Don't believe society's lies about age and hormones.

When I started losing fat at age 48 and was frustrated by my previous 15 years of yo-yo dieting people would say "Why don't you just accept the fact that this is what happens when you get older".

That slow creep of weight over the decades, like 10 or more pounds per year? Well that is not hormones, that is accumulating a "fat debt" just like a mortgage debt. You just have to knuckle down and pay it off.

Sure I still struggle with adrenal fatigue, hypothyroid, and serious menopause hormones. Right now I'm so sick of hot flashes I want to scream. But they don't cause weight gain, they cause stress on the body and make it hard to control the food intake. So you have to find a way to reduce stress and control you environment so you make better choices (at least most of the time).

We are all human and we all sort of stumble forward in this journey.

Of course you love food, you are human, we need it to survive. I always want MORE than I need. ALWAYS. I always have to remind myself I can have more next time.

There is nothing wrong with you if you want to eat more all the time. You just need to change your habits and find better ways to reduce stress.



MFP is the perfect tool. There are no quick fixes. It's the nice slow deficit. When you over eat as we all do, you can't fix it in one day of fasting or eating to low - that will just backfire and most people binge after they do that.

This holiday weekend I'm reminded of the things I have learned in the last 7 years of this journey (3 years of the big fat loss phase, and 5 years of maintaining), after spending my previous 50 years overweight and all the way up to obese:

Remember you can make your own "food rules" at picnics and social gatherings.

No matter what anyone is doing or saying, or trying to convince you to put into your body you can DECIDE to OWN IT. Don't let someone else decide for you.

One of the biggest mentality changes you can make with this lifestyle is taking that ownership back. Never again give that ownership to another person. You don't owe anyone an explanation about it. You don't have to defend it.

"No thank you." End of story. Just do what you need to do.

For the most part I avoid drinking my food energy (calories), I take rich fatty foods in small doses and it better be "to die for" delicious and worth it.

I feel better when I have that little bit of desert after eating protein first.

If you are trying to stick to a lean fat loss plan for the day stick to lean meats and avoid the creams, dressings, and sauces full of sugar and fat.

If you want to try everything, have little bites. It doesn't always have to be a heaping serving. Learn to be satisfied that you can have little bites of just about everything and not feel deprived.

Avoid the term "bad food" or cheating. Eating is not bad. Eating is not cheating. We are meant to eat.

I like to drink water in a fancy glass with lemon or lime and enjoy getting involved in conversation. This makes time fly, it's fun, and talking and LISTENING is easier when you are not eating at the same time - just sipping on water and watching people and listening.

BE PROUD, that you can be different and succeed. It is FUN to SUCCEED.

If you over eat, no big deal, it's not the end of the world, tomorrow is a new day.

OWN IT and move on.

Roberta