At 5ft 7ins I’ve spent most of my life, since the age of eighteen, hovering around the 124 – 136 lb mark dropping down to the lower 120’s when in London where Hubs and I tend to walk a lot to get from A to B not bothering with a car in the city. The discovery of yoga rounded everything out lengthening my muscles and generally streamlining my physique.
On our return to America after an 18 month stay cross the pond we bought our house in the country and continued the walking and yoga habit.
I am one of those fortunate people who has never had to go on a diet because my excess energy takes care of the additional carbohydrates and sugars I enjoy too much. That doesn’t mean the scales haven’t fluctuated from time to time especially during my child bearing years, but my frame is such that I can gain a few pounds without having to change my wardrobe…
I loosen my belt a notch…
put the skinny jeans aside for a season…
and steer clear of the sheaths until the Christmas festivities and end of year birthdays pass.
I’ve always been slender and in shape but it wasn’t until recently, after a blood test, that I realized it was high time I began to look after the body that dwells beneath my skin.
I had to cut out the fillers and empty calories.
No more pop tarts or dorritos, chocolate digestive biscuits or Walkers Crisps.
No M&M’s or special coffees, pancakes or fruit loops.
No bread, crackers, chips or cereal, ham, bacon, Kisses or ice cream…
“Oh my,” Hubs said one day, “what a boring pantry we have now…”
He’s right, unless you like raw nuts, grains, black rice, fresh fruit, greens, greens and more greens with deliciously healthy meats and fish, which we do.
I am a dab hand at pickling fruit and veggies like grapes, tomatoes, onions and squash for refrigerator snacks…they are all just a screw top away from stilling a grumbly-tumbly.
After several months of re-inventing our menu Hubs and I now fill our grocery baskets with items that have no ingredient listings. We’re pretty happy about that. All our carbs, starches and sugars, vitamins, proteins and dairy grow in or on the land. The best thing about Weston, the small town where we now live, is we can reap the benefits of others’ livestock and produce without having to own flocks, herds and hives or plough acres of farmland!
I keep colorful eggs on hand,
freshly gathered from the farm where our quarter cow was raised. Nothing like an Ameraucana egg on homemade, toasted, artisan bread.
The yogurt and feta cheese made from goats’ milk are delicious too and come from the same farm where we get our wine. Hubs and I will often pour ourselves a glass or two at the weekend, a treat we can still enjoy in moderation especially as it is made from local grapes at Caudalie Crest Winery a mile down the road where we help out in the summer.
All is good at Footlights and we have both naturally shed a few pounds with the elimination of processed and refined foods.
But I’ve noticed that folks I no longer see on a regular basis (because we’ve moved out of our old stomping ground) are not shy about passing comments about my weight when we get together,
“You’re awfully thin, are you eating enough?”
“How much do you weigh?”
“Are you ok?”
“You’re looking tired…”
“I’ve just walked 4 miles!” I say, “let me go and put on some blush and lipstick to liven up my face.”
I’m asked,
“Do you feel better than you did before you started eating differently?”
“Yes, I really do!” is my honest response.
My immediate neighbors, those whom I see more regularly, tell me how fit I look as I stride out first thing in the morning.
When I dress up for dinner I’m hugged and,
“Hello gorgeous,” is whispered in my ear.
“You always look so elegant,” the ladies tell me at International.
Just because I haven’t developed a muffin top to drape over my waistband and still have well defined cheekbones and sculpted arms…am I too thin or in good shape?
How would it be if I said to a plump someone I hadn’t seen in a while,
“You look as though you’ve gained a few pounds,” or,
“How much do you weigh now, your face is quite chubby?” or,
“How are you feeling on that Moon-pie and pizza diet?”
I don’t think I’d be very popular.
I began to get worried (a known calorie burner that I try to avoid) so to ease my mind I looked up the National Health Service recommendations for healthy weights and found I can tip the scales at anything from 8 stone 6 lbs (118 lbs) to 11 stone 6lbs (160 lbs).
That’s a fluctuation of 42lbs (3 stone) on my 5’7″ frame and in all my adult life, even when pregnant, I never tipped the scale at 160lbs!
At 124 lbs I’m well within healthy range and waiting patiently for my next blood test in February.
In the next few months, now that I’ve hit a plateau, perhaps my body will begin re-distributing some of my weight to my cheekbones!
If not I’ll add in more olive oil, hemp hearts and perhaps the odd beer!
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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