Yesterday I noticed some lemon pepper in my cupboard. I'd bought it ages ago to put on steak; now I never buy steak. The thought struck me, how would this be on potatoes?

Normally, I do microwave hash browns: chop up a potato, add salt and spicing, nuke until done. Mainline spicing is either salt, pepper, and minced onion, tasting like grease-free hash browns; or salt, garlic powder, and oregano. Less commonly, I might do salt, ginger, and curry powder for a faux Indian taste; that leaves an aroma of turmeric in my microwave for a day or so, so I don't do that very often.

So today I did my potato with salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. Came out like potato with lemon garlic, not bad. It went well with the fried eggs at lunch. I think this will go into my rotation, showing up more regularly than the faux Indian or Tex-Mex (cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper).

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, just different spicing for no measurable difference in nutrition in a standard meal; but for some reason, I thought of the folks on this thread talking about food while trying to control intake.

Spices can definitely make a world of difference. I try to do different flavors on sweet potatoes or meat. I don't add salt to anything and much prefer other seasonings.

Small victory... had some rolos but still have lots of calories left. Trying to decide on a healthy snack I can munch on while editing photos for the next hour. It's the one time I really mindlessly eat. I should have protein but might make some popcorn then have a serving of chocolate chips.

Thought I would share this here. One of my other MFP friends found it in the forums and shared it. I think it is pretty great.

This is from fitness blogger Vic Margay.
"“Motivated, motivated, hell yeah I’m motivated. Ooo Ah, I wanna kill somebody. Killlllll!!!”

As part of the Army’s brainwashing process (better known as Basic Training), mantras like the one above shouted in unison by a platoon of young men with shaved heads often made Basic Training feel like some sort of twisted psycho cheerleading camp instead of preparation to become Infantry soldiers. But we were motivated. Or were we? If you include fear of punishment and peer pressure as motivation, then the environment at Ft. Benning was certainly motivating. But were we self-motivated? No, most of us standing in heel-to-toe lines and referring to our new Army buddies by last name only at Ft. Benning, Georgia in the autumn of 1998 were not self- motivated. And it is acquiring and maintaining this self-motivation that I am often asked about in the realm of diet and fitness.

But here’s the thing…
Lack of motivation to follow a healthy diet and commit to consistent exercise is a myth. You are going to die. And neglecting your health and fitness is more likely to hasten your departure. Furthermore, the days you do have will be spent with less energy and more pain if you choose to eat crap and be sedentary.
The motivation, the “why”, to exercise and eat nutritious foods in appropriate quantity is present and strong. The bigger mystery is why we choose to ignore the need for proper diet and exercise in the face of obvious requirement. We do not need motivation. We need decision. We need unwavering non-negotiable decision. And yes, I know that the pic above was not taken during Hurricane Sandy (although I thought it was when I posted it to my Facebook page). But it was taken during a torrential down pour at some point in recent history. It absolutely captures the fortitude and decision of those soldiers to stand by their post no matter what hardship may be encountered. If those soldiers can decide to endure the elements, then we can decide to put down the damned pizza and beer. Or forgo the free bagels at the office. Or wake up a half hour early to exercise. Or keep a food journal everyday. Or what ever else we know we need to do but keep failing to commit to because it is “hard”.

Enduring chemotherapy is hard.
Hitting a fast ball in the major leagues in hard.
Negotiating nuclear disarmament from a hostile nation is hard.
Saying goodbye to a loved one in the hospital or the veterinarian’s office for the last time is hard.
But putting down the cookies and picking up the spinach? That’s only as hard as the story we tell ourselves. What is often called lack of motivation is actually lack of discipline and lack of habit. I’ve posted about discipline and habit before – those entries lack the sexy headlines such as “1 weird trick to lose belly fat” and often do not get more than the cursory glance. And that’s unfortunate because it is discipline and habit that hold the keys to not only losing weight or getting strong, but to anything that we want in life.

You already know what to do to lose weight and get in shape. The smaller details will vary but the big picture is always to eat real food in appropriate quantity and move in a manner that is continually challenging. The problem is not lack of knowledge or lack of motivation. The problem is lack of decision.
Decide. Now. Stay strong"

So here I thought I was being good on Monday making myself a healthy lunch for the week but it turns out I was trying to kill myself!

I thought my sweet potatoes were still good, no smell, no sprouting, a couple of dark spots on one that I cut out. But yesterday and today after lunch I get sick. The only thing seems to be the lunch. UGH. And therefore I did not run either yesterday or today because I thought I was dying.

Setting my alarm for 4 am to do a strength workout tomorrow AND make a different healthy lunch.

Oh man brownies are my favorite! There's a place in Vegas that has the best gf brownie. I didn't get to go there last trip and I was so pissed because every place has creme brulee or ice cream as gf desserts. Um hi we like more choices.

Oh that dental work doesn't sound fun.

@seanevan10 I am the same way. I've done this before but I have problems following through. Right now I am focusing on logging everything, even if it's an entire package of cookies. Yup, did that on day 2 of the year.