The days of eating anything without repercussion have died a slow, and painful death. There was a time when I lived on fast food and coffee…primarily coffee. Chocolate milk and Cheetohs were my hangover remedy in my young, party hearty days…yeah, I know that’s weird, but there you have it.
When I was just out of college and whittling off the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior “15” (college and I were not kind to my body), while I was still eating a lot of junk accompanied by my fair share of adult beverages, I took up some pretty serious running and aerobics (yup, I’m of the Jane Fonda “make it burn”, leg warmer and leotard generation)… enough that I more than counteracted my poor nutrition. I slimmed pretty quickly to an almost unhealthy thin.
The 40s
Eventually, I leveled out at a healthy weight through moderate eating habits, reduced alcohol consumption and a reasonable amount of activity. Then…came my 40s. Around that time was when my knees started acting up. Too much hard hitting on concrete had taken its toll, and while a few knee scopes helped temporarily, my high activity days were pretty much over. Then came the struggle…
Slowly but surely the weight crept on. And with the weight came achier knees, stiffness, and overall sluggishness. It became harder to do the things I love like hiking, bicycling, yoga, or walk long distances. The worst became finding clothes. I love clothes…some might say I have a small closet “issue”…if you get my drift. When I went from a size 6 tailored suit off the rack to struggling to even find a rack, I knew enough was enough.
Diet? Tried It!
I am my mother’s daughter in that I’ve tried every “diet” out there. And, while I did have success every time…for a while… if veered off track even the slightest, the weight I’d lost came back…and then some. What’s really dumb…and I readily admit it…is that I grew up with the advent of Weight Watchers. My mom joined back in 1969, so I was raised on portion and food control (almost to the extreme). And frankly, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know how to eat healthy. It’s everywhere – TV, magazines, internet…there’s nothing you can’t know or learn about eating healthy. And yet…I wasn’t.
50s & Menopause
Then came my 50s and menopause…the perfect shit-storm of crap that happens when your hormones and emotions decide you’re no longer in the driver’s seat. All kinds of changes started happening – my weight shifted. That’s right…shifted. I stayed the exact same weight over the course of three years but my clothes were looser in some areas. I told my doctor by year four I’d be coming to physicals in clown shoes because clearly my weight was heading south.
My body shape as a whole changed. Where once I had curves, my body has changed to what I can only call “wide boy” shape. Being short-waisted, coupled with added pounds makes for difficult-to-hide bulk…no other way to put it…and it ticks me off!
For me, with menopause came food effects – I don’t tolerate greasy, fatty, or spicy foods of any sort. I’m on fire with plain old Taco Bell! My family and friends know precisely when I’m eating anything with the slightest bit of spice to it by the way my face and neck turn fire-engine red and my hair wax fails! So disappointing after years of eating and loving spicy foods. If I eat too late (after about 7:00pm), I’m sure to have heartburn, especially once I’m in bed. Some foods give me reflux; others give me “rumbly guts”…it’s a crapshoot. Grilled foods are touch and go – charcoal is pretty much out unless I have an antacid. I LOVE bread…I mean, I really love it. Nothing better than a thick slice of fresh, soft bread with some butter…it now gives me hiccups.
I still love my junk food, which doesn’t affect me in the least…how’s that for irony? But with having braces right now, the vast majority of what I love in the junk food category is pretty much out! (I can’t wait to have some popcorn when my braces come off!) My sweet tooth is still going strong, but again, much of what I love I cannot eat with braces. And, I’m finding that I simply do not feel good after eating chocolate…and that’s a real party killer for me!
Eating Clean, Feeling Good
The only time I feel really good is when I’m eating clean, whole foods. Lean proteins (chicken, eggs, shrimp, I’m learning to like some fish, small portion of lean pork, minimal to no beef), vegetables, rice, lentils, beans, and fruit.
Interestingly, “feeling good” isn’t just digestive good, but my knees, ankles, feet and back – all of which have arthritis and various other bony issues, feel much better. I’m sure part of that comes from losing some weight off my joints, but I know a lot if it can be attributed to a reduction in overall inflammation coursing through my body with a proper diet.
Starting Over
So, as I write this, I’m also penning my plan to get back on clean eating. Enough is enough. My goal is 80% of the time, only because there are situations where it’s near impossible to eat clean, situations like work-related events when I can’t always choose from a menu.
As a “hard cut” kind of person, I’ll officially be starting June 10, 2019, just days after I turn 56. Why such an odd date? Where normally I would kick off on a key date, like my birthday (June 4), luck would have it that I have a full week of travel that week. And, I know myself well enough to realize I need to set a start date, and the lead-in needs to be physical and mental prep. I’m not one to just slide right in…I need my ducks in a row. That said, it’s long past time to “git ‘er done.” Farmer’s markets in my area opened Memorial Day weekend, and I’ve joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) and will be receiving a small box of fresh produce weekly. More on the CSA another time. Pantry gets cleaned and sorted so my husband can find “his” foods and I can find “mine.”
I’ll be documenting my return to the wagon right here on my blog, under Getting Older menu link. Be sure follow my journey…I’m sure it’ll be an interesting trip…and watch for my recipe posts under Recipes & Entertaining. If you have some delightful clean recipes you’d like to share, please do so in comments below….I’m a big flavor gal, and I’ll take any help I can get!
