She’s baaack! After an illness lead her into the land of high-calories, she hopped right back onto the Smart Eating Path. Consider it our super power to rebound after going astray from the Smart Eating Lifestyle.

Hello Thrivers!

I’m feeling great today. Did you know that vitamin supplements can cause insomnia?!

I know!! I didn’t know either.

Many nights over the span of the last two years or more, I’d read and then turn the light off at night, and lay there for a solid one to two hours. It was awful. Not every night, but every other.

I finally figured out that Vitamin D has to be taken in the morning or it causes sleeplessness. Same thing with another supplement I take. Once I moved the culprits to the morning: no more insomnia.

Cookie Monster-relief. ♥

Shall we?

Pearl One

Our first pearl is from a Thriver — one who’s battled breast cancer and thankfully is in remission today — who had a difficult month and fell off the Smart Eating Path. She said, “I went for the pastries, ice cream, bread, and pizza,” but then she used her powerful brain to hop back on. Check out how she did it. And look what her doctor said!

Our lovely Thriver wrote the following.

“I’ve been having a rough time. I have several triggers that — when combined — have always led to a few (or more) terrible eating days.  Lack of sleep, lack of planning, overwhelmed, and any BIG emotion.  

This time the catalyst was being sick a couple weeks (followed by my teen getting sick just as I started to feel better).

I wasn’t sleeping well, all my usual healthy foods turned my stomach, and I was thoroughly feeling sorry for myself because life got in the way and I couldn’t just hibernate and take care of myself. 

I made some smart eating choices and truly did make an attempt to thwart the not-smart eating. But then my teen got sick, and I wasn’t completely well enough to have full energy to help her. 

Cue the pity party and cavewoman mentality. My stomach still wasn’t great (even the thought of veggies turned my stomach). Down the rabbit hole of crappy eating I went. Life has been extra busy (too busy for me).

Turning it – the Smart Eating Lifestyle — around is HARD!  It is MUCH easier to stay on the smart eating path. So, what I do is: no matter how off the smart eating path I get, I keep up my water intake (unless being sick prevents that, which this time it did). I continued to weigh daily (otherwise, whatever my last weight was is what I believe it to be; I need the scale). 

I don’t make giant pronouncements or set high expectations for myself because I know I won’t meet them and it will lead to further food issues and prevent me from getting fully back to my smart eating. I maintained my intermittent fasting schedule, I do not buy large amounts of food. These things help me minimize the damage. 

Now, I know where things got off track and I am MUCH better about keeping the wheels on the track, I have made serious huge progress since working with Wendy.  But this time, it just fell apart, but definitely not as bad as in the past and I refuse to beat myself up for it.

A few days ago, I realized that I was craving veggies finally!  I took myself to the store and immediately got all the fresh veggies that looked good.  I made healthy hummus. I got unsweetened vanilla coconut milk yogurt, berries and grape nuts (to put in the yogurt).

 My smart eating plan is solidly moving forward and I feel good about it. The very few pounds I gained will come off. I am slowly still inching my way to my ultimate goal weight range. My doctor praised me at my physical last week!  In fact, he commented I was “so thin I can feel your bowel” during the bi-manual exam. (Wendy’s note: she was having a pelvic exam which is why the doctor could feel her bowel.)

I assure you, I am not “so thin” but it was a compliment that warmed my heart and certainly helped me mentally start figuring out how to right the non-smart eating that has been going on.

Finally, I remember that I am a “foodaholic” (instead of an alcoholic) and like any proper addict, I take it one day at a time.

My note: I love how Teen-Mom maintained several of her habits even as she strayed from the Smart Eating Path. I love that she didn’t “beat herself up”, because – really — what’s the point? I’m sorry that Teen-Mom was so sick, but I love how she rebounded and stepped back on the Smart Eating Path. Bravo Teen-Mom!! That’s the way it’s done!! ♥

Pearl Two

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I use the words “our” and “we” a lot. I think it helps to know that we have a million sisters out there who totally understand us and how we interact with food. (We’re a vast, sweet group.)

The Economist magazine wrote, ” Loneliness is the leprosy of the 21st century.”

I agree. No longer do we live in tribes, small villages for life, or a home with tight family bonds.

Today we move 3,000 miles away from where we grew up. Some of us even move to other countries. I met a woman the other day: one son was living in London and the other in Japan.

I have a theory that our population stumbles onto a particular addiction – gambling, overeating, drinking – because there’s loneliness there that Netflix or chocolate cake just can’t touch.

So, I use “our” and “we” so that we all fully understand that we’re not alone, that there’s a legion of women who get it. Life is hard and porn-food is easy.

There’s nothing easy about trekking the “weight loss after age fifty” mountain, but it feels more doable knowing that we’re not alone; so many of us face the same challenges and sadness. But it helps to know that we’re not alone, that we’re making this grueling trek together. ♥

Pearl Three

In October’s Pearl Three we’re exploring: gems from Atomic Habits.

James Clear wrote, “People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoid temptations rather than resist it.”

Which brings me to the Cheesecake Factory. I’ve been once. Enough said. I also won’t go near brunch buffets or any type of buffet (except occasionally on a cruise ship). I haven’t gone near the Olive Garden or those type of restaurants in well over a decade. Our people just don’t thrive at these high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar, high-sodium joints.

As Mr. Clear writes, “Avoid don’t resist.” ♥

Pearl Four

Have I mentioned that Pearl 4 — our book slot — is not a book review space? It only contains books that sing like Aretha. So you won’t find reviews here on books that didn’t quite live up to their hype.

I usually skim a stack before I find a book juicy enough to make it the book-dessert list.

And this baby I’m about to tell you about knocked it out of the park.

If someone told me that I had to pick a favorite novel of the year, it would be Miss Benson’s Beetle: A Novel by Rachel Joyce. With this book on your night stand? Desserts don’t stand a chance. (Note: the title seems a little cheesy for how good the book is.)

I’ve heard that if you loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel by Gail Honeyman (and I did), then you’ll love Miss Benson too.

Joyce’s feel-good adventure opens with two women who couldn’t be more opposite who set out on a grueling quest, and deepen their friendship as their journey unfolds.

At a certain age, you and I know how important friendships are, but even so, this book left me appreciating the power of friendship ten-fold. And every time I dipped into Miss Benson, I just felt happy to be alive.

And over 13,000 gave Miss Benson 4.5 stars on Amazon.

Enjoy! ♥

Pearl Five

Make it a wonderful weekend, Everyone!! (And yes I’m still working on the paperback: this is the weekend I plan to slay it!)

What are you slaying this weekend? Please share in the comments section!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.

I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥

My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks.

My five-star book list.

Vets call my cats overweight. So, I feed them pricey diet food which they sniff at, take a taste of & then throw up.

Hello Thrivers!

I hope these pearls find you feeling good.

Pearl One

Our culture is currently having a body positivity moment which part of me fully embraces. I want everyone to feel included, and I never want to return to a time when it was okay to tease, bully, snub, or sneer at someone else because of their weight.

I mean, I want seat-belt extenders on planes, gorgeous clothes for every body size, and restaurant booths and chairs that’ll fit and hold all of us.

But here’s the thing, glorifying overweight like it’s a person’s “lifestyle choice” feels a little too “the emperor is wearing no clothes” to me.

The truth is that the emperor is living at an unhealthy weight, and needs to redesign his eating habits (if not for himself then for his loved ones). And I say this from personal experience: we had a dear member of our family die at just fifty years of age due to a heart attack that we assume was exacerbated by being severely obese.

And forever he’ll be severely missed.

By putting a positive spin on a dangerous eating disorder (binging and/or overeating), we’re doing a mammoth disservice to those who need our kindness, concern and care.

Not our complete and total denial. ♥

Pearl Two

You know how I have a four-pound weight window for maintenance? The lowest number in the window is super low for me, and the highest is flat-out “whoa, what’s happening here?”

Well, I’ve been focused on getting into the middle of my window, and lately am seeing the scale’s number go up.

For a nano, I hoped off the scale and felt myself getting furious at the number.

But then I remember to use my first mantra: “No drama; stay chill.” (No woe-is me. No WTF?!, No this stupid scale needs stupid new batteries because that stupid number cannot possibly be right!)

My first mantra leads me to the second: I remind myself, “Don’t get furious, get curious.” (In other words, I look back over my last few days and journal-write about what’s working and what’s not working. Like the following,

• Am I always doing errands with my cold-tote?
• Do I stop eating at 6 p.m.?
• Am I tracking every meal?
• Etc. and so forth.

Then my third mantra appears and I say, “It’s time to go food shopping for my most helpful and supportive foods.

When things go south, I go grocery shopping (on a full stomach) because when I’m eating poorly it’s a reliable sign that I don’t have the friendliest/smartest food available in my kitchen.

So yesterday I took out a small loan, and went to the grocery store in search of friendly/smart food like my favorite fresh fruit, frozen veggies, salad-stuff, baby yogurts, petite carrots, hummus, cereal and so forth.

The key words here being: friendly, smart, and favorite.

And that is exactly how I handle it when the scale’s number is annoying me.

I use mantras one, two and three and bamo!! I’m back on the Smart Eating Path. (P.S. these three mantras are at their most effective when written on stickies and kept near the scale.) ♥

Pearl Three

Our last writing prompt of September:

Most of us have thought, “why don’t they teach real-life skills in school” like the following:

• “Going Toe-to-Toe with Lawyers, Realtors, and Landlords 101.”

• “How to Travel Well & Spend Less So You Don’t End Up Living Under a Bridge.”

• “The Adorable, the Middle-Aged, and the Senior: What You Need to Know About Caring for Your Fur-Baby.”

Write about the class you most wish they’d taught back in the day. It can be about anything: marriage, money, home repair, self-reliance, castles of Europe; it can be about anything that you wished you’d learned in school.

Next, write about why this class topic matters so much to you and what it would have done for your life to have taken it.

Last, write about how you can bring the energy of your chosen class into your life today.

This is a powerful exercise, one I plan to use again and again. ♥

Pearl Four

Holy-guacamole. Love this author (I first “met” him when I read This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!) Since I loved Harriet so much, I went in search of the author’s other books. And the second one I found — The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving: a Novel by Jonathan Evision was just like Harriet in that Evision writes about serious topics, yet manages to wrap the seriousness up in humor. (Quite the talent.)

The overarching theme is about the redemption of the story’s dads. Each man had made terrible mistakes – one being a tragic mistake –, and their children had cut-off contact. Sounds like a downer, but the book has a very life affirming message. Highly recommend. Total five-star. ♥

Pearl Five

I love this quote and used it as my journal prompt to write about what I can do today to maximize the probability of my future being better. ♥

And please write to me and share what topics you’d most like to see discussed here! Wendy@theInspiredEater.com.

Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.

I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥

My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks.

My five-star book list.

Pearl One

Remember the time you went out for a birthday dinner with a dear friend, ate a lot of food and “wrecked everything”? (You were all, “Well, everyone was eating and drinking — and that beautiful cake — and I’m only human!” (No argument here.)

But then did you note how three days later you hopped back onto the Smart Eating Path? Sure, you were mad at yourself at first (helps nothing, but okay), but by deconstructing the day (in your journal) you figured out where your smart eating began to tank. that lead to overeating at the birthday party.

And yet when you think about that birthday dinner, you frame it in your mind as “terrible eating” and not “I got back on the Smart Eating Path quickly. Go me!!”

Here’s the thing, they believe we evolved to pay heightened attention to negative moments – like when we felt as if we were being stalked – so we’d stay alive to produce more babies who would also stay alive to produce their babies.

The happy result being you and me. 😊

That said, you and I are still looking for the terrifying, the stupid, and the problematic. What else are we going to do? Our people didn’t survive by joyously tip toeing through the tulips and getting devoured by a Saber-Tooth because we were focused on the pretty flowers.

No, we evolved to default to the negative, so therefore it becomes imperative that you and I consciously call on the skills and talents of our prefrontal (the planning, logical side of our brain) to focus on the small wins that show up during the day.

Give your prefrontal the job of keeping track of your wins each week. And no, I’m not talking scale-wins, I’m talking habit-y wins like the following.

That time when you intentionally began eating a bowl of grapes, cherries, or a yogurt cup after lunch. A great win.

How you habituated yourself to taking an insanely delicious book to bed around 8 pm.-ish every evening. Brilliant win.

And, as mentioned, the time you got pulled into the birthday girl’s overeating, but later got back on track. No question, fabulous win.

Remembering to stack your wins is key to your forever-loss. And because we’re such negative creatures, it’s important to write down your small wins throughout the day, and then stack them in your journal, and finally onto your sticky notes. Read those stickies enough times and they’ll eventually lodge into your heart.

Another fun way to remember wins: start the day with bracelets on your left arm, and for every small win transfer one bracelet to your right arm.

And while I encourage you to stack wins for the week, you can also stack summer-wins, January-wins, cruise-ship-with-a-ton of food-wins and so on. It’s a total blast to start noticing when you’ve rocked it.

You can also make a game of it by telling yourself in the morning, “I will find at least three small wins today.” Kind of like those who “get in their steps.”

It’s important that we notice our small wins and give them to ourselves with a handful of figurative confetti. You don’t want to score win after win while living on the Smart Eating Path and not notice your successful moments. We flourish with positive feedback; because remember we’d all be size 0 if turning on ourselves actually produced anything.

In modern times, the saber tooth tiger looks an awful lot like a gorgeous birthday cake. The next time you’re staring down a cake-a-saurus, plan to “eat before you eat”, thereby robbing him of his (scary, but delicious) power.

Ooh, that’s a win. Write it down!! ♥

Pearl Two

I know a man who created a super successful career making great money all while actively over drinking. After an intervention with loved ones, he committed to AA and he’s now fifteen years sober.

I was floored.

Could you really create such wild success – incredible job, off-the-chart money – when you’re getting drunk every day of the week?

Before knowing this man, I had no idea. I thought that you had to have your act together before the jewels of life would rain down.

This little story is my way of telling you that when I had my “moment of clarity” (AA’s term) and began losing weight in earnest, I was as much a goof-ball as I’d ever been.

Trust me, I did not have my act together in any way, shape or form.

If your life isn’t “together”, can you create a forever-loss for yourself? I’m the walking, talking poster child for it.

Life doesn’t seem to really care one whit about my smart eating habits; it still pelts me with curve balls every chance it gets.

The takeaway: as Life is hassling you no end, hop onto the Smart Eating Path. Then, when you careen off the cliff (because Life) hop back on again, and again, and again.

You don’t have to be “perfect” to get down to your preferred weight and preserve the loss for a lifetime.

You just have to get good at the “again” thing. ♥

Pearl Three

Our subconscious gets excited to be invited to the party. When you’re journal-writing, you’re rolling out the red carpet for her.

Today’s prompt: Such-and-such has become second-nature for me.

And please, take a moment and tell us what’s become second-nature for you in the comments below. Let’s share! ♥

Pearl Four

You might want to sit down for this one. A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne is the same brilliant writer who brought us The Hearts Invisible Furies (also highly recommend). If the plot doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, give it a go anyway. It is so good.

The main character is an unusually attractive young man who wants to reach stratospheric heights in the world of literature except for one little problem: he doesn’t have an original thought. I was drawn into Boyne’s story from page one – a favorite check-box of mine to tick — where we meet an older successful writer who’s drinking alone in a hotel bar in West Berlin just a year before the wall came down in 1989, and the story spools from there into present day.

If I say too much more, I risk leaking spoilers but I can tell you that the ending is one blockbuster of a conclusion. My review: this weekend order A Ladder to the Sky, put your phone on airplane-mode, make your bed cozy, and sink into one h-e-double-hockey-sticks of a story. ♥

Pearl Five

My good friend here in Atlanta moves to the Villages in Florida this week. Happy for her, but bummed for me. On the plus side, I do love visiting the Orlando area so there’s that. Plus my friend wants to do a cruise, and I’m always up for a cruise if it isn’t too pricey.

I’d love a follow on Instagram and/or Facebook.

Have a wonderful weekend Everyone!

♥, Wendy

P.S. Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!

You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.

I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ♥

My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks.

My five-star book list.

Admittedly I do have friends who overeat as much as they possibly can. They’re called dogs.

Pearl One

I once had a casual friend who was an eating-buddy of sorts. I mean, we worked together, and then began meeting for lunch and no way were those lunches small bites and large salads.

But when I began my weight loss trek (in earnest), and we were out to lunch together I’d order veggies and brown rice.

Guess how that went over? Clearly bugged her.

I didn’t purposely pull away from my friend, but that’s exactly what I did.

They’ve done studies and have concluded that habits are contagious. No matter whether we’re talking good habits or bad.

Like a bad virus?

Precisely.

They also say that we can catch habits from our friends’ friends. Makes sense if you think about it. If my good friend, Sarah, has a good friend named Sally and Sally thinks that drinking a bottle of chardonnay on her own every night is just the thing, then Sarah might end up drinking more and subsequently pass the attitude of over drinking onto others.

That’s how huge habits are in our lives: they can present in a big, “After a long day, a margarita is my best friend!!” way. Or the message can slither in and make implications about over drinking.

Here’s my point: We all have to give careful thought to who we allow to stay in our lives.

I hate to sound so inflexible, but when it comes to weight loss after age fifty you have one of three choices:

1) Encourage your eater-friend to see how amazing it is to live the Smart Eating Lifestyle.

2) Suggest to your eater that you meet in some other spot: i.e. not the Olive Garden.

3) Keep your eater in your life and just have a massively difficult time lunching with her every month because you can either join her in giant meals big enough to feed three, or feel annoyed when she gives you the side-eye as you order veggies and brown rice.

Eventually, the fettuccine will hit the fan and you’ll have to make a choice between your weight, your deepest wants, and your friendships. I never said it’s easy walking the Smart Eating Path, but it’s worth it. ♥

Pearl Two

I won’t waste your time telling you that the fall drink menu at a specific coffee house (and a donut shop) involve shockingly high numbers like 50 grams of sugar in a medium-sized “coffee.”

Or instead have two full-sized Snicker bars.

When you think about buying a pumpkin spice caramel hint-of-cocoa latte, ask yourself this question: would I cook, bake or brew with these ingredients at home? If the answer is, “not in a million years.” Then say, “Not interested, but thanks for the offer.”

However, I do want to share a dessert that sounds like an autumn dream and is totally healthy-ish.

Pumpkin Spice Dole Whip

4 servings

• 1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato
• 1¾ cups chopped frozen pineapple
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage
• ½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, divided

Place the potato and 2 tablespoons water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, but leave one edge slightly open to vent. Microwave the potato on high for 3 minutes or until very tender. Drain the potato and let it cool completely.

In your high-power blender or food processor, purée the cooked potato, pineapple, maple syrup, milk beverage, and ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, as needed.

Divide the Dole Whip between 4 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with the remaining ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and top with pecans and coconut chips, if desired.

It’s supposed to end up looking a bit like soft-serve ice cream and really looks glam in a stemmed glass dish.

Nutritional Information

Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 90 Fat: 0.2g Saturated fat: 0.2g Carbohydrates: 22g Sugar: 14g Sodium: 20mg Fiber: 2g Protein: 1g Thank you to GoDairyFree.org. ♥

Pearl Three

Today’s prompt for your journal: A time you knocked it out of the park.

Remember, just write in your journal free-style. Next: meditate on this “win” three times a day until next Tuesday. Can you do this? I know you can. ♥

Pearl Four

In the mood for something on the lighter side and easy to consume? Then this book suggestion might just hit the spot. In five years: a novel by Rebecca Serle is set in modern-day New York and tells the story of two friends within a time-travel environ. It’s easy to assume this is a rom-com, but while it touches on romance, it then dives head first into a fairly gripping story. There are fun twists and a great conclusion that you likely won’t see coming. I give it four stars. ♥

Pearl Five

For sure, it will be ready to rock and roll next week.

If it sounds interesting, I would love a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Hope you have time to read during the coziest season of all.

♥, 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.

My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks

There’s nothing easy, tranquil, or beautiful about losing weight after fifty, but specific tools can make it less annoying.

Hello Thrivers!

I’m looking around my home thinking that it needs a spring cleaning, but right now during the fall. I know how to lose weight and maintain the loss, but I bet you’re way better at other activities. Take house cleaning, if you have any amazing tips please share in the comments below! 🙂

Pearl One

Long story, short: I had a broken foot making it difficult to take our kitty to the vet to get his monthly anal expression (don’t ask).

Hobbling around with a cane – my cast had just come off — while carrying a carrier with an enraged passenger wasn’t pretty.

For various reasons, I was on my own each month and one day, it dawned on me that I needed a cat carrier with wheels.

And with that thought – thunk – I fell over with happiness because in that moment, life just got a whole lot easier.

Our Takeaway

Clearly. Obviously. Plainly. Losing weight after age fifty is no day at the beach. No argument from me, it’s hard times a billion.

But here’s the thing: you and I can make our difficult trek of losing weight after age fifty a smoother experience by using the right wheels, or in our case, tools.

In other words, don’t make the trek harder than it needs to be. For example, when I need to reign in my eating, these are my immediate go-tos:

1. Motivation and willpower doesn’t work beyond a day or two. I’m always shooting for smart habits and if you haven’t yet read my two favorite habit books, spend your weekend with a yellow highlighter and these two babies: Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.
2. This is one of my favorite no-brainers. Eat before you eat (eating a half cup of cottage cheese with red grapes; half an apple with a smear of peanut butter; or a small yogurt cup about thirty minutes in advance of a meal painlessly lops off your appetite giving you the most amazing control at dinner, brunch, or for whatever meal looks daunting.
3. I know to stop eating by 6 p.m. Studies are bearing out that a large breakfast, a moderate lunch, two healthy afternoon snacks, and a tiny dinner is the path to an easier weight loss. If I’m at the higher end of my preferred weight window, my hard-core reliable is to have the tiniest of dinners (sometimes just a smoothie or a small bowl of cereal).

Losing weight after fifty is plenty hard on its own, don’t take the harder route; make the trek a bit easier on yourself by wringing every bit of assistance out of the smartest of eating tools. ♥                                                                                                                          

Pearl Two

As many of you know I’ve taken the no-sugar challenge and am now on my forty-seventh day of very little sugar (quite a bit under the twenty-five recommended grams a day suggested for women). And, as you also know there’s a study out of England that says it takes us sixty-six days to shift an activity into the automatic part of our brains. So, wish me luck, I’m almost there.

As I’ve mentioned the first sixteen days were the most difficult, and I only slipped one time (with a small piece of cake), but I haven’t slipped since.

Has no-sugar kept me at the lower end of my weight-window? It seemed like in the beginning it was helping, but I think my inner cookie monster just moved from sugar calories to cereal-calories or bagel-calories. What have I learned? Well, once I’ve completed all sixty-six days I plan to stick with the no-sugar plan, but will allow myself a bit of cake or something like it once a week, but I won’t be returning to having sugar in the morning. (That said, if you want to have your “Brownies with Breakfast”, go for it. Years ago, I found this hack to be immensely helpful when I was trying to get off of nighttime sugar.) ♥

Pearl Three

September’s challenge: Journal-write to a new prompt.

September 1 prompt: fried-Oreos (write about the good, the bad and the ugly. You don’t have to like the idea of fried-Oreos, write about what the idea of fried-Oreo brings up?).

Today’s journal prompt: How do I sabotage what I say I most want?

Remember, just write in your journal free-style (what it brings up for you). ♥

Pearl Four

Life’s too short to read boring books

You guys, I have the best book to recommend today: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. I had just finished a phenomenal read, and so wasn’t expecting much when I picked up Behold the Dreamers and casually started reading. But — holy cow –the story grabbed me immediately. One hundred pages later, it was time to turn off the light and go to sleep.

Phew. I love a book that grabs me from the first page.

The story takes a good look at the wealthy in New York and juxtaposes their life against the working poor. Doesn’t sound like a great story? Read it anyway. You might even plan to take this book-dessert to bed even earlier – like at 7 p.m. – so you can get to page 100 without ruining a good night’s sleep.

Behold the Dreamers is sweet, yet meaty and so good. Also, an Oprah pick. My review: Five thousand stars. ♥

Pearl Five

I’m spending this weekend coloring my grays, decluttering (I get inspo when I see a hoarders episode, yikes-city) and watching season 12 of Call the Midwife!! Have you heard? The new season is now streaming on Netflix!!

Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone!

♥, 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.

My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks

My five-star book list

It’s not just a “nice idea” to know which smart foods you love. It’s imperative to your success. Period. End of story.

Dear Thrivers,

I have heard from so many that you’re only interested in buying the Inspired Eater: the Paperback.

Fair Enough.

Like you, I much, much prefer a book in my hands.

So, I’ll be spending this weekend bringing the paperback to life (I hope). ♥

Ready?

Pearl One

• I love the frozen veggies at Costco (a giant bag labeled “Stir Fry” next to frozen strawberries and blueberries which I also grab).
• My other Costco faves: frozen dark sweet cherries (for oatmeal), all the fruit especially the red grapes that I eat with cottage cheese, Sweet Kale (in cold section behind fruit), frozen dark sweet cherries, packaged plums (also just made for eating on the run from your cold-tote).
• I also love the focaccia in roasted tomato & Parmesan (find in bread section. The chewy texture makes it so tasty. (My son even commented.)
• My other TJ faves:“Multigrain Trader Joe’s bread” that sits on the top shelf in the bread section f, I only eat half at a time, major-delish) vegan chicken (near OJ), small yogurts (also near OJ and perfect for your cold-tote), nuts, the hummus (any and all), and when I was eating sugar, the macarons (in the middle cold aisle).
• And just adding for fun: I really, really, really love my overnight oats recipe (at the very end).

Here’s my point: if we’re wanting to be lean-after-fifty, you and I cannot live our eating lives without employing serious forethought. It’s critical that we figure out which foods we most love, and carve out the time needed to drive to the right stores and shop for exactly what we want. Which is precisely why I call losing-after-fifty a part-time job because so much is required to make losing and preserving a weight loss for the long run, a reality.

Our days of living “afterthought” lives are over. (And, for those who grew up rail-thin, you likely need to mourn your old way of life before you can embrace your new normal.)

Our lives today require a deeper knowledge of ourselves (what foods we love, what motivates us, what drains us and so forth) and mondo preparation for the daily and weekly engagement with our food-on-steroids planet.

If getting to — and preserving — your preferred weight is something that matters deeply to you, plan to plan for — like — ever.

Do you have favorites at Trader Joe’s and Costco? Please share your finds with all of us in the comments below. ♥

Pearl Two

Every day of our lives we’re practicing how to flourish as women who’ve made it a part-time job of losing weight after age fifty.

We’ve learned that embedding smart eating habits is not a one-and-done type deal, but instead requires a lifelong commitment.

We know that it’s brilliant to lose weight and maintain the loss forever because it helps our hurting back so much when we’re at a lower weight.

But, we also know that it’s okay to commit to losing and preserving solely because we want our size-12 jeans to fit again. We know that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be cute and comfortable as we live our lives.

We understand that losing and maintaining for a lifetime is a process, that we’ll never “be there” because there is no “there” to get to.

Our daily practice is the only “there” we’ll find.

And so, we practice spending Sunday afternoons air frying, cooking, baking and prepping our food for the coming week. We practice going to bed with an amazing read at around 8 p.m. no matter if others laugh at us. We practice going to sleep a smidge hungry because a very light hunger is to be expected. (Note: if I’m actually hungry-hungry, I’ll eat half an apple or banana.)

There’s no destination. There’s only our practice. ♥

Pearl Three

Every month we’re working a new challenge.

The challenge in September is: journal write three paragraphs to the following words (and it’ll be a new word each week), today’s prompt:

Deep-fried Oreos.

Go! And if you’re up for it, share your response in the comments below. I’m greatly hoping you do, I can’t wait to read your thoughts! ♥

Pearl Four

Books love us and want us to be happy.

I’m in and out on the writer Bill Bryson, but when I’m “in” I’m all-in. A few years back I stayed up way too many nights reading  A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson. I was one-more-paging-it into the wee hours.

In this non-fiction, the author and a friend walk the Appalachian Trail. Bryson’s buddy is a colorful character and adds plenty of drama and comic relief. Bryson didn’t attempt to hike the AT all in one go; he’d planned to hike it in chunks so that he could go home, spend time with his family and then return to the trail. Bryson details where he slept, how he ate and so forth, but he also sprinkles in absorbing history about the trail and the wildlife like black bears that call the trail home. Highly recommended, five-stars.

So, after a foray into the woods, Bryson then set off for Australia. Smitten with Nemo’s temporary home, he delivers the best of what the country has to offer in In a Sunburned Country. That said, I have these important words for you: box jellyfish, spiders the size of dinner plates (his words), and paralysis ticks. Australia might have the deadliest creatures on the planet, but Bryson also points out that Australia is known for her friendly people and gorgeous birds (pelicans, parrots and Cockatoos to name three of the 850 species). Fabulous book that you’ll remember for a lifetime. Five-starfish. ♥

Pearl Five

I love the word “yet” because it’s a phenomenal bridge word: it helps us get that much closer to our new reality. As we cross the “yet” bridge we go from “won’t happen for me” to “it hasn’t happened yet” to “something’s shifted. It’s happening!” ♥

If this post speaks to you it would be so awesome if you’d share it with a loved one.

♥, 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.

My favorite cold tote-bag to carry smart snacks.

My five-star book list.

My Favorite Overnight Oats recipe:

Half cup oatmeal

Half cup almond milk (or you’re preferred milk)

A quarter-cup vanilla yogurt

I let the oats soak overnight and the next day add a cup of blueberries, half a chunked up apple.

Yum. Mee. ♥