Cleopatra: Queen of Denial

I stole my title from an old episode of Rosanne. And I'm guessing that denial is as old as Cleopatra, possibly even older. Is it one of your favorite tactics? I'm afraid it is one of mine. But I'm trying to give myself some tough love instead.

Yesterday I got on the scale. Ouch.

I can't remember the last time I stepped on our home scale. The reason I've avoided it is because it is unforgiving. And accurate. Way too accurate. It gives not just weight in pounds but also percentage of bodyfat. Yup. Ouch.

I'd really like to pretend that I'm in awesome shape. I mean, I can see by looking in the mirror that things have not improved in the past few years. But I keep telling myself that it's not that bad. Everyone puts on a few pounds during menopause. Right? I can still fit into all the same clothing, so how terrible could it be?

Well, much of my clothing is stretchy, so I don't think it is the best judge of my shape. Unfortunately, that mean old scale is the better judge. That and the tape measure which I also employed. Ouch.

In response to this smack in the face, I've decided I need to do more than just intermittent fasting. I've been chowing down on some serious carbs during my feeding window, and it is obvious that my choices have done nothing to promote a smaller waistline. Although I believe fasting is a healthy choice, whether or not it promotes weight loss, my goal is to look as fabulous as I did in my mid-forties. Is this unreachable for a woman tiptoeing into her mid-fifties?

I reinstalled My Fitness Pal on my phone. I entered my (very accurate) weight and goal weight. I have been given 1200 calories per day. My goal is to reduce the number of empty calories I consume at the end of the day. I usually eat about 500 calories at lunch and again at dinner, so I must limit the couch snacking session. This is when the sugar creeps in.

As we all know, sugar is the devil. And we all crave it, unless we have battled this addiction and won. I find the only way to completely rid yourself of sugar cravings is to cleanse your diet of all refined sugars and carbs. Is this challenging? Oh yes! Is this possible? Very.

I'll keep you updated on my progress as I attempt to stay real, to fight off my Cleopatra tendencies,
to banish the sugar that has crept back into my diet, and to replace it with healthy, whole foods. Wish me luck!!!