As I sit debating with myself, it’s like an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.  The devil says, “You don’t have time, just get the burger you want.  A burger, with cheese and mayo and lots of fries, maybe a nice giant Coke full of sugary goodness and caffeine.  Mmmmmmcaffeine.”  The angel is arguing calmly, “You know what you should do.  Stick to your diet; you know what’s good for you.”  But then two other voices chime in as well.  It’s quite crowded in my head.

There’s that critical voice, the one that’s so pessimistic, so mean.  “You know you’re not going to stick with this, just like all the other times.  Why don’t you just give it up, go get the big greasy burger and get it over with.  Then you can just quit and we can have ice cream later to celebrate.  What made you think you could do this anyway?  You’re too weak to succeed and you don’t deserve to anyway.”

Then the voice of reason.  The voice that got me started on this to begin with.  “If it’s that big of a deal and you really think you need it, get the burger then get back on track.  But just decide and move on.  It’s just a burger.  You know you can live without it, and you know in the long run you’ll be happy you didn’t have it, but seriously just decide.  You can get the burger and keep within your points, you can go over your points and start again tomorrow, or you can let the burger derail all your effort.  Or better yet, you can just skip it and celebrate your restraint.  But if you do get the burger, don’t beat yourself up, don’t let it stop you, and just make a better choice next time.  Better yet, if you get the burger do it without the cheese and the mayo.  Make it a kid-sized burger and celebrate that choice.  Whatever you do just do it because your stomach is getting really cranky.”

No burger, coupled with a good for you! from the angel and the voice of reason was what I had for lunch that Wednesday.  Good for me making better choices; good for me not listening to that critical voice in my head.  I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and gosh darn it, people like me.  Or something–ok that crack may have come from the critical voice; it tends to be slightly sarcastic.  I’m not sure if this really falls under inspiration or delirious ranting, but either way here it is for your consideration.  I’ll just be here enjoying every bite of my lovely grilled chicken sandwich.

While for most of us, it seems unrealistic to get those eight hours of sleep, it’s important to make an effort toward a least getting more sleep.  Here are a few tips to help catch more z’s and drop more lbs.:

• Stop eating at least two hours before you go to bed.  Eat a satisfying dinner, and limit your snacking afterward.  The more you can load your calories earlier in the day, the better off you’ll be.
• Get into a bedtime routine.  Just like you start winding your kids down before you put them into bed, you need to give yourself a chance to relax before you hit the sheets.  Shut the tv off earlier and read yourself a nice bedtime story or take a nice warm bath.  Just work it into your routine.
• Cut out the caffeine earlier.  All those stimulating chemicals like caffeine and cigarettes will keep you up at night.  Try to limit them to earlier hours.  Alcohol can also mess with your sleep, so try to keep your imbibing to a minimum in the later hours.
• Ramp up into it.  Start going to bed a little bit earlier each night.  Even 15 minutes earlier each night for a week will get you under the covers for almost an extra two hours of sack time.
• If you have serious trouble getting to sleep at night, see your doctor.  If you experience lack of sleep for long periods of time or it interferes with your daily life, it’s time to go see your physician for help.

This time around, we’ll focus on the personal stuff, cool recipes, low point junk food (helloooo, I love the junk food it’ll stick around!) and I guess whatever else is on our minds.

So, hopefully you’ll learn something and get some inspiration, but you should at least be somewhat entertained by our struggles as we head down the weight loss path again!