I don’t like to spend much time and effort thinking about my physical appearance. I don’t report to an office daily where such things matter. Also, I find the whole process boring. I’m a minimalist on this at least; I recently read a breathless article about an “8-minute face” — implying how much time women could save with these make-up tips, and I thought huh. I have never spent 8 minutes on make-up unless I was going on TV or speaking at a conference where they’d enlisted a make-up pro (often because of filming).
Make-up is straightforward (hiring a pro is a good solution!) but I’ve been cognizant lately, while looking at photos and videos, of another more complicated matter. I’m at around my highest weight in a long time. I keep reading that metabolism declines as we get older, and no doubt that’s part of it. I won’t blame having kids. After every pregnancy I got myself back down to where I was before. After my fourth baby, I actually got down to my early high school weight by eating a low-carb diet, but I found it unsustainable. I love food and I don’t like spending a lot of time thinking about what I “can’t” eat.
So I’ve been asking myself whether I care. On some level: no. In general, I think it’s more healthy to focus on inputs (habits) than results (weight — which varies by time of day, day of week, time of month, etc.) In my case, my inputs aren’t bad. I exercise daily, limit alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages, and eat most of my meals at home; vegetables feature prominently. I could do more, but more exercise takes more time. Eating less takes time, too, in the form of mental energy devoted to setting limits and eating the “right” foods, whatever those happen to be.
I know I could lose weight. I also know that “I don’t have time” means “it’s not a priority.” And I don’t think being at my high school weight is a huge priority right now.
Of course, there are reasons beyond sheer vanity to make a few changes.
One is that it’s easier to run when I’m lighter. I like to run long. Having run 8.5 miles last weekend, and realizing I’d like to do more of that, I know that carrying an extra 5-10 lbs matters as the miles stack up. What I’ve decided I am willing do is focus on little tweaks that don’t take much time or mental energy. I can look for ways to walk more and snack on healthier foods (and make sure that’s what’s in the house). I have built strength-training into my life. Maybe over time these tweaks will move things. Or not, in which case I will probably just make my peace with it.
Have you lost weight through small tweaks? Or have any weight changes required a lot of effort and time?
Honestly for me the biggest (and easiest) tweak has been … don’t eat. Or eat less. Both save both time and money. And no, I’m not talking (IMO) about disordered eating. When I was earnestly trying to lose weight, I went through a time of generally not eating breakfast. My body got used to this pretty quickly (quit complaining it was hungry), I felt fine, and I lost weight. I did other stuff — I get a lot of “boxed lunch” type foods provided through work meetings, etc., and I started generally eating just half of what was in the box. This meant I got 2 meals instead of 1, and, again, it helped me lose weight.
As a teenager/young adult, particularly if I was dashing around (often from sporting event to sporting event) I’d sometimes have a banana and a glass of milk, or similar (OK, sometimes it was a Pepsi and a Snickers Bar) for a meal. Now I do that again (the fruit/milk selection, not the other one) sometimes in similar circumstances. As a married woman and a mom I think I’ve been guided to feel I need to prepare and/or participate in full meals, especially dinner, and really — I don’t. At least not every meal (I mostly opt to simplify/minimize those of which I’m partaking solo, not the shared ones).
Finally, I prioritized eating less over eating better, as I decided I could manage one or the other but not both. As I was already eating reasonably well, that was OK but for example when I half the boxed lunches, I don’t skip the cookie or the chips they include.
I lost most of the weight I wanted to lose and have kept it off. I still deploy the approaches listed above, but less avidly than I did when I was actively trying to lose weight. And of course these strategies probably won’t work for everyone — my metabolism could clearly be slower (though it used to be faster), and I am reasonably, if not fabulously, active. But at any rate, this is what’s currently working/recently worked for me.
@Alexicographer – thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that meals can be casual and certainly solo meals. And yes, being cognizant of turning one too-large meal into two is smart.
I have sooooooo many thoughts. Weight loss is one of my practice areas. With the caveat that this is NOT medical advice (although I am happy to speak in greater detail offline), my favorite tweak at the moment (and one I employ myself) is intermittent fasting. Essentially, you limit when you eat to an 8-10 hour block of the day. I like 11-7 personally. You can of course drink water, coffee or tea any time. I find it takes little time or mental energy and I feel more energetic.
@GG – interesting! I think, knowing myself, I would be very tempted to eat something huge right at 7 p.m. as the thought of not eating until almost lunch the next day would bother me a lot. Though I suppose people get used to things over time.
@Laura So, obviously important to know yourself. However, the data suggests that if you consume the same number of calories over a longer period of time vs. intermittent fasting, intermittent fasting leads to lower body weight and decreased insulin resistance. So, unless at 7 pm you eat more than your usual breakfast worth of calories with your dinner you will still come out ahead. It isn’t jus that we eat less in the shorter time. There are actually metabolic changes that take place.
Intermittent fasting and a prolonged fast. Like 48 hours. I usually eat a sizable breakfast and then don’t eat for 48 hours. While I sometimes get a headache in the late afternoon of the first day, I actually get pretty clear headed and very productive the second day once my body has switched over to ketosis.
I would not be very pleasant to be around with prolonged fasting! ‘Hangry’ is an accurate description of me when I haven’t eaten in a while.
@Erin – me too. I think I should have made that point in another comment – whether IF works or not is irrelevant if I really don’t want to do it! Same thing with carbs.
I’m late to this discussion but IF strikes fear and dread in me too.
I love to run (although I’m much slower than you, Laura), and I’m convinced it would be more enjoyable if I shifted 5 pounds. A few years ago, I was successful doing that with WeightWatchers. Unfortunately my good habits hadn’t become second nature and the weight crept back.
@Justine – I’m glad you found something that works for you. I would not want to skip eating for 48 hours!
I wonder if the time tracking equivalent of logging calories for a week might help illuminate easy wins that make sense for your priories. Tracking calories longer term does take some time, but a week long audit could go a long way in deciding where you do/ do not want to prioritize your calories (i.e. maybe you are okay cutting out snacks or eating a smaller portion or rice at dinner to enjoy a glass of wine). I’ve been tracking calories for a month to lose weight and realized previously I was eating fairly healthy, but had some blind spots only the hard data could illuminate. Whatever you decide, good luck!
There is great data for food logging. It makes you more mindful, but also I agree you can spot problem areas.
@Lisa – probably, although the calories tracking thing is slightly more complicated as I don’t know how many are in most foods (I don’t eat a whole lot of packaged foods where it’s written on the side). So I’d have to weigh foods and estimate…which gets us to the time and mental energy factor. Time-tracking doesn’t have that extra step.
@Laura–you don’t actually have to track calories for food logging to work. It is more about creating awareness about what you are eating. It cuts back on grazing and makes people think about what they are eating.
Free apps actually make this super easy (they tell you in a click how many calories are in any food). I’d estimate this takes me 5-10 minutes per day and I don’t weigh food, I estimate, so that I stick to it (don’t let perfect be the enemy of good!)
Another vote for portion control- it’s very easy for portion sizes to creep up well above what they should be. I’d keep doing what you are doing, but reduce the portions of the higher calorie foods in each meal, and add more vegetables. Also be conscious of foods that are really high in calories but don’t provide much satiety. If you only have 5-10lbs to drop, small tweaks will likely result in the outcome you are after without taking too much extra effort.
@Megan – I think “more vegetables” would be an easy one for me. I like eating and so rather than focusing on not doing something, I can eat more veggies and probably naturally eat less of everything else. There’s only so much stomach space.
Agree with the tracking and “just eat less” comments 🙂 both have worked for me. I don’t really do IF but I actually have eaten less for breakfast over time unless I’m really hungry. I also always work out fasted in the am too.
(IF = intermittent fasting)
With the exception of some high school anorexia (hello, 5’9″ and 98 pounds!), every time I’ve lost weight it’s been via the cumulative impact of marginal changes. They really do build on each other, with good habit reinforcing good habit.
Unfortunately those small changes don’t seem to be working anymore, and the late-30s metabolic slowdown appears to be in full effect. I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for 3-4 years (lunch around 1 pm, dinner around 8 pm, no snacking), exercise 5-6 days per week, and with the exceptions of Saturday and Sunday dinners eat sensibly. This is a much, much healthier approach than I had at most times pre-35… yet the weight is stalled as high as it’s been during adulthood (except for during pregnancy, of course). Guess it’s time for some more marginal changes — maybe 20% less at each meal? Cut the Saturday pre-dinner cocktail?
In the meantime, high praise for Spanx shapers, good bras, and affirming husbands!
@Kathleen – I think my vote is for spanx rather than changing too much. I was feeling like some of my old clothes don’t fit quite right and then I thought, hey! They make other sizes!
This is tough. I feel like I am in a similar situation. I ran 4 miles yesterday and really felt that extra 5-10 pounds….or maybe it is that I am getting older. Anyway, I am changing a few things for this upcoming month: no alcohol, smaller portions, higher intensity workout (workout harder, not longer) at least once or twice a week and lift weights. Cutting out alcohol is the key for me. It is chemical I think that drinking makes me gain weight….I have cut way back but I still see a big difference when I completely cut it out for a few weeks or a month.
@Claire – I’m putting alcohol in the “easy tweaks” bucket for me. I would often have an evening beer or glass of wine and I’ve realized there’s no real reason to do so during the week. A Lacroix works just fine. So we shall see if that moves things.
Agree with my “easy tweaks” being alcohol and running longer once per week. I feel like I need an hour run to really see an impact on weight loss.
For me personally, skipping breakfast is counterproductive, as is prolonged fasting. I’m better off eating a really light dinner, or even skipping dinner, and eating more frequently for the first few hours of the day.
I loved the comment about knowing the foods you like being a profound sort of self-discovery.
I also resonated with pretty much everything in Laura’s original article. Especially the makeup.
This reminded me of a comment from a coworker recently. His wife had some sort of eye brow thing done (I forget what it was called) and his comment was “Now she can wake up in the morning and her eyebrows are good to go! Doesn’t have to do a thing!” Meanwhile I’m trying to imagine just what there is possibly to do to your eyebrows on a daily basis?? Ha!
I am an obliger with not great self-control with a sedentary, snacking husband (temptations galore!) Weightloss has been a struggle especially since I had kids and spending an hour at the gym after work and evenings in the kitchen everyday is no longer the easy option. I know there are many solutions to this and you and many of your podcast guests have given me great ideas, I just haven’t had the energy to put them into play. What does help when I do it is watching what I eat. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day (egg with a small amount of cheese and 2 slices of mesquite turkey with a piece of fruit) and then I prep a meal over the weekend which I eat for lunch Mon-Sat. I also created a list of snacks so when I do want a little something, I have something to reference instead of the chips my husband is eating (This works great for my kids too!) But yes, between donuts and snacks at work and at home, it takes a lot of mental energy to resist it and sometimes I just don’t have much in the tank and I’m trying to be OK with that. Just not a huge priority right now. Like someone suggested above, I’m also trying to embrace easier/simpler options on occasion. Sandwiches for dinner is OK!
I will have to look into intermittent fasting. If nothing else, it would cut out evening snacking!
For people who have light or fair hair like me, doing your eyebrows is definitely a thing. For my brother’s wedding, I went to the bride’s house to get prepared and I wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup. The reaction after I did my face was dramatic and it was the brows that made the biggest difference. Unless I tint them, I look vaguely like a chemo patient without brows or eyelashes.
I’ve been trying to lose weight recently as I don’t like how I look in pictures. So I basically stopped being in pictures with our son, which is something I figured I would regret down the road. I also wanted to get down to my ideal weight before we try for our 2nd baby – otherwise I feared I’d end up weighing even more at the end of a 2nd pregnancy. I ended up losing about 10 pounds over the last 2ish months by trying to move more (mostly walking more) and eat a little less. I measured out portion sizes, asked myself if I was actually hungry (I’m prone to snacking out of boredom), and cut out sweets. I’m an abstainer, not a moderator, so cutting out sweets was a better solution than trying to cut back.
My suggestion is run on fewer days, and on those days to run harder and longer (5-6 miles). I think intensity/distance has a lot to do with weight loss and it’s hard to do this on a daily basis. I feel by taking off a few days a week that I can run better on the days I do.
Okay, so this is something I think about, too. Last year I did an 8 week nutrition program that was 4 weeks of a “Whole 30”-type elimination diet (idea was NOT to be/go hungry) followed by 4 weeks of reintroducing different things (dairy, gluten) to check for sensitivities. I felt great, I lost about 6 pounds (those six made a big difference)… it was all good… EXCEPT it takes a TON of time and effort to maintain. (Planning, shopping, prepping, cooking.) And with a FT job, two kids, a grad degree in progress, etc., I’ve had to pick my battles. The place I’ve landed is trying to frame it in a viewpoint of “health” and let my weight fall where it may. If I can mostly make healthy choices, then I should chill. I try to make those choices easy (having good snacks in the house and meal planning, etc.)
I used running to manage my weight, and it worked very well, until I turned 40. Then it stopped working, seemingly overnight. I started weight training and doing high intensity cardio, and that moved the needle (and I found I love those forms of exercise too). I still run because I love it, just not every day anymore. Re:eating, prioritizing protein and veggies works best for me. I know getting enough protein at each meal will keep me satisfied longer and I don’t have that energy crash that has me diving head first into a bag of chips or candy at night. Lastly, I’ve finally made peace with the fact that I can weigh x lbs if I count every calorie or I can weigh x plus 10 lbs if I eat well most of the time but also enjoy wine, dessert and the life (and people/relationships :)) that go along with that. And I choose the latter 🙂
So many thoughts about this.
I have been dieting since my early teens. Aside from a love of food – big family meals shared around the dining room table three times a day were the norm for me growing up – my body shape is predisposed to be “curvy.”
One thing I strive for, as I continue to match the ying and yang of healthful eating with a healthy mindset about my relationship with food, is to appreciate that each stage of my life, each diet I’ve tried, each exercise routine, has provided new knowledge. For example, I know what foods I like. Sounds simple enough, but is really quite profound. I now know how to prepare much healthier food than I did a decade ago. I’ve embraced good fats, lots of protein, smaller portions, whole grains. I’ve discovered I like black-bean brownies as much as their sugar/gluten-laden counterparts. I’ve learned that I feel better when I skip breakfast, despite harping on my husband for a decade about his breakfast-skipping habit (I’ll sneak off now for a giant slice of humble pie). I like to think of each season as a learning experience, even if I’ve abandoned a certain technique or approach, providing new tools that I can reach for when I need to tweak my eating habits. It truly is the small things, done every day, that bring about the most change.
I have also learned to prioritize my “relationship” with food, and not just focus on the food itself. Weight is not a true indicator of health (up to a point). Serenea Williams isn’t svelte, but you’d be hard pressed to find a female athlete with more raw athletic ability. Body image and our actual healthfulness are too often disjointed.
Obviously, the tricks/tools work that work for me might not work for another, but I’ve had a real lightening bolt (a la Gretchen Rubin) in recent years. I hate making choices. I’m a Questioner and dither over each and every decision like it is life and death. But, once I make a good choice (i.e. a menu item at a restaurant I frequent) I don’t mind repeating the same activity over and over. That plays in nicely for eating regimes. Right now I’m following a low-carb lifestyle. Overall, it’s quite easy for me. I have my suite of options that I like, fit the criteria, and I just wash, rinse, repeat. For example, instead of debating whether I should have a snack mid-evening, I have a small dish of Greek yogurt with frozen raspberries. No dithering, no expenditure of precious mental resources determining what I should have or shouldn’t have. For someone that wants to branch out from Greek yogurt…(and my husband thinks this is hilarious), but I also have a randomizer app on my phone. I will key in several healthy choices and let the phone do the deciding for me.
All this said, I also think that for some people food is more of a source of pleasure than it is for others. I will spend large portions of my day thinking about food, planning meals, looking at recipes to try. I have friends that have little interest in food, and eat more for preservation than pleasure (how, I just cannot fathom – food is just so darn good). For me, the pleasure I get from food, from the social camaraderie of sharing that intimate time with friends and family, is a huge source of joy.
@Laura: it sounds like you have a great balance, though I think we’re all works in progress! Thanks for broaching the subject – it’s a timely conversation.
My goodness, I resonated with everything you said! I also agonize over every little decision (though I am an obliger) and I too have systems in place so I don’t have to “think”. I have the same breakfast and a rotating list of lunches I eat every day for a week. I need to get better about setting up a rotating dinner calendar so that can involve less thinking. And yes, I also cannot fathom how someone could have little interest in food!
My last baby is almost 6 months old and I’ve decided to make a big push to lose the last 4-5 lbs I’d like to get rid of (I am really short, so 4-5 lbs is significant). This involves tracking calories, exercising almost daily, and being unable to think about much else besides food. If I had to be this strict with myself to maintain a weight, I’d never go to the trouble. But luckily, I never find it very hard to maintain a weight that I like. Knowing that I’ll be able to loosen up a bit once I reach my goal makes it worth the effort.
Part of this is vanity, but part of it is a fear that if I don’t maintain a weight I like, my weight will slowly creep up over the years. I know this is often how people end up with something like 40 lbs to lose, and that terrifies me! It’s a lot easier to lose 5 lbs now than 40 lbs when I’m 50 years old. (Paranoid? Yes.)
I’m an all or nothing person when it comes to weight loss. Intermittent fasting and the keto diet have been working for me and although it takes up a lot more time for my husband and me with more cooking, we are enjoying it.
On another note, your early comment about makeup made me laugh. Since the Before Breakfast podcast came out, I’m finding that that is the perfect time limit for me to finish getting ready and doing my makeup in the morning. I have super short hair, so I literally put some product into it and move it into place after I get out of the shower, get dressed and then put my makeup on and put away my toiletries. If I get to the end of the podcast and I’m not done with those things, I know my mind has been wandering while listening, but sometimes this happens because the podcast sparks a great idea. 🙂
Question for the community about intermittent fasting: if this involves skipping/shifting breakfast to fit the hours you’ve chosen, and you have kids, how do you talk with them about it in relation to their own eating habits, especially healthy breakfasts? Or is that less of a big deal than I might imagine? I’m interested in trying IF but not sure I’m ready to have a conversation with my curious kiddos (ages 5 and 9). Advice welcome!
I do IF with relative regularity. I’ve transitioned to reading books out loud to the kids at breakfast, and they never seem to ask why I’m not eating breakfast since I’m busy with another task! I also find it much easier to fast if I skip breakfast; some people do IF starting with another meal (say eating a big breakfast and not meals later in the day), but I find breakfast is the easiest one to skip around kids AND the easiest one for me to not get lured in to snacking on their food.
I recently talked about this with my BFF. She was concerned about this as well. I don’t find it to be an issue. I think it can be a great teaching moment. I don’t do IF but I do have cleanse days, typically once a week, where I don’t eat with the family. For dinner I’ll read or just talk with them. Breakfast isn’t an issue for us since we’re always running out the door. I tell them I’m doing it to be healthy. I explain to them I want a healthy body so I can live longer and have more energy to play with them. I never say anything regarding weight. In more recent years, I’ve been making much healthier food choices. I point out what foods are healthier choices and why they are good for our body. I still indulge in wine, ice cream, etc. but less frequently. I, of course, have times where I indulge more than others. I also will say that some things, i.e. the cleansing, is only okay for adults. Kids need extra sleep and calories so they can grow. Mine are 5 & 7.
Side Note: I had asked my kids if they’d rather eat pizza everyday or ice cream and my daughter (5) said Mommy would pick carrots. lol. I loved that. It made me feel like I was setting a good example for them. Of course my daughter still picked ice cream…
I haven’t eaten breakfast in years. I just tell the kids I’m not hungry yet (its true, but I felt like I HAD to eat, because of all the misguided nutrition advice, and when I heard about IF I embraced my natural inclinations), and its OK to not eat breakfast if you’re not hungry as an adult (but they need to eat, since they are growing and learning at school).They seem fine with it.
Amen!
I had never tried to skip breakfast before, and now that it’s second nature, I love how light my body feels in the morning without having to digest food right away.
I feel like one hot, really long run a week (like 15+ miles) helps me stay at my running/vanity weight. Without it, I’m usually about 5lbs heavier. Obviously I run other days during the week, but that one long run burns a lot of calories and the heat zaps my appetite for the rest of the day, and even though I’m a bit hungrier the next day, I don’t end up eating back the energy output. I do my long runs with a group super early on Saturday mornings (we often start before 5am) for the sake of safety and Saturday schedules and to maximize our time in the cool and dark (I live in Florida). Maybe your running buddy would be up for pushing your distance?
@Chelsea- I definitely want to do more longer runs. I’m not so fast, so it takes a long time!
I lost about 8 pounds last year by using a calorie tracking app. It reset some of my bad eating habits, much like a few weeks of time-tracking resets some bad time use habits for me. I didn’t really change what I ate so much as I became more aware of when I was eating out boredom or the like, and I lost the weight pretty easily. I would like to lost about the same again – in my case, I didn’t pay attention at gained a chunk of weight when my hormones started fluctuating with perimenopause, and I’d rather lose that weight – but I haven’t had luck getting calorie tracking to “stick” this time. I am not sure why I found it no problem to do last year and am having trouble this year.
@Cloud – yes, I think these things change over time. As for calorie tracking, maybe life is busier now or something else is taking that mental energy?
@Cloud – May I suggest trying Weight Watchers? In their current version, all fruits/veggies/beans/chicken breast/broth/non-fat greek yogurt are 0 points. For me, this doesn’t mean I can eat as much as I want (though am I really going to overeat celery?) but it makes tracking and entering my meals SO EASY! I just enjoyed a bowl of taco soup for lunch and though it contains probably a dozen ingredients (beans and veggies), the only thing I tracked was the sprinkle of cheese on top. I have tried calorie tracking apps before and was easily burned out, but the WW app is doable for me and my busy life! I can’t recommend it enough!
I feel like I could have written parts this article! I am a motivated and capable person, and I show up for myself every day. But if I don’t have to, I don’t want to spend my time caring about my physical appearance. It just doesn’t interest me.
I have found a way to lose the baby weight with little effort, though. I changed my daily cup of coffee to weight-loss coffee!
Good things to think about. This sounds like a potential podcast topic.
I am 67 so well understand your concerns about changing metabolism and weight gain as you get older! But I actually weigh about ten pounds less than I did in my thirties, and for the last 20 years have stayed within a five pound range. I’m a big believer in the role of environment in weight loss. I don’t have a lot of taboo foods or rules, but I don’t keep junk food in the house and make it inconvenient to get to. Everything within close range is pretty healthy.
I have also had to adapt to my changing body (sigh), and letting go of exercise I have loved is always hard. Nevertheless, I’ve succeeded. Here’s an essay I wrote on that theme:
https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/the-phoenix-approach/Content?oid=12794726
@Louisa- I like the idea of a “phoenix” approach! I’m hoping I’ll be able to run for a good long time, but of course there will probably come a day when that’s not my best option. The good news is that a brisk walk covers a lot of the same ground.
I lost 5-10 pounds over the course of about 6 months a couple years ago (I was in my late 20s at the time) simply from eating until I was more like 80% (rather than 100%) full at lunch. I didn’t cut anything out or reduce anything else. My habit was eating a large sandwich at lunch most days, so I tweaked that to eating a giant salad with a small piece of bread, or a half sandwich with soup. I found this helped my energy during the afternoon from slumping too much (I was a grad student at the time and needed to work diligently throughout the afternoons). I would then snack on things like nuts and fruit for an afternoon snack when I became hungry around 3:00pm. I never considered it “dieting” because I wasn’t strict about it, but was so surprised to see that it made a difference over time.
With that said, for many of us at a healthy weight, considering losing the “extra” 5-10 pounds is usually just a cultural preference for where we feel prettiest. While we may feel a little better in our clothes, or faster athletically (both great reasons to drop a couple pounds) if it’s only for beauty, some of us may be surprised to find that our husbands don’t even notice! (code for they already love the way we look, and maybe even appreciate the “extra” few pounds!)
I second the WW recommendation and am surprised that on a board full of people who have experience tracking time, only one other person mentioned it. Same techniques as yours, Laura, but applied to food. I limit my eating to between 7am-7pm, partly for weight reasons, and partly because as I have gotten older (I’m 50), I really need more time for my food to digest before I start my bedtime routine of yoga, hygiene, etc, at 10pm (actually 10:30).
I never really made the comparison, but it is very similar to tracking time. In WW, you have a finite number of points to spend however you wish. You can break them into small chunks or use them all at once. You also get a few extra to spend over a week (which is kind of like having extra free time on weekends). WW works very well for feeling good and losing weight when I follow it, just as I accomplish more and feel better about my life when I plan and am using my time thoughtfully!
Amen!
I had never tried to skip breakfast before, and now that it’s second nature, I love how light my body feels in the morning without having to digest food right away.
My first small step was to start making sure I was moving for 30 minutes every day. I started with walking and that small goal set a new habit when I was able to commit to 108 days IN A ROW! Now I continue this habit almost every day! The stamina I’ve built from this daily habit has now lead to mixing walking with some running! Although my main goal wasn’t to lose weight, I was surprised that after this continuous walking I hadn’t really lost a pound. I’m 49 years old and realized I may need to look at my diet a little more closely. I did a 30 day cleanse and eliminated sugar, caffeine, alcohol, gluten and have now seen a significant shift on the scale! It’s taken a lot of commitment but now I am able to manage more of an 80% clean diet and save special treats for once in a while.