My accidental and effortless weight loss

However, starting in about 1996, in going through menopause, I developed sugar and chocolate cravings, the likes of which I'd never known before. I didn't even used to like chocolate that much, but then the drive for it became almost overpowering.

By succumbing to those powerful cravings I ended up gaining a fair bit of weight over time, continuing to put more pounds on, gradually every year.

Of course I was dismayed and disheartened at my ever expanding girth, but no matter how badly I wanted to lose the extra weight, I have a strong philosophical objection to "dieting" per se, as I think it is unhealthy to try to starve and deprive oneself. Other than the chocolate and sugar, I felt I ate well, according to my understanding and philosophies of nutrition. I would try to not give in to the sugar cravings, but it was nearly impossible, and when I would lose my will power, usually around 9:00 - 10:00 at night, I couldn't stop at a small piece, and on and on the cycle would go.

I knew then, that if I was ever to lose the weight, it had to be by cutting down on the sugar and chocolate, yet it seemed impossible, so sadly I had more or less resigned myself to being rotund, but otherwise quite healthy.

In the meantime, in the late 1990's , as ranchers, we started reading and learning more about the documented health benefits of eating grass fed beef, as some industry observers and commentators noted that there would be an expanding market for grass fed in the coming years.

At the same time, with low cattle price cycles and repeated droughts, we were looking at ways to diversify and stabilize our ranch income, and so became interested in developing and marketing grass fed beef.

It was a natural step for us as our land produces only grass and grass hay, with no grain or crops, and we desperately wanted to find an outlet for our product besides just the commodity market. As a result, we decided to try finishing a handful of steers and heifers on grass to experiment for ourselves.

First though I must explain how we had always raised beef for our own consumption.

Every year, we would pick out a few calves for fattening into meat steers or heifers for our own family's consumption, and our employees'. Like most people, we believed the industry "experts" who said that in order to raise tender and marbled beef; it had to be grain fed, in confinement, and that all grass fed beef was tough and stringy.

Because we believed that, we would pen up our chosen calves every year and pour the grain to them, just like in the feedlot, though without the hormones and antibiotics.

Later on when we became more health and food conscious, we purchased organic grain to feed our finishing steers, but it was grain, nonetheless.

All the studies about grass fed beef indicate that the health benefits of grass fed beef are in the "finishing", which is the fattening for the last 90 - 180 days before slaughter.

When cattle are fed grain, it changes their body chemistry, and therefore the composition of their muscle tissues (meat). The fat in the tissues doesn't have the good health promoting qualities that the meat from grass finished does.

In October of 2002, we had our first heifer processed that had been fattened on nothing but grass, and began enjoying the steaks, roasts, and hamburger from it. It was more tender, juicy, and delicious than any of the grain fed beef we had ever raised. The flavor was remarkable, somehow tasting more like beef, and was extremely well marbled and tender.

We were jubilantly excited about our new beef discovery! The meat was so tasty that I really got into cooking with it for almost every meal, trying numerous and varied recipes.

The following February after we had started eating our grass fed beef, I had an occasion for which I had to dress up, which doesn't happen that often in my world. When I put my familiar dress on I was stunned to see it hanging loosely from my shoulders, unlike the last time I had worn it. I was perplexed and delighted.

I hadn't been trying to lose weight, and certainly hadn't expected to! I didn't own a scale, and the last time I had weighed myself had been the previous September, before I let my gym membership expire. (A friend had talked me into buying a membership, which I almost never used).

The few times I went to the gym, I weighed myself and would get so discouraged to see my weight fluctuating between 175 and 180 pounds. On a 5'6" frame, I wasn't obese -yet, but getting close.

The day I wore that dress I stopped on my way home to buy a bathroom scale, to confirm my apparent weight loss. When I stepped on it that evening it read 168 pounds. I knew that couldn't all be a discrepancy between the scales, so I figured that I had lost at least 5 pounds, if not 10.

I tried to recall how that might have happened. There was no way I had been dieting, or exercising any more than my everyday movements, which are substantial, and I couldn't really think of any other changes that had taken place.

The first thing I thought of was that I had been cooking a lot. With all the different cuts of beef we were into eating, we hadn't dined out at all, or let the kids talk us into going the fast food route.

The further I searched my memory though, it occurred to me that perhaps I hadn't been consuming quite as much sugar as before. In fact, the more I though about it I realized that a number of nights had gone by without that desperate craving for sugar and chocolate, though it was such a subtle and gradual change I hadn't really taken notice until then. To me it had just seemed like there were nights I was involved in something or other and didn't find the opportunity to eat so much sugar.

I had decided long ago that, thankfully, I didn't need to make my living as a fashion model, and so would never deprive myself by dieting. I also didn't feel it was right for me or my body to pound myself in forced exercise. I can only bring myself to move for the fun of it, out of necessity, or because I feel like it. My day is filled with movement, and I participate regularly in fun movement like skiing, hiking, and swimming. I feel like I am very strong for a woman my age, and even when I carried the extra weight, I was always strong.

Though I was thankful and excited about my unintended weight loss, I wasn't about to begin dieting, or running, or anything like that to continue it.

I did, however, become more aware of my daily needs, desires, consumption, and bodily functions. What I really noticed was that I just didn't seem to have the sugar / chocolate cravings that I'd had in the past. If we had our usual big lunch and a light dinner with some wine, and sometimes a little dessert, I just didn't seem want the sweets late at night.

We continued to enjoy our new-found grass fed beef and by June 2003 I had broken 160 pounds, by August I was at 155 and I slipped below the 150 mark by February 2004 - over 25 pounds in a year without even trying.

By June of 2004 I was staying around 145 pounds (very happily, I might add), for quite a while, then in April of 2005 my weight went under 140 pounds and now I hover around 135, staying at this weight since the summer of 2005.

I can't say for sure, but I believe that our switch to grass fed beef is what caused my unintentional weight loss. The more I read about it, the more I've come to realize the interconnectedness between reproductive hormones, belly fat, sugar metabolism, insulin, and fatty acids.

It's becoming more apparent that good fatty acids, in adequate amounts, are the essential ingredient required for proper functioning of the human physiology, and regulating the insulin response. I know we're getting those good fatty acids, like Omega 3, CLA, Beta Carotene, Vitamin E and others in our grass fed beef.

The weight dropped off very gradually, and shows no tendency to want to come back again. I've kept it off for two years now, yet eat, drink wine, and enjoy life as I want to.

I still eat some chocolate and sugar now and then, but I rarely have that much desire for it and I can't usually eat that much of it.

Once again, I am convinced it is the grass fed beef that makes all the difference for me, in how my hormones balance, and since we started eating grass fed beef, I just don't seem to crave sugar like I used to.

At 53 I feel great, I am in great shape, and think I look pretty good in a swimming suit. Unfortunately, I didn't know I would be losing all this weight and so didn't take a "before" picture - you know the kind - with the stomach all pouched out to make you look even heavier!

In fact, at that weight I wasn't the least bit interested in having my picture taken, so I don't have a good "before" picture, other than in loose fitting t-shirts or dresses.

For an "after" picture of me you can view the photo at the top of the article, or the family photo in my bio.