Have I told you how much I love.......

my panini grill? The first picture is my 6 pt lunch. (2 pieces of Ezekial bread, low fat cheese, thin sliced ham and an apple) The reason I love my panini grill is because it melts the cheese and makes it taste like a good old fashioned grilled cheese, without any butter. I can make a regular, boring sandwich taste like a sandwich I would buy at Panera. However, my sandwich is only 4 pts while the Panera sandwich would be approximately 10 pts. And, when I use the Ezekial bread, it adds a slight crunch because the bread is so hearty. Most days I use a Sandwich Thin, which tastes really good too.

If you don't have an panini grill, I suggest you look into getting one. If you like sandwiches, it is totally worth it. I think I got this one over a year ago at Costco for about $40. I use it about 3 times a week.

This morning I got up thinking about my daughter's birthday cake sitting on my counter. The cake with the home made butter cream frosting. Probably my favorite cake in the world. I've eaten very healthy today. I have about 19 pts left for the day and I have eaten breakfast, lunch and a snack. (BTW, I defrosted a Fiber one muffin for my snack and it tasted just as good as when I first made them) I'm making stir fry for dinner so I will have enough points left to eat that cake.

But then something happened........

I decided to suck it up and do my Last Chance Workout again. I haven't done it in a week and I've been putting it off. I hate doing it. It's very difficult and I am not a huge fan of exercise to begin with. However, the feeling I get when I've made it through is indescribable. I feel like I've completed a marathon. I'm sweaty and strong and motivated to lose weight. The feeling is so much more powerful than how I feel after I eat that cake. I admit, sometimes I get a "high" after eating certain foods. It makes me feel good. I have not, however, found a food that makes me feel as good as a good work out does.

I have no desire to eat any more cake. I will have a WW ice cream sandwich that will taste just as good (well, almost as good) , but I won't feel like I've cheated. I'll feel proud of myself and know that I'm in this to win it. I will reach my goal this year as long as I keep making decisions like this. I know there will be days when I will go for the cake, but as long as I have more days where I reach for the healthy stuff, reaching my goal is no longer an "if" it's a "when."