I Struggle With My Weight

It's time for another Me Monday and I'm about to share something with you that you may or may not know about me.

I struggle with my weight.

The hubs and me at our favorite Mexican food
 restaurant earlier this month.

I didn't have this problem the first 45 years of my life. Even after birthing three children I was relatively slim and trim and never really understood what the big deal was. But then came menopause. Hot flashes, sleepless nights, night sweats, and lo and behold, slower metabolism. I've read that most women put on weight at this age because suddenly they need to eat less. Who knew?

I'll make no excuses for the weight gain. I like food. It tastes good. And it doesn't seem fair that my husband, though he's five years older than me, is still able to eat the same and stay trim. What a raw deal.

Anyway, I'm betting there are more than a few other gals out there who relate. What to do? I've made some healthy changes in my eating. I really have. But the weight stays. Honestly, I don't even care. I feel healthy. I can't even say I feel fat. As my sister once said, "I think I have the opposite of anorexia. I look in the mirror and always think, 'I look great!'" Somehow, I don't think that's a bad thing.

I'm adjusting to this new normal of being a middle-aged woman with a few excess pounds. I don't mind looking like a grandma because I am one, and am proud of it. And my gray hair? Don't even think about covering that. It's my crowning glory. When I look into the mirror and see a few new lines, I smile and make them show up even more, because they're proof that I've lived. I'm wiser, happier, more comfortable in my own skin than ever before.

So maybe I don't struggle with my weight so much as I do with a society that tells me I should be slim and trim even at age 55. Some can do that with ease. Others can't. But either way, let's be thankful for these bodies God blessed us with. Whatever they look like through life's stages.

Linda