Sometimes, things happen that are completely beyond one’s control. You know, like solar eclipses, being late for work after hitting ten red lights in a row, or having your cable television box fail the night your favorite show airs. A couple of days ago, I found myself in the middle of such a quandary.
My boyfriend’s parents were in town visiting from the UK. When we met over dinner, these delightful souls presented me with a box of Godiva chocolates for my birthday. I’m not talking about the dainty containers with a nibble of four squares either – this was a premium box of about 20 pieces, each with individual names and bio descriptions that rivaled professional athlete trading cards. In prime PMS mode, my brain silently screamed “jackpot!” But I tried to take the high road and hide the box from myself in the depths of my kitchen pantry. It didn’t work. The next day, alone and struck with an intense sweet craving, I broke into the box like a crack addict seeking a fix. The cute little chocolate covered cherry in the pink foil wrapper – appropriately named “Cherie,” was the first to go. Many of its friends soon followed. Within an hour, about 2/3 of the box seemed to magically disappear.
The reason I wanted to share this story is to clarify a misnomer. After you lose weight, you don’t have to be “perfect” to keep it off for good. Sure, I do make healthier food choices most days of the week, and exercise very often. But it’s okay to sometimes indulge your sweet tooth. In fact, I usually plan on one day each week to eat whatever I want, which might be a dessert, or tortilla chips or something fried that doesn’t typically hit my radar. That means that I don’t have “all or nothing” rules to rebel against. What I’ve learned, though, is to accept the indulgence and then move back into my regular habits. A couple of hours after the chocolate binge, I ate a very healthy dinner…whereas years ago, my instinct would have been to gravitate towards something intensely fattening since the day was “ruined.” Then I went back to my gym workout and my regular eating habits in the following days, balance and harmony restored.
So what did I learn from this experience? While premium chocolates and PMS might comprise the perfect storm, taking a long-term perspective can minimize any damage.
My boyfriend’s parents were in town visiting from the UK. When we met over dinner, these delightful souls presented me with a box of Godiva chocolates for my birthday. I’m not talking about the dainty containers with a nibble of four squares either – this was a premium box of about 20 pieces, each with individual names and bio descriptions that rivaled professional athlete trading cards. In prime PMS mode, my brain silently screamed “jackpot!” But I tried to take the high road and hide the box from myself in the depths of my kitchen pantry. It didn’t work. The next day, alone and struck with an intense sweet craving, I broke into the box like a crack addict seeking a fix. The cute little chocolate covered cherry in the pink foil wrapper – appropriately named “Cherie,” was the first to go. Many of its friends soon followed. Within an hour, about 2/3 of the box seemed to magically disappear.
The reason I wanted to share this story is to clarify a misnomer. After you lose weight, you don’t have to be “perfect” to keep it off for good. Sure, I do make healthier food choices most days of the week, and exercise very often. But it’s okay to sometimes indulge your sweet tooth. In fact, I usually plan on one day each week to eat whatever I want, which might be a dessert, or tortilla chips or something fried that doesn’t typically hit my radar. That means that I don’t have “all or nothing” rules to rebel against. What I’ve learned, though, is to accept the indulgence and then move back into my regular habits. A couple of hours after the chocolate binge, I ate a very healthy dinner…whereas years ago, my instinct would have been to gravitate towards something intensely fattening since the day was “ruined.” Then I went back to my gym workout and my regular eating habits in the following days, balance and harmony restored.
So what did I learn from this experience? While premium chocolates and PMS might comprise the perfect storm, taking a long-term perspective can minimize any damage.
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