Look Ma! Valentine’s Day decorations!
My Mom’s already dekked out her house for the coming holiday (can you believe February 1st is on Tuesday?!) so a heart-studded tablecloth was the backdrop for the lunch feast she prepared for my Dad, Ben and me this afternoon!
Starring Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwiches on chewy rolls. I think she used the same recipe I do for pulled BBQ pork, just with a beef chuck roast.
I ditched the bun halfway through. It was good, but taking over the flavor of the tender, smoky-sweet beef and sauce!
Baked beans played side-kick nicely,
but, like an oasis in the desert, fresh fruit salad was just what I needed!
There hasn’t been much time for super-nutritious eating between the enchiladas, blizzards and pizzas this weekend, and my mouth started salivating at the sight of this massive bowl of juicy, healthy goodness. 
In the mix:
- Kiwi
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Pineapple
- Cantaloupe
Hand cut and Plenty, with a capital P, to go-around. Good for me since I got sent home with leftovers! 
Dessert with a Marie Calendar’s Triple Berry Pie.
After the natural, simple-sweetness of the fruit salad, this tasted insanely, over-the-top sweet. I still ate it – I’m just saying…
Ben and I came home and assumed the position. Him: Twizzlers in hand/corner of lip, intently watching basketball.
Her: Computer in lap, laughing at her crazy husband’s antics.
Ps: Please take notice that a can of Diet Mt. Dew is on my side of the table ONLY, (amongst the millions of books that Ben bought this weekend?!) as Ben is on Day 25 of NO DIET POP/ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!! He read something online about aspartame turning into formaldehyde in your body (which I totally believe) and stopped cold turkey almost a month ago. I am SO proud of him!
I’d absolutely love to join in on the fun, but need to get strong enough to face the "2:00pm slump." My body seriously knows when I haven’t had diet pop and, around 2pm everyday, I get a pounding headache and get terribly tired if I haven’t had one. I 100% believe that artificial sweeteners, and regular sugar for that matter, are chemically addictive so I just need to face the dragon and go through a week of hell to try and start to break the addiction.
Ben said Day 4 was the worst.
Because he doesn’t drink coffee or tea, and gets bored with just plain water, Ben’s been drinking O calorie Sobe Life Water which is sweetened with all-natural PureVia, derived from the stevia plant, when he’s craving a flavorful bev.
I think that’s the biggest thing I’d miss about giving up diet pop – well besides the 2pm slump busting qualities – is just something flavorful to drink. I don’t drink tea, don’t really want to drink coffee all day, and water flavored with cucumber or citrus fruits is just not going to cut it. Diet pop is inexpensive and convenient, which only fuels the vicious habit. Help!
I guess it’s just one of those things in life that you do because you have to. Right? Typing this out is actually pumping me up too, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. 
In other news, like I mentioned this morning, I hit the grocery stores this am with gift cards and coupons in hand, and came home with four, big reusable grocery bag chock-full of groceries. Here’s our booty:
The Produce
- Onion
- Lime
- Avocado
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Honeycrisp Apples ($7.45 for 4 – died a little inside when those rang up)
- Blackberries
- Carrot chips
- Salad
- Broccoli florets
Frozen Items
- Hashbrowns
- Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
- Garlic fries
- Alexa Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
- Organic multigrain cereal
Ok, so I have to show you this separately. They were sampling this frozen Organic Multigrain Cereal at Trader Joe’s this morning and I fell in love. The texture of the cereal – which includes wheat, barley, corn, rye, brown rice, millet, steel cut oats and flaxseed, spiced lightly with agave nectar and sea salt – is super chewy and thick, plus it’s 190 calories and so convenient. 3 minutes in the microwave + a drizzle of maple syrup + nuts + fruit = you’ve got breakfast!
Refrigerated Items
- Deli turkey
- Eggland’s Best Eggs
- English Coastal cheddar cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced cheddar cheese (we love cheddar cheese, apparently…)
- Sliced pepper jack cheese
Pantry Items
- Chicken broth (2 sizes of containers)
- Pretzel bread
- Green chilies
- Chocolate cookies
- Pomegranate Berry Cascade Ice
- Whole wheat burger buns
Total: $37. I had a gift card for Trader Joe’s so I got $20 worth of free groceries there, then I had coupons for a dozen eggs free and free Alexa Sweet Potato Fries at the regular grocery store. Booyah!
All of these groceries will be used to create this week’s dinner menus:
Monday: Hot Turkey & Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches
Tuesday: Chicken, Corn & Potato Chowder with Green Chilies (made this tonight while prepping lunches for the week – oooooooooo BOY!)
Wednesday: Chili Lime Chicken Burgers with Guacamole & Garlic Fries
Thursday: Spaghetti Carbonara
Friday: We’ll be in Kentucky. Yeah! Details to come.
FYI – shopping at two stores (Trader Joe’s + regular grocery store) IS annoying, but worth it. Also – they’re right down the road from each other, so it’s not that big of a deal.
Ben and I are still pretty full from lunch, so we are having a "fend for yourself" night, in lieu of a sit down dinner. I’m thinking some English Coastal Cheddar + Honeycrisp Apple slices sounds MY-TEE-FINE right about now.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
~~~~~
Where do you stand on the diet soda/artificial sweeteners debate?
Don’t be afraid to speak up either way!
Honestly, I don’t trust most things that weren’t around 200 years ago. The things we do to make food/drink taste and look better are not good for us. I’ll be fair and say that I drink soda sometimes and not all of my food is healthy and natural, but I won’t pretend that any of it is good for me. This goes for anything artificial. And foods/drinks that say “diet” in front of them…yeah, those are screaming with “We did something crazy to your food!” in my opinion. I don’t like that. Again, to be fair, I work for a natural health company…so I would be on such a rant.
My husband and I read similar things about aspartame early last year and have since sworn off of diet pop and artificial sweeteners altogether. I had already suspected they were bad for you as I noticed my “digestive system” rejecting them every time I’d consume anything containing them. So we decided to toss our box of Splenda packets and haven’t bought an ounce of diet soda since. It has been a little hard, but I can honestly say that my body does feel better as I’ve had much less bloating and and discomfort. And when it comes to treats, instead of thinking “Oh it’s sugar free, I’ll have three servings since I’m saving calories!” I go for smaller portions of the real thing as and feel I have established a healthier way to indulge. Hope that helps! Congrats to Ben on his 25-day run! Hope he keeps it up! I just know any day now the FDA is going to announce that artificial sweeteners are horrible for you…I just have a feeling.
1) so those chili lime chicken burgers are so so so good! you’ll love them! even my “burgers have to be beef” husband enjoyed them immensely. definitely getting more next time i’m in the big city w/ a TJs nearby!
2) diet pop. i heart diet coke so much. i hate reading anti-artificial sweetener stuff b/c i feel bad… i don’t like the taste of regular pop- i was raised on diet- so i just limit the diet stuff, and use real sugar in my coffee. occasionally i’ll use a splenda in my tea if i’m out at church or somewhere but usually in hot beverages i’ll just go with real sugar. right now i’m training for a marathon & don’t drink pop during the week anyways and only indulge on saturdays after my long run + sundays… but even when i let myself drink whatever, i only have a can (max) per day. someday i’d like to quit but i just like the taste and like you get bored with flavored water. my philosophy is that everything’s gonna kill you/give you cancer/do this that or the other so moderation is okay! [except drugs and the like lol
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3) sorry for the super long comment! interesting topic!
We love, love, love those chili lime chicken burgers. They make a quick, delicious, easy supper or lunch! The garlic fries at TJ’s are also the bomb. We are quite fond of the sweet potato ones too.
Have you ever tried the egg white salad? They are both good but the spicy one is our favorite. We love that for a quick, easy breakfast.
I’ve been trying No Artificial Sweetners since New Years, too! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to go cold turkey on diet soda & splenda….you can do it, Kristin! (and if you need a “boost”-Read “Master Your Metabolism” by Jillian M. That kinda helped when she made you envision a “cup of chemicals”
I think that REAL food is always better than artificial food. I think that you are much better off consuming small amounts of real sugar than someone who consumes a ton of sugar made in a lab. I think a good rule of thumb for picking food is “Would your great grandma know what it is? Would anyone alive at that time know what it is?” Progress and technology are great in a lot of different ways, but I don’t think they are that great when it comes to food.
My husband is in chiropractic school and taking a Nutrition class. He came home the other day and said the same thing about aspertame. I did not drink diet sodas but was a HUGE fan of Dr. Pepper. We did a detox cleanse back in October and I haven’t had one since. This is a new lifetime record for me. You can do it!
A bit of info from an informed source: http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/3186577-sugar-substitute-science That being said, I have tried before to cut out artificial sweeteners but dang, giving up pop is hard!!!!
I went cold turkey a few years ago on the diet pop and I switched to juice when I was craving something flavorful. I bought the “regular” juice and did 4oz juice, 4oz water and it was perfect! Unfortunately…my addiction came back and I usually have one can a day around 3 in the afternoon. With the price of pop going up so much lately though…we’re thinking of trying to nix the habit soon
Several studies have debunked the myth that aspartame will cause cancer or kill you.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp
http://tafkac.org/ulz/nutrasweet.html
That being said, it’s still probably “healthier” to sip on water with lemon or if you need the caffeine, some unsweetened tea. As for me, I’m sticking with my 1 can of Diet Mountain Dew a day.
I gave up artificial sweeteners in August. Like Ben, I still miss Diet Sodas or flavored beverages at times. I take 0 Calorie Life Water with me to work for lunch. I buy one of the big packs at Sam’s a couple times a month.
I do crave fizz at times, and have found Whole Food’s Italian Sparkling Water to be the perfect answer.
Whole Foods sells Zevia, which is a diet soda made using Stevia. I’ve had it once or twice, and it satisfies my Diet Dr. Pepper cravings.
As far as coffee, the hardest part for me was giving up Splenda! I now use Silk French Vanilla half and half plus a small amount of sugar to sweeten up my coffee.
oh my gosh, i was exactly like you… saying i neeeeed a diet soda, because when i get home from school i have to study ( med school) blah blah. Well my boyfriend and i book a cruise, i said i am not going to drink soda for 1 week! and i did and suddenly i stopped craving it everyday at the same time. Im going to celebrate and have one on the cruise but am hoping to make this permanent. He used to tease me about drinking “chemicals”. I struggle with the same thing as Ben, as i dont drink soda, but have been having tea water seltzer and sometimes gatorade. Its not perfect but i am working on it… best of luck to you!
P.S. Kentucky! YAY! I went to college near Lexington!
Well, I think that you eat and drink extremely healthily most of the time, so if one can of diet pop a day is your vice, then I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Now, if you were downing half a 12 pack a day . . . then maybe it’d be time to cut back!
Personally, I used to pretty much live on diet soda in college (why hello diet dr pepper. . . . oh, you’re gone all ready? but it’s only been 3 days! – eeps!). I’ve cut back to 1 diet soda a day and I can feel it as I get older that it’s healthier. . . not sure I’ll ever be able to totally cut it out though.
I love Diet pop! I try to quit about every other week, but I fail! I love it so much! I try to not get carried away, and stick to 1 can a day. All the “substitutes” just don’t add up. I don’t really drink pop for the caffeine (although it’s nice) but I just like the fizzy goodness that is pop!
I have Type I diabetes so I hafta stick to diet.
I used to drink Diet Coke ALL the time. I worked at a restaurant and I would guzzle the stuff all day. When I quit working there I stopped drinking it and now I rarely drink it. When I do, I find I don’t like it as much as I used to and it makes my stomach hurt! I think if you stop drinking it for a while your cravings eventually go away!
I personally just don’t like the flavor of diet soda. Plus the artificial sweetener thing scares me. Unfortunately I’m a regular Mountain Dew girl which doesn’t do me any favors. Empty calories anyone? I’ve gone without soda in the past for several months but for some reason went back to it. I’m definitely getting that frozen cereal the next time I make it out that way (TJs seems like a long drive from Beaverdale for some reason). The chocolate cat cookies are always a huge hit at our house.
I used to be obsessed with Diet Coke, but I do believe the fact that it makes you crave more sweets. Now, I only drink it if we go out to a restaurant if I know the water isn’t going to taste good there (some places really have nasty ice water!!) but we don’t buy it at the grocery store at all.
When I drink coffee at home, I use sugar in the raw – but when I am out, I’ll usually use splenda…I just don’t try to make a habit of it.
I drink SOOO much water and honestly, it gives me more energy than anything else. I know some people don’t enjoy it, but I don’t know, water is my favorite.
My boyfriend is currently kicking his soda habit and he’s switched to drinking this carbonated water drink called Zazz. It’s just water, carbonation, and a little natural flavoring. The carbonation is exactly like a soda, not wimpy light bubbles like Perrier. He’s said that it’s been a good replacement. We’ve found it at a grocery store called Martin’s, but it may be sold elsewhere!
Here’s a link to what it looks like (I couldn’t find a website): http://products.peapod.com/69729.html
try as hard as I might every day I have a Venti Iced Green Tea from Starbucks… with two splendas… and sometimes a cherry coke zero (my real weakness)
It is a pain going to more than one grocery store. I find it’s a necessity, though, for our family. I typically end up doing some of my shopping at QFC or Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s since not every store carries everything we like to eat. Trader Joe’s is a constant each week and then I rotate between the others depending on what we need that they carry. Also, I end up hitting up Costco about once a month too.
I was never really into soda but I use to LOVE Sprite Zero. It wasn’t so much for the soda taste but I craved the carbonation. Since then, I’ve discovered how much I love seltzer water. Sometimes, I add a splash of Pom or Cranberry juice and it’s like a mocktail. LOVE it! They make flavored seltzers that are also fantastic. La Croix is the best!
I am addicted to diet Mountain Dew! I’ve tried to go without, but like you, I always get a monster headache and then cave and get one.
I soooooooo had a bag of those garlic fries in my hand at Trader Joe’s today (this post also made me realize I forgot to look for the pretzel bread… crap!!!) but I didn’t get them because I wasn’t sure how they would be. Can’t wait to see what you think of them!!! Oh… I did remember to pick up the mini chocolate chip cookies… O.M.G.!!!
We cut out soda from our household (Dr. Pepper was the soda of choice) a while back. What I missed was the refreshing carbonation. So what we do now is buy a flat of sparkling water from Costco, along with a two-pack of 100% Cranberry-Grape juice. We vary the ratio, but we mix those and it’s SO refreshing. I don’t miss soda at all.
I, like Ben, tried to give up soda because i am a diet dr pepper addict! i never drink more than two a day but i just really love the stuff. Well i decided that i would give it up during the week and then have it only on the weekends. Then by Wednesday of that week I decided that I could have it once during the week, that Wednesday obviously, and also on the weekends. but my Thursday i was in such a terrible mood because i NEEDED my ddp! so therefore my plans were foiled. but at least i gave it a go!
my ddp just makes me so darn happy. its the little things in life!
oh and personally, i LOVE me some splenda in my coffee…
Kentucky!? That is my stomping ground! The weather is supposed to be chilly….you missed the 50 + degrees that was this weekend!
I counteract my Diet Mt. Dew addiction with my Honeycrisp apple addiction. Geez, those apples are usually the highest priced item I buy – but sooooo worth it!
I LOVE CHOCOLATE CATS!!!!!!
Good choice!
As for the artificial sweeteners, I have a feeling the FDA is going to say they’re terrible sometime in the sort of near future, so I’m trying to stop. Soda gives me bad stomach aches, so I don’t drink that, but I do love some Splenda in my coffee. I used to use three (!!!) packets and now I’m down to half. Coffee isn’t as enjoyable, but whatever. It’s hard to totally avoid it, though – it’s everywhere! Yogurt, especially – I stopped buying Kroger brand yogurt b/c they use sucrose/aspartame. Right now I’m eating Chobani, but I need to inspect the label again to see what kinds of sweeteners they use.
Good luck!
Interesting thread… I’m a clean eater, ergo, no artificial or refined sugars. I did use to champion Stevia until I’ve read that one’s brain may still respond and trigger sugar-like reactions. Bottom line, you might as well drink the real thing since sugar is sugar and not something created in a lab. As for Via, your husband may want to read why Stevia is not approved in Britain. I’m not male, so I’m not worried, though you do wonder about how healthy it really is in a processed form…
Sidebar ~ have you hear of The Four Hour Body? I’ve not read it yet, but have stumbled upon the blog and readers comments about their results. The author did major research on his glucose/blood while trying different diet habits and found that even artificial sugar spiked his levels. It seems that our brain may not know the difference if it is real sugar or not. Just some food for thought
I absolutely love your couch setup, aha it looks so comfy!
I used to be hooked on diet dr. Pepper, but then I switched over to water. It was easy though because we never had soda in my house! I could only have it when I went to friends houses. Anywho, artificial sweeteners = scary! I roll with stevia:)
I used to be a diet coke addict, but wanted to get off all the caffeine. I realized I missed the bubbles. so I started drinking sparkling water. After a while it was leaving me super bloated, so I cut it out all together and feel GREAT. Now it’s just water, lemon water, and tea!
And as for artificial sweeteners, I avoid everything but Stevia.
I still haven’t made up my mind (ie I need to do some more research) on the whole artificial sweetener thing. I have cut way down on my splenda consumption. I loooooove iced tea and am to the point where I only put 1 or 2 splendas in an entire pitcher, and if it’s really good I drink it without any sweeteners. I have a bottle of stevia that I might try again, I kinda don’t like the bitter aftertaste. I’ve been flavoring my regular water with an ounce or two of Sobe Life Water or Vitamin Water or other 0 calorie flavored drinks.
Have you tried herbal teas (tisanes?). There are all kinds of flavors you can brew up, I am obsessed with Adagio loose teas. I have flavors like Berry Blues and Blood Orange. If you want to try them out I can send you a $5 off coupon email. (I’m not associated with them at all, they just let people send discounts to their friends to try them).
It’s on my don’ts list. I wasn’t allowed to have soda when I was younger so I don’t have much of a taste for it. But, if I am craving a coke, I just drink a few sips of the non-diet version and I’m good. I also found that if I eat a more protein packed lunch rather than a carb-y lunch that I don’t suffer from the 2 PM slump. You can definitely kick it, good luck!!
I don’t really drink pop at all anymore. I don’t know what it was… I just stopped. I just felt so crappy after drinking it. Now if I have one, it will be the real think and it’s once every few months.
If you really love it, maybe you should switch to half a can of the real stuff for a while.
A half a cup of coffee would also work for me if I needed something in the afternoon.
I’m also a huge fan of La Croix. I didn’t love it at first, but it really grew on me. No caffeine… but I love the carbonation.
I decided a month ago to eliminate two things from my diet: artificial sweeteners and preservatives. The preservatives deal was a bit of an experiment since I discovered they can be a migraine trigger (*have not had one since I made the change…interesting!).
So make the change if you feel ready, otherwise enjoy it until you feel like it’s really time.
The artificial sweeteners because I had been drinking Crystal Light Energy every morning for years and I had to kick that habit. I was also chewing one-too-many pieces of sugar free gum. Interesting thing here, I used to get uncontrollable urges for sweets after I would have sugar-free treats. That stopped happening after a few days without artificial sweeteners. I’ve actually had much more cravings for fruit, etc. I, however, could care less what other people eat/drink if they love it. How could I? I drank Crystal Light for years!
I have substituted my soda/Crystal Light cravings for flavored hot teas. I have never cared for tea, but have found I LOVE it with a splash of soy milk. The pomegranate teas are out of this world!
Great topic!
My new go to drink is juice (the real deal, not the sugary stuff) mixed with club soda. The club soda gives you the bubbles & makes you feel like you’re having a fun drink, plus it seriously cuts the calories in the juice (and stretches the dollar).
I love Twizzler’s but so can’t buy them because i would consume the entire package in less than a day, even the single portion size ( I eat those in like 2 minutes flat). It is the chewy thing. I have to watch those. I gave up soda many years ago, when I was in my 20′s I found myself at the doctor bent over in pain. And it was in part due to the gallon or so of Diet Coke I drank everyday. I had to start by forcing myself to drink water between each one, eventually after a few Lenten season’s I was able to finally give it up completely. Now just a sip of any soda is just ick! Now I do have 2 cups of coffee in the AM and usually some Ice Tea at lunch.
Love the sound of Chicken Lime burgers, is this something you bought or have a recipe for. I love Chicken Burgers stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Roasted red peppers that I make, would love to have something new to try.
Good luck with giving up the soda. As far as the artificial sweetners, I figure saccharin is actually the safest as it is the most tested one out there after the FDA removed it in the 70′s. To bring things back they test them pretty thoroughly. The Equal/Aspartame scares me the most and makes me feel the worst. Not crazy about Stevia though for taste.
Good luck with your challenge.
I don’t like the taste of ANY artificial sweeteners, splenda included! I’d rather go for just a small amount of the real thing. If you miss the fizz of soda, I like La Croix sparkling water. They come in different flavors, like lemon-lime and raspberry.
Oh yeah, Honeycrisps are worth every penny. Sadly here in Florida we don’t have them available any longer. We only get them from Sept – Early Jan. I miss them terribly. There is none better. Now just waiting for Sept.
I am a diet coke lover and always will be.
It’s so difficult! I love my Diet Coke and have 2 cans a day. I drink plenty of water but love the bubbles from the DC. It’s a nasty habit but it’s my only one I’ve got.
Everybody’s got something, right? I’m just trying to make myself feel better!
Oh, artificial sweeteners…well, I absolutely love Coke Zero (or rather, the grocery store brand of it…I’m cheap). I’ve never been that concerned about artificial sweeteners, but the large amount of sodium (40mg) was what made me stop drinking soda (regularly) a few months ago. I haven’t read anything authoritative about this, but my mom said that large amounts of sodium can retain water…and therefore prohibit weight loss/contribute to weight gain. I did feel a bit bloated from drinking diet soda daily and was having trouble getting my weight down (plus I could use the extra bucks in my grocery budget), so I stopped cold turkey a few months ago. The caffeine headaches were bad the first week, but after that I was fine! I do tend to pick up some Coke Zero when on longer road trips, but other than that, I’ve stopped! You can do it too!
Check out Teavana at Jordan Creek Mall. I received a “Perfect Tea Maker” for my birthday and this thing is the best! You can choose your own full-leaf teas (caffeinated or not) and it’s fun to experiment with different flavors. World Market also has decent full-leaf tea for a better price.
http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Gift-Center/Tea-Gifts-by-Experience/Beginning-Tea-Drinker-Gifts/Teavana-Perfect-TeaMaker.axd
You can also use your Keurig to heat up water faster for the tea!
Everyone has a vice.. diet pop, not such a bad one
I tried for years to cut back on soda but was unsuccessful until just recently. That was actually my NY resolution. I seriously <3 coke zero. I still have it now and then but it makes my tummy hurt now. I honestly did it for the money (water's cheaper than coke zero) and i still miss having something flavorful to drink sometimes. When I really want something, i make some tea and sweeten with a little natural sugar and serve over ice. However, I'm in the south and thats how its done here.
My husand and I have a similar set up when we are relaxing on our couches
Love it.
I too used to have a diet pop addiction, it was bad (we’re talking 6 cans a day) but I have tamed it down considerably!! Being an MPH student at DMU exposed me to several of those articles on the dangers of artificial sweeteners and I decided to make a change and ditch the pop. I still have a random diet coke once in awhile, but that’s about it. It was hard, but I started drinking tea (which I never used too) and that helped, but I found what I missed the most was the carbonation of the drinks, so I just started adding club soda to 100% fruit juice instead, and before I knew it, I was maybe having one diet coke a week
Ironically I am just starting a research proposal for once of my classes on this very topic. I’m sure the data will scare me off Diet Coke for a few weeks, but I’m bound to cave again, eventually!
When I started dating my husband 12 years ago, his mom gave me a big lecture about how bad aspartame is. {She told me about the formaldehyde thing!} It freaked me out so bad that I started drinking regular pop. Then, I stared gaining weight, so I just stopped drinking it all together. Now I just drink water all day. I will have a regular pop on occasion, but it is extremely rare. I really don’t miss it. I do drink coffee and tea, but usually just one cup a day.
Good luck!
I used to drink so much diet soda, like absurd amounts of it
Then after getting my tonsils out last February just randomly quit drinking it, best decision ever! It used to make me feel dizzy and just terrible, but I couldn’t stop. But trust me, it can be done, I have faith in ya girl!