Page Title

Introduction Text “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May I feel safe. May I feel happy. May I feel healthy and strong. May I live my life with grace and with ease. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am enough. I have enough. There is enough. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 2019: Some changes over the summer have moved me past what had been a long-term plateau. Inspired by the journey of a fellow Sparker (WATERMELLEN), I re-read the book, Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works (Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch). I hadn’t been tracking for more than a year, other than writing down what I ate (but not calories, fat, points, etc). I accepted that perhaps where I am now is where I’m meant to be, which turned out to be the thought that changed everything. I am now eating when I’m hungry; I trust my body to let me know what, when, and how much to eat; and I stop eating when I felt satisfied. This has been so freeing for me, and I’m finding that allowing myself to eat anything has pretty much eliminated any cravings (for me that would be peanut butter by the spoonful) and that I’m choosing healthy foods that nourish my body. The story I had been telling myself – that I was stuck – had been a limiting belief that DID, in fact, keep me stuck. What helped change the story was tapping (EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique) every day, just for a few minutes. I have a lifetime of diet mentality behind me. Sometimes I still ask myself if the food is worth it, and how much do I need to feel happily satisfied. Will I ever get to the point where I’m eating intuitively? Who knows. For now, at least, I’m “kind of” eating that way. And for now, “kind of” is working for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ July 2018: Now it's time to lose the rest of the weight. The 45-ish pounds I released between 2000-2003 have stayed off for the most part, with some challenging years along the way. I'm still 35 pounds away from the top of my ideal weight range. So while I know I can maintain, I think it's time to focus on building habits that honor my health and find the balance in eating that allows me to release the pounds in a way that I can sustain for the rest of my life. I lose weight very slowly, and accept that. For the record, though, you know those people who say, "I will do anything to lose weight"? Well, I'm not one of them! I've learned that deprivation and restrictions lead to self-sabotage.



Trending toward intuitive eating, but realizing it will take a long time to overcome a lifetime of diet mentality. Current gym visits focus on strength training 2-3 times a week and limited cardio (due to a hip injury brought on, ironically, by too much cardio).

My name is Leslie, and I am settled in the Seattle area (originally from the SF Bay Area). Married for 40 years to a man who still makes me laugh. Retired with two spoiled kitties.



Add a Link
Save Changes