Creating a New Me ~ A weighty feeling...

As the year of 2011 inches closer to completing it's chapter and the 2012 chapter is all but a few pages away from starting to be written; it is the perfect time to start thinking about things that may be weighing us down.

As someone whose weight had been a steady 112-117 lbs for years, watching the scale continuously raise over the past 5 years has been most unsettling. Not because of the number flashing at me in neon lights (139lbs) but, because of how uncomfortable I feel and the way clothes now fit or better worded do not fit.

I will can accept that I may never see 112lbs again, but I will not accept feeling uncomfortable for the rest of my life. So, after giving serious consideration to some options like:

Stop eating ~ this would certainly result in further challenges

Go off my Meds (yes, Meds can be contributors to weight gain), ~ 

I'd see quick results I'm certain , but then not being able to 

leave the house would present a whole new set of challenges.

Diet ~ possibly a short term quick fix ... but long term its impossible.

SOLUTION:

Having a French friend who is always eating (yummy stuff- bread, cheese, chocolate etc.) and enjoys her wine, whilst she remains petite started me thinking. Hmm... maybe there is something to "French Women Don't Get Fat". Recalling my 2 visits to Paris, would confirm the majority of French women really are slim and toned. A search of my book case, quickly revealed a forgotten copy of the book "French Women Don't Get Fat", read years back.

Aside from the well written pages and recipes, the important things that I took away from the book were: the French (and I think this can be said of most Europeans) go for quality not quantity in their food choices; also they will only eat/indulge in foods that they truly like; and no idle snacking.

So one of my personal goals for 2012 ... is to change my eating habits to those of Europeans, after all I was born in Europe, so it will not be a foreign thing to me.

Basically it's about eating healthy 3 meals a day; with  very little to no snacking, between meals.

This is an intro to the Creating a New Me series, that I will be sharing in 2012. I thought with the indulging festive season upon us, it would be a good time to start thinking about what we are putting into our bodies.

For long term results eating habits must be part of our Life Style and not constantly being on a Diet Plan, depriving us of nutrients our bodies require to function properly.

Are your eating habits Diet driven or Life Style driven? What have you found works for you on a daily basis to maintain healthy weight and life balance?