Longest Day of the Year

Summer is officially here, but isn't it kind of funny to think that after today the days will be getting shorter again? A kind of signal to the season changing again on the very day it begins. Weird. With this change, it got me thinking about fall. I know. Fall is a ways away, but things tend to change dramatically in the fall (even with my eating habits). The cold air brings with it a need to pack on for winter, psychologically and sociologically. Cut rib-roast starts showing up buy one get one free at the grocery store. Of course, you have to have crock-pot wonders during the fall and winter. Warm soups that warm the body and soul, bubbly casseroles the make the whole house smell inviting. It just wouldn't be fall and winter without them. Then, the dreaded holidays. Oh, how they mock me! The turkey dressing starts calling my name as early as September. Will I be able to withstand the temptations that will toy with me, during the last months of the year? I'm really concerned about it, sense that was the primary reason I got back into the 180's by Christmas. The weight started to creep on shortly after our vacation (early October). I was a little bit heavier than I am now, but with much more muscle mass.

I want to be able to say, by September, that I have self control. That I'm able to eat those things that I love so dearly, without going overboard. Going overboard packs on the weight and I'd like to be able to look stunning at the Christmas party this year. It seems like I should be geared up for the tests, with as much effort as I've put in, but I don't know. I think it will be the ultimate test, since starting on my goals this year. I also think I'll have to keep making personal statements to myself, journaling all that I consume and write faithfully in this blog in order to make it. My birthday is in January and self-sabotage during the holiday months will thwart my goals completely, since it falls exactly one month after Christmas. I have to keep saying, "Wouldn't it be grand to be in the 130's by December?" "Wouldn't it be amazing if I could walk into Ross Dress for Less in November and pick out the evening gown I want, instead of settling for what won't make me look like a cow in the pictures?" "Wouldn't it be a dream come true to try on said dress without struggling with the zipper, hooks, buttons and having no problem with the way it looks, even though it may be something I never would have worn a year before?"

I'll keep myself as psyched as a I can, for the next few months. My girlfriend, who is also on a journey like mine, just said, "Is the price worth the pay off?" The Father's Day weekend was not an example of how I should be eating from here on out. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't role model worthy either. Hubby purchased my floor mat, yesterday, so that I can start back up with my weight training (He asked me to stop because I was sweating all over the floor and it's really not my or his wish to steam clean the carpets after every workout). Ross had them for $9, so we bought two (a black one for him and purple for me). We steered clear of the Denise Austin brand (I have personal objections to her).

My sister is still miserable in Greece. She emailed me last Thursday with all the trials she's going through. Yesterday, my mother said she was bitten by a spider. When the bite began to change colors, she high-tailed it to the doctor's. I hope they let her back through customs so she can see a real doctor, poor thing.

I drank some of my slimming tea this morning, to clean out my system from this weekend's craziness. It should be kicking in at around 9:00 am. Thank goodness for it's predictability. I hope it's "all clear" before I have to go to work out this afternoon.