Happy Friday, friends! We’re just a few weeks from Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday season. With that in mind, I’m sharing one of our family’s favorite holiday recipes: Praline Sweet Potatoes.
This delicious souffle-style dish tastes like a dessert and is one of my most requested recipes. Hope you’ll try it this Thanksgiving or Christmas!
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Sharing a few current favorites this Friday, including the best peds I’ve ever purchased! They absolutely will NOT come off your feet until you take them off. Check all the finds as you kick off this autumn weekend.
This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide a means for sites like NattyGal.com to earn a small commission when a reader clicks through and makes a purchase at no additional cost to the reader. See full affiliate disclosure in Privacy & Disclosures.
This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide a means for sites like NattyGal.com to earn a small commission when a reader clicks through and makes a purchase at no additional cost to the reader. See full affiliate disclosure in Privacy & Disclosures.
You are in for a treat today! My Facebook friend, Peggy Andryszak, is sharing her inspirational story about struggling with weight management. It’s something all too relatable for many of us, especially as we enter our midlife years.
What is unique about Peggy is that she shares daily on her Facebook page. Posts range from tips/recipes to motivational quotes to challenges and sharing her personal experiences. All spiced up with a dash of humor! Whenever I need a boost, I know that she’s only a click away with fresh content.
Peggy loves supporting other women! Seen here (3rd from front left) enjoying a fun night out.
If you have had a weight problem in your life, you will identify with the story. Maybe you haven’t had a weight problem but are staring at the menopause years with bated breath. This story may be for you. Or maybe you have never had a weight problem, but know someone who has. This story is for you, too!
Weight Management for Midlife Women
Peggy’s Story
Early adulthood
In my 20s I did step aerobics 3 times/week. Roller bladed. Lost 5 lbs before an event to fit in my dress and all was good. Hot pockets and apples were what my nutrition consisted of on a daily basis. Until I got married and had to cook for two people. Paula Deen and Emeril Lagasse’s recipes kept my hubby happy, but neither of us was too healthy.
By age 30 when we married, I stopped exercising cold turkey. I was tired of working out for the sake of appearance. I was married. It was time to rest and relax a little. Within our first 6 months of marriage, while consuming Food Network recipes made nightly, I packed on 20 pounds. Likely more since the scale was not something I set foot on most days/weeks/months.
Comfortably Married
Between the ages of 32 and 46, I exercised 8 times per week. Teaching multiple spinning classes, marathon training, and generally exhausting my body. Not to mention the amount of stress I placed on myself by being the consummate overachiever in my chosen marketing and sales profession. Children would wait until I was ready and in shape to have them. That day never came.
During these years, few photos were taken of my life. I have little to no witness of special occasions, birthdays, or vacations because I did not want to be in pictures or near any mirror. I witnessed the highest scale number I had ever seen: 198 pounds.
Oh, I should also mention that between the ages of 15 and 39, I went to Weight Watchers (WW) on five separate occasions. My cumulative weight loss on WW was 20 pounds. Toss in a little keto, paleo, and Whole 30 diets and I’d take off 10-12 pounds only to reward myself with potato chips. That was my thing…potato chips!
The Approach
At 46, a fitness competitor friend tapped me on the shoulder and said, “I have something to share with you about getting healthier. Come see this.” Oh, I went. I immediately wanted my husband to sign up for her “diet” because I wanted more life insurance on him. Needless to say, I needed the diet, too.
We began our health journey in January 2017. I told my coach, “I’m a slow loser. If I could lose 15 lbs I’d be ecstatic.” Well, 33 pounds in 13 weeks ecstatic, as a matter of fact! And I lost even more during COVID. Now I’m clocking a nearly 50-pound weight loss that I have kept off, during middle age, for over 6 years.
The How
How on earth was this done?
Willpower? No.
Starvation? No.
Super low carb? No
Intermittent Fasting? No
Count calories? No
Count macros? No.
What’s a macro? LOL.
I worked on my mindset. I was accountable to my coach to:
sleep on a schedule,
eat 6 times per day every 3 hours to level my blood sugar,
read about a transformational health system to build personal development skills,
drink the water that I loved, and
cut down the intensity of my exercise for the first few weeks.
My mind came to a screeching halt. WHAT? You want me to slow down and have a heart rate under 120 BPM to lose weight? She said yes, and so I did. And the results came. I couldn’t believe it!
Peggy (right) with her husband and coach (left).
Focusing on habits creates lifelong transformation. No pill, willpower, nor 15 grams of carbs per day will ever do what sustainable lifestyle improvements can do for a person. That’s why I jokingly say I’m the last option for weight loss. People think it’s about everything else when it isn’t. It’s the daily head and heart work that determines whether we win or learn, or both.
The Why
It’s about being supported and a willingness to be coachable and open to feedback.
About EATING nutrient-dense foods often to support your body.
And building a life around what matters most without sacrificing time in the kitchen for meal prep.
It’s about resting the body and the mind versus punishing your body in exercise for something you ate.
About refusing to accept that midlife and on can’t be lived optimally.
About being active, energetic, and alive versus low energy, frumpy, and discouraged.
It’s about making the most of our remaining time count for something.
The Results & The Future
I love the program I coach because it offers predictable results. It gave me my life back. I went from a pre-diabetic, 225/110 blood pressure, executive and spinning instructor to a non-pre-diabetic, 105/72 blood pressure, lean-built, high-energy wife, daughter, aunt, cousin, friend, philanthropist, and health coach!
My husband has a new life after losing 110 pounds. Hundreds of our family members and friends have also gotten healthy using this proven system. We are so grateful to see generations of family trees strengthen based on sharing the one decision I made when I was 46.
Peggy and her husband Eric, looking happy and healthy!
Currently, I am 53 years young and am still accountable to my coach/friend. We check in once a month to share challenges, thoughts and decide on what’s next for my physical and mental health. She helped me change my life, one healthy habit at a time.
How do you feel about yourself now?
How do you want to feel about yourself every day- physically and mentally?
Can you imagine sustaining your health with small, healthy habits?
Contact me by phone, email, or via Facebook to learn more about the program that has worked so well for me!
About the Author
Peggy Andryszak lives happily and healthfully with her husband of 23 years, Erik. They travel often and don’t need airplane seatbelt extenders anymore. Connect with her on Facebook for daily tips, motivation, and support!
Many thanks to Peggy for sharing her relatable story with us today! I hope you found her tips both practical and easy to incorporate. Let me know more about your midlife health journey in the comments below and click here if you’d like to read more health/fitness-related posts.
As always, thanks so much for your likes, shares and follows! Until next time…
Needless to say, I needed the diet, too.
