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 rafts for ships) or Rosalind Franklin (discovered something huge in DNA).

And let’s give it up for Josephine Cochrane who invented the dishwasher!! (And the crowd goes wild.)

Furthermore, can we talk indoor plumbing? Wow, right?

And I haven’t even mentioned Prince, Aretha, or Taylor Swift.

Doesn’t planet Earth rock?!

But, then we come to our (funky) diet-industry.

We’ve learned that we’d been lied to for decades by Big Sugar and that, at one point, there was something hinky going on with the food pyramid too. Not to mention that the “calories in, calories out” crowd are still debating each other.

On the plus side, we’ve received life-saving info on sodium, that too much is a hard no. And they genuinely seem to want the nutrition labels on food items to work in our favor (food counts came out in 1994, revised in 2016).

But these are still the peeps who once sang the praises of margarine, only today to urge us to welcome butter back into our fridge (in tiny servings of course). And let’s not forget what happened to the innocent egg.

And yet with the gains made, there are still those of us who are like, whatever. I have to figure this out on my own.

But here’s the thing: the larger culture has long taught that being hyper-focused on what we put into our mouths is is the key to losing weight. But really food is only the substance we use.

The truth is that eating issues begin in our hearts.

We might be grieving or angry or disappointed. We might be deliriously happy. Or scared. Or even despondent.

And the best way I know of to reach our hearts is through journaling-writing. And please don’t tell yourself that journal-writing is a “nice thing to do”, only not today. (Sorry, too busy.)

You’re never too busy for journaling-writing. It’s an imperative piece to losing after 50 and maintaining the forever-loss.

Writing suggestions:

• What’s going on inside of me today? Am I frightened, mad, anxious?
• It’s difficult for me to sit quietly with my feeling(s) and just “let it be” because. . .
• When I’m having my feeling, where do I feel it in my body?
• If I “sit with my feeling”, how long does the feeling stay?
• I know that feelings pass like clouds moving through the sky, but I’m still scared to stay present and be calm with my feeling(s) — rather than feeding it chocolate — because. . .
• When I was young who comforted me when I was having feelings?
• I had to deal with feelings on my own so I turned to (list as many as you can). . .
• In my emotional life today, which feelings can I handle? Which rattle me to my core?
• What kind of self-talk would help me immensely as I learn to better engage with myself while experiencing a hard (for me) feeling?

Journal-writing reveals insights into ourselves in which we’re not consciously aware. Get to know you, you’ll fall in love with the person you find. ♥

Pearl Two

I didn’t think up this great tool, but I’m sure glad that Tim Ferris – podcaster extraordinaire – put words to the feelings of “HELL YEAH!!”

Let me explain.

When we take something away from ourselves – like overeating for comfort – we have to give something in return or we feel a yawning void, an emptiness inside, and head straight for the Doritos. (When people give up alcohol or drugs, the rehab staff strongly encourages participants to find new passions in life as part of the healing process.)

But how to choose from the millions of hobbies out there? We’ve all tried various activities and – while some were okay — none sparked much passion in us.

But Tim’s “HELL YEAH!!” energy changes the equation.

As an example, one woman I know loves comedy. She’ll take her comediennes on Netflix, but she’s wild about seeing stand-up live. Years ago, she saw Seinfeld just months before his show went on the air and last week she saw Kid Gorgeous — John Mulaney — live in her town.

That said, what’s your reaction to seeing a comedienne in person? This is where Tim Ferris says, “If your answer isn’t an uproarious, ‘HELL YEAH!!‘ pass it up.”

If an activity or idea doesn’t light Tim on fire, he’s out.

So, what’s your reaction to:

• Seeing all of Johnny Depp’s top twelve movies? A “HELL YEAH!!” or “meh”?
• Returning to the childhood classics like The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and A Little Princess also by Frances Hodgson Burnett. (Adults reading awesome kid-lit is a thing.) “HELL YEAH!! or “so-so”?
• Beginning with a “paint by numbers” kit and moving onto to actual painting classes. “HELL YEAH!!” or “not really”?
• Photography classes. “HELL YEAH!!” or “pass”?
• Taking a therapy dog into a nursing home. “HELL YEAH!!” or “not my thing”?
• Love travel? (TrustedHousitters.com makes it more affordable. Just sayin.’) “HELL YEAH!!” or “not into it”?

But here’s the tricky part: we need to open our hearts to new experiences. We need to at least try — your equivalent of — the comedy show, or the painting class, or the therapy dog. You can’t blow off every suggestion: trying new things is part of our Smart Eating Lifestyle. Don’t make it a dramatic thing, just try two new activities a month. Eventually one will catch your attention.

Btw, I’ve tried a lot of things that didn’t pan out, one to the tune of $2000. So don’t force yourself to like something you don’t like (only try not to spend $2000 when you’re still in the honeymoon stage). Just stay open and try new activities.

When we’re living more of a “HELL YEAH!!” life, our dedication to eating 95 percent fuel-food, while keeping the fun-food to just five percent is way less formidable. I’d love to hear your “HELL YEAH!!” passions in the comments below. ♥

Pearl Three

We keep this slot for a new topic each month and in November we’re talking “stacking.” Last week, I pointed out how easy it is for me to stack negative memories. (Kind of a downer.)

Today let’s talk stacking small, but significant memories that make us laugh. When I think of funny moments, I see in my mind’s eye my grandma who had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. She was the throw-your-head back type.

Have fun with this one. In your journal stack five memories and then write them on stickies where you’ll see them and smile every day. ♥

Pearl Four

Food. A thriver from Texas wrote and said that she loves to put mashed avocado into warm corn tortillas adding a smidge of salt and a squirt of lime. (Since I use WW’s old points system paired with the REP, I eat my guac-tacs for lunch, not dinner.)

My review: yum, yum, and more yum. ♥

Pearl Five

There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela ♥

If a problem is bothering you, it’s annoying someone else too, no doubt.

Have a beautiful mid-November 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. ♥

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!

It’s important to read the Aunt Bea booklet or the Inspired Eater won’t make much sense. You’ll find her to your right in the box under my circle bio. She’s supposed to land in your email, but sometimes she ends up in spam. If you lost her just let me know: Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll shoot her right to you!

Let’s talk pearls.

Pearl One

Truth be told, we’ve fallen in love with ‘diets.’ We revel in a long honeymoon with the newest eating plan for weeks or even months.

But eventually the Debbie-downer scientists get involved and study our beloved only to conclude that the plan is a no-go, and we’ve been led astray. Our response: honeymoon over, we’re done, and we return to our former (train-wreck) eating patterns.

Welcome to what intermittent fasting (IF) is facing this year. We were high as a kite with IF’s potential until the scientists mucked everything up by (recently) saying that it doesn’t actually work.

And yet here’s the thing: IF is absolutely fine as long as we pair IF with developing Smart Eating habits too.

Consider a guy I know who was thrilled to hear about IF. In the beginning he ate on a six-hour window and lost more weight than he’d expected. But then ‘something happened’ and the weight showed up again. So he closed his eating window to just five hours (noon to 5 p.m.)

Last I heard, even the five-hour window ‘wasn’t working.’

But turns out that during his open window, this man was gorging on Big Macs, full-sized cherry pies, cheesecake, pizza and the like.

The real trouble with this man and IF is that as he lost he wasn’t also developing better ways of engaging with food.

And that’s the piece the scientists don’t include in their equation. It’s vital that — as we lose — we also learn to navigate our food-porn culture; come to terms with our own overeating ways, and plan to live a Smart Eating Lifestyle that’s vibrant for the long game. ♥

Pearl Two

What is a skill? I consulted the dictionary which says, the definition of a skill is a talent or ability that comes from training or practice.

‘That comes from training or practice.’

Interesting.

Then I took a look at the description for ‘habit’: ‘a recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition: she made a habit of going to bed early.’

Wow. So training/practice + frequent repetition of new behavior = ironclad habits.

What new skill are you developing this summer? ♥

Pearl Three

In June, this slot is kept for talking about the poison of perfectionism. I have it. You have it. The only ones in our culture who don’t have it are our sweet, furry darlings.

Perfectionism.

Wouldn’t it be sad, if our little guys mused with gloom, I’m an okay Shih Tzu, but there are better. Even that mix around the corner is more adorable than me.

Let’s begin with a couple of examples and my perfectionism point will make more sense.

Imagine we buy a new car. She’s a beauty: red, shiny and gorgeous. Months later we notice that she has a scratch here, a ding there bumming us out no end leaving us thinking, I give up! This is why I can’t have nice cars. It must be me: I’m just too old to learn new car-tricks. And with that, we give up Red and revert to our old beat-up truck.

One More

You might remember that I woke up on the first of January (2022) to Covid. It wasn’t fun, but at the end of the month can you imagine me thinking, that’s it! The year is ruined. Nothing good will happen in 2022. And for the next 11 months I live in Eeyore-mode.

This example might seem silly, but this is exactly what we do after we’ve overeaten. We give up on the Smart Eating Path.

Here’s the deal: we are going to slip and overeat cake, or raid the freezer, or inhale the oatmeal cookies. It’s part of this trek we’re on: to lose after age 50. You and I are normal humans for overdoing the calories.

The only piece that matters at all is how we respond to the slip. ♥

Pearl Four

Recently I wrote about frozen bananas and what a delicious base they make for faux-ice cream. A reader wrote saying that she doesn’t like bananas.

J. writes . . .

I REALLY wish I could get past the smell/ taste/ texture of bananas because I would love to have an ice cream alternative to enjoy all summer long. Dairy free alternatives are so hard to find!

There’s been an explosion in dairy-free ‘ice creams’, and let me tell you: they’re spectacular. Thankfully they’re pricey. Our only hope is to have some for breakfast, lol, which I detail here.

However — in all seriousness — if this type of dessert leads to binging, forgo it all together.

I found these non-dairy babies at Kroger.

So Delicious. I more than sampled their salted caramel cluster made with cashew milk. My review: O.M.G. Do yourself a favor and never buy this one. Nothing to see here, just move along. Serving: 2/3 cup, calories: 260, fat: 15 g, fiber: 1 gram, carb: 31 g.

Ben and Jerry’s. You know something’s afoot when these guys are in the game. I taste-tested their Netflix Chilll’d that blends peanut butter surprise cream (almond milk) with salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownie. Wonderful, but the Ben and Jerry’s has way more calories and fat than the better tasting Salted Caramel Cluster above. Serving; 2/3 cup, calories: 380, fat: 22 g, fiber: less than 1 g, carbs: 44 g.

Oatly. Devotees rave about Oatley so I’m guessing specific flavors might deliver more of a kick. I tried the oat milk and coffee, if you serve this dessert as ice cream, nobody would know the difference. Oatlys came in at the lowest calories. Serving: 2/3 cup, calories: 210, fat: 12 g, 1 g, carbs: 24 g.

Just saying: If you’re weaning yourself off a stubborn ice cream habit, these surprise creams might be a great way to start.

A hearty thank you to J. for alerting me to a new food item that I now need to avoid like the plague. ♥

Pearl Five

What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it’s supposed to be.” – Jeremy Binns ♥

Have a beautiful weekend, Thrivers! And please feel free to ask questions via the comment section below or by emailing me at: Wendy@theInspiredEater.com.

With love and support,

♥, 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. ♥♥♥

Photo, gorgeous phone case, (& more bejeweled pieces) are by celdeconail.

Pearl # 1

Full disclosure: There is a wrinkle to losing after 50.

 Back when I was “well-insulated,” I never had dark circles under my eyes.

Ever.

My face was a blown up balloon: smooth, no wrinkles, and definitely no dark circles.

When I took off the final pounds, several stayed poofed on my face. Then menopause hit.

When that thrill ride was over, I emerged a raccoon.

I tried everything: concealers (Shape Tape and the popular Maybelline one) and a rainbow of color correctors. I even tried carefully dabbing zinc sunblock under my eyes (just to see what would happen). 

Nothing happened.

And therein lies the adage women have heard for ages, “You need to pick: your fanny? Or your face?” meaning if you lose too much weight your face deflates like a balloon.

When I first caught sight of my dark circles, I was not happy and decided to gain five pounds. Still nothing. I kept the five pounds on for six months to see if anything would improve.

Nothing improved.

My Takeaway

At 67, Oprah looks fantastic. Sure, she’s a a billionaire and so forth, but partly her looks are due to not over-losing in her 60s. Keeping some weight on keeps her face filled.

In retrospect, I likely needed to gain ten to fifteen pounds, and then let them hang around forever to really impact my dark circles. But jeans, nicer clothes, undies, everything I had were in a specific size and blah, blah, blah.

Don’t make my mistake.

As you slowly lose – giving your body generous amounts of time to adjust and stabilize along the way – ditch the idea of getting down to your college or pre-baby weight. Shoot for a happy middle between your fanny and your face.

Because not only can’t we eat like when we were young, turns out we can’t lose like we’re young either. ♥

Pearl # 2

You know, “calories in, calories out?” Well, I’m no scientist, doctor or nutritionist, but I think one day they’ll arrive at the idea that there’s something to the timing of calories rather than just the amount we take in.

I’m not talking about intermittent fasting. Or maybe I partially am. I’m talking about eating the “fun” calories for breakfast, having a moderate lunch, a small snack in the afternoon and a tiny plate at dinner. By 6:30 p.m. I’m done eating for the day. (If I eat breakfast at 8:30 a.m., a 14-hour intermittent fast isn’t bad.

I started this eating plan in January and have been surprised at how chill it’s made me re: healthy eating. I  haven’t been struggling with staying within my preferred one to three pound range.

I wrote more about success with this type of eating here and here. ♥

Pearl # 3

Welcome to my mind on self-sabotage where every incredibly awesome idea comes to die.

This week I had self-sabotage thoughts on a constant-loop. I wish that we could surgically remove these Eeyore thoughts. This is what I heard this week:

•  “All your effort won’t do much and you’ll feel like an idiot again.”
• “You’re spending too much time on this. You’re stealing from your family!”
• “Your life is good, you’re nuts not to kick back with Netflix and chill.”

Here’s what I do with these thoughts. If they happen after 6 p.m. I remind myself not to listen to them at all. I pretend they aren’t there and grab a good book to quiet them down. If they happen during the day, I listen closely. Maybe they have a point. I give their ideas serious thought, and then implement fifty percent of what they’re pushing for. Our ultimate plan: identify self-sabotaging thoughts as the life ruining wet blankets that they are. ♥

Pearl # 4

Best Hack in the World Alert! I was late to the cell phone party, so you might already know about this hack.

I’ve never been a fitness enthusiast. The best I’ve ever done is almost three years of weekly yoga/Pilates classes, but my instructor moved. (Lamo reason for not finding new classes, I know.)

Motivating myself to use my indoor recumbent bike has been a massive fail.

But here’s what I figured out: I put the Netflix app on my phone and told myself that I can only watch a show when I’m pedaling the bike. I know!! Brilliant, right?!

I went from thirty to fifty minutes on the bike. I can’t wait for my endurance to build so that I can binge-watch. ♥

Pearl # 5

If you’ve gotten an idea from this post to use in your own life, awesome!! Let me know what you liked, or what you’d like more of for October posts. The holidays are galloping our way, I’m betting you have questions re: maintaining or losing after 50 during the holidays.

And trust me, it’s not your imagination. Health is hard.

♥, Wendy

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

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