonymous ♥
If you’ve gotten an idea from this post to use in your own life, awesome!! Let me know what you liked, or what you’d like more of for October posts. The holidays are galloping our way, I’m betting you have questions re: maintaining or losing after 50 during the holidays.
And trust me, it’s not your imagination. Health is hard.
♥, 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. 🙂
16 Comments
Eating the; “fun” calories??? For me, that would be pastry & bread items, but I can’t eat those in the morning and expect to have energy and be alert at work. For me those fun calories are like dessert and then they help me fall asleep. I’ve been fighting with my younger aged female doctor that there might be something wrong with me if food is making me sleepy or have a sugar crash but she’s not where I am in life. I’m concerned to be pre-diabetes and apparently, she’s not; even though we’re talking about my 53 year old body and not hers. (sigh). Yes, please help me survive the holidays with mash potatoes and rolls and turkey served at both holidays in Nov. & Dec. Really enjoying your blog posts. Thank you.
Thank you Mimi!
I hear you re: doctors. You’re not alone.
I’m definitely talking holiday-eating for the next three months!
Re: dessert. I only this year managed to extinguish my nightly dessert situation. Hard to believe but it can be done.
Wendy
Wendy, it’s brave of you to share your journey with us. I admire and appreciate your insight and transparency. Blessings to you!
Wendy,
Everything in moderation. I always thought dark circles was a sign of anemia. Have you been checked for that? You may want to ask your doctor at your next physical. For several months I’ve dealt with back issues making it difficult to get back into my elliptical training routine but I use my iPad to watch my favorite shows. It’s a great way to pass the time and log a good exercise session. At one point, I was up to 90-minutes. I can’t wait to get back into the groove! Thanks for sharing your pearls. I’m visiting from Inspire Me Mondays. Have a boogietastic week, my dear!
Yes indeed. Health is hard! When I carry too much extra weight, I feel bloated and uncomfortable. If I lose too much it shows on my face straight away. It’s hard to get the balance right. Want to stay healthy without being obsessive about it. The little treats are important too .
Found this post on Senior Salon’s Inlinkz 181
You and me both: weight goes straight to my face. I’d love to be more like Christina Hendrix or Adelle. 🙂
Wendy
Your Pearl 5 made me think of my mom. She is recovering from hip replacement and now pt has her using a recumbant bike. SHe told me how boring it was! I said, are you listening to music? ( she wasnt) I use a treadmill at home and would lose it i I ran with nothing! I like your Netflix idea as it keeps you entertained too!
Enjoyed the pearls! The self-sabotage thoughts seem to come to me at night before bed!
Have a great week Wendy!
jess xx
wwwelegantlydressedandstylish.com
Great tips!
Wendy, I love the quote under pearl #5. I think I needed that reminder today. Thanks for sharing! Blessings to you!
I do appreciate your insights.
Thank you Michele!
There is genius in aiming for only 50% of what that self-sabotaging voice suggests we should do. That voice always demands the impossible!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Pearl 1 is so interesting! I never thought about how losing weight could affect under-eye bags. I have pretty dark circles beneath my eyes… so much so that somebody once asked if I had two black eyes! That’s a good point about Oprah looking good because she stayed a healthy-looking weight without losing too much too fast… a helpful tip I’ll have to keep in mind.
Thanks so much for joining my linkup!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
gracefulrags.com
Uh, Grace? I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you with two black eyes!!
I love your blog!!
W.
I wasn’t aware of dark circles under the eyes because of weight loss (I’ve never had that issue)?
Do you take a collagen supplement? It helps with the firmness and elasticity of your skin.
My kindle and my elliptical are my hack.
Great blog.
Thank you Nylse!
I’ll look into eh collagen supplement. And glad to hear others watch a screen while working out!
Wendy