Yes, Virginia, we can have tasty cocktails in December. Photo by shche_ team on Unsplash Hey All! I’m sorry that I’m so late today (I blame December). Pearl…

One thing the Little House girls would instantly recognize in our living room: the candy cane. Pearl One Remember Laura and Mary being dumbstruck at finding an orange,…

When we were teens, drama was fine. But today, kick the drama and be curious instead. Pearl One Meet a friend who lost 49 pounds and has kept…

Pearl One I’ve long thought that our world is so the Jetsons: cutting-edge and very cool. I mean, we’re rich in brilliance personified like Maria Beasley (invented life…

We all go a little south more often than we want to admit. Pearl One Somewhere within our fad-diet loving culture we accepted the notion that our response…

Chart your growth, pretend that you’re teaching others about how you’ve done it because one day they’ll ask. Pearl One You and I aren’t 22. And though we’ve…

Photo by Rhett Wesley on Unsplash Hello Thrivers! Whichever beautiful country you’re reading this from, I hope it finds you cozy. I should add that I’m trying not…

Step away from the pizza and wine, and nobody’s Smart Eating Lifestyle gets hurt. Pearl One I listen often to the Two Disabled Dude’s podcast that’s tagline reads,…

Photo by Reynier Carl on Unsplash Hello Thrivers, The price of everything is skyrocketing. We’ve started shopping at Aldis again. If you have a way to save money,…

Happy Friday, Thrivers!! It’s been pointed out to me that my posts are too long. So I planned to keep this post short. I’ll do better next week.…

Pearl One In the initial years of twin babies, I knew a bunch of moms because our little people played together in the local park’s sandbox. At the…

Pearl Three: shhh! Don’t awaken the cave woman. Photo by Raphael Lovaski on Unsplash Pearl One Forty-two years ago, the Tahoe slope that morning was practically empty. I’d…

Hello Thrivers! August has me doing the annual doctors: pap, mammogram, shingles vaccines. (We had two vibrant young women in our extended family die of cancer. Just 38…

When you embed a new habit into your heart you’re becoming a new version of you. Pearl One Back when yo-yo-ing was my lifestyle, I would never have…

Hello everyone! If sugar is on your last nerve, read on! Pearl One Craving treats in the evening plagued me for years. I’d tried everything I could think…

Pearl Two talks about the best way I know to bring more nurturing into our creative lives. Welcome to Friday, Thrivers! If you’re new to living a thriving…

Gorgeous snow dress found at FreyaArtAtelier. Hello Thrivers! As you know, I’m not a fan of “losing for Thanksgiving,” where after the guests go home we head for…

Not me. Pearl One You and I share something in common: we eat because we’re emotionally not doing well. We might be really down, frantic, furious, or even…

He was using intermittent fasting, but eating half of an entire cherry pie during his “open eating window.” Photo by Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash Hello Thrivers!…

Nothing gets me up at zero dark thirty, except for this one thing. Hello Thrivers! Have you read the Aunt Bea booklet? It’s important to read her or…

Please let’s forget the past the future looks bright ahead! Let’s live differently, riskier, happier. Hello Everyone! Welcome to April! As always it’s important to read the Aunt…

.Hello Trippers, Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you read the Aunt Bea post (you’ll find her to the…

Our developing habits are as precious and fragile as a small kitten. Photo by The Lucky Neko on Unsplash Does it help to know that you’re not alone?…

Beautiful wreath at Notable Wreaths. Dear Thrivers, Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you read the Aunt Bea post…

Beautiful rings and photos by Lindsay from INDVapparel. Pearl One As I slowly lost 55, I was only beginning to learn how to put food into its proper…

A cool new habit can throw a bad habit off the cliff! Hello Thrivers!! I’ve returned from an exhausting week. Nothing bad to report except two very long…

Three to 400 years old, we’re spring chickens compared to this thriving Charleston treasure. Happy Friday Thrivers! I hope these pearls find you enjoying a peaceful spring day.…

Now here’s a habit I could happily instill! 🙂 Happy Friday Thrivers, If you haven’t read the Aunt Bea booklet, she’s a must. You’ll find her to your…

Aren’t these calories beautiful? Yep, that’s how they lure us. Hello Everyone, If you haven’t yet read Aunt Bea, just shoot me an email: Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get…

No spoilers, but Betty Draper spits out her whipped cream. This blog won’t make sense until you read the Aunt Bea booklet (you’ll find her on this page…

Hello Everyone, As always if you haven’t yet read Aunt Bea, the how-to is underneath by short bio on the right of the screen, but you can always…

Hi Everyone, If you’re brand new to the Inspired Eater, look to your right. Underneath my round photo and short bio is how to access the Aunt Bea…

Me cuddling my River. Have you seen the meme, “What do you mean ‘I’m not a people?’ You tell everyone I’m your baby.” Hi All! Many have asked…

Get to know you through the seeming magic of journaling. Watch the gems spill forth. Hello Everyone! The last day of 2021!! Pearl One Today, let’s talk about…

Amazing dress and photo by FloAtelier Years ago I was heading out to garage sales in a pair of jeans that cut me at the middle (what was…

Beautiful holiday dress and photo by Amordress. We made it to Friday!! Go us! Pearl One Once Upon a Time the powers-that-be thought they knew the truth. (It…

You see the problem. Happy Friday! We have a lot of new people, so consider some pearls to be an awesome refresher. 🙂 And don’t miss Pearl Four.…

Happy Friday, All! Let me know how you’re doing with the long weekend! Pearl One I’m currently knee-deep in 1938 Manhattan. A Rolls Royce with driver, a glittering…

Photo by Pexel. Happy Friday! My backyard at the moment is blanketed in 14-karat gold leaf (the picture is not my backyard.) It looks like a movie set.…

Snuggly “No Days Off” cozy-wear & photo by CharlotteChanelllc Hi Everyone! Happy Friday! Pearl One The latest saying goes, Gobble till you Wobble. Yeah, no. Overindulging on Thanksgiving…

Denim card holder & photo by Melissa at MemoriesByQueenBee I’ve tried to write this post at least twice, but stopped worried that you might take this pearl the…

Gorgeous dress and photo by Art4Apparel Pearl One Are you okay with being different? I sure wasn’t. We moved enough when I was young, and I was terrible…

Cupcake-topper witch legs and photo are from SillyLittleSquirrels. Happy Friday Everyone! Pearl One Waiting for my husband in Costco’s food court, I was being nosy checking out each…

Pearl # 1 You and I evolved to be part of a pack. We’re not meant to be loners, and those of us who are, aren’t doing well.…

Emotional Eating. For those of us who grew up in a challenging childhood, food was a whole new ballgame: we grew up using food as a substitute for…

I’ve written about “Why Pretty Matters” for ourselves in this post here. But today we’re talking why pretty matters in our surroundings. When we’re over 50 and attempting…

Photo, gorgeous phone case, (& more bejeweled pieces) are by celdeconail. Pearl # 1 Full disclosure: There is a wrinkle to losing after 50. Back when I was…

One morning long ago, my husband practically pranced into the house with a pink box, opened the lid and asked, “Want a donut?” At the time, I’d lost…

Meeko, 10, is the supermodel for The Chic Dog Boutique ‘s stunning doggie jewelry collection. I’ve noticed that so many of us love animals. But I promise. This…

It’s Friday! Let’s talk pearls. 🙂 Pearl # 1 Your Three-Day Weekend Survival Kit If three-day weekends end up being “must consume mass quantities” (SNL, Coneheads), you’re not…

To lose/maintain after age 50, we need to learn how to make a gazillion micro-decisions. Here’s one that trips everyone up. A reader writes: We have a large…

Pearl # 1 I realize I might sound like a weirdo, but I love thinking about self-sabotage. It’s so interesting to me how insidious self-sabotage thoughts can be…

Every Friday I share “five pearls” for our weekend. 🙂 Pearl # 1 A childhood friend was visiting from California. Because she’s a workout-lover I was excited to…

Learning to chill when our weight plateaus is a vital mind-shift to make. We’re ahead of the curve, the experts will figure it out one day. Last week…

Every Friday I share “five pearls” for your weekend. 🙂 Pearl # 1 Every summer as a kid, my grandpa would haul out an old-fashioned hand-crank ice cream…

In 2013 after a decade of progressing symptoms, Linda Ronstadt was diagnosed initially with Parkinson’s, and finally with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare degenerative condition. She’s now mostly…

One December morning I pulled my van into the Trader Joe’s parking lot with my twin six month olds in their car seats. I parked, stepped out of…

When I was 13 my grandma who grew up in Texas told me about picking cotton, and how she and her siblings would play dolls when the adults…

Vintage honeymoons of old seem quaint by modern standards. Back in the day, two young people – say a Laura and Rob Petri type — had a sweet…

As a young person, I had zero confidence. Back in the 80s I would never mumble what seemed to be true: that working out didn’t appear to work…

Welcome to a new section called: Q & A!! If the question’s been asked, it’s likely that all of us are struggling with the same problem. Let’s share…

Here we go again, I thought. Saturday morning I was online ordering library books when I came across yet another weight loss book enthusing, “How I lost a…

I hadn’t seen Jen in months, but the stars aligned and our families had a get-together. When Jen’s crew arrived I hugged her saying, “Mmm, you smell like…

“You might as well lose the weight now,” my mom often told me when I was a tween, “It gets much harder when you’re older.” Okay, a) it’s…

Photo by Bruce Christianson for Unsplash “Two plus two equals four is the same at Harvard as it is at our community college,” I told my two teens…

Stunning gown and photo by AnastasiiaMokko In the earliest part of the twentieth century and a New York Times article read, “(It) might be assumed that the flying…

(For animal lovers: no worries, this story has a wonderful ending.) On a beautiful spring morning, I awoke early, glugged coffee and drove my sweet shepherd to the…

You’re working hard at smart eating. Pounds are coming off slowly, but that’s a good thing, right? (One hundred percent: yes.) You meet a newish friend for lunch,…

You know that the five stages of grief apply to a loved one’s passing. But food? How do the five stages apply to being over fifty and smart…

My friends often inform me that I’m naturally thin. “Oh, no, no, no,” I respond. “I was a round kid, teen, and young adult. I’ve always been well-insulated.…

Photo by Erol Ahmad for Unsplash In high school I once got an F on an algebra report card. (Not proud.) I knew my parents would freak. (Deep…

Remember that 1980s hair conditioner commercial? A blonde tells two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on? Pretty soon the whole screen is…

Most of us get that we don’t overeat because we’re merely hungry. Some of us developed a bad habit of overeating as kids. Others because of stress and/or…

At this point we’ve heard it a jillion times. Diets don’t work. Exercise either (unless you’re aiming for the Navy Seals). As I write we’re in early March…

I’m a huge believer in the power of books. Great books fill in history holes (aka craters) from my school years, provide entertainment, and comfort me when life…

Photo & stunning dress by Heart My Closet. Long ago I read about a woman in her 50s who’d had it with life: something went wrong (again) and…

“What harm can two pizza slices — plus extra crusts — really do?” I asked myself last night (as if I didn’t know). Turns out, plenty. This morning…

For years when I saw a commercial of a rugged Jeep Wrangler climbing a mountain road I’d practically start drooling. I need a rugged Jeep to climb a…

Have I mentioned that I’m 56? And way past menopause? And that I still love to eat like I’m 15? That said, if we pro-age ladies (I read…

As I write – coffee and German shepherd at my side – we’re two days into our shiny new year (2021). And yours truly is acknowledging a rock…

“Still?” the new smart eater asked me. “After all this time it’s still hard to walk by cupcakes? “Well, here’s the thing,” I said. “I truck right by…

When I see celebs turn up in the media bone-thin saying that it all comes down to “hashtag embracing a healthy lifestyle” or “hashtag sweating instead of crying,”…

It was a warm spring day a million years ago, and Jen and I were doing what we did every month: having lunch at a beautiful outdoor bistro.…

My sister lives in Tucson with her family and they hike the Grand Canyon “for fun.” Enthusiasts call hiking the Grand Canyon, “a bucket list adventure.” But who…

According to an article just out, “Our brains may be wired to seek out junk food.” Just great. The study essentially says that humans are rigged to reach…

Put a little fun in your heart each and everyday. Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash. Back in the day when food was my entertainment, I’d tell myself,…

Glamorous robe and photo by BellaDonnaua. I love Saturday mornings. For years my husband and I make a 20-minute freeway drive to a dog park that my German…

In my teens, twenties, and early thirties I tried to purchase weight loss. I bought diet plans, gym memberships, personal trainer packages, and I would’ve bought stomach surgery…

I started losing weight in earnest back in ‘97 just before my sweet cousin’s wedding. I was at the heaviest I’d ever been and, no, I wasn’t all…

“We are bleeding money.” Over the last four years my husband and I had been — 24/7 — diapering, feeding and caring for twin infants slash toddlers. Now…

Fine china, fabulous presentation, fireworks. Infusing fun into our smart eating lifestyle is so important. It was a hot summer evening in Atlanta. A friend and I were…

Having the right food in the house when we’re losing or maintaining after 50 isn’t just nice, it’s essential to smart eating versus chowing like a hungry toddler-gone-wild.…