Fall is Here

I love fall.

I like spring, too, and summer. I like spring- the coming out of winter, emerging feel of spring. I like summer, I like the sizzling hot, I like beaches, I like the heat of summer. I like winter too- but mostly just the beginning. The first snow, Christmas, and wearing sweaters.

But I love fall. I love the crisp air. I love the smell of the leaves on the ground. I love apple picking and pumpkin carving. Hay rides. I love going to fairs and fall festivals. I love the weather- it's not so warm I'm always hot, but not so cold I have to wear a jacket. I like that it's chilly in the morning and at night, but warm in the afternoon.

Also? I LOVE food for each season. Summer brings ice cream and iced coffee. Winter is time for hot chocolate.

But fall? The food that fall brings. Hot apple cider and a plethora of apple desserts. Pumpkin and apple pie. Pumpkin lattes. Cider donuts. Pumpkin bread. Thanksgiving food. Fair food! Fried dough, funnel cake, cotton candy, apple fritters, caramel apples.

Which of course leads to the dilemma. No, dilemma just isn't the right word. Temptation is I guess. I love this food. Alot of it doesn't come around all the time. And if it does... well, it's just not the same. I want to eat it. I want to let my discipline go. I want to not worry about it. A couple of times, I've already done so. But I know that I can figure out ways to do every season without always having an excuse. Once I started losing weight, I went all. summer. long. without Dairy Queen. Listen, maybe to you it's not a big deal. But for me? Huge. HuGE. Every summer, I went at least a few times a week. This summer, instead of going to DQ every week, I lost weight. I felt better. I look better.

I have to keep that. Maintain the focus and discipline. This weekend already I've felt myself not wanting to be careful. Just wanting to eat whatever when I go out. Not worry about the consequences.

But there are consequences. Thirty pounds of them.

Fall is here. I'm trying not to fall.