Confession

There would be no point in writing this blog if I didn't share in my successes and my moments of poor choices, so here goes...

On the up side, I had my morning plain Chobani yogurt with blueberries, sans honey.  To my surprise, it was tasty without the added sugar.  Excellent.  Another healthy choice made.

On the down side...

I had cake on Sunday and hot chocolate with marshmallows last night and tonight.

Gulp.  In every sense of the word.

The main culprit:

I have spent a long time trying to understand why I made the food choices I did.  Did I feel entitled?  Was I hungry?  Stressed?  Bored?  I have to admit, the 18 inches of snow which just fell in my neighborhood fueled part of the hot chocolate binge.  I also drink it with my husband, so perhaps I view it as a nice bonding experience, or ritual.  But did I make a bad choice this week?  Or am I being too hard on myself?

In Food Rules, Michael Pollan's Rule 60 tells us to "Treat Treats as Treats" and his final rule, #64, tells us to "Break the Rules Once in a While."  This is, in part, the advice I need to hear, considering the amount of sugar, corn syrup, flour, and butter I consumed.  I also had to remind myself that a year ago, I would have had no problem eating the sweets I did this week, and in fact, I probably would have eaten more.  But part of me feels icky (mentally and physically).

So, I took a step back.  In a way, I don't think there's anything wrong with occasionally eating a delicious piece of cake or drink a nice hot cup of hot cocoa, but three in a week is probably a bit much.  Instead of the hot cocoa as a ritual, I may grab a nice piece of dark chocolate instead.  And then, I reminded myself why I strive to eat what I eat -- so I can be a healthy 20-something who maintains my health as I age.  I refuse to accept diabetes or heart disease as a "normal" part of the aging process.  And with the GI issues I've had in the past, I will not go on medication to fuel poor eating habits.  And then I watched this to keep my health choices in perspective:

and then I watched this to make me laugh:

What kind of treats to you eat?  How do you get your eating back on track?