My body hates me

 In high school, my principal was infamous for saying “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always gotten.”  I’m sure the quote is likely attributed to someone else, but my principal is the one who ingrained that saying in my head. And it is a mantra I have both lived by and seen proven time again. If I’m doing something and the result is positive, I have kept doing that thing. Conversely, when something I do has a negative result, I stop.

Easy. Peasy.

And then I started perimenopause. And now all the things I’ve done in the past that yielded good outcomes are yielding bad outcomes. I feel haunted and taunted by that phrase now.

For example, I have lived an active and healthy lifestyle, I work out regularly. I include high intensity intervals into my training. I eat healthy. My indulgences are limited to wine and popcorn. I do not eat a lot of sugary things. I cook my meals and eat reasonable portion sizes at optimal times throughout the day. I eat a healthy balance of proteins, good carbs and good fats. And I keep track of my activity through my Fitbit which frequently congratulates me for crushing my week with over 5 active days.

This has been my lifestyle for most of my adult life. And it has worked for me. Until it stopped.

I turned 50 in 2021 and my body started behaving differently. Everything that worked in the past stopped working. From June thru September 2021, I worked out ## times, etc. etc.

In October, a woman asked me if I was pregnant. Um… okay… so my poochy belly is noticeable.

I work out. I eat healthy.

I realize I need to buy larger underwear (which is a blessing that feels like a curse).

I work out. I eat healthy.

My favorite pair of pajama pants literally splits down the middle.

I work out. I eat healthy.

I cannot button my coat.

I work out. I eat healthy.

I realize I need to buy larger underwear (which at this point feels like a curse).

I work out. I eat healthy.

On.

And.

On.

This was just the last 6 months. According to my Fitbit, worked out etc. etc. etc. 

I am doing what I always did, dammit. Where is my always getting what I always got?