Wendy – Page 2 – The Inspired Eater

No Question. Holiday-Eating is Tough. But, So Sorry Season, We’re Tougher.

December 22, 2025 4 Comments

Nurse a low cal drink on difficult occasions. Drinks just for us here.

Welcome to our new peeps! The red carpet is rolled out for you. So happy you’re here. As Tim Ferriss said, “people don’t want more information about their problems. They want solutions to their problems.”

Below in pink you’ll find five super important posts. The regular Monday post I send will make a lot more sense after you read these pink titles. And if you haven’t received your Aunt Bea copy just write in the comments below and I’ll shoot it right over.

Pearl One

Let’s talk Christmas eating! Isn’t eating so much Christmas fudge and drinking mugs of spiked egg nog what the season is all about? I mean, if we’re not overeating and over drinking can we still call it a holiday? Yes and no. If you take a taste or two of everything on the Big Day, and you’re good to go: okay, but if like me one taste triggers you into a free-for-all, you need a solid game plan.

Believe me, I’m 100% with you that keeping our smart habits in December is challenging, and often feels downright unfair. But in response to the difficulty, I’ve trained myself to think, over and over, “it’s just one day. I can make this work for one day” (and one evening if you count New Year’s Eve).

I think about my grandma being a little girl — 1912 to 1920 — when special food only appeared in her life at Christmastime. Not being of the Rockefeller-persuasion, the special food was too pricey for her to eat on the regular. But in today’s world you and I can whip up a cheesecake with ease or find one already made five miles away at the Cheesecake Factory.

In my experience, having a strong game plan is the only way to roll through the many calories coming soon to a theater near you.

What I Do

So, in building a smart game plan I take a look at what will likely be difficult meals in the days to come and I plan for every obstacle. I never allow myself to stroll into an eating experience without my trusty plan (in my head or hand bag) and here’s why: in the modern age alluring food is everywhere and I know that I will succumb if I don’t create a game plan and stick to it like glue.

I write a game plan that includes taking my cold-tote packed with smart bites with me everywhere (these bites need to be your favorites, this is no time to skimp). For new readers, smart small bites are like broccoli, a hard-boiled egg, red grapes, sliced apple and yogurt cups but, again, you must have what you most love. I also include Eat Before You Eat. (Remember your goal is to ruin your meal!) Sounds harsh but I’m being super honest: if I show up Hungry, I will plow into the mashed potatoes, candied yams, gravy and rolls with a vengeance.

Future-Me

In addition, I journal-write from future me to today-me. For example, I might write a letter from December 26-me to my current self. The letter will detail everything positive she hopes for me on the day of Christmas like getting outside for a good walk, playing board games with the kids or even helping the hostess clean up.

The idea is to stay pleasantly busy so that you don’t eat out of sheer boredom. Build activities into your game plan that are easy and fun. And don’t forget to look for the “magical moments” that quietly arrive.

Okay, write your game plan — what you most want to happen this week — and be ready to wake up with a smile the next morning.❄️

Pearl Two

Journal-Gems

Journal-writing is like a portal to our unconscious, the wisdom flows through our pen or keyboard and splashes onto the page.

While it’s not the last word on overeating, knowing yourself better will always play a pivotal role in how you engage with food.

What does Christmas mean to you?
How did Christmas food play a role when you were a child?
What Christmas food or dishes remind you of a time-past?
How does the idea of creating an eating game plan strike you?
What do you think about writing from a future-you?
Begin the letter from December 26-you or even January 1-you to today-you. ❄️

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Initial Sequence

Situation: Linda wants to drop twenty pounds but the scale won’t budge.
Initial thought: “I’m watching younger women drop pounds when needed, what is wrong with me?”
Feeling: Frustrated and angry.
Action: She diets, then overeats, then it’s back to restrictive eating. Rinse and repeat.
Results: She keeps three different clothes sizes in her closet because she knows the scale will go up and down. Nothing new.

Chosen Sequence

Situation: Linda wants to drop twenty pounds but the scale won’t budge.
Chosen thought: “Losing weight would be fabulous, but I’m working to develop the habits of one, eating smart food and two, eating in a smart portion size.”
Feeling: Determined, strong.
Action: Linda develops the habit of eating a light dinner and going to bed early with an awesome book.
Result: As Linda slowly establishes new habits, she begins to shift how she engages with food. Over time she donates old clothes in different sizes to the thrift store. ❄️

Pearl Four

I’m so happy to bring you a great book recommendation — a book that, at first blush, sounds boring, but absolutely isn’t. The author, Susan Orlean, wrote The Library Book, and she can tell one heck of a nonfiction story.

On April 29, 1986, the Los Angeles Central Library caught fire in what became the largest library blaze in U.S. history. Over seven hours, about 400,000 books were incinerated, and another 700,000 were damaged by smoke and water; more than 1.1 million items lost or damaged in a single night.

To this day, the cause of the fire remains a mystery.

Sounds boring, but is not in the least. Great book dessert! ❄️

Pearl Five

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.”❄️
James Clear

If you like this post, I’d love if you’d share it with others. I can buy ad space, but word-of-mouth is always the gold standard. And thank you.

Merry Christmas and 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.

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 given that computers can be so difficult, always feel free to ask in the comments below for Aunt Bea and I’ll get her right to you!

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.

In December + Holiday Eating

Miracles are Down to Smart Mind Shifts (aka Believing in Ourselves)

December 15, 2025 2 Comments

Welcome to our new peeps! The red carpet is rolled out for you. So happy you’re here. As Tim Ferriss said, “people don’t want more information about their problems. They want solutions to their problems.”

Below in pink you’ll find five super important posts. The regular Monday post I send will make a lot more sense after you read these pink titles. And if you haven’t received your Aunt Bea copy just write in the comments below and I’ll shoot it right over.

Pearl One

Are you okay with being different? I sure wasn’t. We moved enough when I was young, and I was terrible at being the new girl in class. Breaking into cliques wasn’t my forte, so I’ve found myself with a lifelong feeling of wanting to blend in.

But the way I see it, you and I are the first generation of women over 50 who are taking our food-porn culture by the scruff and telling it, “You’ve done enough damage, we’re taking back our health one smart, ingrained habit at a time.”

Thing is, it’s important to make peace with being different.

Different is telling an eating-buddy that you can’t meet her anymore at the cute bakery because you know you’ll overeat the “muffins” (really cupcakes minus the frosting) in the glass case.
Different is putting your foot down when someone tries to schedule an activity during the day and time you’ve set aside for your Pilates class.
Different is asking the server “too many” questions about the ingredients in the food at the restaurant and getting the side-eye from your partner.

I’ll say it again: we are the first generation of over 50s who can – and are – taking ownership of our health and our bodies. We determine our weight-fate, not Ben & Jerry’s.

And this requires swimming against the tide.

We can learn to navigate our culture’s gazillion calories, but it’s very unfamiliar territory. It requires entirely new food habits, new ways of eating with friends and family, and new reframes.

There’s nothing special about me. My dad never won Olympic gold. My mom was never a Rockette. My point is that I’m very average. If I can do this, you can too. ❄️

Pearl Two

Pull out your journal and get feedback from the wisdom inside of you!

In what ways has my age made weight loss more sustainable?
What patience or boundaries do I have now that I lacked before?
How has my relationship with food matured along with me?
What has my body taught me in this season of life that it couldn’t teach me when I was younger?
Which weight-loss “rules” no longer apply to me and what good can come out of letting them go?
How has my sense of worth changed with age? ❄️

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Initial Sequence

Situation: Margaret, 68, notices that her grandson’s college application essay contains five serious factual errors as he prepares to submit it.
Knee-jerk thought: “If I intervene, I might embarrass him and undermine his independence. If I stay silent, the mistakes could affect his chances of getting into the school.:
Feeling: Confused about what to do and scared of doing/saying the wrong thing.
Action: Margaret ends up staying silent. She decided to stay out of it.
Result: “Ultimately,” she thought “getting into a particular school was between her grandson and his parents.” There was nothing she could do.

Chosen Sequence

Situation: Margaret, 68, notices that her grandson’s college application essay contains five serious factual errors as he prepares to submit it.”
Chosen Thought: I may make my grandson mad, but I can’t let him send off the essay with those errors. This is the perfect time for me to make “a sandwich (say something positive, point out the mistakes, and finish up with another positive).”
Feeling: Margaret feels a sense of pride in her own abilities to handle the situation whether her grandson gets mad or appreciates the feedback. Either way, she’s feeling positive.
Action: Fixing the mistakes on his essay takes time and her grandson gets grumpy, but Margaret simply responds, “Anyone who has ever written anything has had to work on their copy.” At the end of the day she thinks that it’s about integrity to speak up in a gentle way.
Results: Margaret can feel it. Her relationship with her grandson has deepened and it means the world to her. ❄️

Pearl Four

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler features two women: one is young and raising a family, the other elderly. The story is about their friendship and is a slow-burn read, heartwarming, and emotional. Excellent book-dessert. ❄️

Pearl Five

Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe.” ❄️
— James Clear

If you’ve lost weight, December is the only month in the year to keep your weight stable (within a four-pound window). But whatever you eat, keep your habits protected and safe from the holiday buffet line.

Stabilizing — what we once called plateaus — will give your body and mind the necessary and important time to adjust to your new normal weight. Stabilizing is the magic way to overcome the body’s “set-point” theory (that bodies always return to a certain weight). Blow your own mind by keeping your focus on stabilizing.

Have a great 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.

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 given that computers can be so difficult, always feel free to ask in the comments below for Aunt Bea and I’ll get her right to you!

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.

In December + Holiday Eating

Noticing and Making the Most of the Magical Moments

December 8, 2025 No Comments

Some magical moments come dressed in a huge heart surrounded in lots of fur.

Pearl One

You know how we’ve been told, “make a daily gratitude list?” I mean, of course, it’s helpful to be grateful for all that we have: yes, I love clean drinking water, a hot shower and frozen ice cream always on hand (not). Yes, I’m grateful for the Wright Brothers, women getting the vote and Robert Redford’s parents getting busy. But when I’d try to write a list it didn’t feel somehow right for me. (I guess the idea is to make a fresh new list each morning for that particular day.)

But what does speak to me: noticing the magical moments that are woven into our lives like lunch out with a niece you rarely see due to geography; vacationing with a friend you’ve known since college, or staying engaged with the hobby you adore (like seeing Broadway shows, riding your bike for hours knowing your day is wide open or going to the garage sales every Saturday).

So, in honor of magical moments, this is my moment’s list about taking weight off after fifty and keeping it off for a lifetime. Take a look:

I’m so glad to be alive when these two humans are also alive. James Clear who wrote the best-seller Atomic Habits that gives the details on how to stage our life for ultimate success. The other human is Charles Duhigg who wrote The Power of Habit. Our moms and grandmas didn’t have this knowledge that we take for granted today. Our world now knows so much about how pivotal habits are, how to build them and how to strengthen them day by day. The way I see it, these two habit books are changing the entire weight loss/maintenance landscape.
I’m so happy to live in a time when nutrition labels are on most grocery store items. Love nutrition labels for the knowledge they bring.
I love that restaurants — from fast-food to Micheline starred restaurants – put their menu online making it a snap to plan a healthy restaurant meal in advance of dining out. (Funny, but pizza doesn’t look so alluring when you realize a slice of Mellow Mushroom’s meat pizza is 530 calories, 27 g fat, 1,370 mg sodium, and 48 g carbs. And who stops at one slice?)
I am thrilled that I had an aha-moment in Sacramento traffic in the late 90s. I resolved then and there to truly change my eating habits rather than merely lose weight for the short run. It’s a tingly feeling when you know you’re having an aha. (But that being said, I don’t think you have to hit bottom and have an aha to lose and maintain forever.)
And, yes, it was a magical moment when it dawned on me that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) specifically will make serious inroads to how we lose and maintain after fifty.
When I think of certain people that I love having in my life — like my auto repair guy — I let him know how great he is and have brought homemade cookies just to show him that the love is real. Deepen the relationship with the magical people in your life by telling them how important they are to you. (I don’t mention the fur-kids because I know you give them all the hugs and kisses.)

I’m tickled that I’m alive for all of it: the labels, the online menus, that aha moment, CBT and the magical people. Share your favorite gratitude examples or your magical moments in the comments below. ❄️

Pearl Two

Our journal-writing prompt pearl. Pull out your journal and get to know yourself better!

What small moment today made you stop and feel a spark of joy or wonder? Describe it in detail.
What ordinary object or routine in your life feels unexpectedly beautiful or comforting when you notice it closely?
Can you remember a fleeting encounter with a stranger or friend that left a lasting impression? What made it meaningful?
Which sound, smell, or sight instantly brings a sense of peace or nostalgia to you? Why do you think that is?
Describe a moment when time seemed to slow down. What were you experiencing, and how did it affect you?
When you look back at your week, what tiny, easily overlooked moment would you call magical if you paid attention?
How do acts of kindness, whether given or received, change the way you view a day or a person?
Which doctor, dentist, hair stylist or veterinarian do you cherish for what they bring to your life?
How do you deepen the magical moments?❄️

We often make life decisions based on our fur-kids and their needs

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Initial Sequence

Situation: Eleanor’s workplace moved out of state and she decided not to follow. She’s 59 and found a new job that pays less than she’d been making at her former company.
Initial thought: “This job is beneath my level of experience. Every morning when I walk in the door, I roll my eyes.”
Feeling: Irritated in general especially towards herself.
Action: Eleanor begins drinking in the evening.
Result: She grits her teeth while holding steady at her new job until she can retire.❄️

For the most part, we can’t do an immediate U-turn from an old sequence to a new one, instead we might need several bridge sequences here to take us from the initial thought to the final chosen thought. But eventually you’d be surprised how quickly you can do one!

Chosen Sequence

Situation: Eleanor’s workplace moved out of state and she decided not to follow. She’s 59 and found a new job that pays less than she’d been making at her former company.
Chosen thought: “I made the choice to not follow the company and I’m still 100 percent behind my decision. Moving would have put me further away from my adult kids. And I’m happy with my life in this town: I have friends, a veterinarian that I love, and a monthly book club that I’d really miss.”
Feeling: Eleanor feels like she has her own back and feels capable and smart for deciding to stay put.
Action: Eleanor does two things: first, she begins to look for the good in every day in her new job (and rereads her notes daily) and two, she stays open to landing a new position that is more commiserate to her skill level.
Result: Eleanor doesn’t pine for the past because she acknowledges on a daily basis why not following the company was such a strong decision for her life. She embraces all the reason’s she didn’t leave town: she gets together with friends and her kids and deepens her enjoyment of their time together. ❄️

Pearl Four

Today I have a fantastic book-dessert recommendation that will give you all the Andy Griffith feels. This book felt to me like being a fly on the wall in a Mayberry home. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns starts off a bit slow with the author spending time setting the scene and the characters.

The book is set in the south and I just happened to listen to it on audio. The longer I listened to the book the more and more impressed I was with the narrator himself. He wasn’t just good, he was off-the-charts great. So I looked him up and turns out his real name is Grover Gardner, but also works under the name “Tom Parker,” has narrated 1500 books and is considered one of the best in the business.

So today I’m not recommending a book, I’m recommending the audio version of this book. The first half of the story is somewhat slow (but pleasant to read), the second half of the book really speeds up. Highly recommended. Total book-dessert.❄️

Pearl Five

Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” ❄️
Abraham Lincoln

I love giving books as gifts and here’s what I’ve given over the last few years.

Maintaining our weight is so difficult especially during the holidays, so just “hold” your current progress and give yourself an early gift by cutting yourself some slack.

Have a great 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.

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 given that computers can be so difficult, always feel free to ask in the comments below for Aunt Bea and I’ll get her right to you!

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.

In December + Holiday Eating

8 Holiday Drink Recipes Just for Us!

December 8, 2025 17 Comments

Turns out, maintaining a 55-pound weight loss – after age 50 — isn’t as easy as you might think.

Especially at the December holidays.

I love a tasty buzz as much as the next girl, but at the same time I don’t want to drink what are essentially boozy desserts and run screaming from my scale on January one.

Thing is, years ago I lost 55 pounds (by the time I turned 42). And I have zero interest in gaining and then re-losing that weight all over again.

So, behold the alcoholic calories that I rely on every November and December.

But first, a few tips:

1) Vodka has fewer calories than any other alcohol at about 100 calories for 1.5 ounces.

2) Don’t partake of high calorie meals or drinks without first taming your appetite. In other words, Eating Before You Eat or drink is a smart idea. Sip a cup or two of Trader Joe’s hot butternut squash soup, eat an apple with a teaspoon of peanut butter, or even have a small banana. Being hungry leads to goofball food and drink choices.

3) Decide in advance to keep your drink limit to two. No matter how low the calories, these sweethearts still add up.

On with the show.

Hot Chocolate with Rum.

Don’t be scared of making your own low calorie hot chocolate drink – this is totally do-able.

8 ounces chocolate almond milk (the 30-calorie almond milk if it’s in your store).
2 teaspoons cocoa powder.
1 TBL syrup or 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder or 3-4 drops of liquid stevia.
A moderate pour of rum 1 oz (30 ml) per cup of hot chocolate. (One ounce is 1/8 of a cup)

Heat your almond milk on the stove stirring continuously (burnt milk is not fun).

Once boiled, add the cocoa powder and syrup to your hot chocolate.

Finish up with 1.5 of vodka or one ounce of rum (64 calories).

For fun, I squirt a bit of whipped cream on top and add chocolate sprinkles (because I’m five).

Santa Clausmopolitan.

Forget for a second that this is the cutest holiday drink ever, it’s also – if done right — seriously low in calories too.

Begin creating your Santa Clausmopolitan by ignoring the recipes that say to rim your glass with a lime wedge and then dip in sanding sugar.

Why? Because sugar is very high in sugar.

But if you’re looking for super-pretty rim the glass in sugar!!

The Clausmopolitan I drink throughout holiday season involves vodka, low-calorie cranberry juice (pink emphasis mine), a splash of triple sec (high in calories so a dribble is best), fresh lime juice and fresh cranberries.

Chocolate Peppermint Patty.

This tasty drink is my very own creation. Did you know that you can buy chocolate almond milk and that it’s only about 100 calories for a full cup? (Somebody upstairs loves us.) Add one ounce vodka (about 75 calories) to your chocolate almond milk, a drop or two of mint extract, and ice. Yum.

Low Calorie Eggnog.

My darling grandma – who rarely drank – always said yes to a cup of egg nog laced with bourbon. As I got older I realized that the quintessential holiday drink held about a bajillion calories per innocent-looking, festive cup.

But then – cue angels singing on high – I stumbled upon the nut-nog market that sent the high calorie egg nogs packing!

Check out these sweet little numbers:

I love the Trader Joe’s nog (in the cold section by the yogurts) with it’s insanely low 50 calories for a half cup.
The Blue Diamond Almond milk Nog is also low at 60 calories for a half cup. (I serve this one to company.)
The Silk nog’s soymilk comes in at 80 calories.
The So Delicious coconut milk holiday nog clocks in at 90 calories for a half cup.

Just add bourbon (100 cals for 1.5 ounces) and a light sprinkle of nutmeg to create a boozy holiday adult drink.

Champagne.

Many years ago I had the best glass of champagne of my life at a la-de-da resort in Southern California. Ever since I order dry champagne as my standard drink year-round that boasts just 65 calories for four ounces (think: half cup). Sweet champagne jumps to just under 100 calories for four ounces which is why I stick with dry.

Skinny-Girl Cocktails.

I should tell you right off the bat that the Skinny-Girl drinks come in rich-girl prices. I love the Skinny-Girl low calorie margaritas, Skinny-Girl also has pina coloda, mojito and several other flavors. But the good news is that other brands have gotten in on the reduced calorie drink game too (like Jose Cuervo). So shop around for the best prices in your area.

The Simple Vodka Soda.

Pick your favorite low calorie soda and add 1.5 ounces of vodka. Bada boom.

The Vodka Martini.

Vodka, vermouth (105 calories for three ounces), and lemon peel.

2 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish: lemon twist
For looks, add an olive-skewer

Mix with ice until chilled.

Hot Chocolate with Rum.

Don’t be scared of making your own low calorie hot chocolate – this is totally do-able.

8 ounces chocolate almond milk (the 30-calorie almond milk if it’s in your store).
2 teaspoons cocoa powder.
1/8 teaspoon stevia powder or 3-4 drops of liquid stevia.

Heat your almond milk on the stove stirring continuously (burnt milk is not fun).

Once boiled, add the rest of the ingredients to your hot chocolate.

Finish up with 1.5 of vodka or one ounce of rum (64 calories).

For fun, I squirt a bit of whipped cream on top and add chocolate sprinkles (because I’m five).

And my work here is done!

Have a wonderful, low-calorie December!! And remember we eat to live – we don’t live to eat (mostly anyway).

If you have an awesome boozy drink to share: clue me in today!!

♥, 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!

I’ve been asked if I could include something like Buy me a Coffee on the Inspired Eater. So if you feel up to sending a coffee, I am a devotee. You’ll find the coffee “button” to your right. And, as always, thank you so much for reading the Inspired Eater. ♥♥♥

In December + Holiday Eating

Intentional Eating Through the Holidays: How to Stay on Track When Christmas Feels Impossible

December 1, 2025 No Comments

This December eat — and drink — with intention and blow January-You away.

Hello Thrivers!

This post is from the past but updated. I love the inherent message about you and I shaping December rather than allowing December to shape us.

As I explain every holiday season, December is not the time to focus on weight loss, but it is the perfect time to “hold” your weight throughout the thirty-one days. Remember beating yourself up is the polar opposite of what creates a lifetime weight loss. (I’ve tried both ways and only one works so be sweet with yourself.)

Let’s go!

Pearl One

I live in Atlanta where it’s hot in July. My sister lives in Arizona where it also gets into the billions every summer. My grandma was in Southern California.

I call Atlanta’s heat, “humid.”
My sister calls Tucson’s heat, “dry.”
My LA-suburb grandma called the heat she lived in “muggy.”

When I tell you that it’s “blazing” or “freezing” outside, you immediately know what I mean.

Naming things makes them real and helps us talk about them with each other without calling concepts or items “the thingy.” We need to give “the thing” a real name.

Which leads to my point, we don’t have enough words for smart eating, and that needs to change.

Today, we’re talking about what I call “intentional eating.”

When I’ve strayed off the Smart Eating Path — because of course I do — and know that I’m too engaged in discovering which brand of ice cream has the best sale, one of the ways I rein myself in is with smart self-talk. I ask myself, “are you ready to get back to intentional-eating or do you want to continue going Cookie Monster on the kitchen?”

Asking myself this question is powerful because it floods my brain with everything that “intentional-eating” means to me including:

having my smart foods on hand in the kitchen
going everywhere with my cold-tote packed in smart snacks
eating an early dinner at 6 p.m. and going to bed around 8 p.m. with a delicious book-dessert
using the very effective “drip, drip, drip” method that I featured here.
creating an “intentional eating list” (I tape on inside of cupboard) that will whisk me out of the doldrums and back to the smart food that I love. At that, I remember, “this is doable, this is doable, this really is doable.”

Your Takeaway

The next time you’ve overeaten — because you and I both will — and want to get back onto the Smart Eating Path, read your intentional eating list and gently guide yourself back to where you most want to be. ♥

Pearl Two

Our journal-writing prompt pearl! Write to these questions:

Write an intentional eating list for yourself. Tape in Cupboard.
What is the hardest part of staying on the smart eating plan?
What’s the best part about smart eating?
Do I take seriously that when I’m craving some type of food-porn, my body is really crying out for smart food?
When I overeat or make an impulsive choice, how do I usually respond to myself? How can I respond to myself without judgment?
How do I talk to myself when I’m struggling with food?
What kind of self-talk would I most love to instill inside of me? ♥

Photo by Jorge Dominguez by Unsplash

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

The Initial Sequence

Situation (be concrete): When I was a kid, Mom and Dad produced lavish Christmases for the kids and there was always one huge gift (the grand finale) at the end: one year it was a puppy, another bikes.
Initial thought. “Yes, those were the days and I want to produce the same beautiful holidays for my kids!!
Feeling: Stress to get the “right” gifts and a sense of urgency to make a masterpiece holiday one for the ages (every single year).
Action: I rack my brain for gifts and end up spending money poorly.
Result: December becomes a super stressful month as I bake the “right” cookies, find gorgeous wrapping paper, get the Christmas cards in the mail, and the wreath on the door and so forth.

The Chosen Sequence

Situation (be concrete): When I was a kid, Mom and Dad produced lavish Christmases for the kids and there was always one huge gift (the grand finale) at the end: one year it was a puppy, another it was bikes.
Chosen thought: “Yes, Mom and Dad produced a beautiful Christmas, but I need to remember that they also had a strict rule: they gave gifts on birthdays or at Christmas only. Otherwise, there were never gifts (other than back-to-school items in August). There was also one giant gift at each Christmas like a puppy or a bike. Because The Scarfer and I essentially get my sons what they need/want throughout the year, I simply can’t pull off an over-the-top grand event for the holidays.
Feeling: Empathetic towards myself.
Action: I’ve come to realize that of course I can’t do lavish gifts at Christmas-time if I also give my sons items throughout the year.
Result: Happy to report that these days, my Decembers are way more chill. ♥

Photo by Natalie Grainger for Unsplash

Pearl Four

Cold outside? This read is like a mug of hot chocolate. Snuggle up with your fur-kid and Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. You might remember her as the author of The Shell Seekers. In Winter Solstice you’ll find cozy Cornwall, England, warm hearts, and family drama that makes it an ideal book-dessert for curling up and forgetting the world for a while. Plus it has a fun Christmas theme. ♥

Pearl Five

“The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will’. Consider nothing impossible then treat possibilities as probabilities.” ♥
Charles Dickens

Okay, no presure but we’re now 24 days from Christmas Day. If you’re buying for kids, check out the Lego Christmas tree and Lego Santa on his sleigh with the reindeer. I wish my kids were still at the cute Lego stage. A couple of years back I gave each of them (so they can take into their adult lives) The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Hardcover Box Set or they also have a paperback box set. Who doesn’t love loves Calvin and his tiger!

I would love a follow Instagram or Facebook

Let’s do this together: live the holidays for January-You!

♥, 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.

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 given that computers can be so difficult, always feel free to ask in the comments below for Aunt Bea and I’ll get her right to you!

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.

In November + Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Survival Guide When We’re Losing Strategically After 50

November 24, 2025 No Comments

Your assignment should you accept it.

Pearl One

I’m not shy about smart eating. I engage with this part of my life with total seriousness, but I have a little fun with it too.

When I face a group in any type of get-together, my plan is to get-to serving everyone else. In other words, staying busy and active is a huge part of how I navigate difficult holiday meals. If the party isn’t at my house, I work to help the hostess by assigning myself a job to avoid joining the “stretchy pants crowd.” Hey, the way I see it, it’s every eater for himself. If family and friends can’t resist the bounty, that’s between Thanksgiving-them and January-jeans-cutting-off-their-airway-them.

So along with staying helpful at the holidays, here’s how I roll from the U.S. Thanksgiving to January first:

In the morning of a holiday event, I create a contract with myself that identifies the Obstacles of My Day and I write specifically about how I’ll soar over each one.
As I’ve said, when my nearest and dearest collect, I feed the five million calories to everyone else while I load my own plate with the healthiest food available. Worst-case scenario I eat the nutrition-dense sweet potato casserole I brought from home. I’m never terribly hungry in the first place because I also ate out of my cold-tote on the drive over.
A cousin to staying busy during the get-together, is when I’m the hostess I bundle up the guests with beautifully packed food that wasn’t eaten at dinner (I mean, who doesn’t love Thanksgiving leftovers?).
In the past, I’ve said that attempting to lose weight in November and December is just plain being mean to ourselves and I still maintain my stance. I encourage you to use the holiday season for your highest good. Don’t push yourself to lose weight during November and December, instead maintain (I call it “holding”) through the season.

Giving ourself ample time to “hold” our weight in place is one secret sauce to nourishing our ultimate plan (a lifetime weight loss). Our mind and body need the time to acclimate to our new normal. I think one reason diets of old didn’t work is that we were always encouraged to lose in a linear fashion. Plateaus were seen as negative. Nobody realized that “holding” our weight in place for a month or more helps every part of us adjust to the new number.

As I navigate the season, I keep a strong question with me at all times. When I see the variety of pies at Thanksgiving I ask myself, “Would I rather eat pie and trigger myself into eating my way through the holidays and wake up totally annoyed with myself in January? Or would I rather stick with my smart eating plan now and forgo most of the treats – not all, but most — and be thrilled to wake up in January feeling like I slayed it?” As you know, I run with the latter.
So let’s say that you’re going to chow on Thanksgiving, end of story. Okay, to that I say “eat before you eat,” at the meal don’t overeat to the point of being stuffed, and if you’re still wanting to overdo it on the fudge get busy with everyone else: take a walk, work a puzzle, or play a new game (this is the one I bought for Thanksgiving this year. It came highly recommended by creator Tim Ferriss and is called Exploding Kittens Coyote. Don’t let the name throw you. It has nothing to do with hurting animals).

I carefully guard my strong habits all the holiday season long. Adhering to my plan of eating “smart and sane” throughout the holidays means I’ll wake up on January one feeling thankful to Thanksgiving-me who didn’t let herself get triggered into ruining our long game plan. ♥

Pearl Two

Our journal-writing prompt pearl!

What if Thanksgiving wasn’t about food, but about protecting January-you?
What tends to throw me off during a holiday meal? What can I do differently this time?
What tiny win can I commit to that will make me feel proud of myself tonight?
How will I “eat before I eat” if I’m the hostess. If I’m traveling to the big day what will I pack in my cold-tote?

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Initial Sequence

Situation (be super concrete): Diane, 52, lives solo now that her last kid graduated college.
Initial thought: “I’ve spent years dreading what is now a reality. The house is too silent and the quiet evenings seem endless.”
Feeling: She misses being needed. She misses the chaos and fun of kids.
Action: She mopes around assuming that her best years are behind her.
Result: She stops caring for her home and it clutters up quickly. When a kid is coming to visit, she has to race at maximum speed to get the house in shape first. After her adult kid is gone she gets depressed again.

Chosen Sequence

Situation (be super concrete): Diane, 62, lives solo now that her last kid graduates college.
Chosen thought: Diane tells herself that, “Being sad is a normal part of kids growing up. I’m normal and my sadness is normal. Crying at times is totally acceptable. Now is also the time to be the author of my own life and write this new chapter.”
Feeling: Supported, understood, and optimistic.
Action: She journal-writes about her greatest passions in life. She writes about her favorite things throughout the coming months.
Result: Diane gets the house in shape for the coming Christmas (when the kids are coming home). She volunteers at her favorite thrift store (benefits rescue animals), joins a Meet Up group with people her age, delivers homemade chocolate chip cookies to her town’s police and fire department (“they’re so appreciative”) and cruises solo always with a great book. ♥

Pearl Four

Books love us and want us to be happy!

This extraordinary story is a book-dessert of the highest order. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. The book chronicles a young woman’s – Immaculee’s — personal survival story during the Rwandan genocide.

After her family is killed by Hutu extremists, she hides in a small bathroom (roughly 3×4 feet) for 91 days, along with seven other women, relying on prayer and inner strength to survive.

I’m so, so glad I read Left to Tell. I love learning about a region I’d known nothing about from a person who actually lived through this (terrible) time in her country’s history.

I stayed up too late reading. Phenomenal book-dessert. ♥

Pearl Five

In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently. ♥
Tony Robbins

The holidays are roaring towards us and if you’re like me — always on the hunt for unique — affordable gift ideas — I thought you might like to see what I’ve discovered so far: I’m giving books like this Charles Dickens collection to one son and to everyone a body wash scent that matches each person’s personality from the Philosophy collection (like cinnamon buns, vanilla birthday cake and raspberry sorbet). Last year this advent calendar of little jams was a five-star hit.

Have a well planned week everyone!

♥, 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.

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 given that computers can be so difficult, always feel free to ask in the comments below for Aunt Bea and I’ll get her right to you!

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.

In November + Thanksgiving

How Taylor Swift Sets Herself Up for Success: Let’s Borrow Liberally

November 17, 2025 2 Comments

Hi Everyone!

No need to panic but we’re 38 days away from Christmas! In pearl four I list five-star amazing gifts for kids.

Shall we?

Pearl One

There was a time when my own self-talk was in the toilet and it wasn’t until a friend called herself “fat and ugly” that I realized how far my own positive self-talk had come. Prior to being in therapy and later becoming a therapist, I was once abusive internally to myself.

And yes, that’s how I think of it: we’re abusing our own self when we engage in such a hateful and demeaning way deep inside.

My friend had a weight issue that bothered her. I’d seen her get thin and go back to heavy a couple of times and I never once thought of her as “fat and ugly.” My friend is a highly educated woman and can work in a number of fields given her skills and degrees are numerous; she volunteers in cat rescue and is a fabulous mom to three engaged, curious, sweet young men.

Do you see my point? Who she really is has nothing to do with what her skin-suit looks like.

Let’s take a lesson from Taylor Swift’s playbook on positive self-talk and how she has her own back.

How Taylor Swift Slays

I know that most of us grew up in the Elvis, David Cassidy, Eagles eras, but watching the back story and rise of Taylor Swift has been nothing short of astonishing. Her politics and skimpy outfits aside, who in the world can see their life trajectory as a young girl? I mean, how did she learn to write such beautiful lyrics? And then get her parents to move to a new state?

Positive self-talk. Taylor Swift uses it in spades. Look how she cheerleads herself:

TS: Before a concert. “They’re not going to throw things at you. It’s going to be OK, it’s going to be OK.” This is what Taylor tells herself before every performance. It falls into “what’s the worst that can happen?” category.

For our purposes: we can think, “What’s the worst that can happen if I give not eating after 6 p.m. a go? I’ll try it for a week and see what happens.”

TS: “Never be ashamed of trying and failing.” Love, love, love that she espouses this wisdom often. I’ve tried various projects through the years, some worked beyond my wildest dreams (beginning with my weight loss), while others sank like a lead balloon. In the past, I’ve always felt shame when a project tanked. Taylor’s words meant the world to me.

For our purposes: if living within a certain weight-window is what you want, then never stop reaching for the gold. Weight loss and a lifetime maintenance looks very different today than in David Cassidy’s day.

TS: “You should think of your energy as if it’s expensive, as if it’s like a luxury item. Not everyone can afford it.”

For our purposes: omg, beautifully said!! Taylor is saying that your time, attention, and emotional energy are valuable and not everyone deserves unlimited access to them. Only those who treat you well, respect your boundaries, and bring something positive to your life have “enough” to buy that luxury.

This important reframe is why I say to call what we’re doing “a part-time job.” We want to do all that we can to elevate what we’re doing: losing weight and maintaining for a lifetime after age fifty. You are a valuable person. Call losing and maintaining a part-time job and give yourself the space and time to nail what really matters to you.

The voice in our head shapes our life. Choose kind, encouraging words every day. We’re not just thinking differently, we’re building resilience, and confidence from the inside out. Start small, stay relentless in your pursuit, and watch how positive self-talk can transform your inner landscape. ♥

Pearl Two

Writing prompts for our journal! If the below is too much, pick your three favorite questions. The last thing you want is to feel like you have homework.

Write about a moment recently when you felt proud of your body, what made that moment feel special?
Describe your body as if it were a trusted friend. What would it say to you about your worth and strength?
List five ways you show kindness or respect to yourself that have nothing to do with weight.
Reflect on a non-scale win this week. What does the win tell you about yourself?
Write about a limiting belief you’ve held about your body or age and how you can reframe it positively.
Imagine your life if you fully treated yourself like a valuable person no matter your weight. What would change in your habits or self-talk?
Write about you in five years from today. What will your life look like? What can you do today to make the five-years-away you that much happier.
Make a “self-value inventory” listing qualities, strengths, and achievements that prove your worth beyond your body. ♥

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Knee-Jerk Sequence

Situation (be super concrete): Tara, 67, lost forty-five pounds two years ago. Now she’s up ten pounds.
Initial thought: “My old habits are creeping back. How do I stay motivated when the excitement of ‘losing’ is gone?”
Feeling: Tara feels scared that she’s heading for a full regain. She’s tired of dieting forever, but she also doesn’t want to lose the body she worked so hard for.
Action: In irritation she resolves to “do better.” She throws every food item out of the kitchen that could possibly cause trouble. Then she signs up for the pricey Pilates studio that just opened.
Result: Tara lost five pounds by being strict with herself. But over time the five pounds returned.

Chosen Sequence

Situation (be super concrete): Tara lost 45 pounds two years ago. Now she’s up ten pounds.
Chosen Thought: “I’m doing something different this time. I know that if I allow my habits to slide I will have the inevitable weight gain. It’s merely part of living the Smart Eating Lifestyle. What’s happening with my eating is normal and par for the course.”
Feeling: Tara feels like she’s challenging herself in a positive way to navigate her ship into calm water.
Action: She takes time out to give critical thought to which habits needs shoring up. She also revisits what’s propelling her to make a dramatic change to her eating habits in the first place. And she goes back to looking at her habits and writing solutions to each obstacle.
Result: Within a week she’s back to living her best Smart Eating Lifestyle. Tara returns to the groove of buying her favorite smart food, using her cold-tote daily and takes her workouts in a new direction: she signed up for one of the new studios that offers competitive-style choreography fitness classes with an emphasis on fun. ♥

Pearl Four

Gift alert for Kids! These true stories are ones that I read to my sons. All four of these books would make wonderful gifts for kids ages 3 to 9. Really you can’t go wrong with these four stories.

The Bear that Heard Crying. Set in 1783 a little girl disappears into the woods, but is saved by a “big black dog.” A descendant of this little girl found this story while researching her family in New Hampshire records.
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. An orphaned baby hippo and 130 year old giant turtle bond.
Owney, The Post Office Dog And Other Great Dog Stories. A dog rides the rails with the postal people. Owney is now stuffed and lives in the Smithsonian.

Fiction stories. Do you know the Henry and Mudge stories? They are the most heart-warming stories ever. I read Henry and Mudge aloud to my kids initially and later the boys used the Henry and Mudge books as they were learning to read. They are sweet times 1000.

Henry and Mudge a box collection made of the six first Henry and Mudge books.
This Henry and Mudge box collection holds every book of the boy and his dog.
If you want one of the best gifts I ever gave my teens (and then used myself): The Complete Calvin and Hobbes collection. A wonderful gift for kids and adults. Bill Waterson’s humor and drawings are for every age.

Pearl Five

Wouldn’t it be great to be gifted? In fact, it turns out that choices lead to habits. Habits become talents. Talents are labeled gifts. You’re not born this way, you get this way. ♥
Seth Godin

As I say each year, now is the window of time to request no food gifts in December from family. Tell them you’ll take diamonds and rubies instead. Emeralds in a pinch!

Have a wonderful 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.

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!!

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.

In Cozy Falls

I Ate More and More and Here’s What Happened

November 10, 2025 2 Comments

Pearl One

In the old days, after losing weight we said, “I shrunk my stomach” if we’d been eating less or “I’ve stretched my stomach” if we were overeating. That’s how it felt, like our stomach had gotten smaller or larger depending on what and how we were eating.

Turns out, nobody is actually changing their stomach’s size even though it can feel like it. According to those in the know, stomachs are stretchy like a smocked blouse: what changes is our hunger and fullness signals. When we eat smaller portions over time, our body adapts and our stomach empties more slowly or quickly depending. on how we’re eating. Over time, you’ll feel full faster when you spend months on eating smart.

My Experience

For the last many years of weight maintenance instead of getting a rumbling stomach, I’d get sleepy. I learned to respond to being tired by having a smoothie or a sandwich and would feel good again. I blamed a lack of hunger pangs on aging and didn’t think more about it.

But then last winter I needed to gain weight after the flu hit. So, for the first time in my life, I needed to take in more calories and guess what happened? My grumbly stomach sprang back to life. As I was eating more, my body demanded more and growled at me. I might have once thought, “my stomach shrank,” but really it was my appetite that shrank, not my actual stomach.

Here’s My Point

As we eat less our stomach needs less food to feel full.

It was a happy thing to realize: that by eating less, I’d get less hungry (no growling) thereby making maintenance/preservation a whole lot easier.

In retrospect, I wish I’d have figured out a way to gain without losing my strong habits. And, yes, my habits got a little squishy when I was gaining. I’m back to my regular weight window which is great, but again the squishy habit factor.

This holiday season I invite you to join me in not twisting ourselves into pretzels trying to eat less and lose weight during November and December, but let’s instead plan to preserve all of our hard work we’ve put in the past many months. We’re preserving, not losing. And, yes, the longer we stay the course, this mammoth trek we’re on does actually feel a smidge easier. ♥

Pearl Two

Our journal-prompt pearl!

Write about a moment when a smaller portion actually felt satisfying.
Why do you think our appetites adjust downward when we consistently eat a little less?
How does “eating enough, not stuffed” feel in your body versus “overeating out of habit”?
Can you write about a time when you were super full? Was being super full just how you ate on a daily basis?
How has your hunger changed as you’ve gotten older?
Can you describe the moment you realized your cravings were calming down?
What do you tell yourself when old habits reappear?
What is the difference between physical hunger and “mouth hunger” for you?
When you’re overeating or inappropriately eating (bag of chips for dinner) why do you think you’re overeating? If you don’t have an answer, ask yourself to just guess and write about two or three guesses. ♥

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Knee-Jerk Sequence

Situation (be super concrete): One morning I partially spilled some of my bowl of cereal on the kitchen floor. Milk and cereal flew.
Initial thought: “Darn it. I was moving too fast.”
Feeling: Annoyed.
Action: I clean up kitchen floor and then spray the clean spot with the Bona spray.
Results: The Scarfer is irritated that I used one of the kitchen towels as a wipe cloth.

Chosen Sequence

Situation (be super concrete): One morning I partially spilled some of my bowl of cereal on the kitchen floor. Milk and cereal flew.
Chosen thought: “Hey, what a great way to clean the floor!”
Feeling: A moment of pride.
Action: I took five minutes and swept the floor and ran a mop over it using Bono.
Result: The kitchen floor looks great! (The Scarfer could see that I was busy and didn’t say anything.) ♥

Pearl Four

It was not a great reading week for me. Some of the books were good/so-so. I only want to share books that I’d urge my best friend to read. So, in that spirit here are a handful of absolute favorites: The Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung; The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; and Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. All of these are omg book-desserts. ♥

Pearl Five

When we make a consistent practice of choosing the courageous response, courage becomes a habit. ♥
Doug Conant

My kittie (orange cream sickle) has pulled me through some hard times, but that said the sweetheart is a total velcro-cat. His idea of heaven is probably me not once leaving the couch ever again.

Have a great 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.

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!!

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.

In Cozy Falls

The Art of Being Freaked Out, but Showing Up for Your Weight Loss Success Anyway

November 3, 2025 2 Comments

Pearl One

The diet-cartel has long insisted that “it will eventually get easy” to lose weight; that one day we’ll wake up and food won’t interest us in the least.

Sure, some of us can “get on a roll” and lose thirty pounds quickly but — having maintained for almost twenty years now — I can tell you that I still notice food especially if I’m hungry. I can deal with food better than before, but I still notice it. What the cartel wouldn’t talk about was addressing how we were supposed to maintain. In the old days, even the most enthusiastic losers ended up gaining the weight back.

Those who don’t get how difficult food and weight concerns can love (what I call) their “duh” platitudes like:

Just move more and eat less!
Focus on health and strength, not the scale.
Burn more than you eat!
Feed your soul, not your stomach.

“Gag,” right? So if you’ve reached your preferred weight and now aren’t sure what to do, I’ve got you.

You’re feeling scared of undoing all of your smart work work, and feeling scared is a normal response to – living in an immersed food-porn culture with temptation lurking around every single corner.

Of course I don’t want you to live in fear, but I do want you to acknowledge to yourself that it’s not “all you” and that there’s more at work here than we ever before realized. The overriding culture loves its food-porn. My hope is that someday we’ll see fast food go the way of the cigarette.

But given we can’t change the culture (for now), we’ll work instead to shift our thinking.

Here’s What I Did

I use positive self-talk and remind myself regularly that for whatever reason I’m a person who has a difficult time with food-porn. While it’s not the same as getting off heroin, it still feels pretty dang hard. I made peace with the idea that I would always get easily triggered into overeating or “inappropriate eating” (like downing eight sugar cookies for dinner) if I’m not manning the helm.

Steering my own ship was my forever part-time job.

I talk with my prefrontal brain throughout the day about how I’ll handle the next trigger, long before a trigger actually happens.

In other words, being triggered doesn’t surprise me anymore like it once did. As you know, I keep on-hand my favorite smart foods in the kitchen, I eat-before-I-eat, and I prep foods on Sunday afternoons. If I see myself ready to chow something inappropriate like brownies, I stop myself and either save them to go with my morning coffee or I throw them into the trash. (More on Brownies for Breakfast here.)

Can I take a moment to extol the art of throwing food-porn into the trash? Here’s the beauty of wasting food: our human brain is so powerful that you don’t have to spit food into the trash more than two or three times before the cavewoman part of your brain says, “um, apparently she means business.” Highly recommend this game-changer, it’s a wonderful habit to create for yourself.

But say a person is offering you a treat, you can’t exactly throw their food-gift into the trash so that’s when I whip out the strongest question in my tool box. I ask myself, “do I want to eat the butter cookie that The Scarfer brought home in the pretty pink box or do I want to wear a size eight pant?”

Snaps me back to reality. Essentially the question whisks our cavewoman from lunging at the pink box to our prefrontal back in charge reminding us of our greater plan of building a lifetime weight loss.

You know how newborns scream as they pull their own hair? Well, I like to wonder how I might be “pulling my own hair”? I’m pulling my own hair when I don’t regularly grocery shop to keep my kitchen stocked in my favorite smart food, when I hang out with people who aren’t on the same trajectory as me, and of course when I don’t track my the food I’m eating for that day.

Just like you’d soothe an infant by extracting his hand from his hair, that’s exactly how you talk to yourself. I tell myself often that this is the new me. The new me plans every bite. The new me isn’t overwhelmed by eating out because the new me never arrives anywhere hungry. The new me is fragile and needs a lot of reassurance as she goes through her day. In the old days losing weight meant “being good” or “being bad.” Today getting to our preferred weight isn’t about good or bad, it’s about embedding smart habits; engaging in smart planning; and being gentle and supportive when we use our internal talk. ♥

Pearl Two

Our journal-prompt pearl!

Describe a moment when you chose yourself first — what happened, how did it feel, and what did you learn?
Write about a situation where you ignored your own need — what would showing up for yourself have looked like?
Make a list of three values or boundaries that matter most to you. How do you currently honor them?
Imagine a perfect day where you fully show up for yourself from morning to night. What does it include?
Write a letter to your future self, encouraging yourself to stand up for your own goals, health, and happiness.
Identify one habit or routine that consistently drains you. How can you change it to better serve yourself?
Describe a time you forgave yourself — what did it feel like, and how did it help you show up for yourself afterward?
Reflect on a time you neglected self-care. What would it have looked like if you had treated yourself as kindly as a friend?
If you promised yourself you would never back down from your dreams again, what would be your first three steps this week?
Picture your life five years from now if you consistently showed up for yourself. What has changed? How do you feel?
Create a “self-check-in ritual”—write out what it would look like to pause, ask, and act on what you need each day.

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Knee-Jerk Sequence

Situation (be concrete): On the road to visit family for Thanksgiving Tracy passes fast food at every stop along the highway.
Thought: “I want to stop and buy something tasty. Just one shake or donut, but no. I promised myself that I’d get to Barbara’s house in time for family dinner. I can do this.”
Feeling: victorious in the moment.
Action: She drives with more urgency and arrives at her cousin’s house famished. Dinner will begin soon, but she digs into the appetizer with gusto.
Result: As she returns home it’s obvious to her that being hungry in the car was just the beginning of a downward spiral and that she was triggered into overeating leftovers every day and night of the long weekend. ♥

Chosen Sequence

Situation (be concrete): On the road to visit family for Thanksgiving. Tracy passes fast food at every stop along the highway.
Chosen thought: “I knew I’d get hungry on this drive to Barbara’s house and this is where my cold-tote takes center stage!”
Feeling: Proud of herself for planning for the inevitable hunger and filling her cold-tote. (Tracy knew that pining for fast-food was a signal that she needed food-food).
Action: As she drives to the dinner, she eats a hard-boiled egg that she’d sprinkled with salt earlier, a sliced apple and her favorite granola bar.
Result: Tracy arrives at Barbara’s Thanksgiving dinner feeling great: not hungry, but not full. She eases up on the main course because she knows that her cousin displays a spectacular dessert buffet and Tracy wants to sample a bite or two of each. A couple days later she drives home – with her cold-tote full again — almost in disbelief that she pulled off the weekend without getting triggered into overeating even once. ♥

Pearl Four

Books love us and want us to be happy

Awesome book-dessert alert! This book-dessert suggestion is for the times when you want a lighter, sweeter read. This book isn’t overly sticky-sweet, just a gentle-sweet you might say. I highly recommend Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. It’s about a smart,young girl who loses her mother, leaves her difficult childhood in Ohio and moves to Savannah, Georgia her great aunt’s home. The characters are fully developed and memorable. This is a great book-dessert. ♥

Pearl Five

Never underestimate the power of a moment to contribute to the success of your day. Carpe momentum!” ♥
Leaura Alderson

I have come into so many great books that I have a stack waiting for me by the bed.

If you’d like to follow me on Instagram or Facebook I would love it! Both are linked, but the links don’t turn pink for some reason.

Have a wonderful 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.

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!!

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.

In Cozy Falls

Fifty-Plus and Crushing It: the Mindset that Changes Everything

October 27, 2025 No Comments

Remember learning to ride a bike? It was both scary and exciting!

Hello Everyone!

Before we get started:

If you ever feel the urge to join me on Instagram or Facebook, please do! Posts will have just a bite of information to keep us on the Smart Eating Path:

Pearl One

Long-time readers may remember that I had a terrible flu last December and just as I was feeling better, something knocked me out again in January (I read that a certain flu had a double-punch). Without paying attention – I didn’t even know what day it was through most of it – I lost eleven pounds well under my weight window.

You might think, “Oh, poor you.” But as I’ve said, I didn’t look good, I looked sick and frail.

Once I was truly over the flu, I knew I needed to regain the eleven pounds and knowing that signaled to my brain that I needed to shift my mindset for a period of time.

“Uh-oh,” I thought, “a period of what?”

Switching my strong and smart eating mindset into a gaining mindset sounded horrifying to me.

What I Noticed Along the Way

So fast-forward a few weeks and there I was gaining back those eleven pounds. I kept the regain-mission slow and didn’t succumb to food-porn (except for a reliance on ice cream). As I continued to gain weight, it became clear that whether I’m trying to gain, maintain or lose weight: “momentum” is a real thing. Momentum is like a river gently taking us downstream. Before the flu, when I was just living life, I felt like I was “in the groove of losing” and then as I was gaining I got into the “groove of gaining.”

Turns out momentum works both ways: for losing and for gaining. I almost ate myself out of the weight-window, but into the gaining end.

For our lifetime-loss success we need to harness the feeling of momentum and learn how to return to it when needed.

It all starts with habits and noticing.

Notice what kind of momentum you’re currently in. If you’re on the momentum of gaining weight: first, acknowledge it. Say to yourself, “Okay, I need to slowly shift my lifestyle from overeating to finding what shifts me into a long-term momentum.”

What I do to shift is to pay a ton of attention to small wins (small habits). I started pointedly telling myself that ice cream is meant to make baby cows fat (I tell myself this every single night).

Ask yourself: are you in the groove of losing? See if you can sense the feeling of momentum in your days. And later see if you can return to your momentum when you slip — which will happen (because slips and flu are part of the deal for everyone).

When you go off the Smart Eating Path – whether because of flu or another reason – how do you return again and again to your smart eating habits? Because the habits are the secret sauce creating momentum. When we’re in the groove (momentum) of losing weight we can feel like a kid learning to ride a bike who shouts out, “Watch me! Watch me! I’m doing it!”

And you are.🎃

Pearl Two

Our journal-writing prompt pearl.

How do you maintain small wins and build momentum? (Extra credit if you share with the rest of us in the comments below).
What do you think about using “the groove” to work with your habits with food.
What’s the difference between momentum vs. motivation and why could momentum keep you moving even when motivation fades?
How do habits fit into creating momentum?
What are “momentum killers” for you (stress, travel, holidays) and how do you stay consistent with your smart habits?
Why do you think your mindset matters more than buckle down willpower?
Define momentum for yourself.
How do you use momentum for your highest good? 🎃

Pearl Three

Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff. Apply to your own life.

Automatic Sequence

Situation (be very concrete): It’s 10 p.m., and Linda is in her kitchen on the hunt for something to eat. She’s not truly hungry, but the craving is strong.
Initial thought: “I just want a cup of ice cream. What’s one lousy cup going to hurt?”
Feeling: Linda feels righteous at the moment she’s eating the ice cream, but goes to bed mad at herself.
Action: The next morning, she beats herself up for having “ruined” her smart eating plan.
Results: She doubles down on restricting her eating, but then overeats/binges and is back into the yo-yo pattern yet again.

Chosen Sequence

Situation (be very concrete: It’s 10 p.m., and Linda is on the hunt in her kitchen for something sweet to eat. She’s not truly hungry, but the craving is strong.
Chosen thought: “I know there’s something bigger happening in this situation. I need to investigate further as to why I’m wanting treats at 10 p.m.”
Feeling: Curiosity.
Action: At 10 p.m. that night Linda has a small bowl of cereal to curb her hunger. She knows that food cravings can be the body crying out for real food. She heads to bed planning to take a good look at how her eating-days are unfolding.
Results: After some scrutiny, Linda figures out the piece in her day that’s causing trouble at 10 p.m. so she does three things. She makes a better effort at scoring an amazing book for her book-dessert. She gets to the grocery store more regularly — but first eats in her car so she’s not hungry — to assure that she has her favorite smart food are on-hand and within easy reach. And she keeps apples in the kitchen for those evenings when she didn’t eat quite enough dinner and needs food again at ten at night 🎃

Pearl Four

Books love us and want us to be happy.

I’m just a few pages into How to Read a Book: A Heartfelt Novel of Redemption and Unlikely Friendships in a Small Town Bookstore by Monica Wood, but I’m loving the tone and pace of this book.

If you liked Orange is the New Black (the book) you’ll warm right up to How to Read a Book.

People magazine called it “an utter gem.”

Once I’m finished reading, I’ll update this pearl, but I think you’re totally safe to give this one a go! 🎃

Pearl Five

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – 🎃
Marcus Aurelius

Have you ever reached out to a really old friend you hadn’t seen in years? I reached out to two little girls I adored from a few years back. Their parents divorced and the mom and I sadly had a falling-out. But I loved her kids so, so much. The Scarfer and I babysat for free and once took them for a long weekend, another time for a full week. Life went on, we had twin babies and were underwater for those early months. In a “Puff the Magic Dragon” moment, I think I just assumed the girls would always be there. But then we moved from CA to the East Coast and life got busy with my kids. Anyway last week I reconnected with the girls and they’re in their early 30s now and are just as incredible as ever.

Reaching out: it did my heart good.

Have a wonderful 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.

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!!

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.