Channeling the 60s in a vintage dress I can finally fit into after eating like it's the 50s.
I combine my passion for wisdom of the past with my training in motivation to encourage personal responsibility leading to self-fulfillment that won't increase your waistline!
My training and internships at The University of Vermont, where I've earned a Master of Science in Counselor Education, included treating addictions and eating disorders. I have since immersed myself in books, articles and other media related to food, lifestyles, health, beauty, well being and diets published in America prior to 1960 and live in a 1950s "time capsule" ranch house. I've stayed slim, healthy and happy by applying many of the principles I am passing along to you in my blog and upcoming book. My approach is cognitive-behavioral with the belief that healthy eating and living is a bio-psycho-social issue.
I know what it means to be a junk food junkie. I entered Weight Watchers as a child in the late 1970s. It was the first time I learned about the importance of calories in and versus calories out, meal portions, healthy snacking and balanced eating. In fact I used to bring my little WW scale to my school cafeteria so I could make sure I was eating "legally," as WW used to refer to it.
I did lose the weight I had to wanted to take off but once I was off the diet I struggled. When I entered college I put on more than the standard "freshman fifteen." Junk food and sweets were my downfall.
I went back on WW and again lost weight only this time I did something new. I read the book Sugar Blues by William Duffy and from it realized I was a sugar addict. I resolved to give up all sugar and refined carbohydrates, quit smoking and become more active. I did so for about ten years. Without dieting I maintained a healthy and constant weight.
In my 30s I returned to my bad eating habits and started smoking again. Angry at myself (it can be healthy and productive to get angry!) I quit smoking again (and have been smoke-free since). However, my bad eating habits remained and the weight started piling back on. I spent the next ten years trying to lose weight with contemporary diet plans which are low in calories and heavy with branded processed "diet" food products. Instead of losing I ended up gaining ten pounds because I found the plans frustrating. I was unable to exercise portion control with their heavily processed ready-made meals and treats that are laden with sugars, flavor "enhancers" and other additives.
One day I realized that to find the solution I would need to discover the secrets of women from the 1950s since our country didn't have the weight problem we face today. I wanted to find out what they knew and practiced but has since been tossed aside for "progress." I thought of how slim and lovely both of my grandmothers remained throughout their lives yet loved to cook and eat.
After my research I applied the principles and techniques I will address in my upcoming book, American Women Didn't Get Fat in the Fifties. I lost fourteen pounds in two years. Slow? Maybe, but I wasn't "dieting" and it sure beats not losing or actually gaining more weight! You might have better results than I did since I wasn't on a reducing diet.
If you are also frustrated with the dieting roller coaster and want to live a slimming yet healthy lifestyle, or want to learn more about what and how women ate in the 1950s yet remained thin, my upcoming book is for you!
