By Ricinda Perry

It’s week 5 of our 90 Day Challenge … look out for that brick wall.

Have you hit a wall of discouragement?  One smacked me in the face this past week.  I have struggled in every aspect of my challenge.  I could call upon any number of excuses, but the fact remains … I make all decisions on my own to succeed or fail.  Our first milestone, Thanksgiving, is upon us with less than a month away.  Our second milestone, Christmas, is seriously around the corner.  My local Wal-Mart is loaded with the Christmas food aisle, decorations and trees. Let’s stay focused!

Today, I jumped back into things with a vengeance and started out with a two hour Bible study to get my mind cleaned out and back on track.  Funny how life’s daily clutter can really bog you down.  The Bible works on me like the delete key on my internet browser history … gets me moving faster.

My daughter needed to make cookies for her fall party at pre-school.  Trying to be a super mom, I went onto Pinterest and found an Oreo, malted milk ball, Reese peanut butter cup, candy corn and icing turkey cookie for us to make (see picture below).  To top if off, the fundraiser Otis Spunk Myer cookies came in.  Dieting is a minute by minute success for me … note the mindset change:  success, not failure or challenge!

The brisk weather is such a nice change here in Florida. I certainly cannot use heat and humidity as an excuse for not getting out there for a walk.  I’ve opened up all the sliding glass doors so that I can feel and hear the great weather beckoning me to get a move on. For extra motivation this week, I printed off some old photos of me when I was “more petite.”  This morning I broke down and treated myself to a pumpkin spice Frappuccino that I enjoyed with my Bible study.  Now I am zipping around my house and getting so many things accomplished.  It is ok to enjoy a guilty pleasure once in awhile.

I shared with you earlier that preparation is half the battle to dieting success.  It is also the way in which you can successfully bless your spouse and get into the Word of God.  Write up a little list for the week identifying dinners you will prepare, ways to show love to your husband and children, an exercise routine, and lastly get that Bible out and open on your coffee table so that it is there and ready to go for you.  Check off your weekly “to do” list and feel the psychological success when you cross out one of the tasks.  It really feels good.

AND NOW FOR SUPER PREPARATION … Start looking for healthy recipes or healthier ways to prepare your Thanksgiving feast.  Skip the deep fried turkey and locate a good roasting recipe.  Look around for some Splenda recipes to use as your dessert.  Find a new vegetable recipe to try out or a creative way to arrange fruit/vegetables on a tray.  I’ve posted some cool trays on my Pinterest page.  PLEASE SHARE YOUR PREPARATION IDEAS!  We all need a little help, myself included.  Keep up the good work!

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