“Hey, I thought you were going on a diet?” Paul said.

“I am,” I answered around a mouthful of Oreos.  “On Monday. These are my ‘goodbye’ cookies. I’m eating the things I won’t be seeing for a long time.”

And that’s what I thought I was doing — but I was really sabotaging myself, big time! After a weekend of “goodbyes” I was thoroughly hooked on sugar and felt really crummy.  That’s not a good time to start a big change, when you are feeling sickly. Besides, my sweet tooth was in full throttle.  I. WANTED. GOODIES. Tuesday would work as well.  Another day before the goodies and I were to part company, so I might as well enjoy them.  And so it went.

I repeated that scenario many times before I wised up — and if you are a veteran dieter, you have been there, too.  As a result, we are carrying around a lot of “goodbye” sugar stored as fat on our hips.

If you are going to go on a smart, healthy eating plan, don’t say goodbye and don’t look back.  Instead, start preparing yourself with gradual changes. Pass up the bread and the desserts and start looking for healthier substitutes.  Wean off the sugar and you won’t miss it so much when you cut it out entirely.

Why wait for Monday, anyway? The best time to start a life beyond gorgeous – is NOW!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown