I really want this, Trust me I am as surprised as you are.

I realization came over me today as I walked into the kitchen preparing to make dinner. I did a few things automatically:

• I turned on the kettle to make a cup of decaf herbal tea.
• I grabbed a single piece of whole grain bread to keep my hunger in check as I made dinner
• I pulled out veggies and lean meat to get dinner prepared.

A thought came over me as I finished doing these. I think these are new habits, I came in and started to do these things without thinking because I do them every night. Wow, that is a habit.

I have had a few conversations with friends over the last week and I am actually surprised how many times this same conversation came up. If you are one of the people who I had this conversation with, my apologies in advance and I promise I will not name you.

Anyways the conversation went the same way without fail no matter who it was I was talking to. They began telling me all the reasons why they can not loose weight or be healthy. The reasons were the same reasons I have given since the beginning of time, or at least the last 10 years. They included, but are not limited to: no time, work too late, too many other commitments, other members of the household won't eat that way.

I listened supportively to each of these friends and realized that I could make my own list of reasons too. The difference was that I didn't want to. For me right now the most important thing is continuing on this journey and loosing weight and no matter what comes up this remains front and centre.

That does not me that things are not going to challenge me and that I am not going to give into temptation every once and a while, but I will do it consciously with my ultimate goal in mind.

Last week I stayed on course despite being awake two nights in a row all night and working late the next two nights. Those are typically my diet pit falls and I managed them with well without going off my program.

To me that means, I must really want this.

Today's Meals:

Breakfast - plain oatmeal sweetened with a tsp maple syrup, tbsp slivered almonds, 2/3 cup blueberries - 5 points

Lunch - left over chicken breast from last night, carrots, orange bell pepper, Preventia cookies and a clementine. 10 points with cookies

Dinner - pork loin chop with left over red pepper sauce, asparagus cooked with garlic, baked sweet potato fries. 9 points