"Its alright letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back." Mick Jagger

Some of you may wonder where I've been.... well, I let myself go!  Its seems as though the harder you try and the more you work at it, the easier it is to mess up. But as said in the title, thats ok as long as you dont go astray to long and can find your way back. 

The fact is... We can not in a moment get rid of the habits of a lifetime. If you have had unhealthy eating habits your entire life is not gonna be easy to change it in a day's time. If you have always been overweight.. your not gonna be able to eat fruit and veggies for 4 days and wake up skinny on day 5. 

Its a journey, its a process, and its gonna take some time. In that time you will get weak, you will get tired and you will wanna give up at some point in time. Look at it like an extra job.. you have to plan, you have to be on a schedule, you have to give it your all if you want to get paid. However, the payment for success at this job is... reaching your goal, getting healthy, being able to buy new clothes, prolonging your life for your children etc. Wow!! No matter what kind of job you have, everyone wants a day off or a vacation. If that be the case then take a day off and go right back to it. 

Just dont quit! Dont get caught up in not seeing the change in an instant. Because all that will do it discourage you!! I encourage you to keep plugging away... the reward is great!!

Its been several days since I posted a blog. I will be the first to say that if for some reason you get off track of doing something you are so eager to do.. getting back on track can be very difficult. In the last two weeks, I have had several things come up that has kept me from being able to focus on myself and my diet, much less a blog to tell others what to do or how to keep going. I would like to say for those of you who are following my posts… I am truly sorry. 

But how do we reach a goal if we quit or take a break so to speak? You just cant! Cold hard truth is quitters never win. I personally feel like I have gotten so far out of the swing of things that I am not gonna be able to get it back. But there is that “stinking thinking” I warned you all about in an earlier post. Its not too late for me or you! The only way is if I give up right now with no desire too get it back. Thats not me and thats not how its gonna be! I refuse. 

I can sit behind this computer and I can tell you all how not to fear, how to be determined, motivated, and keep on keeping on. Making it look as though I have it all together. Truth is, even I struggle and believe it or not, it helps to say that! As my grandpa would say.. I need to practice what I preach!! I am just here sharing with you what I know will work and what I know even I am suppose to be applying to my own life. 

My only message for today is to just keep going. Even when it gets tough. Even when you feel like you just cant do it anymore. Keep plugging away at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish or overcome..which ever you are trying to do!! Dont let life get in the way! Because.... good things will come!!! :) 

If it doesnt look like this... DON'T EAT IT.....and go easy on the eggs, dairy, and cheese for it can be high in fat.

Now that we have talked about our mind set of how we should begin... here is where we get real! Confession time for me.. I have been sick since 3am this morning and thought maybe I had a bug of some kind. When I say sick.. I mean crying and rocking back and forth, sweating profusely on the commode.. wandering if i should go to the emergency room. Im sure it couldnt have anything to do with everything I had to eat yesterday. Ya right! 

Look at the picture of the food that we are "suppose" to have. In any of that do you see a lunchable? package of PB crackers? 3 pieces of apple cinnamon bread? Long Johns fish, chicken, hushpuppies, french fries and shrimp? bag of Sour Patch Kids? 2 diet cokes? or a Capri Sun? Exactly, I didnt think so either :( 

What in the world.. its not a wonder why I felt so bad.. just because I used to eat like that doesnt mean I still can. What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this? I need to stop the non sense and practice what I preach! I cant let stress and emotions cause me to make myself sick! What about my sugar diabetes.. do I not care enough about my son to want to be healthy so he doesnt have to live without his mother at an early age. This is serious business and this is my daily struggle.

Hmmm.. wouldnt that be like an overdose on food! Just like a drug. Food is just like a drug that you get addicted too, cant live without, and have no limits when doing it. Only difference.. we have to have food. Makes it harder too overcome the addiction. So see, everything that I have told you guys in the last 7 post.. I need to practice myself. Thats what makes us in this together. Instead of my challenge for you today.. here is my WARNING! Do not think that you cant over do it with food. You can and you will be sick and you will be hating on yourself the whole next day! Pray for me.. I can do this and so can you!!!! 

I thought and thought of a way that I could cut the face of this picture and paste my own in there. Wow!! This is so me! 

You know, growing up when you were watching television, it was nothing to see the little devil on one side and the little angel on the other. But hey, cartoons arent real so they arent either right?? Wrong! This is truly how it is. As a matter of fact this may be our whole problem in a nutshell. Battle between good and evil, wrong and right, should I do this or shouldnt I?? Cold hard truth.. its called a spiritual battle. A battle between what the Lord promises us we can have and do.. and what Satan tries to keep us from. 

Satan is very good at making things that are not good for us, look right opposite. 

My biggest down fall in life is weight! It affects my appearance, my emotions, my physical abilities, my mind, my self esteem, my confidence, my health, my diabetes, my asthma, my intimacy, my everything!!! 

So with that being said.. basically I just dont like myself. Im sure most of you know the feeling. But, do you think that GOD wants us to not like ourselves?? NO!!!! Thats not how he intends for it to be at all. He came so that we could have life abundantly with joy, happiness, peace, self worth, etc.

Oh.. but Satan.. that little red man in the picture, says "Go on... eat that cake!!" Gain another 20 lbs and feel even more worthless than you already do because he came to steal, kill, and destroy us.

My point is, that as humans we always tend to fall for what is easier, what looks better, what taste better, or what makes us feel better at the time. Which in the long run ends up being what brings us down the most.

So when you are faced with a temptation to have what you know you dont need.. ask yourself the question.. what is this gonna do for me in the long run? Hurt me or help me? Is this from Satan or from God? Dont give in to the little red man on the shoulder!!! Be strong and Stand your ground!! 

If you are anything like me... potatoes are a weakness!! While potatoes are not all that bad for you.. the butter, sour cream, milk, cheese, and grease you may use with them... ARE! Here is some interesting facts I found on Weightwatchers.com 

The Skinny on... Potatoes

From blues and reds to whites and yellows, we've got the lowdown on potatoes.

Article By: Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein

Potatoes are a year-round staple, whether you enjoy them in a cold salad at a summer potluck, mashed or roasted at the holidays, or as part of a traditional Irish meal around St. Patrick's Day.
And that's just because they taste good. Now consider their excellent nutritional profile: potatoes are fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free. A medium-size potato (5.3 ounces, about the size of a computer mouse) has half your day’s vitamin C requirement. Contrary to popular myth, most of the potato’s vitamins and minerals are not found in the skin. Instead, they cluster in a layer a little less than an inch under the skin. Therefore, removing the skin will not affect the spud’s nutrition. But don't reach for the vegetable peeler just yet: If eaten with its skin, a potato has more potassium than a banana and is one of the best fiber options in the produce section.
Basic varieties
There are five basic types: yellow-fleshed, red-skinned, white, blue and Russet. They are categorized by color and by starch: less starch yields a firmer potato. The following chart outlines the differences between each variety.

The Potato Rainbow
Yellow-fleshed  These dense, creamy potatoes, typified by the Yukon Gold variety, are moderately starchy, and so make excellent mashed potatoes and au gratins. They are flavorful, slightly sweet and perfect for steaming, boiling, stir-frying and pan-frying (as in hashed browns or hash).
Red-skinned  Often called “new potatoes,” these spuds have a vibrant red skin — and some, a mottled red skin. They have a mild, earthy taste and are the least starchy of any variety, so they’re best roasted with olive oil and herbs. Because they hold up well, they’re also great in potato salads.
White potatoes  Perhaps the most versatile potato, these are available in round little balls or long fingerlings (not named for fingers but for little German fish). They should not be confused with larger Russets; white potatoes, like Irish creamers, are always small with a creamy white or pale beige skin. Use them for salads, mashed potatoes, oven fries and any dish that requires boiled or steamed potatoes.
Blue potatoes  Closely related to the original potatoes from South America, blues are actually available in a range of colors: blue, violet, purple or lavender. These fairly starchy potatoes have a nutty, earthy taste. They are good roasted or mixed into doughs (bread, muffin or even tamale).
Russets Sometimes called Idaho or baking potatoes, Russets are the starchiest (and thus the fluffiest) potatoes and have thick, netted-brown skins. They make fluffy mashed potatoes and classic baked potatoes as well as great French fries. Their skin is so thick and chewy that these are the only potatoes that can be turned into potato skins. Because of their dry, starchy texture, they are also the only potatoes that can create gnocchi or potato noodles.

Best-ever mashed potatoes
Here’s a shock: the microwave actually makes the best mashed potatoes.
1. Wash (but do not dry) 4 or 5 medium Russet or yellow-fleshed potatoes. Do not prick or peel them. Place them in a large, microwave-safe bowl with a lid that has an open vent hole — or cover the microwave-safe bowl with plastic wrap and then poke a small hole in the wrap.
2. Microwave on high for 8 minutes (total) without disturbing.
3. Remove from microwave — be careful of hot steam — take off the lid or plastic wrap, and mash with an electric mixer at medium speed or a hand-held potato masher adding some skim milk, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth, a little butter or olive oil and/or some Dijon mustard and herbs.

What if you fall?? 

Often times when we are battling with something in our lives and are trying to overcome it, we are always tempted to fall. You are more than likely gonna fall at some point in your journey. This applies to more than just weight loss. Lets use food as an example... you're rocking along on your diet and you have lost a few pounds already, feeling good about this attempt to make a change. Then out of the blue, temptation strikes. You are asked to go out to eat with a friend, or your having company over and you wanna make your best most fattening desert because you know it will be a hit, or what about when the HOLIDAYS roll around!! Oh no, the holidays?? I have to have my favorite millionaire pie or I have to have 3 helpings of grandmas buttery mashed potatoes. The fact is.. you DON'T HAVE TO HAVE IT! But if you do, if you stumble and fall over into the mac-n-cheese bowl.. ITS OK!!! It doesn't mean that you have ruined it all! It doesnt mean that you should just forget your diet and continue eating like you used to. Just pick yourself up outta the cheese and dust yourself off. Your fine!! The worst part about falling is picking ourselves up! Its much easier to roll around in our own misery, beating ourselves up, and thinking well I am obviously not capable of doing anything right! Im guilty!!! Your are human. You are gonna make mistakes. You are more than likely, at some point, gonna trip and fall over temptation. But the question is.. Are you gonna let it keep you down?? I challenge you to stay strong and try not to fall! But if you do.. forget about it, learn from it and move on!!!