Well, I attended a banquet thing for work last week, and I had everything planned out in advance. No booze, only water. No carbs at dinner. No desert.
And I was successful. Doubly so because I DIDN'T EAT THIS:
I didn't eat this.
Nor did I eat her ginormous chocolate sister, which was the other option. I did, however, make my coworker eat them both (or at least try to) and describe them in finite detail. It wasn't weird or awkward at all for the other people at our table.
Needless to say, I felt really good about my choices that evening and I pretty much owed it all to pre-deciding.
Fast forward to last night. I was not prepared for the hubs to walk in the door yesterday evening with a big bowlful of homemade caramel corn from our neighbor, Lu. It is so good. I mean this is the kind of stuff that, if not shared fairly, causes divorce. I'm sure it could solve world peace if we could only stop eating it long enough to distribute globally. So, as I'm sure you guessed, I ate some. And then I ate some more. To my sugar-starved taste-buds, it was like candy, like the nectar of the Gods, like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one!
But, pretty much thirty seconds after I finished my double-fisted fiesta, I wished I could rewind and have a do-over. I felt really bad. I was disappointed in myself for giving in. And I paid for it on the scale this morning too.
My point is, (to paraphrase a familiar saying) that not preparing — for every contingency — is preparing to fail.
I may not be able to plan the details and correctly guess every situation I may be confronted with. But by thinking about different scenarios and having some scripting ready to go, for others or for my own self-talk, can really help. So next time I come face to face with some caramel corn or Doritos or some home-baked bread smothered with butter, I can put my plan in action. I'll remember the big picture, focus on my goals and just say no.
Time to pick myself off, dust myself off and warrior on.
Rawr.
It's OK to let one foot fall off the bike. You owned it, you know what you'll do next time. I bet that the next time you eat something delicious, you'll know how much just a small amount will satisfy you. I'm on board with how good the fruits taste too - when I'm craving sugar at night while watching TV, I choose a big handful of raisins instead. They do have sugar, but it's a better choice and I still get that "hand to mouth" psychological reward. Jello has been another good substitute for me - so many flavors & so few calories!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jen! I'm going to try some raisins. I have not been a big fan, but maybe it's time to re-try them. And I'm on board with the Jello! Great suggestions. Thanks for always being there for me, pal. ♥
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