Hello I'm Pattie! Nice to meet you!

My name is Pattie and I am currently following the Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise. For those of you currently following the blog, pretend you are surprised and happy to meet me!!Pretend it's the first time we've met. That's what I'm trying to do. I want to look at things with a new vision.

I decided that I need to get back to the basics....of life...and of the belly fat cure principles.I have been going through alot of personal stress with the recent loss of my beloved sister-in-law. I've lost focus in many areas of my life. I've lost a lot of sleep and cried alot of tears. I've put myself on the back burner and lost sight of my goals somewhat.There are alot of things and people that I am putting before myself. It just needs to be that way. My goals are still there, but not as clear to me as they used to be. I want to pull out my books, pretend I am reading and seeing things for the first time. Basically I want to get a fresh start, and a renewed commitment. That's the beauty of life. You can have one anytime you want!
It's time to get a little more serious. You see, I have never been the star pupil, the fast learner or the girl with the perfect report card...or in this case, perfect intake of daily sugar and carbs. I'm a little bit of a slacker. I get caught up in the wave of excitement, get started with an unstoppable enthusiasm, but then settle into that comfortable place, and I don't work so hard. I accept what I am doing as good enough. You can apply this type of attitude to many things you are trying to change in your life. It can be eating, exercising or whatever it is you are trying to make part of your lifestyle or change in your lifestyle. Sometimes you just get blasé about things and forget the basics, or the reason you got so excited in the first place and the reason you believe in something. Luckily I have some good friends on this blog, who have shown me how it can be done. Now I have to refresh, regroup and get a little bit more serious if I want to reach my goal. I want to be a big winner and a big loser. I've got an important wedding if five months!

These are the things I believe in. Sugar is really our enemy. It is addicting and overpowering. Once we get started with it, it's hard to stop. The best way is to control it, to monitor it and to limit it. 15 gms a day is the limit if you are following the BFC. If you have never done so, start reading the labels on your everyday products. You will get to 15 gms a day real fast if you aren't careful. So be careful, be diligent, and count those sugar grams. This one little change alone will squash your cravings for sweet stuff, help eliminate those binge eating episodes you've had on past diets, and help you stay in control.

So if you slip, and eat frozen Christmas cookies that your neighbor gave you, on a Tuesday night, while watching a DVR episode Keeping Up With The Kardashians, ( I know it's trash, but it's my guilty pleasure!!), and they happen to be goey, caramel pecan, with a shortbread crust,  then understand the next few days are going to be hard. You will feel hungrier, crave more sweets and feel like you can't do this. If I screw up, this always happens. You can get back on track. Just start immediately.


If you are not following the BFC, it's important to know that many other important organizations are also suggesting that sugar intake be limited. They are usually referring to added sugars, and not naturally occurring sugars such as those in fruit and milk. One teaspoon of sugar equals about 5 gms. The American Heart Association recommends no more that 6 tsp or 30 gms of added sugar a day for women, and no more than 9 tsps of 45 gms of added sugar a day for men.

 Even when you have been conditioning yourself as long as I have to avoid all added sugars, and stay within 15 gms a day, you can slip up. You are not weak. You just lost focus. Some of my blogger friends that I so admire, never lost focus, and they reached their goal fairly quickly, with very little deviations from their plan. I'm envious. But everyone is different and some of us have a hard time staying on task. Maybe we let things get in the way of our goal. Maybe we don't remind ourselves daily why our goal is so important. Whatever it is, we are all different. But what makes us the same is that we have a goal and we are trying to reach it. Whatever your goal is, if you stay focused and keep reminding yourself of that goal, it will happen.

Thought for the day: Roses are red, violets are Blue, Sugar is sweet, and so are you!