Slim is a state of mind

When I turned 50 years old, I weighed 37 lbs more than I did for most of my life. The forties decade and its turbulent hormonal shifts were not kind to my sluggish metabolism and I continued to gain weight. By age 49, I was wearing size 12 jeans which is very large for my 5 foot petite frame.

Then I read comments to an article about losing weight from women in their fifties who said that weight loss had just happened naturally for them as they finally hit menopause. My first reaction was to laugh and think "Great, so there is at least one good thing coming from the change".  However, three years later, and it took the whole three years, I have lost 27 lbs and now look very trim for 53. I wear size 10 or 8 depending on brand, and I couldn't be happier. I don't even care about the last ten pounds.

So did I think myself thin? Maybe. I certainly believed what those women older than I were saying. I needed to believe it to be inspired, so I let myself. Could I have done this same thing in my forties? Now that I am relaxed about my weight, I think–Yes. In my forties, I saw food as the enemy and was locked in a war with it. Peace with my body's weight would never have been possible without changing my thinking.

– Donna McDonald, Romantic Comedy Novelist, www.donnamcdonaldauthor.com

People Pleasing Causes Overeating and Dieting Failure

Now that you've reached your weight loss goal, to stay thin forever, it is imperative to stop being a people pleaser. Being a people pleaser (saying yes to people when you really want to say no, just because you're afraid they will reject and abandon you if you're honest) will have you angry and resentful again soon.  Many people use overeating to keep that anger and resentment their secret.

This is the perfect moment to become a “me, me, me” woman and start achieving your own goals, hopes and dreams. To stay thin and fit forever, you have to love yourself enough so that you can end your life as a people pleaser.  I did – so can you!

– Gail Robinson, Author/President, The Failure Fixer, www.FailureFixer.com

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