Hey, Laurie!

We are digging out after a snowstorm this weekend.  Our family was up north 2 1/2 hours  from home when it hit, so we had to drive home in the aftermath yesterday.  NOT FUN! 

I had a good zoned meal (breakfast) prior to departure.  We stopped 1/2 way to grab some snacks, and I found a pear and some string cheese to munch on, to stay in the Zone. 

It is less than 2 weeks before Christmas, and all of the Christmas goodies are starting to show up at work and all over the place!  It is difficult to abstain.  No matter how much I tell myself that the goodies are not doing me any good, they still taste great!  So, I am consciously working hard at this.  I am not going to say NO to it all entirely, but it is really a matter of moderation.  I find that if I totally abstain, I finally do end up "breaking down" and then it is a total diet disaster.  So, by going a little easier on myself, I think I can avoid the "all or nothing" attitude.  

Every year, the medical staff sends out baskets filled with goodies to the nursing staff.  The baskets arrived today.  Really, they aren't that bad.  Lots of fruit-apples, oranges, pears, and bananas.  Some pretzels, triscuit crackers, cheese, nuts, and a bag of the Hershey Nuggets.  I think I can handle this, and it isn't a total blow-out if I have a little each day--I could really incorporate some of it into my afternoon snack.  My basket is shared by a few staff members, so I am sure someone else will help themselves to the less favorable stuff!  Usually it is the fruit that gets left behind, but I can take care of that!

I have a slightly different take on goodies.  I rarely eat them, and when I do, it's usually a taste or two.  When I do choose to eat them, there's no guilt; it was my choice.  The biggest reasons  I pass on them me are are the knowledge of what these foods do to my long term health and the sick feeling they give me afterward.  Not to be a big downer here, but I've experienced first hand the detrimental things these foods did to me.  Lucikly I've been able to turn that around.  I've also seen what they've done, and are still doing, to my friends and extended family, and it's very sad indeed.  As I see it, my life is at stake.   When it comes to goodies, itt's simply not worth it to me to take more than a bite or two.  I don't feel deprived, and believe me, I used to eat goodies with the best of them, lol. I didn't get to weigh in the mid 200's eating veggies! There's something else that has changed things for me too,  Zone 1-2-3 foods.  They've made goodies even less temtping than ever.  Thanks to them I can eat cookies, brownies, cinnamon bread and buns, etc. every day, not feel sick afterward, and  improve my health at the same time. 

Happy eating!   


____________________________________________

sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate

Lost 100 lbs 16 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil.   ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!

View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/

View my classic Zone meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0  

It was only 3 degrees above zero here (Wisconsin).  Maybe we reach 12-13 this afternoon, but it is still very cold.   The wind chill was about 20 below zero when I sent the kids off to school--all bundled up!  I changed my profile pic to a picture that we took during the summer, just to remind me of how warm it was! 

I don't think that there is anything out there to suggest that vinegar is effective for weight loss.  Some say that apple cider vinegar curbs appetite, but there is no real evidence to back it up.   But, any vinegar is a good addition to a meal, as long as there's not a lot of sweetener or carbs added to it. 

Thanks all!  I know many of you look up to some of the veterans here, and it sometimes makes it difficult for me to admit that I have a struggle.  Thanks for making it easier!