It's not fair, it's not fair. I shouldn't be so down on my favorite colleague, the one who shares a suite with me in my new digs. I shouldn't but I am, and hopefully she doesn't read my blog.
Here's the thing. I try to avoid junk during the day. A little junk food at night (especially a few tablespoons of ice cream or a SMALL piece of good chocolate cake, or even a handful of decent chocolate chips, wow) is essential. I'll even start the day sweet. Why not? But there's something about the in-between hours. I just can't risk the insanity.
We'll talk about eating habits one day.
But the story is that I moved in with my dear friend and it was very stressful. I've not even recovered, honestly, from the move and the holidays and the visits with the kids. Who can?
And here I am, a few pounds fatter from the holidays, and there's her suite. The one with the candy bowl. She keeps CHOCOLATES in this bowl. Hersheys, usually, but Mars, too. And I'm a big chocolate lover.
What's a person to do?
I have zero resistance.
Now you would think that one or two nuggets wouldn't hurt anybody, but it DOES! It's changing my life for the worse! I don't like the lack of self-control and I don't like anything about what it does to any part of my body but the palate.
And I know many of you are going to be dealing with Halloween soon. So what should we do?
Mainly, what should I do? Okay. I'm the therapist. I'm going to try it today. I'm not going to eat any of it (blee neder, meaning no promises). No candy. Zero. It's generally the way we deal with compulsive behaviors, don't start. There are other ways, of course, and we'll get to them.
And I'm bringing the dried fruit to the office from home to substitute.
Who's betting on me? I'm not sure I would. But writing this is actually part of the intervention. Isn't that cool? But of course, you all know that writing is therapeutic. Unless you're blocked, that is.
therapydoc
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Journal-1
BringThemHome-the hostages in Gaza-NOW Journals tend to begin with a journey, like a vacation, or maybe a change in life circumstance. A mov...
-
You may have heard this TherapyDoc aphorism. Write it. Don't send it. See, we can be talking about something (you will, that is, while ... -
Okay, people. If you've been reading me thus far you probably get that the sort of thing I referred to in the last co-dependent post inf...
-
ARTIST: Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe TITLE: I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face Lyrics and Chords [ Cdim7 = ; Edim7 = ; E+ = ] / C...
11 comments:
So you're going to try ignoring chocolate, eh?
Good luck with that.
Maybe for a day, or two. Maybe even for a week or two. But eventually you'll cave if you don't come up with a better strategy.
Here's what's worked for me. Start buying and eating expensive, imported chocolate. Plain chocolate, not fancy truffles, no nuts or caramels, or fruit flavored stuff. Eat some everyday but make sure you don't chew it. You must allow it to melt in your mouth so that you savor the flavor for the longest period of time.
Here's what will happen. In a just a couple weeks you will come to appreciate the that really expensive higher quality chocolate and the cheap stuff made with corn syrup here in the U.S. will lose it's appeal to you. It will all begin to taste "waxy" and you really won't be tempted to eat it any more.
Don't worry about becoming addicted to the more expensive chocolate. The high price and relative inconvenience of obtaining it (it won't be sitting out in bowls around the office or handed out at Halloween) will keep your habit in check.
I'm as much a chocoholic as ever but I eat very small quantities of imported dark chocolate every day (I buy it at my local Polish market... Polish chocolate is wonderful!)and I have no trouble walking past a bowl of the domestic stuff that you find everywhere.
Good luck!
Grrreat idea. I know a Holocaust survivor from Switzerland who has had one piece of really good chocolate every night for as long as she can remember, post WWII.
One piece?
Imagine that while you are snug at home away from the office, cockroaches are running rampant all over that chocolate. Biting it, walking all over it, doing what cockroaches do. That usually works for me.
Okay. It's day 2 and I haven't flagged. So far so good. But that's a good one. Thing is, it's so aversive I'd rather forget it, not that I can, thanks :)
I know when I'm going good on my diet, I can feel really guilty if I eat anything that isn't along the guidelines.
Have you thought about giving yourself a "free day" every Saturday or Sunday so you don't feel bad about what you eat on that day?
-Chris
Aw Chris, they're all free if you're me.
Or you can allow yourself to eat the candy at the office -- but ONLY on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and ONLY between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (and then only 2 pieces, tops). If you get busy or forget and miss the time window, tough luck ;) -- but this keeps you out of the trap of constantly being confronted by something "forbidden", which is only all the more tempting. (Ask me how I know....)
Seriously Debbie, this works? I'm on day 3, it's Tuesday. FD made me a sandwich. That works too, you know, eating. But if I doze off on someone, we'll all know why.
My husband and I always start with Step 1: Admit your powerlessness! ;)
Done. I failed Day 3. Had 2 pieces, mixed emotions.
It can work (not that everything works perfectly, and can take time, so don't beat yourself up too much for Day 3). I was a serious binge eater in grad school, and yo-yo dieted. One of the big problems with my diets had been that I'd been so strict and restrictive, so that reaching goal = chance to LIVE A LITTLE, whereafter I got out of control again quickly.
Anyway, more or less out of the blue, I told myself that I didn't have to give anything up, I could literally eat anything, anytime. And I really meant it. And after I actually gave that permission to myself, I suddenly relaxed and didn't have the cravings, because there was no longer a feeling of "I'll never be able to have that again." YMMV, but it seems to have been a key for me.
Post a Comment