Back To The Basics

Greetings from Ohio!

Good morning dear readers! It's terribly cold, but the sun is out, which makes things a little more bearable. I didn't go to work today so husband took the car -- thus leaving me car-less and I don't like that at all! I will have to bundle up and walk to the grocery store to procure the ingredients for tonight's dinner. It's only three blocks away, but what a chilly walk it will be.

Talked with him last night about going back to the soups and some vegetarian meals and he was okay with that. So tonight I am going to make a kale soup with carrots, onions, celery, navy beans and a small amount of turkey sausage. I'm going to use the crock pot over the weekend to make some sort of veggie/bean stew. I'd love to throw a ham hock in there, but I'm holding off.

I have been thinking this morning about this idea of constant "re-commitment" to a healthy diet. And by this I mean eating well for a stretch; straying off course; feeling guilty; and then shaking myself and getting back on the horse and eating properly again. It's not that I'm not proud of myself for getting the brakes on when it's needed, rather I feel like a scratched CD -- plays well for a stretch then skips. And it's really annoying.

I can't tell you how hard it is fighting off the desire to cook up a storm of hearty dishes right now. Who of us doesn't love the wonderful aroma filling the kitchen, from a fabulous winter dish slowly roasting in the oven? But if I keep preparing and gobbling those up, I'm undoing all my hard work to get my weight off and keep it off. So I must be strong, re-commit, and remember how unhappy, uncomfortable and embarrassed I was when I was obese.

It's very, very important to me to relay a positive message to everyone about staying the course, through good times and bad, always keeping your eyes on the "prize" of being at a healthy weight. But darn it, this is hard for me. And I'm guessing most are struggling right along with me. I remember "chirping" way back in this blog about how Optifasting is the easy part -- it's maintenance where the true trials and tribulations are. And it's so, so true.

I also just bristle when I think about those "statistics" purportedly showing that the vast majority of people who have lost weight through a liquid diet gain all the weight back -- and more. Frankly folks, that scares and upsets me. Who needs to hear such a negative message when you are trying your best to maintain your loss? I sure don't. Grrrr.

Well, off I go to bundle up and face the elements. I know I'll have a hot cup of tea waiting for me when I get home. And hey -- I'm getting some exercise, right? That's not a bad thing. Stay warm everyone!