the last time i mentioned lemons in my blog it was about a cake; a cake that devoured me and my resolve (at least for that moment) to not give in to temptation. today's lemons are of the figuratively speaking kind. you know the ones you make lemondade with when life is tough and all else fails? well that my friends is what i am doing on this day. i am taking all the negative energy around me and tucking it in the corner for further review. and even though more lemons came my way this morning (dad. carotid artery. blockage. need i say more?) i am calm and ready to focus on me.

i didn't have a good night's sleep, but i woke up refreshed and ready to take charge of my health again. the inner strength i know i have is ready to be tapped to see me through the next 6 months. you see, i have figured out that 6 month increments might be the way to go for me. the last time i reached 6 months was mid-october and that's about the time when i stopped losing weight. i stopped being as focused as i had been and only played at being dedicated to my weight loss journey. my journal and food logs support my theory. i started cutting corners and eventually stopped logging altogether. apparently i began to believe that if i didn't write it down, i didn't eat it. and that if i stood on my soap box and preached to the choir i would listen to my own voice. but i stopped listening around october 15th and find myself 10 pounds heavier 3 months later. it's the cold hard truth i face today.

but (and that's a very big but(t) [pun intended ]) i am not deterred!! i can lose another 35 pounds during the next 6 months (the same pace as before). i can get back into the routine that includes working out and meal planning. i can take care of myself and take care of the people i love too. it's not an impossible task, it's simply not easy. but nothing is, right? the next break won't include several holidays and distractions so hopefully it will neither last for 3 months nor involve a 10 pound weight gain.

but let's stay focused on today! so far i have eaten well and i will complete my food log in a few minutes. the new leslie sansone tapes are waiting for me to give them their first work out before 8:00 pm. i am absolutely determined to succeed one day at a time.

oh, and i'll sweeten that lemondade with splenda and sip it nice and slowly. i know it's winter, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. thankfully, life didn't throw me chocolate last week, because heaven knows what i would have done