I'm too OLD to Lose Weight!

...that's what I always told everyone. From age 40 on, I would say "I'm too old"...and then back that up by talking about how metabolism slows down as you age (which is true, BUT not to the degree I liked to believe) and how I had metabolic syndrome on top of that.

Metabolic syndrome just means I had a combination of things working against me that put me at increased risk for heart disease and stroke...including a large waistline (I'm an 'apple' body type, which is more likely to develop this problem than a 'pear' body type), elevated triglycerides PLUS low HDL or "good" cholesterol levels, which impairs the body's ability to rid itself of "bad" cholesterol found in food, high blood sugar levels (I was actually considered "Pre-diabetic") AND high blood pressure (even though it wasn't high enough to warrant medication).

I remember asking my gynecologist about my weight...telling her I had tried 'everything', and she said "Well, you have metabolic syndrome so there's no point...you CAN'T lose weight, your body is working against you."

(Can you BELIEVE that? From a medical professional? Just GIVE UP because I "can't"?)

I no longer see that woman. LOL.

Anyway. These were great excuses and no one argued with me.
Why bother, right? They walked away.
And I justified my eating....once again.

It was SO e-a-s-y to blame my problems on the "American diet" and "too much sodium" and "diet soda" (which I was addicted to), and "Stress", and.... well, you name it; I had an answer for it.

But I KNEW in my heart that I was lying. To myself and everyone around me.

I KNEW that my life wasn't 'over' at age 40+. I looked around me and saw other women in their late 40s, 50s and beyond who were vibrant and healthy and doing things I couldn't even dream of doing.

So I played it 'both ways'.

On the OUTSIDE, I told people the same thing..."I'm too old", etc.

But on the INSIDE, I searched DESPERATELY for an answer. An answer to the obesity that was making my life a living hell. An answer to my quest for HEALTH.

And I found it here. I started out a skeptic, but turned into a proud 'convert' and follower and advocate. I learned that 6 small meals a day with the right combinations of nutrients COULD cause me to lose weight, and I learned that if I just MOVED, a little bit, and started to exercise regularly, gently at first, carefully...but consistently...I could shed the weight and attain good health.

Today my blood pressure is normal, my blood sugars are normal, I'm at a healthy BMI AND I feel wonderful. I can MOVE again. I can squat on my haunches, I can cross my legs, I can lift my legs, I can do sit-ups, I can bend over and touch my toes, I can walk down the hallway of my house WITHOUT my thighs rubbing together painfully.

Today I can look at myself in the mirror and SMILE. And I'm feeling better than I did in my 20s.

So I'm 58. So WHAT? I'm HEALTHY at 58. And life isn't 'over'.
Far from it! I feel like I'm only just beginning to explore what life has to offer me. I spent so many years....TOO many...'hiding' behind a wall of fat and a fortress of FOOD that I forgot what life was all about. I operated from FEAR. If I 'hid', maybe no one would notice me and nobody would bother me or hurt me.

Now I know I'm entitled to live a life, a GOOD life, an interesting life, and I can take more chances and STOP HIDING because I TRUST myself, I've learned so much about who I am and what I can accomplish and I have FAITH in myself.

I trust my instincts a lot more. I know I'm not stupid and I can defend myself with the best of them. I know I'm a decent person, deserving of love, and what's more I know I can GIVE love and HELP people....and expect nothing in return except the good feeling I get by doing so. Other people have hang-ups? Sure....but I don't let THEIR hang-ups get to me. It's not MY FAULT.

As long as I'm comfortable in my own skin, and do what I think is best every day, then I can be satisfied with my life.

I don't have to look around for 'more' because I'm where I want to be and I'm doing what I love to do. And every day I'm getting better because every day I learned something new. I'm growing on the inside, now, spiritually....and I'm also maturing emotionally.

There's a lot to be said for getting older. You have had lots of experiences in your life that have taught you lessons, if you're open to learning them. If you can get past the 'shoulds' in your life and realize that everything happens for a reason, a lesson you needed to learn -- well, then, you have no bitterness, you can just look back and smile at your own naiveté and realize you HAD to learn that lesson. You are mature enough not to jump on every bandwagon that comes along...you're a healthy skeptic....but you also know a good thing when you see one.

And most of all, you don't go looking for happiness anymore; because you know that happiness lives WITHIN YOU. It's a state of mind, of LOVING YOURSELF enough to be confident of yourself, to be able to say 'I'm sorry' or 'I messed up' and laugh at yourself while at the same time having the strength and courage to stand UP for yourself when you need to. It's being assertive without being aggressive. It's loving your family and friends without becoming a doormat. It's taking care of yourself, your body and your mind, because YOU are the sole owner of your life and it's YOUR responsibility.

Am I saddened that it took me till age 57 to see all this? And to finally, once and for all, conquer my "Ahab's Whale"? My biggest problem in my life? (I often said 'IF ONLY I could get my weight down....' Well I DID it! The next step is getting past any FEARS of FAILURE, right? Because it's not all 'weight'. Sometimes it's more than that but we SAY it's weight!)

YES part of me is saddened that it took me this long. Had I been open to it sooner....who knows what would've happened?

But I also KNOW, deep down, that I HAD to go through the bad experiences I had with other programs in order to be OPEN enough and ... let's face it.... DESPERATE enough to try this program!
Had I tried it too soon....another program might have caught my eye when the going got rough. But I had 'been there done that' so many times, that I KNEW there was no 'magic bullet', I KNEW there wasn't an easy way, there just was ME and the RIGHT PLAN and my own determination to see it through.

And a funny thing happened along the way. I found that whenever I had a particularly BIG hurdle or stumbling block, something I just couldn't get past, if I kept trying it (and yes, failing, multiple times)...each time I tried I learned a little more and got a little stronger so that eventually I was able to clear that hurdle....and then I was able to 'coast' for awhile with a big sigh of relief.

The road on my journey hasn't always been easy....but there are hills and valleys and straight stretches...and whenever I get to a hill, I remind myself that the hill ALWAYS has a downward spot where I can relax and 'coast'.  So it's just a matter of getting to the top, then I can relax for awhile until the next one!

You will have good days and bad days....good weeks and bad weeks...times when the weight seems to be falling off like crazy, and other times when you struggle and struggle and you're 100% OP and the scale DOES.NOT.MOVE.

But this is just another 'test'! A test of perseverance, of persistence, and (most of all) of patience.

I could NOT have gotten through a patience test when I was in my 20s or 30s. NO WAY. Patience is a LEARNED skill....over time and with many experiences. I'm positive I would've given up the minute the going got tough...because when I was younger I wanted, heck I EXPECTED....'instant' results.

I no longer expect instant results. I know that anything GOOD in this life comes with HARD WORK. Period.

So I'll keep saying it....KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON.  Remember that it's a long road...a journey...not a 'race', not a competition; it's just a series of learning opportunities that you have to LOOK upon as 'opportunities' instead of 'hurdles'.

Keep.... you know LOL!