I agree with Ghandi in the title quote above, however my dinner last night could argue that pieces of sausage and potatoes run a pretty close second to gold and silver. Last night’s dinner was exactly what I needed after a full week of going strong on the diet…it was hearty, filling, rich, savory, and the genius who concocted this recipe managed to make it completely healthy. We had Zuppa Toscana, and it was divine! There was just enough leftover to portion out for 2 lunches this week. You can see how much I liked it judging by how much was left in my bowl last night…

I wanted to touch on the subject of CHEAT DAYS, having such a rich dinner last night made me think of cheat days since I felt like I was cheating (only I wasn’t!). I have come to view cheat days differently over the last year. Seeing how quickly a planned cheat day can completely derail my diet, I’m not so sure I buy in to them anymore. Inevitably, there will be times when I’m out to eat with friends/family, during holidays and special occasions, or on the road when I simply have to bend the rules whether I want to or not — those will be my “cheat days.” I have slowly changed my thinking, and more importantly my feelings, on rewarding myself with the very things I have allowed in my life that are preventing me from returning to a healthy weight. It’s one thing to allow myself a caffeinated drink (like a coffee or regular tea) when I’ve been abstaining from caffeine — caffeine hasn’t been what’s kept me fat for 17 years — but allowing myself a caffeinated drink loaded with whole milk, tons of sugar, extra flavor add-ins, and whipped cream on top is not okay. Those types of cheats are the ones that trick my brain into thinking, “Well, I’ve already screwed up my calories/fat for this whole day, no point in trying to be good for the rest of it, might as well have whatever I want just for this one day!” But it is never is ‘just one day.’ One day turns in to a weekend, then the weekend turns into the week, then the week turns into 2 weeks, and so on, and so on…every damn time.

I mean seriously, most of us with weight problems have developed a food addiction, the addiction can be rooted in an infinite number of reasons, but at its core it is an addiction. With substance abuse, you would never tell an addict, “Yay! Good for you! You’ve gone 1 year clean and sober, here’s your chip — and go ahead and indulge in your substance of choice just for tonight, I mean, after all, it’s just one day! One day won’t kill you, right?!” Wrong. So, so wrong. All it takes is one moment of weakness to undo all your hard work and send you back down that familiar, dark path.

Enough about cheat days for now, back to our healthy new foods…I think the family has liked most of the new recipes we’ve been trying out this week! I have found great recipes on Pinterest, as well as my new Skinnytaste cookbook. If they haven’t liked anything, they’ve been to polite to tell me. 😉 My confidence is still running high, I’m determined, and I have much more support in the home this time around than I’ve ever had before. 2018 is the last time is will step in to a new year overweight and unhealthy, time to get back to that normal girl that’s buried underneath all this junk.

This blog post was supposed to be last night’s entry, but I honestly forgot all about it. So, I’m getting around to it today while my daycare kiddos sleep! I’ll still post again tonight after we try out another new recipe. Until later, guys…

~~ Amie