BEHIND THE BODY

Diet • Fitness • Lifestyle for Women 40+

Yesterday I woke up puffy and bloated, with my stomach so distended it felt like a wreck. We spent our anniversary weekend away, Thursday through Sunday, and I ate and drank more than I normally do. A lot more, honestly. 😬

The first thing I thought when I got up was: I went overboard. I set myself back. I feel like crap, I have no energy, and my body is telling me I've gained 10 pounds. Ugh.

If you've ever eaten and drunk more than usual and woken up the next morning feeling like this, you know that disappointment in yourself and that battle in your mind that says you ruined your progress, set yourself so far back, so what’s the point of trying?

For me, that thought also comes with body dysmorphia. Even on a good day, I see myself as larger than I am. So on a Monday like yesterday, with the bloat on top of that, I look a lot bigger to myself than I am. By now, I can recognize this. I know the puffiness will be gone by the end of the week, and the weight I was sure I had gained was never really there.

And I know I’m not the only one. There was a study that weighed a group of adults over a 6-week period, from Thanksgiving to New Year's. The average person gained less than 1 pound, but when asked how much they thought they had gained, they said 4 times that!

So the feeling is real, but the conclusion is wrong. I didn't regain the weight I lost. I'm bloated, puffy, tired, and low on energy because I drank more than my body is used to. It needs water, healthy food, and less alcohol this week. That's all this is.

That left me with two choices yesterday. I could go with the feeling: I already blew it, so why bother, especially when I don’t have the energy. Or I could make the next decision a good one, even though I didn't feel like it. Luckily, I know how this works now because I have years of experience. I can eat the foods I love, drink on a long weekend away, and still keep the weight off. Getting back on track on a Monday like this is how it's done.

I heard something recently on Ted Lasso that I really liked. "You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It's a goldfish. You know why? Got a ten-second memory. Be a goldfish." So the weekend is over. It was fun, it was a blast, it was overindulgent, and it was worth it. But come Monday, I'm a goldfish. No remorse, no guilt, just focusing on moving forward, making one good, healthy decision after another.

You didn't set yourself back. It only matters what you do next. Be a goldfish.

My Suggestion For You

Here's what I'm doing this week, in case it helps. It's not a plan you have to follow. It's just how I'm recovering.

First, I'm cutting out alcohol, probably for the whole week or longer. I drank more than usual. I think that's mostly why I feel this way, and I want my energy and my motivation back.

Then I ordered a week of healthy groceries from Amazon Fresh before we got home. I haven't been home to shop, and there was nothing healthy in the fridge. If there's nothing healthy in the house, I eat whatever is there. So now I have easy, healthy meals I can make on the nights I least feel like cooking.

And I'm eating my normal meals. I'm not cutting calories. I need all the nutrients I can get!

The result: tomorrow you wake up a little better than today. Wednesday, a little better than that. By the end of the week, you feel like yourself again. And you're glad you took a step forward on Monday instead of succumbing to how you felt.

What I'm Loving This Week

This isn't a novel idea, but it helps me drink less, especially when there are a lot of drinking opportunities around me. I put carbonated water in a wine glass and add a little water flavoring. I know it's obviously not a glass of wine, but this makes me feel like I'm having a glass with my husband or friends without drinking alcohol, and I'm not sitting there empty-handed. If you're trying not to drink as often and finding it hard, fill a wine glass with bubbly water and hydrate yourself instead. 💦

Because You Didn't Ask...

I mentioned last week that I shot my best golf score, a 96. I know that's a number I should be embarrassed about, but I was so proud. Well, in the name of transparency, we played this past weekend again, and I shot a 107. It was so ugly. I was shanking the ball all over the place and probably lost 5 balls in the first 5 holes. So, still a work in progress.

Great chat! Let's do it again next Tuesday.

Xx,

Andrea