The Evolving Waistline...

Just like our closets, our way of "dieting" also evolve constantly. How many different "diet" plans or way of life eating have you tried? I think its safe to say most of us have tried at least 5 in our life times. Since I am of Italian decent, short in stature(5' 1" on a good day) I have counted my calories, increased my workout routine, deprived myself of all that I wish for in food just so that I can look myself in the mirror and say, "okay...so I see effort, but ya could do betta." I swear in my next life I am coming back with legs that are never ending, just so I have more to fill them with; Pizza,  Pasta Bolognese, Cannoli's, Nachos, Enchiladas with lots of sauce and cheese, Cobb Salad, Cheesecake, Carrot cake, Doritos, Fried Rice and I could seriously go on forever. But NO, at almost 50, the metabolism changes, starts to slow, the fat distribution has its on party all over your body settling where it damn well pleases, and you are left with what? An Italian who looks like she is in a sausage casing? So yeah, I have had to work my dego fanny off ever since I can remember. If I even looked at water... 5 pounds, that has been my life, thanks ma.
I have always had eating issues per say, I mean my diet consisted of popcorn, roasted peanuts and wine (literally) all thru my single years . Then I got married and truly had no clue what a wife was supposed to cook, nor did I think I had much time in my day after changing diapers, cleaning and re-cleaning the house, go to "mommy and me" classes,  playing, reading, taking walks, doing what your supposed to do as mom, and yet by the time my husband walked in the door and I handed over the kids, all I wanted to do was take a bath and have a glass of vino. So our meals consisted of cheese quesadillas, cuz it was easy of course. Well, my husband and I couldn't figure why our waistlines were growing... all we were eating were quesadillas for pete sake so, how could one measly cheese laden masterpiece could make us pudgballs? But we were, so I had to evolve into a more "mature" version of what I was given and create balance and variety instead of the understated lazy meal I called dinner. So I introduced, pasta. You can do a lot with pasta ya know?  Red sauce, Primavera, Pesto, Meat Sauce, Garlic, basil, salt and peppa... I mean you can make a million different recipes, also noodles change it up too! Tortellini, Penne, Rigatoni, Linguine, Spaghetti, and on and on. Well that lasted a while until... yup the waist wasn't shrinking. We were not Big people by any means, but we were both holding onto at least 5-7 pounds more that what our body needed or wanted. So then, I went to salads... yes, we were getting our greens and felt healthier, after two weeks of salad this way and that, he said he could no longer go on living like a rabbit, we needed to take alittle of everything that I was making in the past, and make smaller versions and serve it like a REAL meal. Wow... what a concept right? Well, that was more work and time, but I got the hang of it and started mixing it up a bit and life slowly went back to normal.
Well, move forward 15 years and a TV in the kitchen and wallah! I wanted to make new meals almost every night and gourmet ones on top of that! The family loved it...I had finally become the Martha Stewart of our home. It was great, until my new job required more time from me and I just couldn't keep up the same pace. What I did need was more of exercise. I had been running 2 -4 miles everyday for the past 15 years, and yes... the metabolism just thinks hey, that's nice, same old same old. So nothing changed, but my metabolism sure changed.... hahaha the laugh was on me! New job, no longer having the time or desire to be Mrs. "Martha Stewart", but I did need to clear my mind! So I upped my jogging routine to 5 miles and some pilates on the side and wow...what a difference! I went from being 114 pounds almost my entire high school thru kids etc., to weighing 108! And on a 5 footer that is a whole size....
So all and all, yes, we evolve just like our closets, we experiment with clothes, just like our eating habits and exercise routines to find a good happy place where we can live with the clothes we have and the body we have, at least while the trends and metabolism are in sync.