Staying on Track

First, let me say an advance Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all you Irishmen out there! One of the good things about celebrating that holiday is that there will be plenty of green food to help me maintain my ongoing resolution to lose weight . . . and eat something green every day. Green beer counts as eating something green, right?!

On a more serious note; as anyone out there who has ever fought the weight loss battle knows, staying on track can be a difficult thing. There are so many things out there that can throw you off track. No matter how focused you think you are. Now I’m a firm believer that that you can’t call it a diet, you have to call it a change in lifestyle. I know, sounds totally hokey, but it’s all about the mindset. I’m an equally believer in enjoying the pleasures that life has to offer. If you go visit your mom and she makes your favorite meal, you should appreciate and enjoy it. If you’re on vacation and you go to that special restaurant that you’ve been dying to try, you had better not order just a salad with the dressing on the side while drooling over what everyone else is eating. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed and I plan on continuing to do just that. OK don’t worry, I’m stepping down from my soapbox now.

When life takes me off track from this oh-so-fun weight loss journey, I am so lucky to have some great girlfriends that help me get right back on track. I have a local girlfriend who is a wonderful cook and manages to end up feeding me on a regular basis. Ever since I started this weight loss, she is constantly adapting recipes to make them healthier for me. I was recently talking to her about my craving for pasta and the next thing I knew, she took the time to make me gnocchi made out of cauliflower. That’s right folks, I said cauliflower. Let me tell you it was amazing; all the comfort of pasta in this great mushroom wine sauce. That’s a true friend!! Then there is my long distance girlfriend, who emails me encouragement every day. Recently while doing all the right things with food and exercise, I waged a small battle with my scale which refused to show any weight loss. She was promptly online doing research and making suggestions to help get over this hump. She never criticizes me or gives me negative feedback when I’ve had a bad week. She just encourages me and tells me next week will be better. I don’t know how I would do it without the support of wonderful girlfriends like these to help me stay on track or get back on track every day. Thanks so much ladies!!

xoxo