Photo and darling pumpkins by TildaLovesTeddy.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Losing weight for the long run. This time? We’re shooting for permanent results.

Pearl # 1

We’ve been told forever that a human being can lose two pounds a week safely. But we weren’t told what ultimately matters most: how do we keep the weight off for good?

From today until Thanksgiving we’re looking at nine weeks, and until Christmas it’s thirteen.

Given our culture’s two-pounds-a-week doctrine, we should be able to lose eighteen by Thanksgiving.

Eighteen pounds!! Doesn’t that sound awesome?

It does. Except it’s a snow job.

You and I are black belts at losing for something big – a wedding, a reunion, or in this case, a holiday – but as someone on the front-lines of maintenance knows two pounds a week is a lovely thought every now and then, but losing two pounds on the regular? You’ll end up gaining it back.

I lost an .8 ounces here, a pound there. I didn’t give any thought to the scale. I only focused on developing smart eating habits.

While we might be able to willpower ourselves into a large loss, we cannot willpower our way through maintenance. The only way to reduce for the long-game is in establishing rock-solid habits that we embed into our very hearts and soul.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving.

The holidays aren’t officially here for nine weeks. Let’s lose differently this year:

• Lose slowly. Meaning don’t awaken the inner “I’m dying!” voice who notices fewer calories coming aboard and sounds the alert. Let’s don’t be hard on her, she’s only trying to keep us alive. By losing slowly we’re keeping her cozy and quiet.

• Embed habits. Pick one – maybe two – habit(s) that you want to establish in your smart eating life this fall. For example, you might want to establish the habit of no eating after 6:30 p.m. Or that you’ll eat a veggie at every meal (mine).

• Increase your ability to be patient (i.e. chill). Are you and patience on good terms? The most patient among us are the victors. When our “it’s taking too long” voice invariably shows up: have a thought in mind to whip out like: hey, a college degree takes four years. Or: a baby takes nine months. Or even: I’m strengthening my patience-muscle — it’s way too wet-noodle-ish.

• My favorite way of beefing up my patience-muscle, is singing in my mind Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” The song nails it, you can stand me up to the gates of hell, but I won’t back down. ♥

Pearl # 2

Success-stack. Big or little, it doesn’t matter. Your success-memory just has to mean something wonderful to you. Maybe you scored the highest on the Pilates certification. Or you’re happy that you organized the cupboard under the sink after years of neglect.

Stack your five happiest successes and write them down where you can see them DAILY.

Most of us are champions at remembering the negative, but terrible at keeping the positive at the forefront.

Don’t be “most.” Be unique. Be proud of your successes. Own what you’ve brought to life. I homeschooled my two from Kindergarten through high school. And they’re crushing college. Dang right I’m proud.

Now you. ♥

Pearl # 3

Tracker vs. journal-writing. We have some lovely new readers to The Inspired Eater so I thought a quick primer on the difference between journal-writing and tracking would be helpful.

Tracking — Find a pretty notebook and a great pen, and install both in their home: the counter immediately next to the fridge. I’ve tracked my food since the late 90s. Studies shows that the most successful maintainers made tracking a solid habit. You want the habit to be like brushing your teeth.

Journal-writing — Whether done in a beautiful spiral notebook or on your computer (I love OneNote), make a habit of writing daily in your journal. I give regular prompts in these posts (prompts that I use on my own daily difficulties). There’s something magical about writing about various parts of our lives. And while I don’t literally believe in magic, I do believe that something unusual happens when we put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). You’ll learn so much about yourself as you evolve into “the upgraded you” who lives a smart eating lifestyle. ♥

Pearl # 4

Welcome to My Week of Self-Sabotage. The mean little voice that bugs me daily is such a sweetheart. This is what I heard this week:

•  You can barely keep the kitchen clean, why do you think you can (enter your own project here) and maintain the momentum?”

• You might call it ‘late blooming,’ I say never blooming.

• You know how this works: the more committed you are, the harder you’ll fall.

My self-sabotage voice is so much fun. Muzzling her is a muscle that only gets stronger with use. When your self-sabotage voice shows up say to her:

• I hear you, now go to the back of the line.

• Your thought is noted, but your skills aren’t needed on this project.

• You might be along for the ride, but you will stay quiet in the backseat.

Learning how to identify and ignore your self-sabotage voice is a superpower. ♥

Pearl # 5

If you found this post helpful, I hope you’ll share with a friend or family member.

Health is hard, no doubt about it, but we can do hard things.

♥, 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. ♥