Sometimes we walk a slippery slope

Disclaimer notice - this was written prior to Barbara's unfortunate fall yesterday morning. Many of us our experiencing cold snowy weather. I was deep in thought the other day while I walked along in my tennis shoes. I love walking through the woods. It is beautiful and quiet. All of the sudden I slipped on the ice. I didn't fall, but I easily could have. I wasn't prepared for the conditions. I knew better, but I didn't use common sense. I think that sometime we are the same way with the habits we have formed in our eating patterns. We know the right thing to do, but we find ourselves unprepared. We have not planned our meals and we make poor food choices. I have thought about Ruth Ann's saying a lot lately. "Failing to plan is planning to fail". She is so right. We need to put thought into how we are choosing to feed our bodies. We sometime make a choice that seems the easiest at the time but may not be in our best interests for our long term goals. How do we avoid falling into these traps that do not serve us well? I think it start at the grocery store or even perhaps before we get there. We should make a list of foods that are high in protein and low in sugar and carbohydrates. Many times these foods take more preparation and planning, but it is worth it in the long run. Try to put things on your list that you can quickly grab if you are short of time. There are many good choices out there. I don't advocate never having a planned treat. Just remember that this is a treat and not a way of life. Just like we can plan on slipping on the ice while ice skating and enjoying the exercise and thrill of it we can enjoy a well planned snack if we realize it is for a special occasion. Life is great, Rick

How right on you are in your comments. And Ruth Ann is so correct - "failing to plan is planning to fail". If only I had PLANNED to be more careful walking outside yesterday morning, knowing snow had melted and refrozen...I know I would not have fallen, but if I had it wouldn't have been for lack of planning. I just plowed out the front door - not thinking - and unfortunately suffered the consequences. I am happy to report today that even though I had lack of planning to walk carefully, I do not seem to have any reprocusions this morning as nothing hurts!!! Same way with eating, shopping for food....no planning is setting us up to fail. We essentially have to "plan" the rest of our lives - least we fall back into old bad habits. Sure it is much easier to stop at Mickey D's and pick up a double cheesburger than to plan ahead and have an acceptable substitute. We sure did alot of planning before we had this surgery...and because we made the decision to have this surgery, I dare say planning is going to be the tool that makes us successful. I am not PLANNING TO FAIL....rather I am going to plan more diligently. Thanks for the pep talk my friend! Barbara

Barbara, I'm glad nothing is sore today. It's a pain (pun intended) to fall. I know if I don't have a plan I let myself get into trouble with what I eat. I have to be more diligent. Have a great day, Rick

This slippery slope is difficult sometimes. I know that if I don't plan, I will surely slip and fall. Sometimes, even when I do plan I still slip and fall. But it is certainly less frequently than if I never plan. Yesterday, as I was struggling with eating at a time when I didn't need to eat, I wished so much for perfection. Why can't I always eat properly? I'd much rather feel in control of food than let it control me. Alas, I slip up. There doesn't seem to be anything I can do about that. So I just try to make the best choices I can and we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I'm happy for our January thaw. The slopes outside my house aren't quite as slippery since the ice and snow have melted. My weight loss journey doesn't experience January thaws. I always need to be diligent about what I put in my mouth. Always. Hugs, Stephanie

Stephanie, It's okay to strive for perfections, but very few people achieve it. Be happy with yourself that you make the right choice most of the time. The sun is out here also, although it is 25 degrees. I hope to get out and walk more today. Yesterday I only gone in 2 miles and that wont get us to California. (wait I'm already in California, but I want to be there with all of us on our journey) Have a great day, Rick