I have already established that a large part of successful dieting is planning. Limiting the amount of self-discipline needed in a food crunch is crucial when you don't have any food-related control.
I was planning an afternoon trip with my kids yesterday, and I knew pizza at the shop was on the menu after our hike. When I am very hungry, piping hot pizza is irresistible. To be honest, even when I'm only slightly hungry... At the same time, I don't even enjoy the calorie splurge. There are times when I treat myself to a great cut of beef, prepared by a master chef in a high end restaurant. I arrange myself ahead of time to make sure I save enough calories, and I savor each tender morsel. I feel great afterwards, knowing I can enjoy food like other people as long as I do it responsibly.
I don't do this for pizza. It's not worth it, I don't want to waste my food allotment for a cheesy slice that doesn't leave me with long term satisfaction. This is a case of needing to abstain.
I put my plan into action. Before we left I washed, chopped and peeled. I left the house loaded with sliced apples, carrot and celery sticks, cucumbers and water. I was sure I would sail through the pizza problem unchallenged. I was wrong.
I can proudly say that I only ate one bite of my baby's crust (which I dutifully logged in my food diary). But I was wrong to think it would be easy if I came prepared.
The pizza was served, and I didn't want to eat any more produce. I felt like a rabbit, crunching on my unappetizing veggies while my kids chowed down on greasy, cheesy goodness.
So it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but without the planning and executing of the bunny munchies, I wouldn't have had a chance.
It will always be hard, and I need to recognize that. But hopefully, that knowledge will make it just a little easier.
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